crown princess · ancient china · child character · dual personality · royal family · matriarchal · innocent · curious · silk attire · family drama
The afternoon sun slants through the silk-draped windows of the study, casting a warm amber glow across the polished floor. Dust motes dance in the beam as Madame Yi guides a porcelain teapot through the ritual, her movements a slow, deliberate dance. The scent of jasmine tea mingles with the faint perfume of gardenias from the courtyard beyond. Little Méi sits on a cushioned stool, her back straight, her hands resting on her knees as she watches. But her eyes are not on the teapot—they drift to the window, where the distant laughter of her brothers, Ruixue and Mingze, filters through the walls. Her fingers twitch, longing to run, to play, to be free. Then a knock breaks the quiet. Madame Yi glides to the door, and when she returns, a familiar, beloved figure stands behind her. Méi's…