- Li Xun -

"Your Highness, would you consider my daughter for your marriage?"

"Your Highness, we require more funds to build a stronger army. Could you persuade the Emperor..."

Li Xun sighed. The royal blood pulsing in his veins may have brought about his power, but at the same time, it also drew in a masquerade of people pretending to be his trusted servants.

People smiled at him. Praised him. Laughed along with him that he no longer knew who was being sincere. At times, the one with the brightest smile would backstab you when you weren't looking.

They had approached him for one reason.

Personal gain.

Later on, he learnt to distinguish between real and fake smiles. The human's eyes. It would speak the truth.

It was all because of Long'Er and the mask he wore. Li Xun may not be able to see how his lips would pull back to form a smile, but if it was genuine, it would reach his eyes. The skin around them would fold, lighting a spark in those eyes.

And it was because of this, he recognised him in the performance.

When the dancers exited the Grand Hall, the princess, dressed in a beautiful blue dress, entered. Whispers began as everyone stared at her with intrigued eyes, gushing over her dainty face hidden behind a veil.

However, Li Xun knew from first glance that she wasn't his sister.

His eyes narrowed in confusion when the mysterious woman walked up, carrying Li Xue's treasured pipa in her hands. But he didn't recognise her as his sister. She was taller. Her footsteps were calm and confident, her shoulders squared and dignified.

Who was this woman?

Did Chief Eunuch somehow find a replacement?

His questions were soon forgotten. The moment the woman started playing the instrument, her fingers flew across the pipa skilfully, playing each note beautifully. Everyone, including Li Xun, was entranced by the breathtaking song produced from her dainty hands.

In the midst of playing, she glanced up briefly, locking gazes with him. And the first thought that came to his mind threw him off guard.

A set of deep, brown eyes.

Long'Er's eyes.

He cast a swift glance at the same spot where his bodyguard stood earlier, only to recall that the latter had gone to find his frightened sister in the waiting room.

Realisation finally dawned on him. The puzzle pieces started forming together in his head as he recalled the times where he noticed odd, unexplainable things.

He drew in a sharp breath.

Good heavens... Perhaps his hunch was right after all.

His – no – her soft, hazelnut eyes shimmered with allure. Li Xun could not tear his gaze away from their enchantment and he didn't want to. He felt himself drowning into them as the surroundings around them seemed to fade away as if the pair was now standing in a world of their own.

His mind went blank and his heart started thudding faster and louder. A warm, indescribable emotion swept through him that he had never experienced before.

Long'Er was a girl.

***

The moment she returned to the Grand Hall in her guard uniform, he knew. Even as he chatted with his guests, his eyes couldn't seem to leave her. He even noticed Minister Han exchanging words with her. When he left, her eyes glistened, looking as if she wanted to cry.

At this sight, Li Xun was startled.

"Forgive me," he addressed his guests and handed his wine cup to a servant. "I've to leave for a second."

His feet propelled him in Long'Er's direction, leaving the people around him speechless. They tried to regain his attention, but failed.

"Wait, Your Highness–"

He paid them no heed, because Long'Er was all he saw. Within seconds, he appeared by her side.

"What's wrong?" he asked her in concern, taking her hand. "Did someone criticise you? Bully you?"

She avoided his gaze. "It's nothing of concern," she answered. "Some dust has probably gotten into my eyes. Your Highness, you shouldn't be standing too close to me."

She attempted to move away from him, but he refused to release her hand. "Your Highness!" she exclaimed in a low whisper. "Rumours will start again."

He didn't even bat an eye. "Let them say whatever they want."

At her flustered state, he bit back a humoured smile. She didn't know what he knew. And for this reason alone, he kept teasing her. Finding thrill in the expressions in her eyes, the pinch in her forehead and the little banters they shared. He ignored the blatant stares thrown in their direction and grew increasingly comfortable around her.

Her presence distracted him. More than any other females would.

Because of this, he accidentally let his guard down and failed to notice someone had slipped poison into his drinks.

***

- Long'Er -

A day had passed since the Crown Prince was almost killed.

The fact that he was poisoned brought much anxiety and fear to the people. Enraged by the conspiracy to kill the sole heir to the throne, the Emperor barred everyone from entering or leaving the palace, ordering his men to investigate everyone and bring him the suspects.

Meanwhile, the Empress had taken upon the role to be her son's caretaker. Even though she had been startled badly upon the sight of her son fainting at the celebration party, she gathered herself together.

She spent the entire day and night by Li Xun's side, nursing him back to health with the aid of the royal physician. Apart from Ling Yao, Chief Eunuch, the royal physician and his helpers, no one was allowed to enter the room.

This was precisely the reason why Long'Er was greatly surprised when the Empress summoned her to the prince's bedchamber. She found the elegant woman sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her sleeping son in concern while using a damp cloth to clean his face.

Dropping into a deep bow, Long'Er greeted her quietly. "Your Majesty."

The Empress stood up, her eyes brightening immediately. She crossed the room quickly and grasped Long'Er's arm lightly. Guiding her towards the table.

"Long'Er, please. Sit with me." She brought out the chrysanthemum tea and started pouring them into small cups. "I've a few things that I would like to speak to you about."

"My Lady," Long'Er offered to pour the tea instead. "Allow me to help–"

"Sit, child. Between you and me, there is no need to fret over the formalities."

Surprised, Long'Er couldn't go against the Empress's words and instead, settled in her chair like an obedient daughter.

"Please don't stand on ceremony," the Empress insisted. "Especially after what you have done for him. For us. If it wasn't for your quick-thinking of letting Li Xun consume the Celestial Flower, he might have died on the spot right there in front of everyone."

Long'Er's face fell as she recalled what had happened the day before. Thankfully, she had carried around a vial of elixir made from the Celestial Flower that her godmother had taught her how to brew. It had come in handy at the right moment. They hurriedly fed the elixir to Li Xun, eradicating the poison in his system.

Now, all they needed to do was to wait for Li Xun to wake up.

The thought of losing him almost brought tears to her eyes. She couldn't imagine how devastated and regretful she would have felt if he indeed died before her eyes.

Even if she didn't want to admit it, the time that they had spent together certainly developed her feelings for him into something more than being just friends.

"How is he?" Long'Er asked worriedly.

The Empress gave her a reassuring smile. "He's fine, even the Royal Physician confirmed it himself. Thankfully, Li Xun only drank half of the drugged wine. The poison in his body has been completely nullified and he just needs plenty of rest."

Long'Er finally relaxed and nodded. "That's a relief."

"Child." Li Xun's mother gripped both her hands and gave them a squeeze to express her heartfelt gratitude. "How could the Emperor and I ever repay you back for your deeds? Is there anything you want from us? I will do whatever I can within my powers to give it to you."

Long'Er shook her head in refusal.

"No, Your Majesty. Nothing matters more than the safety of His Highness."

The woman's eyes started brimming with tears. Her lips quivered slightly and she sniffled a little. "I think it's wonderful that my son has a wonderful friend like you. The last time we chatted, he brought up your name a couple of times."

Her words surprised Long'Er. "He did? What did he say?"

She winked at her. "Fear not, my child. It's nothing bad about you. All he did was to sing praises about you and joke about your innocence. Tell me the truth – can you really cook better than our own chefs?"

"W–what? No!" Long'Er hurriedly denied, embarrassment crawling up to her ears. Why would he say such things to his mother? "The food I make is pretty mediocre. His Highness was simply just exaggerating."

The Empress leaned back into her seat with a teasing smile. "Oh, I don't think he was. Please. Will you let me try your food one day?"

Long'Er gulped hard in nervousness. How could she refuse the Empress's request?

"If you insist."

The beautiful smile that Li Xun's mother wore widened. She extended her hand and reached for Long'Er's head, caressing her head gently. Similar to how her godmother would often do to her. The gentle gesture was enough to make her eyes water.

She suddenly missed home a lot.

"Such a brave child," the Empress praised. "Your mother must be so proud of you. You must terribly miss her being this far away from home."

Long'Er lowered her gaze to her hands sadly. "I do."

The Empress nodded in sympathy. "This isn't how I would usually speak to a guard, but for you, child, you can always come to me if you need help. Think of me as your second mother – or if that's too uncomfortable for you – an aunt."

Long'Er was astonished. Taken aback by the Empress's kindness and generosity. "But I–"

"I insist, my dear child. Please don't refuse my offer again. It saddens me."

Unable to refute, Long'Er eventually agreed. "T-thank you, Your Majesty."

In response, the Empress beamed widely. They carried on their leisure conversation, losing track of time until a sudden groan coming from behind had them startled. Their eyes shot to the bed, watching as the sleeping form stirred.

At long last, Li Xun was awake.



A/N: I had to break up the chapter into 2 parts because it was getting too long. Don't forget to hit the ⭐️ vote button if you're enjoying this story!