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...
A/N: A lot of people have been asking for more, but because I don't have much inspiration for a second book, I'm writing a short spin-off story instead! Without further ado, enjoy reading! 😛
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(Note: This scene relates to chapters 30-31 in the main story)
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Li Xue was heartbroken.
After discovering that the person that she had fancied was actually a woman disguised as her brother's male bodyguard, she nearly passed out from sheer embarrassment.
Frankly speaking, there were a few noblemen she had appreciated in the past but her fondness of them simply diminished. This time, she thought that things would be different this time.
Oh, how wrong she was.
As if she wasn't feeling horrid enough, the gods had to be cruel to her once again. Shortly after her return to the Great Hall to answer to her mother's calling, her one and only brother - the Crown Prince - was offered a cup of poisoned wine that had somehow slipped past the safety checks, which could only mean that the culprit was standing within the same space as them.
But thanks to whatever legendary antidote that Long'Er possessed, his life was saved but he remained unconscious as he recovered. When Li Xue wanted to pay him a visit, she spotted the bumpkin – no, Long'Er – entering her brother's bedchamber. The sight of the girl revived the shame and embarrassment, causing a rush of heat to sear across her cheeks.
Without a word, Li Xue swivelled on her heels and stalked off.
She didn't wish to return to her room and instead found herself wandering aimlessly in the garden. Leaning her body against one of the pine trees, she started thumping her head against the trunk repeatedly.
Stupid, stupid, stupid...
You are such a fool, Wang Li Xue.
She was angry at Long'Er for keeping her real gender a secret, but Li Xue was also mad at herself for being so slow-witted. There was a reason why the girl was wearing a mask to conceal her face in the first place. There was a reason why she was immune to Li Xue's charms and avoided her flirtatious advances. The embarrassment at her own actions was so great that Li Xue felt like strangling herself.
A rope. That's right, she should find a rope to hang herself on a tree.
If this wouldn't work, someone should get her a knife so that she could cut off her long, lavish hair. She should turn into a nun and spend the rest of her life living in a temple instead.
"What are you doing?"
With a bitter look on her face, she turned towards the source of the voice and found herself staring at her brother's bodyguard and good friend, Ling Yao. Without her aware, he had joined her in the garden and was watching her with an odd curiosity. She returned his stare with a glare, displeased that he was interrupting her plans of escaping.
"His Highness is awake," he informed her. "You should see him."
Her annoyance was instantly replaced with relief. "Is that true?"
He nodded and gestured for her to follow him. As he escorted her to her brother's bedchamber, she couldn't help but sneak a couple of curious glances at him.
She had known Ling Yao for as long as she could remember. They barely spoke unless necessary. He was a man of few words who enjoyed working excessively long hours. Even when they were children, the times where she had seen him laugh or joke were ridiculously few. He was a cool person who always put all seriousness and jokes aside.
And Li Xue knew that such men would only think of her as a pain in their necks.
As they walked, silence hung in the air between them. She didn't know what she should say to him. As opposed to her, he wasn't much of a talker, which was why when he shot her a question, she was genuinely surprised.
"What's troubling your mind?"
She blinked blankly, until the awful memories of what she did rushed back into her head. With a scowl on her face, she kicked the pebbles on the ground. "Nothing."
He canted his head at her. "It doesn't seem that way to me."
A very unladylike snort escaped her lips. "It's embarrassing," she mumbled dryly. "If I tell you, you will laugh at me."
He watched her with a thoughtful expression. "It shouldn't be any worse than the time when you attacked me in my sleep," he said calmly. "I had stayed up late to study with your brother and accidentally fallen asleep in his room. You were looking for him, but ended up hugging me instead of him."
His words jolted her childhood memories. She was six years old then – a girl who hated the darkness, especially when the rain and thunder accompanied it. At that time, she remembered her parents' quarters were too far away and she ended up running to her brother's room. She remembered she was sobbing badly, with tears streaking her face and blurring her vision. The rain raged on like a maniac, followed by flashes of lightning and the rumbles of the thunder, which only intensified her fear.
Hence, when her eyes landed on the first person she saw, she darted towards him. She wrapped her tiny arms around him tightly, thinking that he was her older brother.
But little did she know that she was hugging the wrong boy. When she found out the next morning, she turned into a blubbering mess. The mortification that hit her then still remained vivid till this day.
As much as possible, she avoided him.
Her shoulders stiffened. She skidded to a stop and turned her head towards Ling Yao, looking both surprised and sheepish.
"You remember."
She swore she saw the corner of his lips quirked in response, but he looked away quickly. "Of course I do," he replied, scratching the tip of his right ear. "It was the first time I was hugged like that."
Redness crawled up her neck and heated her cheeks. "It was an accident! And you didn't wake me up either! Instead, you patted my back and allowed me to sleep in your arms. If I was being a nuisance, you could have tossed me back to my brother instead!"
She stormed away, refusing to hear another word of him jesting her. She didn't glance at his face, knowing that he was finding amusement in her state of embarrassment. Her ears caught his faint reply, but she thought for certain that she had heard him wrongly.
"I didn't think you were a nuisance then... I thought you were adorable."
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