A handsome man, wrapped around in armor rushed in. His forehead gleamed with natural oil and sweat making him more attractive. "Yes, your highness." He said in a voice précised and solid.
"Bailing needs a ride back to the consort's courtyard."
"Yes, your highness." The captain turned to Bailing, inclining his head to a lady. "This way ma'am."
With one single effort, prince Julong wrapped his arm around my waist and yanked me to the horse with him. He straddled me to the front, so he could be protecting me from behind.
"Have you ever been on a horse, Jasmine?" He asked, his head was so close to my neck that his warm breath tickled my nape.
"No," I murmured. "Never even been this close to one until now."
"I'll try to be careful." He said.
He motioned the horse forward. I gasped, immediately terrified feeling as though I was going to fall off.
"Don't be scared, Jasmine. The horse can tell when you're scared."
I steadied myself.
We rode until we got far enough from a clear sight of his army then slowed down. Prince Julong stalled, halting his horse. He had done this purposely, taking the opportunity of being alone with me.
"You've been avoiding me." He murmured close to my ear.
My silence was his answer. He already knew I was and I could only wish I wasn't doing this to him. The last thing I wanted was to see him suffer. I care for him, I like him, but fate had been cruel, marrying me to another man.
"Why do you insist on running away from me?" The prince asked in a voice so tender that I heard the agony he's going through.
"Please, you're making this too hard on me, I am your brother's betrothed. We shouldn't be doing this."
I felt a wave of resentment resonated from behind. The way his body stiffed, the way he swallowed, the way his shallow breathing trembled let me know that he was upset, but he didn't say anything. The prince bit his lip, quiet as he kicked the horse back into motion.
He was silent the whole ride until he dropped me off at the foot of my door. That's when prince Julong felt the freedom to let me know what's been nagging at his mind. "My brother is home, he'd been home for a while. He knew you were here, he knew the day you arrived you were here and he had not cared. I knew he's the reason why you tucked yourself from the world.
You wanted him to see you, you wanted him to accept you, but each day he leaves you waiting, yearning for that acceptance, it breaks your heart and I know what you're going through because I go through the same thing each time you reject me."
He paused as he waited for my answer when kept my mouth quiet and said nothing, he continued. "I could tell you right now, Jasmine. I know my brother, and I know what kind of man he is. If he seemed like he doesn't care, that's because he doesn't...He'll leave you here, rotting and waiting for him. I'm telling you right now, I'm not like that. I will never break your heart, Jasmine. I can promise you that."
The third prince stepped a bit closer, a bit warmer, he towered and enclosed his body into mine, I leaned into him, finding comfort in his warmth.
He was right, and he saw right through me.
"You can't force yourself to a man who doesn't care for you." He murmured.
"Don't say that." My eyes shone, nearing a breakdown. "What do you want me to do? I don't have a say on who am I going to marry!"
He loosened a sigh and looked at me so desperately. "I'll see what I could do, I could reason with father. I'm sure brother will give me the go ahead. We can make this happen Jasmine."
*****
The very next day I received a summon from a courier servant who brought me a note written on a small scroll. I unrolled it squinting my eyes at the message.
Bailing behind my shoulder peeking at the same message. We both stared at it for the longest time, trying to decipher what it said.
Whoever sent it hadn't realized I could barely read.
"What does it say?" She asked curiously.
"I don't know..." I responded.
"Don't you know how to read? Haven't you spent enough time with your tutors in the past few weeks?"
"I know a few symbols and characters, but this is far too sophisticated for my understanding." Whoever wrote this was well inclined with literature. The way the characters were written so elegantly, so effortless, he knew well how to write and read. "I don't know what it said."
I turned to her, worried "What if it's a summon from the second prince?"
Bailing took a glance over the window, trying to see if the courier was still around, but it had been at least ten minutes since she handed the message.
"You should've asked who sent it." Said Bailing.
"I didn't think about it at the time."
I put the message away, hoping to run into someone who can read it for me later. By the afternoon, there was another unexpected knock on my door. I seem to be getting a lot of visitors lately. When Bailing opened it, two heavily armored guardsmen stood by the doorsteps. They were third prince Julong's men, I recognized them, those were the same men who follow him around everywhere.
One of them was the captain, he smiled and poked his chest out once his eyes landed on Bailing. The natural twinkle in his eyes told me he may have fallen in love with my personal servant yesterday.
"Yes, ma'am." The captain groaned with the most adorable shakiness in his voice. He was nervous, and it was the most romantic thing I've ever seen. "We were sent by the third prince to escort, mistress Jasmine to his office."
Bailing turned back to me, she knew I heard the announcement.
I looked at her with understanding. Then to the guards who came to pick me up. "What for?"
The guards hesitated, they had not anticipated a retort from me. "The prince had not told us of the reason, mistress."
"I beg your pardon, mistress." The other guardsman interrupted. "The prince sent a summon for you earlier, but you never came."
My eyes searched for the small scroll on the table, realizing what it was.
It was prince Julong's after all, it hadn't occurred to him I can't read. "Do send him my apologies, I didn't know what the message was. Let him know that I will come to him, but I can't right now. I had not anticipated a meeting with a prince today." I had yet to bathe and change, I can't very well see a prince at this state.
"Yes, mistress. We'll relay your message to the prince." The guardsmen dipped their heads one more time, before retreating away from my doorsteps.