A Maid Dressed As A Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role (Transmigration) - Chapter 15

A’Zhi suspected the little princess might be a bit anxious. This was probably her first time hosting such a big banquet in the capital. While Chao Mu didn’t voice any worries or seem nervous, she had been waking up repeatedly throughout the night.

As the head maid, A’Zhi had moved into the little princess’s room on the second day of her selection. The head maid’s presence in the room wasn’t solely for service, as there were still other maids and servants outside the door whom she could instruct. The reason a head maid slept in the same room as her mistress was to foster a closer, more intimate bond.

In noble households, a head maid was expected to accompany her mistress when she married, and she could one day become a managing matron, spending her whole life by her side. Such a person needed to be absolutely loyal, and the two of them had to share a personal connection.

Living together was one way to nurture that relationship.

A’Zhi’s small bed was placed at the foot of Chao Mu’s, with a chest-high peony screen in front of it for privacy. Now, lying in her own bed, she could hear the little princess tossing and turning. The one who had wished her “sweet dreams” before bed was clearly not having them.

“No, I didn’t,” came a low, muffled, and tearful voice.

“My mother isn’t… isn’t… Stop, don’t go, Father, don’t go…”

“No, they… they don’t… The Qi Estate doesn’t…”

Some of the words were too faint to make out clearly.

A’Zhi immediately got up, grabbed the outer robe draped over her blanket, and put it on as she walked toward the bed. The lamp on the bedside table had its wick trimmed and a lampshade covering it, providing only a faint light in the dead of night.

In the soft glow, A’Zhi knelt by the bed and gently called Chao Mu’s name. “My Lady, My Lady, wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”

Chao Mu was clearly having a terrible dream. She was curled up, completely buried under the blankets. A’Zhi gently rubbed her back with one hand and pulled the blanket down with the other to reveal her face, taking a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

Her forehead was drenched, and her face was wet with tears. She had obviously dreamed of something very sad and desperate, and her breathing was shaky.

“A’Zhi…”

“I’m here.”

Chao Mu woke up groggily, still curled into a ball. She took the handkerchief from A’Zhi and quietly wiped her tears under the blankets. The room fell silent.

A’Zhi heard a rustling sound outside and got up, walked to the window, and opened it a crack to look out. Under the bright lights of the lanterns in the courtyard, snowflakes were falling thickly, quickly covering the ground in a layer of white.

A’Zhi shut the window tightly, poured a cup of warm water from the table, and walked back. “My Lady, it’s snowing,” she whispered to Chao Mu. The weather had been overcast since the afternoon, with heavy leaden clouds that looked like they could bring a heavy snowfall at any moment. After holding out for hours, the snow had finally begun to fall in the dead of night.

“My Lady, have some water.” A’Zhi knelt by the bed and offered the teacup, but the small lump under the blankets shook her head. The little princess had been crying in her dream and hadn’t recovered yet. Her voice was still choked with tears. “I’m not thirsty.”

Her soft, low tone, which trembled at the end, sounded pitiful and made A’Zhi want to comfort her.

“If you’re not thirsty, then just moisten your lips,” A’Zhi coaxed softly.

Chao Mu hesitated for a moment, then slowly poked her head out from under the blankets and took two sips of water from A’Zhi’s hand.

The light was dim, but they were close enough that A’Zhi could see Chao Mu’s thick, long eyelashes, which were wet and clumped together, giving her a look of stubborn grievance. Her face was flushed from being under the blankets, but her lips were pale. Only after sipping the warm water did they look more normal.

After drinking, Chao Mu’s breathing became much calmer, and she lay back down.

She didn’t say what she had dreamed about, and A’Zhi, as a proper head maid, would naturally not press her for details out of curiosity or pry into her mistress’s secrets. She put the teacup back and returned to the bedside.

A’Zhi was about to kneel again, but Chao Mu shifted slightly in the bed, making some space. She peeked out from under the blankets, looked at A’Zhi, and extended a hand to pat the bed, motioning for her to sit. “It’s tiring to kneel.”

Her voice was muffled but sounded much more normal.

A’Zhi sat sideways on the edge of the bed and patted Chao Mu’s arm. “Thank you for your consideration, My Lady. I will stay here and watch over you. You can sleep peacefully. You need your rest for the banquet tomorrow.”

Chao Mu obediently closed her eyes. Once her breathing became steady, A’Zhi pulled her hand back. A’Zhi adjusted her posture, turning from facing inward to leaning back against the bed. She was trying to sit on the edge of the bed in as relaxed a position as possible. The little princess needed to be in good spirits for the banquet tomorrow, and so did she. Even if she couldn’t sleep, she could at least rest her back, which had been straight and tense all day.

A’Zhi turned her head to look in the direction of the window. The snowy night sky wasn’t as dark; it had a slight white glow.

“A’Zhi.”

“I’m here.”

“Mm.” A docile, sleepy hum.

About fifteen minutes later, Chao Mu called her name softly, as if to make sure she was still there. A’Zhi turned away from the window and replied warmly.

The little princess seemed to have fallen asleep again.

A’Zhi, with nothing to do, was about to look outside again when she felt the hand she had relaxed on the bed being gently held. She was sitting with her back against the bed frame, her outer hand resting on her waist as usual, and her inner hand lying palm-up on her lap. In that moment of complete relaxation, when her mind was empty and her guard was down, the little princess’s warm fingers slowly clasped her cool palm, holding on tightly and dependently.

A’Zhi froze for a moment, her eyes flickering. She lowered her head and looked over. The little princess had one hand stretched out from under the covers, her fingers resting in A’Zhi’s palm, revealing a slender, pale wrist.

With half her face buried in the blankets, Chao Mu didn’t even look up at her. Yet, as if she could sense the surprise on A’Zhi’s face, she mumbled, “A’Zhi, I’m scared.”

A’Zhi hesitated, then slowly closed her fingers around Chao Mu’s hand. “Don’t be scared, My Lady. I’m here. I’m right by your bed to watch over you. Whether in your dreams or in real life, you don’t have to be afraid of anyone.”

Chao Mu seemed to smile. She poked her head out from the blankets, her eyes curving into crescents. Her watery almond eyes shone brightly as she looked at A’Zhi. “Okay, A’Zhi.”

A’Zhi’s face flushed at her words. She gently squeezed Chao Mu’s soft, almost boneless hand to reassure her. “My Lady, go back to sleep now. It’ll be dawn soon.”

“When you go back to sleep later, take the two hand warmers from my blanket and hold them—one for your hands, one for your feet,” Chao Mu instructed softly with her eyes closed. Otherwise, her bed would have gotten cold after she was up for so long.

“Alright.” A’Zhi pulled the blanket over Chao Mu’s exposed wrist, her heart warming at the little princess’s thoughtfulness. The little sweet pastry was just like the hand she held, warm and soft.

A’Zhi held her hand until she was fast asleep before getting up to return to her own bed. When she put Chao Mu’s hand back under the covers, the warmth leaving her palm was a sudden void, and A’Zhi found it a bit jarring.

To compensate, she took the two hand warmers from Chao Mu’s blanket and hugged them, contentedly lying back in her own bed. The warmers were nice and toasty. While not as soft as the little sweet pastry, they were durable, and she felt no guilt using them to warm her feet. After all, she would never dare to ask the little sweet pastry to warm her feet.

She slept soundly, waking up early the next morning. Outside the door, the world was a pristine white, and a gust of wind sent a flurry of snowflakes flying. The sky was clear, ready for a day of welcoming guests.