Chapter 42 Changing How We Address Each Other

Zhiyuan’s cold and detached face remained completely undisturbed. With calm composure, she replied, "Your Highness is the young master of the Prince's Estate, so naturally, you are this servant's master."

Her response was neither humble nor arrogant. However, as the corner of her eyes swept across Lin Jiangnian's face, she caught a glimpse of a playfully mischievous smile curving his lips.

Zhiyuan frowned slightly.

"Since this Heir is your master..."

Lin Jiangnian quietly observed the woman before him, his gaze profound. "Then you will obey this Heir's commands, won't you?"

Zhiyuan lowered her eyes. "What are Your Highness's instructions?"

"I don't have any particular instructions, really. It's just that suddenly, I feel calling me 'Your Highness' sounds far too ordinary and commonplace."

Lin Jiangnian glanced at her. "How about from now on, you just address me directly as 'Master'?"

"This Heir feels that title sounds much better. What do you think?"

Zhiyuan's frown deepened.

Seeing her remain silent, Lin Jiangnian smiled again. "What? Unwilling?"

Zhiyuan remained silent for a moment before replying, "Since Your Highness has given the order, this servant will naturally comply."

"Very well. Then why don't you try saying it right now so this Heir can hear?"

"..."

"Mas—"

Zhiyuan opened her lips, but the word lingered on the tip of her tongue, refusing to come out.

Under Lin Jiangnian's steady gaze, she finally forced two words out from between her brightly red, thin lips: "Master..."

For reasons unknown, the moment she uttered those two words, a strange ripple stirred within her heart—an inexplicable sense of... shame?

"Very good, not bad!"

Lin Jiangnian nodded in satisfaction. "Address this Heir like that from now on."

Zhiyuan did not utter a sound.

A trace of unnaturalness flashed briefly across her cold eyes, but it was quickly replaced by serenity.

Lin Jiangnian did not push her any further. Making her call him "Master" was partly out of mischief and partly a petty form of revenge. Although it couldn't cause her any actual harm, being able to disgust her slightly felt like venting the pent-up frustration from the bathhouse incident that night.

It felt deeply satisfying!

Lin Jiangnian glanced back toward the doorway, and as something occurred to him, he suddenly asked, "So, was he attempting to murder this Heir?"

The conversation between Zhiyuan and Lin Kong just now had naturally reached his ears.

Zhiyuan cast a sidelong glance at Lin Jiangnian and answered indifferently, "He wouldn't dare."

Lin Jiangnian countered, "How do you know he wouldn't dare?"

"If he didn't dare, why didn't he save me when I was in mortal danger?"

"Do you have any idea that this Heir almost died at the assassin's hands today?"

Lin Jiangnian pointed at himself. If he hadn't been overly cautious today and remained on his guard beforehand, he probably would have reaped the bitter fruits of his own negligence.

As his personal guard, Lin Kong knew he was in danger yet failed to step in and rescue him immediately?

What was he trying to pull?!

Zhiyuan remained silent for a moment before speaking. "Lin Kong is Your Highness's chief guard and has been utterly loyal to the Prince and Your Highness. He would never harbor thoughts of harming Your Highness..."

"He was derelict in his duties today, and this servant has already severely punished him. Once the Prince returns, he will be dealt with accordingly."

"Heh!"

Lin Jiangnian narrowed his eyes. "Utterly loyal? Are you certain?"

Zhiyuan met Lin Jiangnian's gaze, remaining neither humble nor arrogant. Her eyes showed no trace of evasion as she calmly stated, "Lin Kong grew up in the Prince's Estate since he was a child. Over the years, he has risked his life for the estate, and his loyalty to the Prince and Your Highness is unquestionable."

Those words carried a rather heavy dose of irony!

However, Lin Jiangnian cared little about that.

What he cared about more was...

He stared into Zhiyuan's icy face, which showed no hint of evasion or fear whatsoever—especially her bright, captivating eyes that seemed eternally untroubled, yet capable of piercing straight through to the bottom of Lin Jiangnian's soul.

"Lin Kong is merely a guard; naturally, he wouldn't dare to murder this Heir on his own. But if someone was pulling his strings from behind the scenes, that would be a completely different story..."

As Lin Jiangnian spoke, he kept his eyes locked onto Zhiyuan's.

A fleeting ripple finally appeared within her calm eyes, and her gaze twitched slightly. "Does Your Highness suspect that this servant is the one who ordered him to assassinate Your Highness?"

"What do you think?"

"This servant harbors no such rebellious and treasonous thoughts."

"How do you prove it?"

"..."

Their eyes locked, and the atmosphere suddenly grew heavy and oppressive.

Lin Jiangnian stared quietly at the woman before him, focusing on her cold gaze, her peerless face, and... the thoughts that remained completely unreadable.

Zhiyuan's gaze met his as well, holding her ground in a silent visual confrontation.

She was quite tall, not much shorter than Lin Jiangnian, and standing before him, she did not need to raise her head—their eyes met almost levelly.

A purple brocade skirt enveloped her graceful figure, revealing a slender, snow-white neck, a willow waist that could be spanned with a single grasp, and the slender legs partially concealed beneath the hem of her skirt.

As a maidservant of the Prince of Lin's Estate, her attire was completely different from that of the ordinary maids in the household. Any outsider seeing her would certainly never mistake her for a common servant girl.

She looked much more like a young lady of the Prince's Estate.

Even more so... like a young mistress!

Zhiyuan gazed quietly at Lin Jiangnian, sensing an oppressive, forceful aura radiating from him. His sharp, coldly mocking gaze felt as though it were interrogating her.

This feeling was similar to the past, yet subtly different.

It somehow felt as though...

His Highness had become far more aggressive!

Zhiyuan remained silent.

It wasn't until a moment later that she finally spoke, "How does Your Highness wish for this servant to prove it?"

"That is for you to figure out yourself."

Lin Jiangnian sneered. "Do you think this Heir's suspicions are completely baseless?"

Zhiyuan paused for a moment. "No."

Although Lin Kong was the Heir's personal guard, within the estate, he ultimately answered more directly to Zhiyuan. With such an incident occurring today, the Heir's suspicions were naturally inevitable.

"Then do you think this Heir has a right to suspect you?"

Zhiyuan slowly lowered her eyelids, shifting her gaze away from Lin Jiangnian. After a brief silence, she calmly replied, "Your Highness is overthinking. This servant has never once harbored the thought of harming Your Highness, furthermore..."

She paused slightly, lifted her eyes to look at Lin Jiangnian once more, but left the sentence unfinished.

"Furthermore what?" Lin Jiangnian pressed.

Zhiyuan was silent for a moment before saying, "If this servant truly wanted to harm Your Highness... Your Highness would never even discover it."

Hearing the calm tone of the maidservant before him, a sudden surge of apprehension gripped Lin Jiangnian's heart!

Indeed!

She was the personal maidservant of the Heir to the Prince of Lin's Estate, holding immense power within this household. If Zhiyuan genuinely wanted him dead, Lin Jiangnian probably would have perished countless times over already.

Lin Jiangnian was well aware of this fact, but it did not stop him from pointing the spearhead directly at her.

"So, by that logic, you *have* thought about harming this Heir?"

"This servant wouldn't dare."

"Since you wouldn't dare, how can you be so certain that this Heir wouldn't discover it?"

Lin Jiangnian narrowed his eyes. "Or could it be that you have already rehearsed ways to get rid of this Heir in your mind?"

When one is determined to condemn someone, excuses are never lacking.

Zhiyuan glanced at him and remained silent.

"You really are this Heir's most 'attentive' maidservant!"

Lin Jiangnian sneered.

Zhiyuan lowered her eyes and said indifferently, "Your Highness will always be Your Highness, and this servant will never harm Your Highness."

"This Heir doesn't believe it."

Lin Jiangnian shook his head. "I always thought that since you people belong to the Prince's Estate, you wouldn't harbor any disloyal intentions toward this Heir. Now it seems I was overthinking... You servants simply cannot be relied upon."

He let out a cold laugh. "With so many people outside thirsty for this Heir's life, and even those within the estate no exception, it seems if I want to survive, I can only rely on myself alone?!"

Zhiyuan remained silent.

She offered no lengthy explanations, perhaps because in her eyes, such matters required no explanation.

Or perhaps she simply disdained to explain.

Whether His Highness believed her or not was entirely up to him.

"Today's events, this Heir will remember. You had best conduct yourself accordingly."

Lin Jiangnian let out a cold snort, flicked his sleeves, turned around, and walked away.

Having achieved his objective, Lin Jiangnian had no intention of continuing to waste words with her. With his current abilities, he was not yet strong enough to shake Zhiyuan's status and position.

Coming to see her today was merely to express his angry emotions, laying the groundwork and paving the way for his subsequent plans.

If he truly wanted to deal with her, he would have to take it slowly, step by step.

"Your Highness!"

Just as Lin Jiangnian turned to leave, the silent Zhiyuan suddenly spoke up behind him.

Lin Jiangnian halted, glanced back at her, and sneered, "It seems you really didn't take this Heir's words to heart after all?"

"Mas—"

Zhiyuan's eyes flickered. She remained silent and hesitated for a long time, but ultimately still failed to force the word out.

Was this some inexplicable sense of shame rising from the depths of her heart?

She took a slightly deeper breath before finally saying, "Tomorrow is the death anniversary of the Princess Consort; Your Highness will need to rise early to make preparations."

The Princess Consort's death anniversary?

Lin Jiangnian was momentarily stunned, then let out a cold hum. "This Heir knows naturally!"

Without another word, he flicked his sleeves and strode away.

Zhiyuan remained standing in place, her expression entirely devoid of ripples.

She was forever like this, as if nothing in the world could ever arouse her interest.

She quietly watched the retreating figure of the Heir until, a long while later, she finally withdrew her gaze. Then, with a cold expression, she cast a glance toward a certain direction behind her.

"Investigate!"

"Find out who tried to assassinate the Heir today, and drag the assassin back here!"

"Understood."

A figure flickered in the shadows behind her and vanished silently.