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“We went to the waterfall in the uphills,” Lóng Wei told her before she could ask him. “Get your Princess ready and send her to my chamber. Make her wear a pink hanfu,” he ordered them and left the chamber.

Court Lady Hong came near Li Hua and smiled. “Bring the dress which the Sixth Prince mentioned earlier,” she instructed the maidservant. “Your Highness, where did you get these clothes?” She asked curiously.

“In M-” she paused wondering if she should tell her. “His Highness had these clothes,” Li Hua stated and went towards the dressing table. She removed the ornaments that she had put on and waited for the servant to bring the dress.

“The Queen has sent the message, Your Highness. She asked about the progress in the preparation of the sweets,” Court Lady Hong informed her. Li Hua had forgotten that she had a tea ceremony tomorrow. She did not even start because of Lóng Wei.

Immediately she turned to face Court Lady Hong. “The Sixth Prince took me to the waterfall. I could not prepare anything. I will start the preparation after meeting the Sixth Prince,” she assured Lady Hong, who bowed.

“Tomorrow the concubines will also be present in the tea ceremony. I hope Her Highness will impress everyone with her amazing cooking skills,” Court Lady Hong stated. “Since Her Highness never had the opportunity to play music, so she must start learning it. After her return from Xinshui town, I will arrange the classes for Her Highness.”

Li Hua already knew how to play Guzheng (similar to a piano, however, the size is small) and flute. Because she belonged to the noble Xu Family, she got the training to play music. She was stuck on whether she should tell her about it or not. After putting a lot of thought into it, she decided to tell her about it.

“Court Lady Hong, I know how to play Guzheng and the flute.”

.....

It surprised Lady Hong. She wondered when and how Li Hua learned the music since it was restricted among the working class.

“In my village, a great musician came once, who stayed for three years. He used to teach music to many young kids. I was one of them.” To escape the suspicion, Li Hua knitted a lie and told Court Lady Hong.

“Your Highness is talented. Her Majesty will be surprised to know about it. In the tea ceremony, her highness can show her talent to everyone,” Court Lady Hong suggested to Li Hua, who nodded.

The servant brought the dress and they changed Li Hua’s clothes. After applying the red lip color, Li Hua was finally ready. She recalled that Lóng Wei had seen her in that color dress in the Xu Residence.

‘What if he tries to kiss me again? I already had responded to his kiss. He will tease me and demand another kiss,’ she thought and a strange fear started to build inside her.

“Your Highness, shall we leave?” Court Lady Hong asked her, who hummed. They reached outside the chamber of Lóng Wei. The servant pushed the door for Li Hua, who went inside and the doors were shut behind them.

She looked around the chamber and didn’t find him. She heaved a sigh of relief and stepped forward only to take a seat on the recliner when the doors opened and she turned back.

Her eyes widened to see Lóng Wei, who was walking half-naked shamelessly. She turned away and it made Lóng Wei chuckle.

“Why is His Highness so shameless? He is not supposed to roam naked around,” she complained.

“I have put on this thin silk robe. It’s so hot outside. Also, I am not naked completely,” he stated and stood behind her. “Finally, you wore the dress which suits you the most.” She could feel his proximity but she didn’t dare to look at him.

“Why are you shy? It is because your husband looks handsome, right!?” He whispered in her ear. In response, she shook her head.

“Li Hua isn’t shy, Your Highness.”

“You are! It’s good to get shy from the person for whom you have feelings,” Lóng Wei asserted. Li Hua didn’t want his words to be true, so she promptly turned to peer at him.

“I am not shy,” she said in a stern tone.

“Then,” Lóng Wei removed the thin satin robe from his body and exposed his upper body to her, “what about now?”

Li Hua gulped and looked down. That tanned skin and those taut muscles that one would get after rigorous training, made Li Hua admire him for a minute. He took another step toward her, and Li Hua immediately stepped back.

“You told me that you have many ways to attack your enemy,” he stated.

“Of course. I know how t-to,” she found herself stuttering, “to kick and hit the person before me.”

“With this small body of yours, any man would overpower you easily,” Lóng Wei asserted. He continued to advance to her while she retreated in disarray.

“His Highness shall not underestimate me,” Li Hua affirmed. “I stayed alone for a week after...Ahh,” a low scream escaped her mouth as the back of her knees hit the chaise.

“Show me your strength then,” Lóng Wei challenged her.

“Really? What if His Highness started to cry?” She asked, which made Lóng Wei laugh.

Wiping the tears from the edges of his eyes, he asked, “If you lose, then be ready for a kiss.”

“Huh? No. Why is His Highness putting such a condition?” Li Hua immediately refused.

“So, you accept your defeat,” his brow arched in astonishment. He didn’t think that Li Hua would accept her defeat so easily.

“No. I never accepted my defeat, Your Highness. He cannot put forward such a condition,” Li Hua stated.

“But you reciprocated my kiss earlier. I know you wanted to kiss me more. I am a good kisser, right?” Lóng Wei smirked.

“I never wanted to kiss him. I-I didn’t do it. His Highness noticed something wrong.” Li Hua refused to admit that she ever reciprocated his kiss.

Lóng Wei chuckled and pushed her down on the chaise. Before Li Hua could react, he pushed her arms above her head and pinned them on the chaise. “Your Highness, let me go,” she requested and tried to leave her grip on his hand.

“Li Hua, I am preparing you for the future. You must show me if you are capable enough to run away. Accordingly, I will put effort into your training. What if there’s another man in my place? What will you do? Will you be able to run away?”

Li Hua found herself helpless, and she had stopped struggling too. She never thought that way. She found that in that position, she could do nothing. This was the reason that she wasn’t allowed to go out alone without her brothers’ presence.

“I won’t ever let you be in such a situation. Still, I want you to work on your strength. Learn archery and eat healthy meals to build your strength. It is your revenge, Li Hua, not mine. If I tell the truth, I don’t even feel remorse whether you lost your family or not. Since my love for you is so strong, I cannot help but feel those emotions for you. However, in the end, you are supposed to do it. Don’t remain weak anymore. That night many things could have changed if you knew how to move a sword or how to shoot arrows.”

His words struck like a thorn in Li Hua’s heart. Her eyes became moist. He was right. She should work on her strength. She was thankful to him for showing him that side of hers- a weak side. Like a coward, she ran away and never looked back.

She lowered her eyelids, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

“I didn’t tell you to cry.” Lóng Wei’s words fell in her ears and she again glanced at him. “Don’t be weak anymore. Our enemy can be much stronger than us. We don’t have the time to cry.” His grip loosened from her hands, and he brought his thumb to her cheek. Wiping the tears off her cheeks, he said, “Your brother had lost one limb that night. I want you to remove the limb of the man who did this to your brother. I can also do it, but I want you to do it, Li Hua.”

His words filled Li Hua’s mind with encouragement and enthusiasm. “My Senior First Brother lost his limb?” She was dumbfounded to learn about it. “He was one of the best archers in the Kingdom. Why did it happen?” She muttered.

“It’s the time for you to pick the weapon. It’s time for you to become the shield of your elder brother. Don’t remain a timid, shy, and weak girl anymore. You have a large potential inside you. When you can survive for two months in the palace without getting into anyone’s notice, then you can do anything. Always remember in this world, if there’s a dangerous place, then it’s the Palace,” Lóng Wei proclaimed.

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