The Tale Of Mei Xiang

第十章 (Chapter 10）

第十章

After dropping the bomb, he didn't say anything else.

Er ge had already left to join his friends for supper and left me in the hands of the 4th Prince. Throughout the whole journey we walked in silence with the guards following closely behind us. I made sure to walk just one step behind him and paid more attention to my posture.

Eyes were fixed on us wherever we went. 4th Prince didn't exactly made it subtle that he wasn't an Imperial Prince. Even though he didn't hang a huge banner and walked around with it, by his clothes and the amount of guards surrounding him and clearing the path for him, it was pretty obvious he was someone high up.

Most of the attention was fixated on me and their stress made my skin crawled. I regretted not wearing a veil tonight. With my face being bared open to everyone, if I wished to marry any eligible bachelor the chances had decreased. The Qixi festival was one where you would go out with your significant other and roam the lively streets.

With such a high ranking man by my side, gossip will fly through the capital in no time. Not wanting to risk my potential suitors wrath, no man would dare to send a marriage proposal nor accept one from me. I wonder if him choosing to accompany me tonight was actually to stake his claim on me.

My stomach grumbled and my mouth watered everytime we passed by a stall. Delicious and fragrant food were everywhere and it was tempting as I didn't eat a proper dinner. Nonetheless Er ge was no longer the one accompanying me and I had no money on me. Hence I had to forgo all the delicacies.

My eyes kept drifting towards the activities near the river where many men and women had gathered. I had also longed to join them and was curious as to what they were doing. It seemed as if there were different types of competitions going on and luxurious prizes were awarded.

Alas it seemed that the 4th Prince was neither interested in the activities nor food. Why did he bother to come out tonight if it was not to enjoy the festival, I know not. It was itching inside me to ask him what was he actually here for and if I could go by myself to have some fun and meet him again afterwards.

But his face, jaw locked and eyes cold, deterred my anxiousness away. It would be nice to know once in a while what he was thinking about. I don't think I would ever be able to understand such a complicated mind though.

We walked for a very long time and it was so silent that it made me even more tired. My mouth was dry and how I wished to have some cooling chrysanthemum tea. We had walked so much that we had left the brightly lit streets and entered a remote area where the lanterns were much more spaced out.

There was almost close to no other people here as well and the trees covered the moonlight, making it harder to see our path.

Walking deeper into the forest, with the cold breezing grazing my skin, he finally stopped walking. He turned to his guards and requested that they stay behind. Then, he turned his attention to me and his stare made me shiver even more despite the many layers of clothing I was wearing.

He stretched out his hand towards me and said softly, "Would you take my hand and follow me? Do you trust me?"

My heart was racing and definitely screaming no! But I reminded myself to stay calm and I searched his eyes for any clues that might help me.

It was definitely not a harmless question as it was coming from and Imperial Prince. Especially one that was born in such a competitive environment and one that fought his way to survive since birth. Giving him the answer he would like to hear was obviously what I should do but I just couldn't bring myself to say it.