11: On My Mind All The Time

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"You're wasting my time." Hao sternly said before he grumpily spun around to walk away but the Guard fell to his knees.

"Last more round, Your Highness." He pleads

It was only just the two of them in the training grounds of the palace, as per what the guard had requested. It was the middle of the night and everyone had fallen asleep.

He looks back and quietly stood still. Taking a short moment to examine him. The man's dedication in his eyes tells so much about how he wanted to be worthy of the position.

"I won't tolerate if you still fail."
He raises his blade as a signal that he was given a chance.

"Your grace is immeasurable." He bows before standing up and raised his blade into a position

The round began with the Guard attacking first. The sound of blades clashing and slicing through the air was loud as they strike it toward each other. As what Hao noticed in the first round, he was slightly struggling from the man's strikes. It was strong. He can tell he did improve but fell short.

As the spar reached a very intense battle, the Guard threw a strong strike that resulted in Hao backing up a few steps. He quickly balanced his feet to make an attack, but before he even could, the tip of the guard's sword was already pointing at his throat.

Hao freezes. He looks at the blade near his throat and then at the Guard's face, their eyes locking for a moment before the other takes it away.

The tension drops and Hao accepted his defeat.
"Easy, wasn't it?..." he raised a brow "..Or was it not?"

The guard didn't answer but just calmly catches his breath—placing a hand on his arm. Zhang Hao noticed and slid his sword to one of the wooden stands

"Follow me."

The other obeyed as they proceed to a chamber located on the other side of the palace. The room candles were already lit, so Hao simply went to the platform with a table and sits down.

"Treat your wound." he points before opening a book and reading it. There were various medicines and ointments on top of the cabinet and he hears them make a sound when the guard inspects them.

The guard starts removing the upper layers of clothing until he reaches his garments. Blood was staining near the elbow so he take that area off, revealing his skin bare.

Meanwhile, Hao checks him quietly from his seat as the other scans through the little white bottles. Wondering whether he knows what he was doing or not.

As the guard pours the bottle onto his hand, red powder came out of it. Just when he was about to put it to his wound, a hand on his wrist stopped him.

"Are you crazy?" Hao muttered–moving his hand to make him drop the powder while he takes a different bottle. "How can you live longer if you don't know which is which to treat your wounds...?"

"Forgive my clumsiness, Your Royal Highness." he looks down and Hao hands him the bottle. There was a small cotton on his fingers and he lightly taps the wound with it before showing it to him.

"That's how you treat this wound." the Guard looks and takes the cotton from him "If your commoner life was using medicinal plants to cure wounds, this time you do not have to."

The guard's eyes softly widen as Hao puts his hands behind his back. "Since you have beaten me in the spar... I, the Crown Prince, will formally take you as my private Royal Guard."
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𝐌𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 | 𝙃𝘼𝙊𝘽𝙄𝙉Where stories live. Discover now