Li Shu was standing beside captain Chaoxiang, watching the soldiers' resort.
"Did the tailor know something to say about strangers?"
"Yes, three days ago some strangers came along and bought all his white cotton fabrics."
She shook her head; how close they were to her but she missed. Earlier, if she had discovered now the witch was in her hands.
"We missed it, how?"
"They came in twilight and woke him up. I guess they had wounded men."
Li Shu blankly looked at him, her head was exploding, if they hadn't attacked any merchant during the last six months then why were they wounded? Her eyes got back to the princess's tent, she loathed it to reach this point, now she had to beg the princess to trust her and let her go with them.
"What are they talking about?"
She murmured, but Chaoxiang heard it.
"I had heard some whispers regarding the king's desire, wanting his daughter to pick a husband among the suitors!" Chaxiang wasn't sure how to say this but last night when he went out to march around, he heard the people in the tavern speaking of it.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked calmly but the skittering chill under her skin reached her brain. Suitors? Which kind of suitors? Wasn't she too young? Why would the king force her into a marriage?
"I thought that it must be a ramble."
Ramble? Everything related to her life was urgent, and this princess and every single issue were important to her, from her mental health to her skills and other aspects that should keep her mighty and breathing to break the curse.
Inside the tent, courtier Tan Gui scanned the low-made place.
"Eunuch Fu Liu, I must disqualify you for letting your highness stay here with zero security."
The man was burning in fury, the eunuch bowed his head, "I asked your grace to stay in the residence but…"
"Enough! I don't want to go there; every single part of that place brings up my memories with my mother."
The king's man softened his face. How could he forget this matter? Even the king didn't join the hunt because of this, he shouldn't have revolted in the first place. But the number of guards was not enough if a sudden danger would pop up.
"Why are you here, courtier Tan Gui? Is my father's health in danger?"
The man shook his head, "Your highness is entirely fine, may heavens protect him. I am here to take you back for an important matter."
The princess was getting exhausted from these rituals. He could jump on the main point straight away but he was hesitating so much!
'Wait, what he wants to inform me is something against my yearning!'
She frowned, in the middle of the night, she quit her tent, strolled to the Spring quarter building, and stood in the shadows, Xing Bolin was talking to Xing Liling about the rumors, the number of the princess's suitors had crossed one hundred. All those greedy people wanted her for the future position she would get. The empress of Mei land, the Queen, and the influential tyrant among the seven tyrants.
Her heartbeats roared wildly in her chest and a numbness stung the tip of her fingers.
"Your grace cannot reject the suitors; he believes that princess Xing Huan might like at least one of them."
Therefore, this was true, it was related to her but they kept hiding it, whilst she should have known it when they were in the capital. Perhaps, her father's qualm made the pause, then what happened out of the sudden that brought about to make such a quick decision?
"Why?"
Her face darkened and the courtier flustered, his lips shivered and hardly held his urge back together to speak.
"Your majesty speculates that a husband from a decent family can make you stronger."
'Is my father worried about my siblings or cousins? What frightened my father?' She couldn't get the answer from here. She was forced to visit her father after a year but it wasn't easy. His eyes were the screens that could burn her heart.
She wasn't even qualified to take care of her mother's gift, thus, how could her father pass her the throne? It wasn't the lack of confidence but her doubt about the tasks and responsibilities, she had yet a long way to learn, and she wasn't ready. Every passing day, she was getting lonelier than before.
"Fu Liu, inform everyone to pack up, we are moving within two hours."
She ordered while her eyes again turned blank.
"Yes, your highness, what should I do with the girl and her brother?"
"It depends on them, as I told you just pretend."
She didn't want to beg them. They needed the princess more so they must ask for it.
Fu Liu bowed and left the tent. Seeing a maiden, he told her to inform everyone and himself strode to the girl and her brother.
"We are leaving, it was a nice adventure with you, but I hope we never see each other again!"
Li Shu's mouth angled up; her face became as if a fireball. Why was this eunuch too unnerving?
"What? What about our investigation?" She asked.
"The princess will solve it; you can cut your hand off if you don't like that bracelet." He smirked devilishly and turned his face.
Clenching her fist, she tended to go and beat him but Chaoxiang stopped her. Releasing her arm off his grip, she rushed ahead, yanking eunuch Fu Liu by the arm and thundering to the princess tent. The two men stormed after her.
Li Shu slipped to her knees, sweating. Squeezing her skirt in her palms, closed her eyes.
"I beg you to let me be your maiden."
'let me die now, I want it badly! I just knelt for my enemy. If it isn't worse than death what it can be then?' The prince of Di kingdom could not lower himself more than this. To take back his normal life, he needed this princess. She shouldn't marry any man until this curse was on him.