Chapter 2
Edward Quan ·
3
Fortunately, the princess obediently returned to the palace with us.
Bùi Tế went back to the academy.
To thank me, she personally brought pastries she had made.
Osmanthus water-chestnut cakes, snow cakes with melting centers, layered pastries…
Each seemed to dance on my tongue.
The only reason I had read this clichéd novel was that it was a food story disguised as romance.
In the original, the pampered princess was bored every day and could only kill time by baking.
Her romance with the scholar had even begun on an outing to find unusual spices.
Sweet sauce burst across my tongue.
She smiled gently.
“If you like them, I’ll make them for you every day.”
Enlightenment struck.
I had to keep her alive.
Even if only for the daily pastries.
“Nguyên Giai,” I asked seriously, “do you trust me?”
She blinked her large eyes.
“Of course.”
“Then from today on, listen to me. I guarantee I’ll help you get what you wish for.”
She didn’t understand, but nodded obediently.
4
While she changed, I sat alone in the lakeside pavilion, enjoying the cool breeze and the food I had missed.
Suddenly, a cold male voice came from above.
“Nhiếp Khanh Khanh. You lied to me again.”
My collar tightened.
My feet left the ground.
By the time I recovered, half my body hung beyond the pavilion railing.
Cold water waited below.
“What are you planning?” the prince asked.
“The truth.”
I wanted to cry and couldn’t.
“Put me down first, Your Highness.”
“Having me release Bùi Tế was only a delaying tactic. Nguyên Giai’s marriage to Hexi is settled.”
“If you keep forcing her, you’ll drive her to her death!”
He paused.
Taking advantage of his hesitation, I turned and grabbed for his belt to climb back.
He instinctively covered it.
His hand loosened.
Excellent.
Into the lake I went.
Icy water closed in from every side, filling my mouth and nose.
I struggled desperately and only sank farther.
In my panic, a strong arm caught me from beneath.
I landed against a warm chest.
Coughing out water and shivering, I instinctively sought warmth and buried my face against his neck.
His throat moved.
“Keep still.”
He had made me fall in first.
All the more reason to misbehave.
I wrapped both arms around his neck.
He stopped abruptly.
My head struck his chin.
My cold lips accidentally brushed his throat, almost a kiss.
“Nhiếp Khanh Khanh!” he said through clenched teeth.
Guilty but defiant, I retorted:
“Why did you stop so suddenly?”
He unceremoniously dumped me on the grass.
Then turned his back, staring straight ahead.
“Change your clothes. I’ll have guards posted.”
Tiểu Liên helped me up.
Rubbing my aching bottom, I looked at him.
He was drenched.
His clothes clung to him, showing the powerful lines beneath.
Strong arms.
Pale skin, making his red ears all the more obvious.
Cold.
And alluring.
For a moment, none of my thoughts were fit to share.
As though he knew, he said icily:
“Touch me like that again, and I’ll cut off your hands and feet.”
…
Nothing mattered more than the plot.
Before leaving, I asked:
“Why are you determined to marry Nguyên Giai to Hexi?”
He was silent a moment.
“Do you think I would harm my own sister?”
“Bùi Tế is no good.”
5
Back home, after dealing with the original girl’s unfamiliar parents, I immediately sent Tiểu Liên to inquire about the prince of Hexi.
The novel hadn’t said much about him.
Only that he was enormously wealthy, controlled a major spice-trading route, and commanded even the emperor’s caution.
She returned quickly.
“They say he is talented, virtuous, and conducts himself honorably. He doesn’t even keep a maid in close attendance. His Highness has visited Hexi twice and speaks very highly of him.”
I couldn’t help admiring that.
The prince had personally inspected a prospective husband for his sister.
I snapped shut the book on Hexi.
“Take a message to His Highness.”
6
He acted faster than I expected.
A few days later, I took the princess to the polo ground.
“You said Bùi Tế was shutting himself away to study, and you were terribly bored. Your brother happens to be hosting a polo match.”
She held my hand uneasily.
“He’s studying so hard. He told me to wait patiently. Coming out to enjoy myself feels… wrong.”
Help.
Wasn’t she brainwashing herself?
I became serious.
“He’s him, and you’re you. What does one have to do with the other? Play if you want to play. Eat if you want to eat. You have every right. Let anyone dare say otherwise.”
The prince appeared behind me just then.
Her expression relaxed.
“Brother.”
For an instant, I felt him looking at me.
His frosty gaze held a little hostility.
Then it vanished.
…
Soon, a solemn-looking maid came to report:
“His Highness requests your presence in a private room.”
The moment I entered, a large hand closed around my wrist.
His dark eyes fixed on me.
“You are not Nhiếp Khanh Khanh.”
“Who are you?”