Li Hua, who had hidden behind the pillar, overheard the entire conversation between Lóng Wei and Xiaoming. The way Lóng Wei conversed with his eldest brother made her feel weird.
The way Lóng Wei asked Xiaoming if he liked her, made her feel strange. She never had communication with the Crown Prince, so there was no way he would like her. Li Hua decided to talk to Lóng Wei and request him not to associate her name with the Crown Prince in any way.
She already was guilty of lying to the King. But it was her foolishness that she fell into the trap set up by Lóng Wei. The way he claimed his right on her was giving only one thought to her— Lóng Wei knew something about her. Nonetheless, he should have exposed her by now. Instead, he wanted to help her.
'Did the Sixth Prince ever visit Xinshui town?' she wondered, but then she ruled out this fact because Lóng Wei was in the cold palace for five months. Her family was killed two months ago. There was no way that Lóng Wei had any idea about it. Probably her exceptional beautiful features, Lóng Wei got suspicious of her.
Li Hua found that Lóng Wei kept provoking Xiaoming, who remained calm. The way he was pacifying the Sixth Prince showed his intellect and humble nature as the Crown Prince. That's why everyone praised the Crown Prince.
"Why does the Sixth Brother think that hatred will arise in my heart for him? He is my youngest brother. My mother never taught me to carry the evil traits with me. I was not here to see Li Hua. I was anxious about you, Brother Lóng Wei. It is my dinner time. I bid my warm goodnight to the Sixth Brother," Xiaoming stated and left the manor.
"Liar!" Lóng Wei chuckled.
"His Highness shall not talk arrogantly with his elders," Li Hua came to the front, from behind the pillar.
"This is the way I am," Lóng Wei replied and turned to face her. He walked to her and leaned down so that their faces came to the same level. "I appreciate that you agreed to marry me. For the first time, I can feel happiness," he said.
Li Hua was bewildered to hear his statement. "His Highness usually smiles," she stated. "It is not the first time he felt happiness."
"You didn't get my words, Li Hua," Lóng Wei said as his right hand circled her waist. He pulled her up, and she was now on her toes.
"Your Highness!" She placed her palms on his chest to push him away.
"I feel happy after troubling others. However, this happiness is different because you are ready to love me," Lóng Wei asserted and smirked.
Li Hua's jaw dropped down. However, keeping her humble self intact, she said, "Your Highness, I accepted the marriage because I had no other way. I cannot leave the palace as I need to pay the debt of my family."
She wanted to tell Lóng Wei that there was no way she would love him. But telling it now would only increase the series of arguments between them. First, she needs to get herself away from him.
Meters away!
"I'll pay your family debt. Do you want me to meet your grandmother? I can send you home and then come to take you. Usually, the marriage ritual goes that way," Lóng Wei asserted and waited for her response.
Tears appeared in her eyes. She recalled how she had imagined Feng Lao would come in the red Hanfu dress to pick her up, and they would be happily married. An entire life with him, she had knitted in her dreams.
"You are from the village near Xinshui, right? I will ask Gao Bing about your house address," Lóng Wei stated.
"No." Li Hua said in a loud voice, and it made him arch his brow. "My grandmother is no more. In the evening, I received a message about it," Li Hua lied. She had no idea why she told such a lie.
Lóng Wei brought his face close to her and shifted to her ear. "You don't know how to lie. I admire how you lied about a person's life. We indeed are made for each other," he whispered. Li Hua curled her fingers. Her body jolted when Lóng Wei's lips brushed her earlobe.
She pushed him away with her entire strength and coveted her ear with her palm. "Why did His Highness do that? He's not supposed to act this way," Li Hua suddenly turned angry. She averted her gaze from him and felt extremely terrible for betraying the love Feng Lao carried for her.
"To tell you that I have entered your life. Forget the man you love," Lóng Wei without being hesitant told her. Li Hua's eyes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly. The anger was still apparent on her face. She could not tell him what the King had asked her to do. She needed to change Lóng Wei in two months' time, otherwise, she would be beheaded. Indeed, her benefit was hidden in it, but at the present, Lóng Wei's behavior was giving her a signal that she should run away from him.
"I would have been thrown out of the palace if I had not agreed. I jumped to save his Highness and begged to pardon his punishment," Li Hua said as she lowered her hand from her ear.
"So, a spark indeed exists between us," Lóng Wei stated, with a smirk. "I won't eat here today. You can eat and sleep." He turned to leave, which perplexed Li Hua.
"Where is His Highness going at this hour?" She asked as a responsible attendant.
But Lóng Wei didn't answer her. She walked behind him, thinking if she angered him.
"Forgive me for raising my voice, Your Highness," she said and halted at the top of the stairs while Lóng Wei was at the bottom.
He turned and smiled. "I love it when you get angry at me," he stated and told her not to worry about him. Li Hua wondered why he said so. He soon vanished from her sight.
"The Prince will get physical after our marriage. I need to think of something before that," she murmured and again touched her ear, where she felt the slight brush of his lips.
~~~~~
Xiaoming broke the chopsticks in his hand, and it perplexed Eunuch Lishi. "Give a new pair of chopsticks to the Crown Prince," Eunuch Lishi told the maidservant.
"There is no need. I am not in a mood to eat," Xiaoming said and stood up. "Don't follow me," he told Eunuch Lishi with a stern tone, and then he walked out of the chamber.
Those challenging eyes of Lóng Wei were coming in front of him every second. He reached the ground and picked the bow. Picking an arrow, she started to shoot. He was enraged by the way Lóng Wei provoked him.
He recalled the day when they were kids. Monk Yuze had come to the palace that day and showed his deep concern towards Lóng Wei.
'He is the Son of Dragon, Your Majesty. His path is decided. No one has the ability to surpass him.' Xiaoming happened to hear those words.
He went to Lóng Wei, who, for the first time, had picked a sword. "Brother Lóng Wei, it is not the time for you to use these. You are the youngest among all, so you must play all the time."
The arrow hit the center of the wooden pole as he recalled those words. Lóng Wei remembered his words well and even implemented them in his life.
Then, why today those words appeared different. It seemed Lóng Wei warned him. Did he miss something all these years?
'Whatever Brother Lóng Wei is thinking, I will not let it come true. I need to find a way to bring Li Hua to me. I never lost to anyone. The Youngest Brother cannot defeat me,' he told himself internally.