Concentration was evading Min Li.
Concentration was evading Min Li nearly just as much as being a proper gentle, kind lady had always evaded her.
To her dismay she simply just couldn’t concentrate which was a big disadvantage when surrounded by people whom she didn’t know their real intention as she was.
Min Li was on the field with all the noble ladies who had gathered for their lessons of martial arts and sword training.
Due to her lack of focus, she wasn’t able to do the task that crown prince had set for them.
She was trying. But it was hard enough to balance on one leg with the other leg perpendicular and her sword sticking out in front of her anyway.
She reckoned from an outsider’s viewpoint, she probably looked like some sort of big bird, maybe a flamingo or something of its kind. A phoenix Min Li would prefer.
If only she could behave as majestic as a phoenix would.
The issue that was Min Li’s mind was on some of the events that took place in the dinner.
Not on what one might think would be her first point of call, an impending marriage between her and the crown prince which she would have to hide her enthusiasm over, but on other occurrences.
The prince had said his first words directed solely at her at the end of the family dinner.
He had spoken gruffly into her ear, “Don’t go near the tree again,” before stalking off.
Min Li had wondered whether the instructions for her not to go near the power tree had something to do with Yilin apparently having spies inside the palace walls of Xilin. She had also wondered why she had been struck down in the tree.
Min Li had wanted to ask Fenhua whether one of her assumptions were true. But the crown prince hadn’t stopped on the account of her whispered shouts after him.
Fenhua had only stopped walking away as the queen had chased him down to ask him if he wanted her to find him a nice garment or even a simple tunic which would be able to go with his ruby necklace.
It was then that Min Li had realised that the consensus was that the glow from Fenhua’s mark was just jewellery. It was probably what Rose had gone with and as the last instalment of the book had circulated everybody that read it or heard of it had gone with it too.
The queen was incredibly observant and so Min Li didn’t think that she would have bought it but apparently so.
“Enough thinking of him,” Min Li said out loud, chastising herself.
Speak of someone and there they shall appear.
There was a soft touch of the back of Min Li’s leg helping her regain her balance and providing a more solid foundation than what her own body was useful for. And of course, Min Li immediately recognised the helper as the crown prince as she felt the same sensation as she had during the dinner when their hands had brushed.
The other factor that led to Min Li’s recognition of Fenhua was he had grumbled in her ear, “who are you thinking of? Kit?”
“Why? Jealous are we?”
The prince snorted. “Don’t let my mother’s words get to you. We will not be betrothed any time soon.”
Though she couldn’t easily tell since her ears were so far away from the bottom of her legs where Fenhua was, Min Li thought that she heard the crown prince mutter, “I have important things to do first.”
Her heart skipped a beat.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
“Any time soon you say?”
“She is such an attention seeking harlot.”
That voice was undeniably not from Fenhua, he had never spoken about her in such a way and his voice wasn’t squeaky. It was gruff.
It was then that Min Li realised what a compromising position she was in. Fenhua was now touching her ankle, how unrefined, which was now bare as her garment had ridden up some.
Since, Fenhua was the instructor, usually people wouldn’t mind much, but with Fenhua not usually getting too close to any of his students, it must have looked pretty weird.
Min Li tried to put her leg down, but she soon remembered that something, or rather someone, was in her way.
“Excuse me, let me put down my leg,” Min Li hissed.
“Not until you promise that you won’t be going anyway near the power tree.”
“Put Me Down.”
“No.”
Now Min Li really wanted to visit the power tree again. Just to see what wonders it held. She had nearly completely forgot It was her fault. Rebellion just seemed to be flowing through her bones.
“PUT ME DOWN.”
“NO.”
“YOU PLEBEIAN. YOU COWARDLY PEASANT. YOU UNWELCOME RODENT WITH THE FACE OF A GREMLIN THAT I AM SURE CAME FROM YOUR MOTHER.”
Min Li hoped that the queen, and anybody else for that matter, weren’t anywhere near to be able to hear her ramblings. She quickly said sorry to the queen in her mind and thanked the queen for being a worthy sacrifice.
She felt the crown prince tremble, whether in laughter or in fear, she knew not.
“All that is factually untrue. I happen to be the crown prince of one of the three kingdoms. And your last comment was awfully brave of you to say for someone who really doesn’t know who her biological mother is.”
How dare the gnat challenge me in such a way. Min Li froze for a second. Then she shook in anger wanting the man to feel her wrath.
“You pompous, pendantic prick. You phony, pitiful pest. You pointless, puny-”
“Better,” the crown prince interrupted Min Li’s train of thought.
Min Li gave up on her insults. Not just because the crown prince seemed impervious to them, but because she couldn’t think of any more words beginning with P.
“Don’t you know that you commanding me not to go to the power tree makes me want to go even more?”
“It will be fine because you are going to promise me that you won’t do it.”
Min Li was still undecided about it all, but that didn’t seem to bother Fenhua.
“You know your shaking isn’t making the situation better. In fact, it is compromising you even more. By now I am sure all onlookers think that you are probably going to be or are already my concubine.”
“CONCUBINE?! How dare you! I tell you I am fit to be a queen!”
“Whose queen?... Okay, my queen, promise me and I will let you go with the remainder of your dignity intact.”
Min Li melted with him calling her a queen, forgetting her hatred of all things sickeningly corny.
“I do solemnly swear,” Min Li said already forgetting about her dignity and ready to submit whatever else she needed to get him to say such again.
The remainder of her dignity did not in fact stay intact.
With the receival of Min Li’s promise, the crown prince immediately took his hand from under her lifted leg.
Min Li had mistakenly forgotten just how rubbish she had been at the exercise. She began wibble wobbling dangerously about to topple like jelly without any structural integrity.
The crown prince had clearly recognised his own fault and dived down trying to break Min Li’s fall.
Why he didn’t just put his hand under her leg again? Min Li knew not.
Maybe he was following her instructions to not touch her on the leg.
Why he didn’t just help her maintain her balance with a water bubble of his own creation? Min Li knew not.
Either way, Fenhua was under her Min Li when she completely lost her hard-fought battle with balance and fell with a plop unto the crown prince.
It just so happened that with the fall, the two were aligned almost perfectly, or imperfectly depending on who was asked.
Just like the rest of Min Li’s body had found its way on top of Fenhua’s body, Min Li’s mouth found its way on top of Fenhua’s. Min Li’s whole body was filled with sparks. It felt as if she was on top of highest mountain, as if she was completely free
It was just like something absolutely ridiculous that could be found in one of Rose’s books.
Except Min Li didn’t care so much this time around.
Before Min Li could completely melt and forget that she didn’t want to become a concubine, she discovered that someone else hadn’t forgotten that they had powers.
Cold water drenched Min Li’s clothes and trickled down her clothes. Water hit Min Li for such a long time, she wondered whether Fenhua had saved her or whether she was actually saving him.
But the water was not warm but cold and just trickling down on the too.
It seemed as if many of the girls had flooded Min Li with water. At least it looked like they wouldn’t need that much sword training. Their powers were already good enough.
They were able to keep Fenhua mostly dry while turning Min Li into a drowned rat. Even Rose who had done such a bad job aiming water at the power tree’s shield seemed to have better aim than the king himself now.
Ignoring both the wistful and the angry looks from all the girls around her, like Little Miss Annoying and Jess the retired bully, and with the mood between her and Fenhua gone, Min Li got up and shook any excess water off her.
She twisted her upper body in happiness with her hands locked behind her back. I can’t break a promise that I made with the man. I just can’t forsake him in such a manner. After all I am his queen. It wouldn’t be right, she reasoned with the side of herself that told her to break the promise.