A set of deep, obsidian eyes rooted Li Xue to the ground, burning her right through the soul. She couldn't breathe, or move her limbs for that matter.

He was coming. Towards her.

"Oh no. Help me, please—"

Except that when she turned back, Yu Yan had vanished into thin air. A trail of dead leaves fluttered in her wake. Li Xue didn't even hear her retreating footsteps and she was — poof — gone. Just like that.

Now, Li Xue was alone. Left with little time to decide her next move. Her feet shifted backwards instinctively and when she half-turned, her legs skidded to a stop at the group of noblemen coming from the opposite direction. Upon seeing her, they waved and called out to her excitedly.

"Your Highness, there you are! We've been searching for you!"

She grimaced, knowing that they had come to win her heart. The garden was huge and she could try to take a roundabout route, but could she outrun them with her heavy dress and short legs? Between them and the man she was infatuated with, she knew she would have to choose one of them to get rid of the other.

And she didn't even have to think twice about her decision.

"Ling Yao, help me!"

Surprise flickered across his face when she scurried behind his back. She clutched onto his clothes tightly, peeking her head out from behind his tall frame. The noblemen swarmed around them, eager to speak to her while ignoring the way she was glaring at them.

"Your Highness, why do you keep running away from us?"

"Because your faces are annoying me! Scram!"

"We apologise, Your Highness, but all you need to do is to choose one of us!"

Ling Yao shifted between them so that she was completely concealed from the man's sight. "Gentlemen, please watch your behaviour."

"You..." They observed him from head to toe, annoyed. "A Lieutenant Colonel? A mere son of an ex-general? You dare to disrespect me — the son of a minister?"

Hearing this, Li Xue's nostrils flared with anger.

Why, I ought to rip that foul mouth off that little two-eyed monster–

She was about to berate him but Ling Yao spoke before she did, his tone unaffected by their insult.

"You speak highly of yourself, but you — a minister's son — are currently disrespecting the Princess by invading her space. It is only my duty to protect her," he answered coolly. His eyes swept across the rest of the noblemen, who shrivelled under his hard glare. "And regardless of your identities, the Emperor will punish you if you touch a strand of her hair. Are you attempting to go against the royal family?"

The noblemen exchanged anxious glances; faces drained of blood. "N-no, that's not what we're trying to do—"

"If that's the case, please return to the Grand Hall. The banquet has yet to end. The Princess wants some time to herself. Alone."

Behind him, Li Xue crossed her arms haughtily. Ling Yao's intimidating presence had bought her the confidence she needed to go against the pesky noblemen and she shot them a glare that would incinerate them.

"My Lieutenant Colonel understands me well. Now, all of you – get lost!"

Their reluctance was obvious, but they did as she ordered and scattered away like frightened rats, leaving Li Xue and Ling Yao alone in the garden.

And this brought her heart back to pounding at a furious pace.

They exchanged a glance and she shifted awkwardly between her feet. "If you're looking for the lady who came by earlier," Li Xue inclined her head, "she might have returned to the Grand Hall."

Ling Yao was confused. "I'm not looking for her."

"Oh." Was that relief she felt in her chest? "Well, why did you come?"

"To look for you, of course. I noticed how the noblemen were pestering you earlier and figured that you might need some help, which you did."

Her heart warmed at the thought of him watching her, and how he showed his concern for her wellbeing.

"T-thank you."

His brows lifted slightly. If he was surprised to see her thanking him so amiably, he didn't comment on it.

"Do you wish to return to the banquet?"

"Not yet. I don't wish to be attacked by those noblemen again." A tired sigh escaped her lips. "I-I just need to take a quick breather."

He watched her with a sombre expression. "As you wish, Your Highness. If you don't mind, I know a suitable place for you to rest peacefully."

A rush of excitement filled her. It didn't matter if it was inside the palace where she grew up and knew every nook and cranny like the back of her hand. Ling Yao, the most boring and remote man she knew, was offering to take her on a little adventure!

"Y-you do? Where? Show me!"

Her eager expression was more than enough to earn her a reaction from him; his eyes softened and his lips curled upwards slightly. He waved her over and began to lead the way.

"Follow me, Your Highness."

***

Li Xue was genuinely amazed.

The place that Ling Yao was referring to was a narrow strip of land underneath the long, stoned bridge that ran across the palace lake. They settled by the edge, sitting side by side. She gazed at the water shimmered in a brilliant blue colour, casually swinging her feet but barely grazing the surface.

She stole a sideway glance at the man sitting next to her. Worry creased her forehead.

"Ling Yao... Won't you be in trouble for not guarding my brother?"

"No," he answered quickly. "I've informed him before I left. And fear not, General Guo Jie is with him. Drunk or not, that man is still capable of fighting his enemies. Even in his sleep."

"What about you? You won't be able to defeat him?"

"Even me," he agreed. "I'm no match for him."

Thereafter, an awkward silence lapsed between them. When she could no longer stand it, she blurted out the next thing that came to her mind. "I'm surprised," she said, sweeping her arms wide to the scenic view before her. "I never knew you would care for a place like this."

"I came here a few times when work gets tiring," he explained before lifting an eyebrow and throwing her a questioning look. "Am I that boring of a person?"

Her honest, brutal words were out of her mouth before she knew it. "To tell the truth? Yes," she answered. Regret hit her immediately, which was why she decided to sweeten her next few lines. "B-but you aren't to be blamed for that! You're working hard for us, Lieutenant Colonel. I cannot thank you enough for saving my father's life at that time."

He lowered his head in a bashful manner. "It's my duty, Your Highness. You've thanked me far too many times."

"Did I?" she wondered out loud. "Maybe I did, but it's because I don't want you to feel that we aren't appreciating your effort."

His palms were laid flat on the ground behind him. Fixing her with a long stare, he leaned back against them – the first time she ever saw him this relaxed.

He tilted his head at her. Curious. "You're behaving strangely today."

"Am I?"

He nodded once. "You're...less unruly. More thoughtful."

Mortification crawled to her cheeks. People knew her character well; a spoiled princess who loved to throw tantrums. If she didn't get her way, she would make a big fuss out of everything.

"I'm aware of how you see me," she mumbled grimly. "Just like everybody else, I'm that particular girl who gets in trouble every time and annoys everybody with my demands. I'm a thorn in their flesh–"

"I understand you."

Her head snapped towards him, her eyes wide with surprise. "You...do?"

His eyes remained on her for the longest time as he studied her. "I've watched you grow up," he said. "A princess is born with everything she needs, but nobody realises that you're deprived of several things – friends, freedom... You don't know how to handle your frustrations, so you lash out in your own ways. You spend days with your head buried in novels to take away some of your loneliness. When Long'Er – no, Han Zhi Ruo – showed up, you attempted to befriend her."

"Do not bring that up again!" Li Xue cried and covered her ears in embarrassment. Each time the memories reappeared to her head, she would choke on her tears with horror. "Do not speak of those days anymore!"

Ling Yao simply wore an amused expression and carried on speaking nonetheless. "You wish for someone to hear you," he murmured softly. "That's why you always cause a huge scene, don't you? People do listen to you, but they aren't listening in the right way. You crave attention. For someone to notice you."

Every word that he spoke was the truth. She was often told to stay still and not meddle in important affairs. She was born a princess, but most of the time, she saw herself as a display prop on the shelf.

Right now, it felt as if Ling Yao was staring right into her soul. Giving her all his attention. When he reached out to pat her head gently, she almost collapsed. His hand was large, but warm and gentle. The gesture provided a huge comfort to her and made her heart pound even faster.

This was impossible.

Out of everybody, how was it that he – the quietest person she ever knew – understood her so well?

How long had he been watching her?

Her heart was moved and tears sprang to her eyes. He was still petting her head when she jerked away from him out of sheer embarrassment. If not for him, her abrupt movement would have caused her to slip off the edge and into the lake. His hand grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her back to safety.

She looked up, finding Ling Yao's face mere inches away from hers. His warm breath tickled the side of her face.

"Your Highness, be careful."

Swallowing her nervousness, she nodded. "I-I apologise."

He released her. They fell into a long silence and their eyes decided to appreciate the view before them. A couple of minutes later, he picked a pebble from the side and tossed it far. Li Xue watched it skip across the water several times before disappearing into the circle of ripples.

"Wow," she exclaimed. "How did you do that?"

He was already picking a few more flat stones from the ground and handing them to her. "Why don't you give it a try, Your Highness?"

Licking her lips in enthusiasm, she tried to mirror his action. However, her stone simply landed straight into the water and vanished out of sight. She tried a few more times, but the results remained the same.

Beside her, Ling Yao cleared his throat loudly. Almost as if he was suppressing his laughter.

"Your Highness. At this rate, you're killing the fishes in the lake."

Li Xue gave out a light huff. "Well then, Lieutenant Colonel, teach me the technique to skip stones. I must be doing something wrong here."

He hesitated for a few seconds, before shifting closer to her. Completely oblivious to how her breath was growing erratic at his proximity. "You're holding it too high," he commented. "Lower your arm. The flatter side of the stone should remain at the bottom."

She adjusted her form according to his instructions until he was satisfied. "Good. Now toss it."

She did as she was told, her excitement surged as she watched the stone skip across the water twice. "Oh, I did it! It worked!"

Ling Yao seemed proud of her. "Well done."

A beam spread on her face and she returned to skipping stones, this time hoping to make it last a longer distance. When it was eventually time for them to return to the Grand Hall, she could barely hide her disappointment.

She met Ling Yao's gaze with a grateful smile.

"Thank you for speaking to me today," she said. "I'm aware you don't speak much around others so I appreciate what you did today. For me." A hue of pink dotted her cheeks and her voice dropped to a small whisper. "D-do you think you can accompany me to this spot again? I don't mean every day, but just on some days? When you're less busy?"

When she least expected it, he gave her a small smile.

"Of course."

And he kept to his promise. His schedule was often hectic but when they did meet, it was always at the same spot. As time passed, their days of companionship progressed to something more and she soon found herself hopelessly falling in love with the man.

And so was he.

Life was unpredictable at times. Of all the romance novels that she had read so far, none of them would win against her very own story. It didn't matter how much time it would take, because she was willing to be patient.

She was no longer alone.



A/N: This is the one chapter which has agonised me for months (before I decided to rewrite the entire book) – I was unsure on how to bring Li Xue & Ling Yao together. Now that I've gotten it out of my head, I feel a lot better now hahaha.

Thank you to everyone who has been very patient with me and I hope this story has brought some laughter & delight to my dearest readers, especially during this pandemic! Stay safe & take care! ❤️

24 March 2022: I did a poll experiment together with Wattpad and I'm pleased to share with you the results!

(Number of respondents: 3,636)