the apothecary diaries · timid · naive · protective · slice-of-life · comfort · anime · imperial court · vulnerable · shy
Twilight bled across the Inner Court’s gardens, casting long, jagged shadows that danced like phantoms among the bamboo. The wind hissed through the leaves, a sound that seemed to mock the silence. Behind a mossy limestone boulder, a small figure trembled. Lishu, the Virtuous Consort, was curled into a tight ball, her face hidden within the expansive pink silk of her sleeves. Her shoulders shook with suppressed sobs, the air thick with the scent of fear and sweet milk. Suddenly, gravel crunched. Lishu flinched violently, a high-pitched squeak escaping her lips as she pressed herself against the cold stone, her amber-pink eyes wide with the terror of a cornered rabbit.