reincarnated as the princess- of xianle!? | tgcf x f. reader

[4] ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɪᴅ, ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴏʟᴅɪᴇʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇɴᴅᴇʀ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ɪ'ᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ᴜꜱᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ

"Oh my! Your Highness, you look exhausted." The maid's soft voice was laced with concern as she lowered herself down onto her knees before Y/N, her elegant posture a contrast to the princess, who sat gracelessly on the floor. Y/N let out an awkward chuckle, waving a hand dismissively.

"Yeah, rough night," she muttered, her tone casual, almost out of place in the ornate bedchamber.

The maid blinked, her delicate brows furrowing, clearly puzzled by her highness' unrefined words. "Please rise, Your Highness. I have prepared your bath, and the garments you requested are ready. They truly are of the finest quality," she added with a smile, pride gleaming in her eyes.

Y/N barely registered her words, her gaze fixed on the maid's delicate face. Up close, her beauty was almost unsettling. Porcelain skin, unblemished and luminous, framed by dark, fluttering lashes. Her eyes, the softest shade of green, glistened as they caught the light. Everything about her was pristine, except for her hair, which, despite being the loveliest shade of brown, fell to her shoulders in uneven, jagged cuts. It seemed an odd flaw, an imperfection that Y/N couldn’t help but wonder about. How had it come to be this way?

Yet, as beautiful as the maid was, Y/N found herself inwardly sighing at her fixation on garments. Quality, luxury, such things likely mattered to Xie Jīnzi, the real owner of this body. To her, who had never experienced luxury in her own life, it felt distant, hollow. She shifted uneasily, finding the extravagance draped over her life now to be overwhelming, More perplexing still was the maid remaining on her knees, even as Y/N sat bewildered.

From across the room, the one introduced as Lan Kaihua strode forward. His steps were deliberate, his presence commanding without being loud. He extended a hand to her, elegant yet strong, to help her up. Y/N glanced up, momentarily caught off guard. He was strikingly beautiful. Sharp features, but not in a harsh, masculine way. His dark eyes were narrowed and unreadable, framed by long black hair pulled into a high ponytail, a few strands loose, framing his face in a way that softened him. His robes, red and black, whispered of martial grace, a sheathed sword hanging at his side.

Without a word, Y/N accepted his hand. He lifted her gently, as if she weighed nothing, before bowing his head in respectful silence. 'A man of a few words, huh?' she mused inwardly, feeling the weight of his quiet presence more than his words. Meanwhile, now that Y/N was standing, the maid finally got up as well.

"Earth to Xie Jīnzi," a teasing voice rang in her mind. Y/N shot a glare at the white cat lounging by the bed. "You know that’s not my name," she hissed under her breath, irritation bubbling up. Why couldn’t at least this strange, omniscient creature use her real name?

The maid’s gaze followed Y/N glare, settling on the white cat. "Oh? Your Highness' beloved pet is here too?" she smiled, her head tilting ever so slightly.

Y/N froze. "Beloved pet? This... cat?" She shot another glance at the creature that called itself Xué, processing the absurdity. This cosmic, multiverse-traveling cat had belonged to Xie Jīnzi all along?

The maid continued, her voice warm and light. "I was wondering where she had gone. I left food out for her, but she didn’t come. It usually works." A soft laugh escaped her lips before she added, "Now I see why. Well, Sir Lan Kaihua, would you kindly let her out so she can go eat?"

Lan Kaihua, ever silent, gave a slight nod and moved to open the chamber doors, his movements smooth and fluid like a dance rehearsed a thousand times. Y/N stared at the whole scene, a sense of surreal disbelief tightening in her chest. It was all too strange, too wrong. Yet here she was, standing in someone else's life, surrounded by beauty that felt more like a cage.