The Prince Is Abolished

  Her pale color, big and attractive eyes could make anyone lose their heart but Lu Ran remained untouched by flames of passion.

The only daughter of the wealthiest merchant of the Mi kingdom, Lu Ran, was the daughter of the Lu family. The wealth and the power of the Lu family rivaled that of this kingdom.

And yet, they were happy in their own world that was filled with happiness. Lu Ran was the life of the Lu family and everything was for her. This made her willful and sometimes put her in harm's way as well.

On the night of festival of color, she went out for the night fair without informing her parents with her maid and friend Ji Gang.

Gang: 'Don't run too far! Wait!'

Her maid Ji Gang had difficulty keeping up with the rapid steps of her Mistress as the latter kept going to every stall picking up toffees and candies while she followed and kept paying after her.

After feeling satisfied at her bunch of candies Lu Ran sneaked into a crowd to see a puppet show.

'There she is, my mischievous Miss,' Jiang Gang sighed as she spotted Lu Ran in the crowd. She made way and settled down next to her.

Lu Ran took out the toffees and candies and opened the packets for Ji Gang and both started devouring them one after another.

Gang's favorite coconut barfi was in abundance in the packets that Lu Ran had opened. It seemed that all coconut flavored toffees available in the fair were right in the packets that were in front of them.

She understood that Lu Ran was running around as coconut barfis and toffees always get sold  first in these fairs. Coconuts came from far and were a rare delicacy in the Mi kingdom, but her Miss was faster than anyone else and picked up most of the lot for the two of them.

Her Miss was by far the best in the whole Mi kingdom and was consistently nice to her from the first day she entered the Lu mansion.

She had often heard people tell her, that once a servant would get employment at the Lu Mansion they would become like family. But as she was an orphan and had often slept hungry, things that were seemingly too good rarely felt 'real'.

However, as she started her job as a personal maid at 18 years of age to Lu Ran, also 18, she realized that whatever she had heard of the generosity of the Lu family was just the tip of the ice berg.

They were wealthy and powerful merchant family having ships, boats, and did trade all over the world.

They had 15,000 personal armed guards which was just 5000 less from the kingdom's strength of 20,000 and yet, no one ever heard of any bullying or abuse done to anyone by the Lu family. Sure, there were disputes among employees but they were handled deftly and justly by the Lu family.

Lu family was also deeply spiritual and considered money as a way to better life for all around them. The family was known for heavy donations towards agricultural reforms, subsidised clinics, and nearly did all the welfare work that one could think of. Foreign berry-yielding plants, medicinal plants, and all types of fruit yielding plants were planted by the Lu family across the kingdom at a time when hunger and poverty were rampant in the country.

Subsidised medical aid units known as Lu Family Clinics were opened in all major centers where everyone was allowed in the early hours for free medical aid. Their reputation and status rivaled that of the the Royal Family but Lu family always kept to their own selves focusing on issues that interested them.

For Ji Gang, this was what she knew and made her more devoted to the Lu family and to her Miss.

Lu Ran was now 21, as was Ji Gang, but the former was still was a fledgling under her parent's wings.

She was aloof to admiring glances of many wealthy suitors that even included the charming and attractive king of the neighboring Kayang kingdom.

He had expressed his deepest desire to marry Lu Ran and almost convinced her father Lu Xang.

But Lu Ran would not budge. She refused to even meet him to consider the proposal.

'I won't marry if I am not in love', her declaration was met with helpless looks by her father.

But, actually, she merely wanted time to figure her own calling and was devoted to it.

Her real pleasure always came when she fed birds and watered dry plants across the road. Of course, Ji Gang was also her dearest friend and thus spending time with her made her pleased.

In short, her heart was filled with love and she didn't lack it in anyway, hence, finding a man for 'love' never concerned her.

Her mother Lu Fan, was deeply concerned by her lack of interest in finding a suitable partner.

'Marriage is tricky, if you don't hurry then you will marry an old man with rotten breath.'

'If you do not settle your heart now, then it will never settle.'

'You don't want us to have a son-in-law to take care of us in our old age?'

And the best one!

'If you don't marry, then I will never talk to you again.'

Who didn't know that Lu Fan doted on her beloved daughter?

So despite gentle nudges from the Lu family, Lu Ran, was still very much single but unwilling to mingle.

In the middle of the puppet show, Ji Gang spotted Lu Mansion guards and understood that they have been sent by the master to look for the two runaway girls.

She whispered about their presence to Lu Ran and both put veils on their faces and slipped from the crowd in between the puppet show.

But still, Lu Ran's red veil and red-golden dress although entirely plain, was unmissable.

Ji Gang held Lu Ran's hand and both ran away dodging the guards. Due to the festive rush, eventually they had difficulty running amok together and got separated, with the guards of the Lu mansion chasing them.

Ji Gang eventually got caught but Lu Ran kept running around, laughing, and turning back to see the guards when she ran into something hard, lost her footing, and fell down.

Dazed and sitting on the cold ground, she winced as she looked up and saw a dangerously attractive and a swarthy masculine face gawking at her with his hand out to lift her up.