The Untamed Princess

Chapter Fifteen: The Awkward Entanglement

Luckily, Ming Yue had been standing only a short distance away from where Zhao Weisheng was sitting, so he leapt up quickly and caught her in his arms before she could hit the ground.  As Ming Yue was quite tall for a woman, he was surprised to find that she was remarkably light.  In fact, she felt lighter than the last time he had carried her, back when they were still in the north.

"Here we are again," he mumbled to himself as he looked down closely at her pale face.  Yes, she definitely looked a little thinner, he decided.  He thought about his own meal not that long ago and wondered if she had taken the time to stop and eat.

Ming Yue's eyelids fluttered, and she slowly looked up at him.

"Your Highness!" she exclaimed, horrified.  "Please forgive me."  She went to move, but Weisheng held on to her more tightly, not letting her move more than an inch.

"Shh," he said, softly.  "You shouldn't move. You're too weak.  Tell me, when was the last time you ate anything?"

Ming Yue closed her eyes and thought for a second, but her mind was sluggish.

"I...I don't know," she said.  "Yesterday morning, perhaps."

Weisheng looked furious, and she rushed to reassure him but, again, in her weakened state her mind was not quite working as it should.

"It was my own fault, Weisheng!  I was busy and I simply forgot. It won't happen again," she hurriedly said as she clutched at his robes.

Zhao Weisheng tensed slightly at hearing his name on her lips, then called out to the two eunuchs just outside the study door.  They responded immediately, swallowing their surprise at seeing the prince sitting on the floor with Ming Yue in his arms.

"Secretary Li has been taken ill and needs to regain her strength," he explained.  "Please arrange for food and drink to be brought here immediately."

The two men nodded.

"Your Highness," one of them asked. "Should we summon a physician?" Weisheng looked down and saw Ming Yue shake her head slightly.

"No," he said, respecting her wishes.  "She will recover once she has rested for a little while."  The men left to perform their urgent task.

Weisheng reached out to the jug on the table with one hand and poured a cup of water, keeping his other hand encircled tightly around the prone woman's shoulders.  When she went to take the cup from him, he noticed her hand was shaking, so he brought it to her lips himself.  She tried to take the cup again, but he moved his hand away to stop her.

"Silly girl," he said, gently.  "How are you going to serve me if you can't even take care of yourself."  He brought the cup to her lips again, and she took a small sip.

"Your Highness," she said.  "Please let me get up."

"No," he responded firmly.  "What if you fall again?  It would be very inconvenient for me to have to keep catching you."  Ming Yue looked up and saw a slightly teasing expression on his handsome face.  She smiled, in spite of herself.

"Well then," she said, resignedly.  "I suppose I had better make myself comfortable."  She shuffled slightly in the prince's arms, and he tightened his hold on her unconsciously.

"Have I overstepped?" she suddenly thought.  Still, it was too late to do anything about it now, so with her usual attitude of accepting and dealing with whatever situation was thrown at her, Ming Yue lay back against the prince's broad chest and closed her eyes.

Meanwhile, Weisheng could only pray that the woman currently lying in his arms couldn't hear his heart hammering furiously in his chest.  He shifted to a more comfortable position, trying not to disturb her, who looked like she had fallen asleep.  Then, once again, he took the rare opportunity of being able to study her face in detail, as if he was determined to commit every curve and angle to the deepest part of his memory.