The palace settled back to the way it was. Prince Julong's return brought some excitement that lasted about a month before everyone got used to the same third prince back in the palace.
Prince Julong fell back into his old schedules. He attended his daily training routine in the mornings before heading over to the field by midmorning. His afternoons were concerned with office work and meetings.
There were times when he made trips outside the wall visiting military posts located at major provincial districts, towns, and villages. The third prince was far too busy getting the imperial army to his standards to even remember I existed at all.
It was something I accepted, although I could not help the uneasiness in my mind. It made me feel restless, and anxious that I found it hard to even sit still sometimes.
"Will you calm your ass down!" Berated Bailing to me one afternoon. We were at the garden viewing the blossoming plums that are too beautiful to miss. She had been trying to hold the umbrella over my head for a while, but my constants shifting around made her irritated.
"Hold still, Jasmine! My arms are getting tired!" She hissed.
I stilled and grabbed the umbrella from her which she refused to let go. "Give me that! I don't know why you even bother with it. The sun is not out."
"Oh, forgive me!" She said sardonically. "I have to make sure, the second's prince wife's skin remains flawless or else, I'll get reprimanded for it."
"Shut up, Bailing. You know you get away with more things than this."
We wrestled for the umbrella-like two siblings until the loud wooed of women twittering in the garden distracted both of us. I let the umbrella go, following the noise that seemed to have come out from nowhere. I haven't heard such noise in years.
Concubines flocked by the pathway along where prince Julong typically strolled after his daily morning training. The nostalgia of the noise brought me back two years. I stepped, slightly out of myself wanting to join in the commotion of gathering women when I made it to the walls of young concubines. They lined shoulder to shoulder with each other, dreaming for the affection of the unmarried prince.
I stood in tiptoes, trying to get a glimpse of the prince everyone is so excited about. Except, the concubines soon recognized the wangfei standing behind them, stepping aside as they made way and opened the path for me.
I panicked, searching for an option to escape. This is not what I wanted, I don't want the attention, I just wanted to see what's happening and mind my own business. The last thing I wanted is to get caught admiring the prince along with his fangirls.
"Ah, shit!"
My anxiety raged in full swing, quivering at the sight of prince Julong coming to my direction. I turned pink as the plum blossoms in the garden, hoping that somehow, I would blend in and disappear with them.
His eyes landed on mine, his handsome smile absent. He halted and hesitated as though the last thing he wanted was to run into me. I could tell prince Julong entertained upon turning his back around but decided against it. He regarded me politely while I stood there in front of him feeling the weight of his heed.
The world moved in slow motion in tune with the thud of my slowing heartbeats. I was so nervous beyond comfortable that I swore, I could pee myself.
"Elder sister." He murmured in polite greeting, tilting his head. His eyes were like marbles as he stared at me. He looked at me hard and solid without letting any of his emotions leaked from his face. Third prince Julong expertly controlled himself, the way he stood, how straight his posture was, how unreadable he ultimately was.
While here I am, standing in front of him, quivering with disorientation, trying to hold myself from falling apart. I don't know why I feel this way, I don't know why I'm so upset, and I don't know why I craved for that attention he used to give me.
My heart crushed at his greeting.
"Y-younger brother." I returned formally. Of course, he would refer to me like an elder sister, Hoon is nearly a decade older than him. I just didn't anticipate it, the impact it would have on me, how blindsided I would be. My head lowered as I dropped my gaze to the ground, disheartened.
There was a long-lingered silence while we stood facing each other motionless. Prince Julong waited for me to say something, but I was too upset to say anything else.
"Excuse me, elder sister. I must be on my way."
"Of course, " my head lifted as I smiled at him, stepping aside as I let him and his guardsmen be on their way.