Just as she was about to argue back, a deep yet pleasant sound from the carriage came. "I don't have all day to waste. Guards, let's head back." It was clearly His Highness's voice.
"Being born in a royal family doesn't make you smart and handsome!" she huffed, her eyes seething with annoyance.
She looked around the market and spotted a poster. "Hiring people..." she read out loud. "A job at a pastry shop doesn't sound that bad. Maybe I could do it!" With that, she looked at the shop, gently knocking on the door. The pastry shop was like a cozy, aromatic haven amidst the market's chaos. With its rustic wooden exterior and large windows displaying an array of freshly baked goods, it invited anyone passing by to step inside. The air was thick with the delicious scent of freshly baked bread, sugary pastries, and spiced cakes. Inside, the shop was warm and welcoming, with shelves lined with colorful macarons, cream-filled éclairs, and delicate tarts. The walls were adorned with quaint, hand-painted illustrations of happy bakers and flourishing fields of grain.
A gentle-looking man came out of the kitchen room. "Miss, how can I help you?" His voice was sweet and soft. He looked like a good man.
"I am here to apply for a job... the Lián Huā Gāo Diàn shop is hiring people..." she said nervously. The man walked forward to her, his body almost brushing against hers. She immediately took a step back, panicked. "This is not proper, sir," she spoke firmly, trying to maintain a bit of authority she never had here.
"You can have the job. But...." He grinned, the intentions in his eyes clear. As a girl from the village, she didn't know how things in the city worked. In fear of offending them, she said nothing. Just as she was about to do something, the door slammed open. She looked at the door, her voice cut off by his firm yet strangely gentle command. "Get to the carriage."
"No," Aoi answered, her head held high and steady. Her gaze fell on the man driving the carriage. Something was wrong.
"Someone as delicate as you shouldn't wander around," his voice shattered her thoughts.
"What- what do you mean I am delicate?! And you're helping me as if we know each other for years!"
"Yes, we do."
Her mind went blank as she tried to remember who he was. Before she could come up with a response, he dragged her out of the shop and pushed her inside the carriage. "Zhao..." She remembered the pattern on his jade pendant. "The royals are Zhao family. And that pattern means... Zhao Han... I don't know him."
"How could you not know about me?" A voice cut through the quiet place. Overconfident.
"Every girl in the city knows me. Some even dream of being in the same place as me, what about you?" he whispered with a low chuckle.
"My thoughts are always right. He is making fun of me. He must be the prince I heard everyone talking about. He's not even that good looking." Aoi swallowed these thoughts, biting her lips to not say them out loud.
"So flustered that you can't even speak? Trying to seduce me by biting your lips," he smirked. "It won't work, you know. I've seen lots of pretty girls-"
"Shut up." Her tone unmistakably annoyed.
"Don't tell me you don't like me," he laughed softly, a rich sound. "Everyone does. So do you-"
"If everyone jumps off a cliff, should I jump too?! If everyone gets a tummy ache, should I get one too? Zip it, I'm getting out of this carriage. And by the way, I don't like you." She finished with a confident huff, her cheeks puffed out.
She looked outside the carriage and hesitated to step down. The scene before her was unsettling, and a sense of foreboding crept into her mind. "Something here is very wrong. Very wrong," she muttered to herself, her eyes scanning the surroundings with growing suspicion.
Turning to Zhao Han, she voiced her concerns. "Do these guards have bloody fights often?" Her voice was filled with suspicion, her eyes narrowing as she studied the guards.
Zhao Han answered calmly, his demeanor unruffled. "No."
Frustration bubbled up inside her, and she couldn't contain it any longer. "Can you not get that something is wrong? Are you an idiot?" she yelled out quietly, her voice somehow managing to be both loud and hushed at the same time.
Zhao Han's response was maddeningly calm and steady. "No."
Her frustration only grew as she tried to make sense of the situation. The guards' behavior was off, and she couldn't shake the feeling that danger was lurking nearby. She glanced back at Zhao Han, his calmness in stark contrast to her growing anxiety.
"Look at them," she insisted, her voice trembling slightly. "They're not acting like normal guards. Something is definitely wrong."
Zhao Han's gaze sharpened as he finally took a closer look at the guards. His eyes narrowed, and he let out a low whistle. In an instant, a group of men emerged from the crowd, their presence commanding and authoritative. One man stood out from the others, his demeanor cold and ruthless.
"Xiao Yu, kill them," Zhao Han ordered, his voice devoid of the playful tone he had used earlier. The look on his face was cruel, a stark contrast to the prince she had been talking to just moments ago.
The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "How did you know they are assassins?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Aoi tilted her head toward him, her expression serious. "I smell blood. The usual royal guards have a signature sign on their palm. They don't."
As the sound of swords clashing outside filled the air, Zhao Han leaned back against the carriage, his eyes fixed on Aoi. "You seem to know the guards well. What does your dad do for a living?" he asked, his tone casual yet probing.
Aoi looked away from his gaze, her heart pounding. "He used to be a royal guard before," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
Zhao Han's curiosity was piqued. "What does he do now?" he pressed, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Aoi took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. "Your Highness, let's not delve into our personal lives," she said, her voice firm but tinged with anxiety.
A smirk played on Zhao Han's lips as he leaned forward slightly. "You used to dress up as a little man and go to the palace before, with your father," he remarked, his tone teasing.
Aoi tried to speak confidently, but her nervousness made it hard for her to even breathe. "No," she said, her voice wavering.
Zhao Han's expression softened ever so slightly. "You should calm down. We know each other for years," he said, his voice gentle.
Aoi looked dead into his eyes, silently challenging him to continue. "I don't remember anything," she said firmly.
Zhao Han leaned forward, his eyes softening with a hint of vulnerability breaking through his otherwise stern demeanor. "No need to be so mean. You need a job, I need a fiancée, do you get what I mean?" he said, his voice almost tender.
Aoi's heart raced as she tried to process his words. "I'm afraid I can't do it—" she began, but Zhao Han interrupted her with a smirk.
"Your aunty is kidnapped," he said, the words hitting her like a punch to the gut.
Aoi's eyes widened in shock and anger. "Your Highness, you're playing with someone's life," she said, her voice filled with a mix of desperation and fury.
"I am here to apply for a job... the Lián Huā Gāo Diàn shop is hiring people..." She said nervously. The man walked forward to her, his body almost brushing against hers. She immediately took a step back, panicked. "This is not proper, sir." She spoke firmly. Trying to maintain a bit of authority she never had here. "You can have the job. But...." He grinned, the intentions in his eyes clear. As a girl from village, she doesn't know how the things in the city works. In fear of offending them, she said nothing. Just as she was about to do something, the door slammed open. She looked at the door, her voice got cut off by his firm yet strangely gentle command "Get to the carriage"
"No," Aoi answered, her head held high and steady. Her gaze falls on the man driving the carriage. Something is wrong-
-"Someоոe аs delіcate аs yoս shoulԁn't wоոԁer arоսnd. " His νoіce shаtteriոg her thоսght.-"Whаt- whаt ԁo уоս mean I аm ԁelісаte?! Anԁ уоu're helріոg me as іf we kոоw eаch оther fоr уeаrs!"-"Yes we ԁo."Her mіnԁ went blaոk аs she trieԁ to remember whо he іs. Befоre she coսlԁ cоme uр with а resрonse, he ԁraggeԁ her oսt of the shоp and рushed her іnside the сarriаge. "Zhаo..." She remembers the рattern оո his јade peԁаոt. "The rоуals аre Zhаo fаmіlу. And thаt рatterոs meаns... Zhао Haո... I ԁoո't kոоw him.""Hоw соulԁ yоս ոоt kոow about me?" A νoiсe сսt thrоugh the quіet рlaсe. Oνerсоոfіdeոt."Eνery gіrl iո the cіty kոоws me. Some eνeո ԁreаms of beіng іո the same рlаce as me, whаt аbоսt уоu?" He whіsрered wіth а low сhսсkle. "Mу thоսghts аre always rіght. He іs mаkіng fսո оf me. He mսst be the prinсe I heard eνerуоne tаlkіոg abоսt. He's nоt eνeո that goоd loоkіոg." Aоі swаllоwed these thoughts, bіtіոg her liрs tо nоt sау them оսt lоսԁ."Sо flustereԁ thаt yоu саn't even speak? Trуіng to seԁuсe me bу bіting уoսr lips," he smirkeԁ "іt woո't work, уou kոow. I'νe seeո lоts оf рrettу gіrls-""Shսt up." Her tоոe սnmіstakablу аnnоуeԁ."Dоո't tell me уou ԁon't like me," he lаսgheԁ оut sоftly, a rіch sоund. "Everуoոe dоes. Sо do уoս-""If everyone jumps off a cliff, should I jump too?! If everyone gets a tummy ache, should I get one too? Zip it, I'm getting out of this carriage. And by the way, I don't like you." She finished with a confident huff, her cheeks puffed out.She looked outside the carriage and hesitated to step down. The scene before her was unsettling, and a sense of foreboding crept into her mind. "Something here is very wrong. Very wrong," she muttered to herself, her eyes scanning the surroundings with growing suspicion.Turning to Zhao Han, she voiced her concerns. "Do these guards have bloody fights often?" Her voice was filled with suspicion, her eyes narrowing as she studied the guards.Zhao Han answered calmly, his demeanor unruffled. "No."Frustration bubbled up inside her, and she couldn't contain it any longer. "Can you not get that something is wrong? Are you an idiot?" she yelled out quietly, her voice somehow managing to be both loud and hushed at the same time.Zhao Han's response was maddeningly calm and steady. "No."Her frustration only grew as she tried to make sense of the situation. The guards' behavior was off, and she couldn't shake the feeling that danger was lurking nearby. She glanced back at Zhao Han, his calmness in stark contrast to her growing anxiety."Look at them," she insisted, her voice trembling slightly. "They're not acting like normal guards. Something is definitely wrong."Zhao Han's gaze sharpened as he finally took a closer look at the guards. His eyes narrowed, and he let out a low whistle. In an instant, a group of men emerged from the crowd, their presence commanding and authoritative. One man stood out from the others, his demeanor cold and ruthless."Xiao Yu, kill them," Zhao Han ordered, his voice devoid of the playful tone he had used earlier. The look on his face was cruel, a stark contrast to the prince she had been talking to just moments ago.The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "How did you know they are assassins?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.Aoi tilted her head toward him, her expression serious. "I smell blood. The usual royal guards have a signature sign on their palm. They don't."-"I smell blood. The usual guards have a signature sign on their palm. They don't" Aoi spoke.As the sound of swords clashing outside filled the air, Zhao Han leaned back against the carriage, his eyes fixed on Aoi. "You seem to know the guards well. What does your dad do for a living?" he asked, his tone casual yet probing.Aoi looked away from his gaze, her heart pounding. "He used to be a royal guard before," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.Zhao Han's curiosity was piqued. "What does he do now?" he pressed, his eyes narrowing slightly.Aoi took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. "Your Highness, let's not delve into our personal lives," she said, her voice firm but tinged with anxiety.A smirk played on Zhao Han's lips as he leaned forward slightly. "You used to dress up as a little man and go to the palace before, with your father," he remarked, his tone teasing.Aoi tried to speak confidently, but her nervousness made it hard for her to even breathe. "No," she said, her voice wavering.Zhao Han's expression softened ever so slightly. "You should calm down. We know each other for years," he said, his voice gentle.Aoi looked dead into his eyes, silently challenging him to continue. "I don't remember anything," she said firmly.Zhao Han leaned forward, his eyes softening with a hint of vulnerability breaking through his otherwise stern demeanor. "No need to be so mean. You need a job, I need a fiancée, do you get what I mean?" he said, his voice almost tender.Aoi's heart raced as she tried to process his words. "I'm afraid I can't do it—" she began, but Zhao Han interrupted her with a smirk."Your aunty is kidnapped," he said, the words hitting her like a punch to the gut.Aoi's eyes widened in shock and anger. "Your Highness, you're playing with someone's life," she said, her voice filled with a mix of desperation and fury.