– Long'Er –

When morning arrived, the three men were knocked out in the same room, still sound asleep.

Long'Er was on watch duty when Ling Yao stepped out of the room. He was the first to wake up, probably because he didn't drink as much as the rest the night before, but a cup of water was what he needed to clear the haze in his mind. His eyes squinted at the morning light, sweeping them across the courtyard before they settled upon her.

"Can you do me a favour? I need you to watch over His Highness and that idiot," he said, jabbing a thumb in the direction where the sleeping men were resting. "I'll be back shortly."

Long'Er lowered her head into a slight bow.

"Understood."

Ever since the day she had saved the princess, there was a change in his attitude towards her. He began treating her with less harshness in his tone and his gaze didn't seem to be as guarded as before.

He was, she realised, gradually accepting her.

As per his instructions, she entered the room to check on the lords. Once she noticed the mess cluttered across the floor, she let out a quiet sigh.

Good heavens, what was wrong with men and their drinking habits?

Somehow or another, Zhang Wei was sprawled across the floor, whereas Li Xun was sleeping with his head placed on the table. It didn't look comfortable and she was certain he would have a terrible ache in the neck later on.

Afraid that he might be cold, she grabbed a blanket from the bed and covered him with it. She didn't forget Zhang Wei, and threw whatever cloth she could find over his body as quietly as possible, hoping not to wake them. Clearing the table quickly, she headed to the kitchen and handed the empty wine bottles to a servant.

By the time she returned to the room with breakfast, they still weren't awake. As she set up the table, she felt someone grab her ankle.

A squeak of surprise escaped her. With a startled movement, she almost spilled the bowls of porridge, but a hand flew out to catch hers. Li Xun's eyes were now wide open, holding her steady.

"What's wrong?" he mumbled groggily, squinting into her frightened face. "What happened?"

She was staring down at the floor, and he followed her line of sight. A hand was wrapped around her ankle, one that belonged to none other than Zhang Wei himself. He was still deep in his slumber, limbs sprawled across the floor, and a thin line of drool dribbled from the corner of his mouth.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

With a groan, Li Xun pushed himself off his seat. He removed Zhang Wei's hand from her ankle and proceeded to roll him across the floor so that he was all the way at the other side of the room. Oblivious to what was happening, the poor fellow grumbled incoherently in his sleep, wrapping his hands around a pillow which Li Xun had tucked into his arms.

The prince grimaced at their dishevelled states and shook his head at himself. "I apologise for his...lack of manners. And mine too. To be honest, when you woke me up, my first thought was that Zhang Wei's sister-in-law came again."

Long'Er was puzzled. "What did she do to you to make you this terrified of her?"

Li Xun yawned and swept away his messy fringe from his forehead. "Well... She was extremely touchy and I thought her eyelashes were about to fall out at the rate she was batting them at me."

Chuckling, Long'Er handed him a cup of honey water. "She probably couldn't resist your charms," she remarked. "Here, drink this. It helps with the hangover."

"Thank you."

He accepted the cup gratefully and gulped the contents down quickly. Noticing the breakfast on the table, the delectable smell of chicken porridge wafted into his nose. "Did you make that?"

She nodded her head. "I borrowed the kitchen. I figured that my lords would not want a heavy breakfast after all the wine you both have consumed."

"You thought correctly. Thank you for being so considerate." He showered her with praise happily, taking a scoop and putting it into his mouth. "It's delicious," he marvelled, but his expression shifted into something else – contrite. "This reminds me of the porridge you made for me back then – one which I didn't eat. And now I regret my decision."

Warmth filled her chest. No one, apart from her mother, had ever complimented her dishes. But then again, he was probably the second person to ever taste her cooking.

"I know, but that's fine. If you want, I can always make it for you again."

The tips of his mouth curled into a gentle smile. "You can cook, read and write, and even fight well. What else can you do, Long'Er? Think of how popular you would be among ladies," he teased.

She bit her bottom lip awkwardly. "That won't happen, Your Highness. They would be attracted to chivalrous men like you, not me."

"I bet that you're wrong about that. Shall we go to a courtesan house to find out?" he suggested.

"Hahaha... Very funny, Your Highness. If you have that much energy to tease me, please shower once you're finished with your meal." She wrinkled her nose. "You reek of alcohol."

"Do I?" He sniffed his clothes and sighed in agreement. "You're right. Things always end up in a mess whenever Zhang Wei is around."

He dug into his meal quickly. When he was finished, he rose from his seat but a wave of lightheadedness attacked him, causing him to stumble and knock over Long'Er. Both of them fell to the ground; him on top of her.

A deep red blush crawled up to her face immediately at their proximity. Her palms were placed on his chest, and his hands were placed on both sides of her face so that his weight wasn't completely pressing down on her.

She couldn't explain it, but in that brief moment, she could feel the hard ripples of his muscles through his silk robes. And with the way his set of mesmerising, grey eyes glancing down at her–

–stop right there.

Strange. Why was her heart pounding so loudly?

"Long'Er?" His concerned voice jolted her from her thoughts. "I apologise for my clumsiness, the hangover is hitting me a little badly. Are you alright? Did I hurt you–"

She wanted to assure him that she was fine, but she didn't get a chance to. Halfway through his sentence, a loud gasp was heard. And yet, the voice belonged to none of them.

They both turned their heads, finding a shocked Zhang Wei, who was now awake. He gaped at their intimate position, his mouth hanging wide open.

"You–" He pointed a finger at Li Xun as realisation struck him hard. "Is this why you refused to court a woman? It's because of him? I thought the rumours flying around the palace were gibberish, but it seems like I'm wrong. Are you no longer straight in your mind, Your Highness?"

At this accusation, Long'Er's cheeks burned in embarrassment. But she was relieved that no one seemed to notice because of the mask she was wearing.

As for Li Xun, he simply rolled his eyes and gathered to his feet, pulling her along with him. "For heaven's sake, Zhang Wei, are you still drunk? Will you listen to yourself?"

He took a cup of honey water and handed it to his cousin, who accepted but continued staring at the pair suspiciously. Not quite believing Li Xun's words.

"I'm going to wash up and head home afterwards. You better start moving, Zhang Wei. In case you've forgotten, there's a wife you need to bring home, don't you?"

At his reminder, Zhang Wei gasped and scrambled to his feet. Cursing to himself at how he had forgotten such an important task. He soon forgot about the pair and darted out of the room, shouting orders to his servants to prepare the gifts and sedan for the journey.

Li Xun shook his head at his panicking cousin in sheer disbelief.

He informed Long'Er that he was going to take a bath. Being one of his bodyguards, she waited for him outside the bathroom patiently.

The weather was balmy; the sunshine was mellow, the tree foliage sparkled with dew in the spring morning. In the distance, she watched several servants push a food wagon through the gate and into the storehouse. A few metres away, an old man was seen sweeping dead leaves into a pile.

The sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention. A skinny boy, no older than fifteen, trotted over to where she was.

"Sir, my lord has informed us to fetch fresh clothes for His Royal Highness," he told her. "Please hand these over to him."

He pushed a set of clothes into her hands. Before she could respond, he hurried back into the manor, leaving her in a state of confusion. She stared down at the clothes in her hands, horrified at what she needed to do next. Or rather, forced to do.

Oh no.

How was she going to hand them over to Li Xun?