Chapter 123: Chapter 123

123 Is it too tough to say?

The carriage stopped at the entry gate of Xinshui town. Huang Xi showed his identity token to one of the guards deployed at the gate. He immediately greeted the Commander and returned the token to him.

He gestured to the other soldiers to open the gates, who pulled the lever. The giant gate opened up. Li Hua peeked outside the window, and Lóng Wei didn’t stop her.

Li Hua was amazed to see such a big gate was present in Xinshui. Her father never let her go out, so she could never get to see these things. Since it was late at night, she could not see much. She leaned back in her seat and smiled.

“I can feel my hometown’s air,” Li Hua said in a low voice.

She gazed into Lóng Wei’s eyes. “Your Highness, I am eager to see my brother,” she said, but she looked anxious. She moved close to Lóng Wei and leaned toward him to whisper,

“The Fourth Prince and the Second Commander will get suspicious. What will we do then?”

Lóng Wei tilted his head to look at her. “You don’t need to think about that.” Lóng Wei’s words assured her, and she smiled. She decided to move back to her place when one of the wheels of the carriage bumped over a huge pebble, and the carriage faltered.

Li Hua’s body pushed against Lóng Wei, and her lips landed on his cheek. She immediately moved back, covering her mouth with her palm while he glanced at her in amusement.

“That was a mistake,” she slowly put her hands down, “your Highness.”

.....

“You make a lot of mistakes these days,” Lóng Wei said as his lips twisted into a smirk. Lóng Wei moved to her while she moved back until her back hit the carriage while Lóng Wei closed the distance between them.

He ducked his head while Li Hua tightly shut her eyes. He gently grasped her hand and brought it near his mouth. He kissed her knuckles while Li Hua opened her eyes to watch him.

“Got disappointed?” He arched his brow, which confused Li Hua. Lóng Wei lifted her chin with the pad of his index finger and said, “Shouldn’t we celebrate this small victory of ours?”

“Victory?” She furrowed.

“Hmm. We entered Xinshui,” Lóng Wei whispered.

“How?” She pried at him.

“Of course, with a kiss. It is mandatory,” Lóng Wei said huskily and smiled.

“They can see us,” Li Hua gestured towards the window. Lóng Wei tilted his head to look outside and realized Mingquan was behind the carriage.

“There’s no one,” Lóng Wei replied and looked back at her. He discovered that Li Hua was no longer refusing to kiss him. They both looked into each other’s eyes for a while. Lóng Wei’s face moved closer to Li Hua, and their noses touched. She felt tingles and sparks in every inch of her body as their lips connected.

Lóng Wei kept the kiss gentle, which lasted for a few seconds. A soft kiss landed on the middle of her forehead. He again peered into her eyes and passed a smile to her.

“I love you,” he said.

Li Hua gawked at him and pursed her lips together.

“Is it too tough to say?” he asked.

Li Hua nodded.

“Then let’s make it easier. You can say, ‘me too, Dear Husband’.” He smiled brightly.

Li Hua fiddled with her fingers and looked out of the window again.

“I will wait for your reply,” Lóng Wei said.

Li Hua didn’t respond to him and kept her gaze outside. Lóng Wei didn’t force her because he knew, in her mind, Feng Lao was still present.

“You won’t share kisses with a person if you don’t have feelings for that person,” Lóng Wei said. Li Hua totally agreed with him, but she didn’t speak.

Lóng Wei gave up and looked the other way. ‘I can’t lose my patience. Be gentle around her,’ he told himself.

~~~~~~

Xiaoming glared at Eunuch Lishi, who failed to find the woman. He didn’t dare to look into Xiaoming’s eyes and kept his eyes low.

“Please punish me, Your Royal Highness.”

“How could you not find the jade necklace and the three jade rings?” Xiaoming was disappointed in him.

“Forgive me, Your Royal Highness,” Eunuch Lishi again apologized. “Some shops were closed today. So, I couldn’t check into them. I will do it tomorrow, Your Royal Highness. Please do not be angry,” he opined and requested to give him another chance.

“I will go tomorrow,” Xiaoming said.

“Your Royal Highness, people may recognize you. I will ask General Hei to accompany us,” Eunuch Lishi stated.

“I don’t want this matter to go out. Eunuch Lishi, what’s wrong with your mind?” Xiaoming again scolded him. “I will hide my face. It’s not tough to do that. You can accompany me since not many have seen you,” he added.

“Yes, Your Royal Highness,” Eunuch Lishi agreed with what Xiaoming said.

Xiaoming recalled the eyes of the woman. “How could she not recognize me? Even my clothes are made from the finest silk ever. And not every noble wears a jade necklace and rings. Wasn’t it enough for her to know that I am a Prince?!” He murmured.

“Your Royal Highness, shall I bring dinner for you?” Eunuch Lishi asked.

“Later,” Xiaoming said.

Eunuch Lishi left the chamber while Xiaoming fell back into that woman’s thoughts.

He picked the brush and dipped it into the ink. Spreading a sheet on the table, he started to draw what he had seen the previous evening. Half an hour later, he prepared the sketch. “Those fearless eyes, that firm grip, and that determined voice- everything about her, is so special,” he mumbled as he looked at the sketch of the woman.

Eunuch Lishi tried to take a peek when Xiaoming glanced at him.

“Your Royal Highness, I was informed that the Queen had come in the afternoon,” Eunuch Lishi said.

“What do you want to say?” Xiaoming asked.

“Your Royal Highness, Her Majesty, wants your good. The Crown Prince needs to become stronger politically too. I know that admirers of the Crown Prince are large, but all the ministers cannot be trustworthy. With the marriage with Miss Cha the Crown Prince will get benefited the most,” Eunuch Lishi said while being careful with his words.