Time was passing so slowly, that it almost seemed as if it stood still. About two hours had gone by since the unfortunate accident.

There was silence reigning in the sleeping chamber of a certain young lord, while the sun kept shining brightly outside the window and the birds continued to sing, creating the impression of a perfectly normal day, as though nothing had happened at all.

Jinshi was lying face-up in his bed and slept soundly. His slightly disheveled bangs were falling onto his forehead that was covered in bandages, and he wore his sleepwear his chief lady-in-waiting Suiren had changed him into with Gaoshun's help, after she had carefully wiped his face clean with a cloth dunked into warm water. As soon as the two of them had helped him lie down, he had sunk into a deep slumber, so exhausted, as if all those actions had robbed him of the last strength he had still left.

And while the two servants had been taking care of their still dazed and highly confused master, Maomao, who had gotten Gyokuyou's permission to return to Jinshi's residence, had rushed out, washed her hands, and quickly changed clothes as well (the room she had occupied in his house still held a few of her belongings), putting the ones soiled with Jinshi's blood and vomit to the dirty laundry. But other than that, she had stayed with him the entire time after the incident had occurred in order to monitor his condition.

Now, the apothecary, the lady-in-waiting, and the aide were standing next to the bed and watching Jinshi sleep, all three with a concerned expression on their faces. Nobody said a word.

The sleeping young man's deep and calm breathing was the only sound breaking the silence in the room.

The atmosphere was so oppressive, so heavy, that it felt like a blanket, weighing several tonnes and trying to push them to the ground. To hold them down, so they could never get up again.

No one knew in which state Jinshi, who hadn't been able to recognize neither the people nor the places once familiar to him after the blow to his head, would awake. But they still couldn't do anything but wait. Wait and count the minutes and seconds passing by.

Maomao was plagued by remorse and guilt, both of them more intense than she had ever experienced in her entire life. Yes, because even though she might perceive feelings not as acutely as other people most of the time, it still didn't mean that she didn't possess any at all. Nor was her heart made of stone.

She knew exactly that she had done something extremely stupid and horrible this time. Just how the hell could she have considered it a good idea? She barely dared to look the two other servants into the eyes.

Maomao had already apologized to Gaoshun, whom she had informed about everything while her father had been stitching up Jinshi's wound. The aide's pupils had shrunk for a moment as he listened, but in the end, he had just given her a tired and somewhat sad look, frowned, shaken his head, and said that she couldn't have known that Jinshi would arrive at exactly that precise moment. And that she should better apologize to the young lord himself, once he regained his memory.

Those words hadn't soothed Maomao in the slightest, let alone comforted her. To be honest, she would have preferred to be insulted and yelled at by the aide. She wouldn't even have minded being hit. But she was also aware that Gaoshun wasn't that kind of person. He would never do something like that, especially to a woman.

Suiren, however, hadn't been told all the details concerning the accident, just that Jinshi had fallen near the Jade Pavilion and hit his head against a stone. Nothing more.

Actually, Maomao had first wanted to tell her the entire truth as well, but as soon as she had opened her mouth, she had felt Gaoshun's hand on her shoulder. His grip was firm. The apothecary understood that he had guessed her intention and wanted her to keep quiet in order to protect her. Because no matter how fond the chief lady-in-waiting might be of her, she would possibly never forgive her for having done something like that to her precious young master. Thus, Maomao had closed her mouth again and let him do the talking.

Her gaze wandered towards the floor as she relived the memory once again. She hadn't deserved such benevolence, such kindness, in her opinion.

However, she also couldn't risk being chased out of Jinshi's residence or worse. Because he needed someone with medical knowledge by his side, someone who would take care of him. And even though her own knowledge couldn't be compared to her father's by any means, that "someone" had to be her.

It had to be her. Otherwise, she would never find any peace, would never be able to make up for what she had done to him.

And right now, Suiren was standing next to her and seemed highly worried, but also almost as composed as always. However, the apothecary felt that she would never forget the shock on the elder lady's face when Suiren had spotted the injured Jinshi, as he had been brought home by Gaoshun. The Jinshi, who had, on top of everything, not recognized her at all, her, one of the people who had raised him basically since birth. The apothecary could have sworn that Suiren had been holding back tears. And she still was... even now '

"Oh!" the elderly lady-in-waiting suddenly said. Maomao and Gaoshun looked at her, a bit taken aback. "I still have to prepare dinner and finish the cleaning tasks. The young master wouldn't want to see any dust after his awakening."

"I very much doubt he would care about something like that,"

Maomao thought, however didn't say anything. Being a lady-in-waiting herself, she understood that life almost never stood still for servants. It didn't matter whether they were in the mood for working or not, their duties could not be neglected. And Suiren's master needed a clean and orderly home where he would feel comfortable, maybe now even more than ever. Also food to eat, of course.

And perhaps... it was also Suiren's way of distracting herself from reality and of expressing her hope that everything would return to normal soon. That Jinshi would wake up as the Jinshi they all knew, with all his memories restored, so they could forget that incident, as if it were nothing more than a bad dream.

"Please stay here and keep an eye on him, Xiaomao," the chief lady-in-waiting asked before leaving the room. "I know that Master Jinshi is in very good hands with you."

"Understood..." the apothecary managed to reply with a slightly hoarse voice. She felt a lump in her throat and gulped.

As soon as the door closed again, Gaoshun let out a deep sigh and stepped in front of her, making her look up into his face.

"I need to leave as well, Xiaomao. Unfortunately, I have no other choice than to inform the Emperor about what had happened."

Maomao pressed her lips together into a thin line and merely nodded without a word. Of course, Gaoshun had no other choice, for regardless of whether Jinshi would regain his memory soon or not, he absolutely needed a lot of rest and was currently unable to do his work for quite some time anyway. She wondered briefly who would take care of the inner palace's matters in his place, but that wasn't her business and didn't need to concern her.

"I won't reveal to His Majesty either that you were involved in the accident," the aide then continued after a short pause.

Maomao remained silent. She wasn't really surprised, since she had already more or less expected to hear something like that. To tell the Emperor the whole truth would be akin to a guaranteed death sentence for her, after all. However, she still had the feeling that she hadn't deserved that mercy.

Gaoshun seemed to have guessed her thoughts, since she felt his hand on her shoulder once more.

"It's not your fault, Xiaomao," he assured her again with a calm voice. "As I have already said before, you couldn't have known that Master Jinshi would come. He hadn't even announced that he would visit the Jade Pavilion today. Yes, you certainly did something stupid by climbing up that ladder, I admit, yet you didn't ask him to catch you."

He let go of her again and headed to the door as well.

"And besides... I know exactly just how important you are to him... If he lost you forever, even after having gotten his memory back, he would never be the same again."

His last words were such a soft murmur that Maomao didn't hear them.

Finding herself now all alone with the sleeping Jinshi, she took a chair and put it right next to the bed, sitting down.

***

Time continued to pass. The evening would arrive soon, and Jinshi still refused to wake up.

Maomao could feel a heavy fatigue in her entire body, but at the same time, she was also so utterly restless that she was unable to continue sitting on that chair and had started walking to and fro, clenching her skirt with both hands in order to keep them from shaking. She had been watching the young lord for nearly two hours, but his sleep remained deep.

The apothecary briefly rubbed her stomach that had started to hurt from all her anxiety. There was almost nothing left from her usual composure and calmness, even though she naturally knew that her nervousness wasn't of any use to her nor to anybody else. However, she just couldn't help it.

That was the very first time a patient made her feel like that. But then again, also the first time that she was the direct cause for said patient's injury. That she was the one to blame.

She wondered whether Jinshi was risking slipping into a coma if he didn't wake up soon, because she really didn't like that he was sleeping so deeply after his head injury. But then she quickly shook her head, trying to get rid of those horrible thoughts. Her father who, being led by Infa, had arrived as fast as he could with his bad leg, had determined after his examination that it was safe for Jinshi to sleep and that he, on the contrary, needed plenty of rest. And since Luomen was the best doctor Maomao knew, she trusted him unconditionally and didn't doubt his words in the slightest.

Even though she was very aware that he was no clairvoyant and that even he could not know what might still happen.

In any case, it was a pretty good sign that Jinshi had no trouble walking on his own and had been able to master the way to his residence more or less fine, being supported by Gaoshun just to be safe, since he still had been suffering from a headache and slight nausea (the aide had fetched him a uniform of a eunuch-worker and also a mask in order to disguise him and avoid scandal on the way - despite not recognizing Gaoshun either, Jinshi had seemed to sense that no one was meaning to do him any harm and had obediently done as told, changing into the new clothes inside the Jade Pavilion 's shed with the other man 's help). And his sight and speech had luckily not been affected in any way either.

The most concerning thing was his memory loss. A highly concerning thing.

While reflecting on all that, Maomao headed to the water carafe standing on a small table near the bed and poured herself a cup in order to moisten her parched throat. Then she carefully peeked under Jinshi's bandages at his wound that had been thoroughly cleaned and stitched up by her father right then and there in the shed. So neatly, that there shouldn 't be any scar left to remain after the removal of the stitches that should take place in about ten days.

The apothecary drank the cup dry and put it back where it had stood, noticing that the carafe was almost empty, since Jinshi had been thirsty, and they had given him a few cups of that water to drink before tucking him into bed. He would need some after waking up as well, so she figured that she should better head to the kitchen and refill it quickly.

And after that, she would prepare a few candles. It was summer, which made the days pretty long, but it could be that Jinshi would sleep through the entire evening and only wake up at nighttime. Which she hoped wouldn't happen.

Having cast another look at the young noble, Maomao heaved a deep sigh, picked up the carafe, and intended to head to the door. But then she suddenly froze, as she felt a light tug at her skirt from behind, stopping her from leaving and making her almost drop the carafe from surprise.

And since there was currently nobody else in that room except for her and Jinshi, it must mean that...

"Did he wake up?"

She immediately turned back to him and noticed that Jinshi had indeed started to move a bit. One of his hands had grabbed her skirt as though it were a natural reflex.

Maomao blinked a few times when she saw that his eyes were still closed.

"Huh? But then how did he...?"

Before she could finish her thought, Jinshi let out a few groans and slowly cracked his eyes open, starting to rub them with his other hand. Then he realized that he wasn't alone. The two of them exchanged gazes for a few seconds, and the apothecary placed the carafe back on the table, while he let go of her and proceeded to look at his own hand with astonishment, seeming to not understand himself why exactly he had grabbed that young woman 's clothes in the first place.

Maomao gulped and was already about to ask him how he was feeling and pose him the most crucial question of whether he could remember everything again. He, however, beat her to it by directing the gaze of his still somewhat sleepy violet eyes again at her blue ones and opening his mouth to speak. She found that he looked like a nymph that had fallen from heaven and now had to find her way around on earth.

"Uhm, can I ask you something?" His tone was soft and a bit timid.

"Yes, sir?"

"Who are you?"

Maomao opened her mouth, but was unable to produce even a word. All the hope she had been holding during the last few hours vanished, as if blown away by the wind outside. Like dry leaves in autumn. So his memory still hadn't returned...

And before she could help it, she had lowered her head. The look in her eyes was hard to decipher.

"Ah, I'm sorry..." she heard Jinshi say and looked up at him again. There was a slight shock on his beautiful face, as though he feared that his question had made her sad. "But when I came to my senses earlier, my head was lying on your lap... and after that, you stayed with me almost the entire time, together with those other people... So I'd like to know who you are..."

Ah, true. She remembered that he had asked her that question right after the accident as well, but back then, she hadn't had the time to give him an answer, being too busy with trying to stop his bleeding. But she was glad to hear that he seemed to be able to memorize the events that had happened after the incident. That he had lost the memories of his past, but had no problem retaining new information. At least something.

"I am Maomao, sir. The apothecary."

She didn't want to overwhelm him right after waking up, so she tried to limit herself to only the most essential facts.

"Ah..." That was everything Jinshi said to that, but judging by the lost expression on his face, he still didn't recognize her. Then he started to analyze her face, almost like a child discovering something new. "Maomao..."

The apothecary flinched at the word, not being used to hear her name from his lips. But she quickly composed herself again.

"How are you feeling, sir? Are you in pain?"

"My head hurts..."

"Is the pain very intense?"

"No, not really."

Of course. If it was, he would have hardly been able to hold a calm conversation with her.

"Very well, then I will give you a pain remedy soon."

Next, she took him by the chin and bent down.

"But I'm going to examine you first, if you don't mind, sir."

"A-A-Alright..."

"Why's he stammering like that all of a sudden?"

she thought with a frown.

"And why is he red? He doesn't have a fever, does he?!"

Maomao carefully put her free hand on his forehead and checked his temperature, where his skin wasn't covered by the bandages. His temperature was a bit elevated, but thankfully far away from an actual fever.

She let out a deep breath of relief and looked at the color of his face: still a bit reddened, but not too much and neither was he too pale. Good. And neither was he sweating profusely or bleeding out of his nose or his ears. Mentally going through all the concussion symptoms her father had taught her, she then turned to Jinshi's eyes: his pupils had the same size, and he wasn't sensitive to light. However, she still had to check that last fact again after it had gotten dark, by shining candlelight at his eyes.

Jinshi let her do everything without a word of protest.

"Apart from your memory loss, I haven't spotted anything that concerns me. What luck. Let's hope that it stays that way." Some concussion symptoms could appear hours or even days after the injury.

"Say... how did I lose my memory in the first place?"

"You fell and hit your head against a stone." Maomao pulled a small sachet out of her sleeve and took a pill from it. "Please take this now, sir, it's a pain remedy."

She put the pill onto his palm, poured the still remaining water in the carafe into another cup and helped him sit up in bed and drink the water after he had swallowed the medicine.

"And... who am I? Why are you speaking so formally to me and why are you calling me 'sir'?"

"Yes, who are you?"

Maomao thought with a hint of bitterness. She couldn't claim to know the answer herself. But on the other hand, it had been her who had refused to listen to him when he had wanted to tell her the truth, so she could hardly complain in this case.

"You are Jinshi. A noble." That was everything she could say. To tell him that he was a eunuch wouldn't do, since he actually wasn't, and the fact that he was pretending to be one (for reasons she herself didn't want to know) would only unnecessarily confuse him, so Maomao decided to hide that fact as well for now.

"A noble?"

"Exactly. And I am one of your two ladies-in-waiting. Your personal maidservant, so you are, indeed, my master."

"You are what?!"

'Why the hell is he so surprised? '

Suddenly, the two of them heard a few sounds and turned their heads towards the door.

"Goodness! Young master, you're awake!"

The chief lady-in-waiting, who had surely come to check on him, brought one of her hands to her mouth and froze for a few seconds. Then she rushed up to the bed, excited.

"Lady Suiren," Maomao said.

"Hm," was the only sound Jinshi produced, seemingly unsure how to react. He seemed to remember how that elderly lady had helped him change clothes and taken care of him, once he had arrived at that house after his accident. But other than that... nothing.

"Are you feeling better? Have you gotten your memory back?" Suiren inquired in a tone filled with hope.

However, instead of answering, the young lord merely averted his gaze, furrowed his brows and awkwardly scratched his cheek with his index finger. It was written all over his face that he didn't want to crush her hopes. But it couldn't be helped.

The chief lady-in-waiting looked at Maomao next. The apothecary shook her head.

"I... see," Suiren commented after a brief pause. "Understood... But you will get it back without a doubt, young master. We just have to be patient." She was struggling to maintain her little smile, however, her eyes had already lost their shine.

Jinshi and Maomao still didn't say anything. Until a growling sound interrupted the silence, all of a sudden.

The young noble opened his mouth in surprise and placed one of his hands on his stomach. That seemed to snap Suiren out of her disheartenment.

"Of course you are hungry, young master! Please wait a bit, I will bring you your dinner right away! And Xiaomao's as well. Both of you haven't had anything to eat for a long time."

She briefly stroked the back of his hand in a comforting gesture and left once more.

Maomao was a bit confused. Normally, Suiren and her had their meal only after Jinshi had eaten, sharing the leftover food together. But this time seemed to be an exception. Hah, but not as if it was that important right now...

The apothecary certainly hadn't had anything to eat for quite some time, but she had no appetite. Even though she understood that she would have to eat nonetheless, after all, she needed her strength and energy to properly take care of Jinshi.

Letting out a sigh, she sat down on the chair once more, finding herself with nothing else to do for the moment.

"Who is that lady?" Jinshi asked quietly.

"Her name is Suiren, and she's your chief lady-in-waiting. She... raised you, sir."

"Oh!" Jinshi looked startled for a moment and then covered his face with both hands. "And I didn't recognize her... I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be. It's not your fault," Maomao muttered and promptly added in her thoughts:

"It's mine."

Her gaze fell on the still empty carafe. Ah, right, she had wanted to refill it, hadn't she? She had totally forgotten. And the normally so highly attentive Suiren had surely been too shaken to notice.

Well, then Maomao would just do it right now.

She picked up the carafe once more and got to her feet. But before she could move any further, she suddenly felt her wrist being seized by a large hand.

"No! Please don't leave yet!"

"Sir, I-"

"Please!" Jinshi interrupted her, before the apothecary could explain to him that she would come back in a few minutes. "I... I still cannot remember who you are, but... just looking at you calms me down somehow. It's... it's a bit too much to ask, I know, but please stay with me, at least for another while... alright?"

He gave her a desperate, almost pleading look.

Maomao froze for a second and then sat down again. Fine, then she would have to ask Suiren for fresh water later. She didn 't want to unnecessarily upset Jinshi in his current state.

'As you wish, Master Jinshi. '

At the next moment, however, she widened her eyes, suddenly feeling a pleasant warmth on her skin.

Jinshi had raised his hand and cupped her face with it, his thumb starting to caress her cheek. As if he was the one trying to comfort her now.

He was so gentle, that it caused a new lump to form in Maomao 's throat. His warm, rough palm felt familiar to her, reminding her of the other times he had touched her. So something of the old Jinshi still remained, huh?...

'Thank you, Maomao ' ' The softest of smiles appeared on his lips.

The apothecary found herself unable to emit even a single sound in reply.