"My apologies, if I've offended you," he said as he cleared his throat before explaining himself, "I was taught by some of my fellow merchants that a pretty young lady likes to be addressed as 'princess'. I hope you don't take it to heart."
Athena heaved a sigh of relief internally. That was until she realized he was flirting with her. A rush of heat to her cheeks made her purse her lips.
"No need to apologize," she quickly responded to ease the growing awkwardness between them, "I'll take it as a compliment."
"I've been to the Westlands a few times but I still have much to learn about the customs here. I sincerely hope I did not offend you," he added, seemingly worried about how she viewed him.
This caught her by surprise, for he seemed to be quite a confident young man. Why would he place so much value on how she viewed him?
"It's quite alright, really. I'm just… not used to such direct compliments," she reassured him with a light laugh.
"Oh? I would think you did get compliments on the daily."
Both of them shared a chuckle.
Under the soft lamp lights that hung above them, the night felt dreamy. Athena felt at ease talking to the foreign young man. Was it because they were able to connect through their conversation?
Or was it because he reminded her of the world she came from?
Either way, Athena knew deep down, she wanted to see more of this man. That was when disappointment surfaced in her heart. It was likely that they would never see each other again.
she thought to herself.
"Would you like to have a cup of tea together? I'm sure there should be at least one tea room that's still open," she asked casually, not putting too much thought into it.
"I believe this is the first time a young woman has asked that of me. Are you sure you're from the Westlands?"
"Is that so? I thought more people would ask such a charming man such as yourself."
"Ah, I see what you're doing there, princess," he teased with a smile, "I will take you up on your offer. Do you have a tea room in mind?"
Athena pursed her lips. She was so confident in asking him out that she had forgotten she knew nothing of the shops in the capital city! She searched her memories for any possible options but there was nothing.
She was drawing blank.
"I have a place in mind. Shall we?" he asked.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She grabbed hold of his hand without much thought and was about to begin walking when she realized he was still rooted to the ground. Sensing his discomfort, she withdrew her hand.
In the Eastlands, men and women did not usually publicly display their affection. They did not even hold each other's hands unless they were married.
"My sincerest apologies! I…" Athena bit her lip, fumbling over her words, "I just…"
"It's alright, Athena. I'm still learning the customs. Is hand holding a thing here?" he asked politely.
She couldn't help but smile a little. He sounded so innocent when he asked! That was when she realized that it likely wasn't customary for her to grab his hand in the Westlands either. Well, at least not when they were just acquaintances.
"Sorry, I think I just… got too excited," she mumbled before quickly changing the subject, "Let's go to the tea room."
Zicheng led the way, walking side by side as he guided her toward their destination. They were silent at first, uncertain of what to say to each other. Eventually, it was Zicheng who started speaking first.
"Do you live in the capital?"
"Yes, I haven't been anywhere else."
"Oh? Then how did you learn how to speak a language from the Eastlands?" he asked curiously.
Athena gulped. She had painted herself into a corner!
"Well… I…" she tried her best to come up with a convincing answer, "I learned from reading books…"
As soon as the words left her lips, Athena wanted to slap herself across the face. Books were a rare commodity, it almost gave away the fact that she was from a rich family. Besides, there couldn't have been many books that taught a language from the Eastlands.
"I also learned it from conversing with some visiting scholars and sailors," she quickly added.
She waited patiently to see if he would believe her tall tale.
"Oh, I see."
He seemingly took the bait. Athena heaved a sigh of relief internally. It was a close call.
"What about you?" How did you learn our language?" she asked.
"I've been traveling since I was ten. Went on my first voyage with my father and never looked back," he replied.
There was a glimmer in his eyes when he spoke. Athena could tell he was reminiscing a happy memory. But soon, it faded away.
"Have you been to many places then?"
"Just a few empires and kingdoms here and there. It's mostly for trade and business now, rarely for adventure."
"Why not?"
"It's all for the family business, adventures are high risk and they don't pay much," he replied with a disappointing sigh.
"But I'm sure you've seen some beautiful sights. What's the most interesting thing you've seen so far?" she asked eagerly.
Surely such a well-traveled man like him would have seen something unique and interesting. The young man pondered for a while. He had a folding paper fan in his hand which he used to fan himself as he continued to think.
Athena was mesmerized by the details of his clothes. He had a jade pendant tied to his waistband and a sword too. The scabbard looked nothing like the ones she was used to seeing and it was made out of wood instead of metal.
It was an amusing sight to see him in such long flowing fabrics that almost made it seem like he was wearing a dress that reached his ankles. She wondered if women wore similar garments.
"Well, I've once seen an elephant that could paint," he finally replied after thinking for a while.
"An elephant that could paint?" she gasped in amazement.
"Yes, it was part of a performance held in the palace of an empire I visited."
"How did they manage to achieve that?" she asked curiously.
By then, they had arrived at the tearoom. Zicheng informed the waiter to get them a table and led the way. They were seated near the front of the tearoom by the window, looking out into the bustling streets.
After the waiter brought them a freshly brewed pot of tea and a plate of light snacks, Athena was about to pay but Zicheng was quicker than her.
"I'll get it next time," she replied without a second thought.
"Do you already enjoy my company that much? We've only just sat down," he mused.