The Crown Prince's Bodyguard

31 ♛ The Awakened Prince

- Long'Er -

Li Xun's mother hurried to his side, brushing aside his hair from his forehead.

"My son?" she asked worriedly.

His eyes cracked open slightly, and stared up at the ceiling blankly, not quite hearing the Empress.

She frowned at this, exchanging looks with Long'Er who immediately left the room to fetch the Royal Physician. After a thorough medical examination, the white-haired man reassured them with his diagnosis.

"There's no need for concern, Your Majesty. It's a side effect from the poison earlier. He's in a daze right now, but it should go away after tonight."

His reassurance didn't ease the worry in the Empress's eyes. She excused the physician and his helpers, before returning her attention back to her son. She sat by the edge of his bed, grasping his hand and giving a light squeeze.

Li Xun's eyes fluttered open, recognising her this time. "M-Mother?"

"I'm right here," she answered. "How are you feeling?"

He groaned and shifted under the covers. "Terrible," he complained. "I apologise for scaring you, Mother."

She released a sigh. "You better be. Did you know how worried I was? It wasn't just me. You even scared Long'Er."

"Long'Er?" His eyes widened immediately. Even in a muddled state of mind, he remembered her.

He attempted to sit up. "Where is he?"

His mother halted his movements, afraid that he might overexert himself. "I can't believe you. The first thing you do after you wake up is to ask for your precious bodyguard?" She mumbled in feigned sadness. "Don't worry, he's right here."

Beckoning Long'Er over, the Empress filled Li Xun in on all the details; what had happened after he lost consciousness and how Long'Er had saved his life once again.

As he listened in confusion, his head tilted to the side, his eyes locking with hers. She couldn't guess what was running through his mind but the piercing, intense look that he was giving her gave her the jitters.

When the Empress finished explaining, she turned towards Long'Er. "Child, can you do me a favour and keep an eye on my son? I've to check in on the Emperor's condition too. Knowing him, I must be there to alleviate his anger before he ends up frightening the innocent."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Once she left, Long'Er was left standing awkwardly in the centre of the room. When she turned to look at Li Xun, she realised that he was still watching her.

"Come here," he whispered.

Her feet shuffled in his direction. "Your Highness, what's wrong–"

When she was within his reach, his hand reached out to grab her wrist and pulled her towards him. He threw his arms around her, nuzzling his face into her abdomen.

"You smell nice," he said innocently, sounding child-like. "And warm."

Her body froze. Never had she allowed a man to touch her like this. When his arms squeezed her, her nervousness triple-folded. 

"Y-your Highness?" She cleared her throat awkwardly and held up three fingers. "What number is this?"

He glanced up, frowning. "Four?"

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen?"

"No. You're twenty-one," she muttered under her breath before turning her voice a notch louder. "What's my name?"