The Crown Prince's Bodyguard

Bonus ♛ Li Xue (Pt. 3)

(Note: This scene relates to the epilogue in the main story)

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As a result of saving the Emperor during the revolt, Ling Yao was soon to be awarded with a hundred gold bars and a promotion in his rank – from Captain to Lieutenant Colonel. Apart from guarding the Crown Prince, he would be involved in assisting the Colonel to lead military operations from time to time. Turning him into one of the youngest warriors to wear this title.

Gazing at his perfectly sculpted face as the Emperor bestowed him his new title, the sight filled Li Xue with joy. At the same time, embarrassment heated her cheeks.

She couldn't forget the way he had held her that night. How his strong arms wrapped around her body and filled her with a strong sense of security. How his eyes shone like twinkling stars in the darkness.

Ever since then, whenever he stood in the same room as her, her self-awareness heightened and her face would turn as red as a cherry tomato.

How was it possible that she would blush at every mere sight of him after he saved her from her near-death experience? Was it because she had read too many romance stories that she couldn't discern her fantasies from reality? Or had she truly fallen hard for her brother's bodyguard?

She sounded like a pathetic fool, but she couldn't help it.

Fearing that her frail heart might be hurt once again, she decided that she wasn't going to come into any contact with him as much as possible. Deep down in her heart, she knew she would never live through the embarrassment if she was rejected for the second time. For a man as apathetic as he was, he probably viewed her as his friend's younger sister, a princess or simply an obnoxious girl who was born with a golden spoon in her mouth.

Hence, she decided she would bury her admiration for him.

For days and weeks later, she kept to her oath. Whenever she spotted him heading in her way, she would turn and scoot off in the opposite direction. If he gave her his greetings, she would return a silent nod and strode away quickly. Leaving him to stare after her with a perplexed expression.

As much as she tried to avoid encountering him, her luck soon ran out. The next time she was forced to face him, it was during her brother's wedding.

Two months of her effort had gone into planning the biggest wedding in the century. Red lanterns adorned the ceiling, with red-gold tassels hanging at every corner of the hall and flower-embroidered carpets covering every inch of the floor. Relatives, officials and guests from neighbouring states came to offer their blessings and gifts.

On the dais sat the Emperor, Empress and not forgetting, the newly-wedded royal couple. Li Xue watched as her brother whispered to Long'Er — no, Zhi Ruo — whose cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

Li Xue couldn't completely detest the girl. After all, she did have her fair share of fun moments when they were together. Such an opportunity was rare, especially when it was hard for her to make friends in the palace. After months of interactions, she had come to realise that Zhi Ruo was a caring, kind and strong person, one that she certainly looked up to. If her brother liked her, Li Xue would let bygones be bygones, give them her blessings and accept her as her sister-in-law.

Smiling, she turned away from them and took a sip of the delicious wine that her maid had poured for her. Somewhere behind her, she heard her cousin's voice — Zhang Wei — as he conversed with someone heartily and gave his word of gratitude.

"Thank you for clearing my name the last time, Ling Yao! You managed to track down the woman who framed me for impregnating her and forced her to speak the truth. Without your help, my wife would have divorced me and forbidden me to see my daughter. You're my life saviour! Here's a toast to you!"