A Plum Blossom

Chapter 12

It was 5 years ago when Ha Lee first entered the palace. Her father, Ha Ru, along with her mother, Yue Ying, and younger brother by 4 years, Ha Xueqin, accompanied her to the palace for the first time.

This is where it all began, the moment she first stepped foot, was when her fate started to take a turn.

In the palace, the family of four split. Ha Lee left with her mother, whereas her brother went with their father.

They'll meet again at the end of the day.

"Mother, are we meeting them today?" she asked solemnly.

Lady Yue Ying took a glance at her daughter then forward as they walked to the Moonlight Palace, where Queen Qi Ting resides.

"Yes, we must greet Her Majesty first." she informed her.

Arriving, the two were now present before Her Majesty.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." the mother and daughter pair bowed in union, showing their upmost respect.

Queen Qi Ting gave a smile. "Please sit." she gestured, and so they did.

The young girl leniently took a glance at the Queen before retracting her gaze elsewhere.

"Miss Ha Lee, how does the palace seem to you?" she questioned with a smile no longer there.

Ha Lee turned to her with nervous eyes. "Your Majesty, the palace is very beautiful, almost breathtaking upon view."

The side of the woman's lips raised. "Really? Then once you enter this family, the real beauty will unravel itself." it felt like warning.

Lady Yue Ying gulped.

She didn't even approve of this engagement between the families, nor did her husband. Rather, she'd prefer if her family had no ties to the royals.

Especially since that person was there.

"Your Majesty, may I ask how old His Highness, the Crown Prince is?" Lady Yue Ying asked, wondering about the age gap.

"My son is 24 years of age. A ten year gap I believe." she informed, startling the Lady.

The Queen gave a soft laughter, "Worry not, Miss Ha Lee will marry when she reaches the age of 16, just two more years." she assured the Lady.

Yue Ying nodded with a smile, "That's great news then." although deep down inside she knew it wouldn't be.

Elsewhere, was Yusheng running away from Li Dai with the Sky Arts Scroll he'd stolen off General Li's study.

The General would often talk of how important this scroll was to him as it helped him become the Great General he is today. This scroll held the highest practice of handling the sword, and the 3rd prince wanted to learn it.

"Yusheng, come back here right now! I'm literally trying to help you from a possible punishment from my father." he yelled warning him.

The 3rd prince laughed manically without a care. "DO YOU REALLY THINK I'M AFRAID OF THAT OLD MAN?!" and sped off.

More beads of sweat rained down on Li Dai as he didn't even think that he'd have to chase a certain individual this day.

Turning corners and corners, the thief was able to loose the tail and hid in a building. At the crack of the wooden frame that separated the two, the General's son breathed harshly.

The General's son bent down, catching his breath before standing up straight. Silently, he whispered to himself, "He's dead now, I can't save him." and walked away back to the training grounds.

His face was filled with disbelief, and could only pray for his dear friend.

"I hope father goes easy on him, but rather I just hope he isn't caught."

The prince, after having stayed in that space for a while, peaked his head out to check if his friend had gone yet.

Looking left and right, he saw it was clear. However, once he realized what this place was, he could only gulp seeing the real sin he just committed.

This place was the Plum Palace. It was reserved strictly for the Crown Princess to live, and not even the royals could enter.

Yusheng could only cuss inside at his mistake.

"Shit, shit, SHIT!"

For a moment, Yusheng tried to recollect himself, as he was quick leave. Once he was settled, he left to the doors.

But, before he could step out those doors, he looked back once more to catch the hidden beauty of this place.

His eyes were filled with awe and wonder.

"I wonder when the Crown Princess will come and claim this palace."

He then left, going elsewhere to read the scroll.

Given the permission to roam the palace, Ha Lee did as she pleased. She felt shy to even look, but did so as she was granted approval by both her mother and Her Majesty.

The beauty she possessed was enough to capture one's attention even at this young age.

Her eyes were captivating, lips that looked soft to the touch, silky brown hair that hung loose reaching the length of her arms, and her dress colored a light pink held embroidered flowers.

As she walked, her hand reached into her sleeve pocket and pulled out a fan. It had paintings of a crane and lotus flowers that she did herself.

Soon enough, she reached the palace garden where it was vast, and not many came here. There, she hummed a melody known only to her.

The song echoed, bringing peace to her as she covered her face with the fan.

Suddenly, her steps came to a halt, and with that she hid behind a large tree. She looked rather strange doing so.

Walking by was a young man, whom was alone. He had handsome looks and an aura that gave elegance.

Just one look, her heart was beating, cheeks flushed with pink, and eyes that couldn't come off him.

He wasn't the type where everyone looked in awe of his looks and fell immediately, but rather one where if you felt the connection, even if it was one-sided, you'd surely fall.

Love at first sight.
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