The Crown Prince's Bodyguard

21 ♛ Drunken Men

– Long'Er –

When morning arrived, the three men were knocked out in the same room, still sound asleep.

Long'Er was on watch duty when Ling Yao stepped out of the room. He was the first to wake up, probably because he didn't drink as much as the rest the night before, but a cup of water was what he needed to clear the haze in his mind. His eyes squinted at the morning light, sweeping them across the courtyard before they settled upon her.

"Can you do me a favour? I need you to watch over His Highness and that idiot," he said, jabbing a thumb in the direction where the sleeping men were resting. "I'll be back shortly."

Long'Er lowered her head into a slight bow.

"Understood."

Ever since the day she had saved the princess, there was a change in his attitude towards her. He began treating her with less harshness in his tone and his gaze didn't seem to be as guarded as before.

He was, she realised, gradually accepting her.

As per his instructions, she entered the room to check on the lords. Once she noticed the mess cluttered across the floor, she let out a quiet sigh.

Good heavens, what was wrong with men and their drinking habits?

Somehow or another, Zhang Wei was sprawled across the floor, whereas Li Xun was sleeping with his head placed on the table. It didn't look comfortable and she was certain he would have a terrible ache in the neck later on.

Afraid that he might be cold, she grabbed a blanket from the bed and covered him with it. She didn't forget Zhang Wei, and threw whatever cloth she could find over his body as quietly as possible, hoping not to wake them. Clearing the table quickly, she headed to the kitchen and handed the empty wine bottles to a servant.

By the time she returned to the room with breakfast, they still weren't awake. As she set up the table, she felt someone grab her ankle. 

A squeak of surprise escaped her. With a startled movement, she almost spilled the bowls of porridge, but a hand flew out to catch hers. Li Xun's eyes were now wide open, holding her steady.

"What's wrong?" he mumbled groggily, squinting into her frightened face. "What happened?"

She was staring down at the floor, and he followed her line of sight. A hand was wrapped around her ankle, one that belonged to none other than Zhang Wei himself. He was still deep in his slumber, limbs sprawled across the floor, and a thin line of drool dribbled from the corner of his mouth.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

With a groan, Li Xun pushed himself off his seat. He removed Zhang Wei's hand from her ankle and proceeded to roll him across the floor so that he was all the way at the other side of the room. Oblivious to what was happening, the poor fellow grumbled incoherently in his sleep, wrapping his hands around a pillow which Li Xun had tucked into his arms.

The prince grimaced at their dishevelled states and shook his head at himself. "I apologise for his...lack of manners. And mine too. To be honest, when you woke me up, my first thought was that Zhang Wei's sister-in-law came again."

Long'Er was puzzled. "What did she do to you to make you this terrified of her?"

Li Xun yawned and swept away his messy fringe from his forehead. "Well... She was extremely touchy and I thought her eyelashes were about to fall out at the rate she was batting them at me."

Chuckling, Long'Er handed him a cup of honey water. "She probably couldn't resist your charms," she remarked. "Here, drink this. It helps with the hangover."