Tan Bowen scrambled quickly down the mountainside, catching up with Bai Li and Mei Meili and tapping the commander on the shoulder.
Not wanting to make a scene and not sure what he could say to object, Bai Li reluctantly stopped and let Meili down, handing her over to Tan Bowen and assisting her up onto the man's back.
She was somewhat reluctant to be carried by the young poet after reading his lantern, but she didn't want to continue to burden Bai Li on the steep slope.
Tan Bowen hoisted her up and started to gingerly make his way down the mountain. It was actually very hard going, though there was no way he would admit to that.
"So," he whispered to her, "you saw my wish." It wasn't a question. "What do you think of the idea?"
This was good in a way, he decided. Better to bring things to a head and have them out in the open.
This subject again, she thought with a sense of déjà vu. "Tan Bowen, I told you on the lake I'm not in a hurry to get married." This wasn't fair, she thought. He had her trapped on his back and she couldn't get off.
"But sometime in the future," he prompted. "What do you think about it in principle, as a concept?"
To be honest, she had never considered marrying Tan Bowen, not for one millisecond. But if she did think about it, it wasn't a terrible concept. Like Sofya had said, he was easy-going, fun and they had a lot of interests in common. She was also pretty sure he would give her more freedom in marriage than most men would. She didn't have any feelings for him, but her mother always said that would come with time.
"I would need more time to think about it, Tan Bowen," she told him tactfully.
He nearly tripped and fell right over with her. Woot woot! That was not the answer he had expected. The door was open a crack!
"Take your time, take your time," he replied, seemingly nonchalant. He didn't want to push her too hard and startle her into giving him an answer he didn't want.
Meili realised she felt a tug of something couldn't identify, but it felt like it might be regret or sadness at the idea of marrying this friend of hers. Even though her head told her it was a sensible idea, her heart seemed to be saying 'no'.
"Tan Bowen!" said the prince from behind them. "Stop right there and hand the girl over to me. You just about fell over and injured her again."
"I was just surprised, that's all," he called cheerfully, whistling a jaunty tune.
"No way. You've blown it. Put her down," the prince said imperiously.
It wasn't worth arguing with the man when he was in this type of mood and pulling his princely rank on them. Besides, Tan Bowen was basking in the glow of Meili's answer just now. He didn't feel the need to cling to precious seconds with her.
Generally, Meili would have been extremely reluctant to have the prince carry her, but right now she felt nothing but a sense of relief to be ending this marriage conversation with her dear friend Tan Bowen. She didn't want anything to spoil this special friendship, and she had a sinking feeling that continuing down that rabbit hole would bring about an awkwardness between them that would spoil everything.
Tan Bowen helped her onto the prince's back. Bai Li hovered close by with a scowl. He trusted this man even less than he trusted Tan Bowen, if that was possible.
They set off again, this time with Tan Bowen in the lead and Bai Li sticking closely behind the prince and Mei Meili.
Having the girl touching him like this immediately proved problematic for the second prince. He was acutely aware of her soft pillowy chest, which was pressed up hard against his back, where it jiggled up and down with every step he took. He grimaced in a happy mixture of pain and pleasure.
"Thank you for carrying me your highness," she said politely, hoping to set the right tone with him from the start. Not that she'd had much luck controlling him so far.
"Of course," he said shortly. "It's not a burden at all. I've been looking forward to having you wrapped around me. That's the last time I let other men carry you."
This conversation sounded like a permutation on the discussion she'd had with Bai Li when he was carrying her. She got it. Men and women don't touch. No carrying.
"I will do my utmost not to ever need carrying again in the future," she assured him.
"Just stay where you are and send for me, if you ever need to be carried. I will come for you from wherever I am."
"Your highness, that would be completely inappropriate. What would people say about me if I called the Second Prince of the realm to carry me here and there like a servant whenever I got into trouble."
"They would say, 'there's the Second Prince and his woman'," said the prince cheekily.
"Your highness, please don't tease me," she whispered into his ear.
Pow! Okay that whispering in the ear thing pressed an overdrive button of some sort. It was h.o.t. His already high passions were further inflamed.
"It's definitely you who's teasing me, little fox," he assured her, in a low growl.
Bai Li, who was watching the two closely from behind wiped his brow in exasperation. The second piece of advice he had intended to give her after 'don't let any man carry you but me', had been, 'never, whisper in a man's ear'. Unfortunately he'd been too distracted by reminding her that marriage would repay all of her debts to him, so he'd neglected to give her this very important piece of advice.
Meili pulled back and looked at the prince in surprise. How was she teasing him?
"What am I doing to tease you, your highness?" she asked naively. "I don't believe I've done anything impolite to you."
"Since you climbed up on my back, you've whispered sweet nothings into my ear, and you keep pressing your ample 'you know what's' into my shoulder blades."