"Sleep here tonight," interrupted Prince Dwei, which at that moment stunned Ying Hua. "Sleep here tonight… with me."
Silence, everything was silent. All that could be heard was the beating of the heart, the night wind blowing the branches of the trees, or the sound of crickets and frogs living around the bushes or ponds in the palace. A fairly wide lake looked rippling and undulating, when a frog that was quite big plunged from the mainland, then swims to find something.
Even Ying Hua's breathing was no longer audible, as she was currently holding her breath. Her back which was still near the mirror didn't move at all.
Prince Dwei looked away after clearing his throat in awkwardness and regret. 'Does she think I'm a pervert?' he thought. 'But I am the crown prince. She shouldn't have bad thoughts about me.'
Before he could say anything, Ying Hua had already made up her mind and then restored her sanity. "What did you say just now, Prince?" Now she walked slowly toward him, like a girl who never lost her powers. "You told me to sleep here with you?"
"Yes!" Prince Dwei nodded with his chin up as if challenging. But actually, he was nervous if she refused his request.
"Isn't that without you asking, I'll still be sleeping here with you?"
He gaped at her words. "W-what?" His prestige disappeared completely.
Her hands were swept to every corner of the room. "I can only hide in this room. That means I have to be here. Even without you asking, I will indeed be sleeping here."
'Seems like she misunderstood,' he thought. 'She thinks I want her to literally sleep in here with me, while I want something more. Ahem!'
In the end, he decided not to worry about it. Now he turned to remove his outerwear leaving his undersuit which was a suit with long sleeves and long pants. Both were pure white. The hat on his head had been removed and placed right beside the bed.
He patted the space beside him after he lay on it. "Lie down here!"
Blinking her eyes quickly, Ying Hua was both nervous and confused. "I can sleep on the floor, Prince. That's not a problem for me. I'm used to…"
"Lie down!" Prince Dwei's orders finally made Ying Hua obey.
'I'd rather have him throw me out,' she thought, as she moved awkwardly and clumsily, and then sat down on his bed with him.
They looked at each other though it didn't last long, for then she lay in a crouched position with her back to him.
Seeing this Prince Dwei glared in annoyance. Even though he was very nervous, his face was red, and his whole body was heating up because of the swish of blood that was pumped very strongly. Like all of his body throbbing, especially on some crucial parts.
"You turned your back on me?" he asked in a high-pitched voice after clearing his throat awkwardly. "Is this your way of thanking the person who helped you?"
Tense, Ying Hua immediately sprawled out, briefly glanced at Prince Dwei, and then whispered, "Sorry, Prince. I guess you feel uncomfortable if I show my face."
"What makes you think like that?" snorted Prince Dwei.
"Because you said you didn't want to see me again."
Now he was silent, unable to speak. 'Damn it! She beat me.' Now he cleared his throat after pulling the blanket high up to his chest. "I will forget my words about it. So, just think no more! Let's just pretend I never said it!"
"Very well, Prince." Ying Hua tried to speak as politely as possible. "Well then, good night! I won't disturb your sleep."
"It's not my bedtime," Prince Dwei interrupted, hastily speaking for fear that Ying Hua would fall asleep at once. " I still have to attend dinner together, but I chose to go to my room instead."
Silent, Ying Hua just didn't want her to say the wrong thing. But it made Prince Dwei irritated.
"Why are you silent? Aren't you curious about something? You should have asked something!" he snorted.
Her lips opened and closed several times, looking confused as to what to say. "I just don't want to disturb your rest."
"Your presence here has disturbed my rest. I can't possibly rest tonight (because my heart will keep pounding)."
"Sorry," Ying Hua nodded sincerely. "I will make sure my business can be finished soon, Prince."
"I'm not asking you to do anything but ask me something," annoyed Prince Dwei. "Ask me something! Be aggressive!"
"Aggressive?"
He rolled his eyes in annoyance. Now he tilted his body like a model, bringing his face to hers, making the distance between them drastically reduced. "Why did you come in here? What's your business? And why did you have to hide?"
'He should ask me to ask him something than for him to ask about my purpose here like this,' thought Ying Hua. 'Now what should I say? If I tell the truth that I want the Black Crown, will he help me get it? Ah, I remember he accused Her Highness as a fake one. Maybe I can use that to get him to help me.'
"I have come here to retrieve the Black Crown, Prince." Ying Hua held her breath for a few seconds as if she was risking her life. Because now she didn't have much power. Only him was her only hope. "I want to take it. Do you know where it is stored?"
"Wow! I didn't think you would dare to tell the truth like this. Aren't you afraid I'll get in the way of your plans and report you to my father? Aren't you afraid of being punished and even executed?"
"I have a good reason why I'm telling you the truth."
"Let me hear it!"
"The Black Crown does not belong to the Qing Palace but belongs to the serpent demons, who are currently out of control because their heirlooms have been forcibly taken. Because of that, the balance of the universe will be disturbed, and many innocent victims will fall to balance. Say, the Black Crown had asked for a sacrifice because it didn't have a master of equal power to it. That's why I came to restore the balance of the universe."
"It has nothing to do with me," Prince Dwei said expressionlessly. "I don't care whether the universe will be in balance or not. The most important thing is that the Black Crown is still in the Qing Palace so that the descendants of the Qing can still be rulers from now on and on."
"Is that true?" Ying Hua tilted her body, now lying face to face with Prince Dwei. "I heard that you have no interest in becoming an emperor. I heard that there is an opposition party that wants to overthrow you. With this Black Crown, you can get injured and even die."
"What do you think after you heard this news?" Prince Dwei looked deeply at Ying Hua. "Are you willing to let me die?"
"You are one of the souls I must save. Therefore, I will save your life. So, this is one of the ways I can repay the debt I owed in the past."
"You won't be able to save me just by doing this, because actually, my soul has died a long time ago. I have felt emptiness (loneliness) for a long time."
Ying Hua frowned. 'Is his body possessed by another soul?'
"Then what do you want?" she asked again. "Or do you want to know whether Her Highness is your mother or not? I can help you figure that out."
"I'm not curious about it," said Prince Dwei with absolute certainty. "But there's one thing I've been wanting to do lately." His eyes glanced at her luscious lips, which now looked a little dry. 'Is she sick?'
"What is it, Prince? I will help you to find out the answer."
The corners of Prince Dwei's lips lifted, but a mocking smile appeared soon after. "I'm just curious what it's like to be a normal guy."
"What do you mean?"
His back stuck out as his face approached her face. He could feel her breath on his skin. "I want to know what it's like sleeping with a girl. I want to know what it's like to be trapped in intimacy with a girl, having a long and hot night with her. Do you want to help me to find out the answer to my curiosity?"
Ying Hua was a little confused, but she thought it was no big deal. 'Maybe we just need to kiss and hug. After all, he is a human. Nothing bad can happen after we do it.' So, she finally nodded, even looking so sure that Prince Dwei gasped in surprise.
He did want this, but it felt like it was too quick, like a dream.
"Alright, I'll help you find an answer to all that," Ying Hua said. "Now what should I do?" Even she had pulled off one of her sleeves, exposing her very beautiful shoulder very easily.
Even though she was about to be pulled out of all of her suits until then Prince Dwei stopped her with a flushed face.
"Stop!" he said as he swallowed hard.
"Why? Are you not curious anymore?" she asked confused.
"N-not like that." He became very nervous while his core had started pulsating waiting for it to work. "Let me do it," he said again. "You just need to be quiet and wait for my command."
Although confused, she finally nodded. "Then what should I do now?"
"Sit down!"
And she did.
Now they were sitting opposite each other, with vastly different expressions. Ying Hua looked normal because she was still innocent and didn't know anything, while Prince Dwei was already nervous with an explosive sensation, like getting very strong fuel.
Reaching out, now he pulled off her sleeves, letting the light hit her shoulders in the room. Gulped, he looked at her beauty, brushed his hand on it, then on her collarbones, and then on her neck.
At that time, she tensed because she felt something tickle her, like making her body slowly heat up.
Especially when she saw him approaching, and began to kiss her lips, bringing her to a very deep and intoxicating depth. She was confused, but at the same time didn't want it to end.
That's when she felt something: his hands started creeping from her face, then spread to her neck, until then plunged towards the cleavage, and cupped the bounce chest.
She stumbled, feeling her belly which seemed to be pressed against something. She just realized that she was holding her breath.
'What… what happened to me?' Even the words in her mind are blurry and almost lost, replaced with the tickling spiciness, especially when he pressed her and made her moan for the first time.
"Prince!" Along with he who has twisted the top of her, her candies.
When she gasped while digesting that new sensation, she felt him being down on her navel, and then started to reach on her core, caressed it, and tried to stretch its folds.
"Ying Hua!" he whispered, devouring her lips again. "Do you want me?"
***