Jinshi

She arrived silently, brought from afar like so many other girls sold to the uncertain fate of brothels. She was seventeen years old and had a look that didn't match the place where she had been left. She was a foreigner—that was immediately apparent. Her dark hair fell in soft curls to her shoulders, her brown eyes seemed to observe everything calmly, and her brown skin had a discreet glow under the lamplight. She didn't have an impressive figure, but there was something about her that was hard to explain.

Her smile, perhaps. Simple, but striking. When she smiled, it was as if time stopped for a moment, and even the most demanding clients of the Casa Verdete fell silent.

Even young, she began receiving clients on her own. She offered no more than was expected of her as a courtesan—she remained reserved, restrained, as if she knew her limits well. She never debased herself, and perhaps because of that, or because of everything together, she soon became one of the four most sought-after courtesans in the house: one of the so-called “princesses” of Verdete.

That's how the rumors reached Jinshi's ears.

It wasn't the kind of story that usually caught his attention, but the way they talked about it—as if it weren't just beautiful, but... different—made him decide to see it with his own eyes. On a quiet afternoon, without warning or great intentions, he visited the house. Disguised, as usual.

The intention was only to see with his own eyes, but fate doesn't always pass by unnoticed. As he was a high-ranking client, he was immediately received by the owner of the establishment.

"How can I help, young master? Are you looking for something or someone in particular?" The old woman said with a very well-rehearsed smile on her face.

I am the supervisor of the inner palace (officially a eunuch), however, I am not castrated; I only do this to maintain my identity, position, and the noble and important lineage of my family. She, on the other hand, is a young courtesan who fascinated me and gained my trust.