Wang Li Xun, the Crown Prince, goes out hunting for the Celestial Flower to save his mother from a terminal illness. When he nearly dies from the attack of a mythical beast, he is saved by a mysterious boy who lives in the mountains.
To repay his ki...
Seeing a grown man, undressed at that, was against her morals. She wasn't even his wife, she was simply a bodyguard. No matter how she perceived this, it was inappropriate.
Truly, her disguise was going to be the death of her.
Her shock soon passed. She found her bearings and turned to her fellow acquaintances for help. After all, she wasn't the only bodyguard present. Several of them stood guard at different positions in the manor, never straying far from the Crown Prince's side.
But her hope diminished when they stared at her in confusion. Her odd request was slowly drawing suspicion, which certainly wasn't what she wanted to happen.
"You can hand them to him directly, can't you?" One of them spoke, and she could sense a tinge of sarcasm in his tone. "He would certainly appreciate it better if you attend to him."
"But I-"
"With that tiny physique of yours, it's better if you go while we keep a lookout here."
He was mocking her, but that was the least of her worries. She was panicking at the thought of nobody helping her to take on this task of delivering his clothes. To make matters worse, she heard that Captain Ling Yao was away because he had taken upon Li Xun's order to investigate Zhang Wei's old flame. Which meant he wouldn't be back anytime soon.
Thus, this was how she ended up outside the bathroom where the Crown Prince was currently in.
Despite her flustered state of mind, she stood on the other side of the mahogany wooden door. She shuffled between her feet nervously, raised a hand to knock once and awaited his response.
"Who's there?"
"Y-your Highness, it's me." Her voice was shaking, her stomach twisting in knots. "I've brought you fresh clothes."
His reply came swiftly. "You may enter."
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open to reveal a luxurious private bathroom. A magnificent bathtub sat in the centre, and sitting in it was a man whose presence unnerved her.
Her heart almost stopped beating.
Li Xun had his back facing her, his long, raven hair flowing downwards. His worn clothes were discarded on the ground. He sat comfortably against the edge of the bathtub, rolling his head around slightly to loose the tight knots in his neck. Steam rose from the warm water that reached below his shoulders. She watched as beads of water trailed down his skin until they disappeared into the bath water.
The blush that she was wearing on her cheeks soon developed into a burning flame.
She couldn't do this.
She really couldn't.
A silent scream tore through her mind. She wrenched her gaze away and hurriedly threw the set of new clothes over the garment rack hanger.
"I'll leave your clothes on the hanging stand, Your Highness! Now, if you could excuse me..."
"What's the hurry?"
She froze, feeling the hairs at the nape of her neck rise. Even if she didn't turn around, she could sense his curious gaze on her. Watching and waiting for her response.
"What's wrong with you?" he questioned, chuckling lightly. "Have you never seen another man undressed before?"
She refused to look at him, still facing the door stiffly with her back against him. Her mind was in shambles. At this moment, she very much wanted to run out of the place.
"I-I just think it's rude of me to stare at Your Highness's body," she explained herself hurriedly. "Now, if you could excuse me-"
For the second time, he interrupted her. "Wait. Can you hand me a towel?"
Her exasperation almost drove her insane. She teetered sideways, grabbing a white towel from the rack, before almost throwing it to him. And for the entire time, she didn't glance at him once.
She heard him mutter words of gratitude. "Thank you."
Nodding once, she was about to leave when she felt a warm hand clasp around her wrist. Her eyes snapped to him immediately, noticing the way he was staring at her with an odd expression.
Feeling a pain in his neck, he winced and rubbed the sore spot. "Will you help me with this? My neck muscles are hurting, probably because of the awkward position that I slept in earlier. The old man, Chief Eunuch, isn't around to help me now. I tend to doze off during my bath and he will always be there to wake me up when it's time," he explained, giving her an intent look, before adding on. "Please?"
With a hysterical internal scream, she asked quietly. "Is that an order?"
For some reason, his expression was unreadable. "Yes."
Dread filled her. She squeezed her eyes close and let out a deflated sigh. She waited until she heard him turn around before she was willing to peek through an eye. Her hand gently swept his long, wet hair away from his neck and located the spot that he mentioned was bothering him.
As she began relieving his pain by massaging that area gently, she couldn't help but notice how broad his shoulders were. His skin was fairer and more smooth than any man she had seen.
Without any warning, Li Xun grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to him, forcing her eyes open. Her response was instantaneous; a blush crept up to her ears and she glanced away to hide it.
"You're awfully shy, aren't you?" he remarked, unable to fathom the cause behind it. "Did living alone on the mountain for years make you this way?"
"Quit teasing me, Your Highness!" she chided, before realisation dawned on her a second later.
Did he...suspect her?
Was that his way of testing her?
He was studying her peculiarly. His head tilted slightly, his brows furrowed. After a long minute, he eventually released his hold on her and settled back comfortably to enjoy his bath. "I'll stop teasing you now. You may leave."
Embarrassed, she couldn't be any more relieved than hearing those words. Darting out of the bathroom quickly, she slammed the door behind her with a lot more pressure than necessary and sought refuge under a nearby oak tree. She leaned her back against the trunk, catching her breath and placing a hand over her racing heart to calm herself down.
She couldn't drag things on any longer. She needed to find her father.
Because developing feelings for a man definitely wasn't a part of her plan.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
