Chapter Seventy-Five: Shadow Guard x Princess (Part Two)

Chapter Seventy-Five: Shadow Guard x Princess (Part Two)

Gossips and whispers spread gradually, especially when some in the Grey Falcon Camp learned that Deer Nian was merely an unfavored princess, and that her biological mother had passed away.

She had little backing, and Qin Si was nothing more than a dog she kept at her beck and call.

While Qin Si still returned to the camp for training weekly, he no longer needed to undertake those blood-curdling missions. His diet and wardrobe had undergone a tremendous change, marking a stark contrast with them.

All because he had garnered the sympathy of the princess.

Where there's disparity, envy festers, and jealousy could incite individuals to undertake an array of insane actions.

On that day, after the training ended, Qin Si silently dressed himself, preparing to leave, when Tang Yi Yong halted him, "Wait a moment."

Tang Yi Yong was seven or eight years their senior, also climbing up from the lowest rank of Sparrow. Back when Qin Si was still in the Grey Falcon unit, he was in charge of their training.

"You've grown in stature recently," Tang Yiyong remarked casually as he picked up a sword from the ground, inspecting him up and down with a teasing smile that wasn't quite a smile.

The young man was rapidly maturing, although still dressed in plain black attire, the stench of blood that used to cling to him had diminished significantly. Standing with his eyes cast down, he appeared more poised and tall, markedly different from his previous days at the Grey Falcon Camp.

Tang Yiyong gestured for someone to step forward from behind him, "Jiang Qi, you try. Let's see how much his skills have regressed."

The youth retreated a step, dodging the sudden strike with an expressionless face.

His physical instincts hadn't deteriorated.

He knew the rules of the Grey Falcon Camp; accepting the challenge meant resigning to fate, with duels often resulting in bloodshed. There were no mere sparrings. Now belonging to her rather than the camp, he felt no obligation to engage in matters beyond her commands.

The indoor light was dim, and at some point, the main door had closed shut.

Tang Yiyong sneered, "Won't you stay and show us? Let us see the actual capabilities of the personal shadow guard of the Graceful Princess."

……

That night, Lu Nian did not sleep peacefully.

Thirsty in the middle of the night, she got up in her robe without awakening the maid who was on night duty outside, instead calling out to the window, "Si Si?"

There was no response, under the sparsely starred moonlit night, bamboo branches hung low in the courtyard, swaying gently in the breeze, but that familiar figure was missing.

The girl's delicate eyebrows furrowed.

She knew, at times like these in the past, Qin Si would always be there, appearing silently before the window at her call.

By the next morning, Qin Si had not returned.

Considering this, she felt an unease within her and sent Nightingale to inquire with Fu Kang.

Unexpectedly, before an hour had passed, Fu Kang personally returned with Nightingale.

"Princess, Qin Si is on a break today," Fu Kang said with respectful deference, his brows and eyes inclined downwards, "He will return to serve you the day after tomorrow."

A break?

"I clearly instructed him," Lu Nian spoke, "to return to my side immediately after his training."

Despite her young age and diminishing favor, she remained a princess, born of noble lineage, embodying unparalleled nobility. Her tone clearly conveyed her displeasure.

She had started getting accustomed to a life where Qin Si was constantly by her side.

Both her father, the Emperor, and her mother had said it before.

He belonged to her, and her alone.

"Perhaps he was too thrilled to reunite with his old comrades," Apricot Rain suggested, "After all, young Master Qin is still young, a time when one is naturally fond of frolicking."

Lu Nian grew discontent, it was unlikely for him to stay out all night for such a reason.

"I will go find him," Lu Nian declared, her lip caught between her teeth, gesturing for someone to assist her with changing her clothes.

Xingyu jumped in fright, "That won't do, Princess! Without the Emperor's permission, you cannot leave the palace."

Lu Nian retorted, "Then I will plead with the Emperor."

Fu Kang became anxious as well, beads of cold sweat appearing on the tip of his nose.

Left with no other choice, he bowed deeply, murmuring, "I will bring him back at once."

In the afternoon, a drizzle began to fall again.

It was not until dusk, after attending the evening court and having dinner, that Lu Nian returned to her palace. She dozed off on her small couch, the intermittent sound of rain hitting the plantain leaves drifting in from outside.

The flickering light from the palace lantern seemed to flutter, heralding Nightingale's entrance, "Princess, Eunuch Fu Kang has arrived."

Fu Kang entered, leading someone behind him.

Lu Nian quickly got up from the couch. Recognizing the person behind Fu Kang, she froze on the spot, before asking softly after a long pause, "Who did this?"

With his head lowered, Fu Kang responded, "The spar at the Grey Falcon Camp was consensual, and swords don't have eyes, injuries were inevitable."

The young man's scent of blood had been forcibly washed away once. Despite the cold winter season, in haste to see her, his lips bore a tinge of pallor. His right hand, with a fractured bone, throbbed painfully, and the wounds on his body stung more acutely as they were dampened by the rain.

Despite his present disheveled state, those who attacked him did not fare well either.

His pride was notorious, never pleading for mercy even in previous battles.

Not to mention that this time, her reputation was also at stake.

Since childhood, he had never found the prospect of death fearsome, treating it as a tranquil and inevitable destination.

After hearing Fu Kang's account, Lu Nian trembled with rage.

Had Fu Kang not intervened in time...

Qin Si was now hers, and irrespective of her current standing, she remained a princess of royal blood, a precious gem of the imperial family. How could she allow someone she favored to be treated so harshly by others?

"I will inform the Emperor tomorrow," she told Fu Kang, "He is my shadow guard, merely stationed at the Grey Falcon Camp for training. Who granted them the privilege to treat him as one of their own?"

Of course, Qin Si was at fault too, for accepting a one-against-many challenge.

However, it takes two to tango, and she was willing to cover for him. The blame rested even more with the others involved.

Fu Kang could only agree repeatedly, not anticipating that this young shadow guard would hold such a significant place in her heart.

Those petty individuals at the Grey Falcon Camp who instigated this had indeed kicked an iron board this time.

After Fu Kang retreated, silence enveloped the room, leaving just the two of them. For a moment, the only sound was his slightly hurried breathing.

"You are mine." Lu Nian stated, her tone brimming with a hint of obstinacy.

She tenderly caressed his cheek, witnessing his eyelashes quiver ever so slightly, a seemingly instinctual reaction hinting at a desire to shy away, yet ultimately, he remained still, allowing her touch to grace his cheek just as it did the first time they met.

She whispered softly, "You can never leave me."

Every part of him was hers, bound to heed only her words, to be with her alone, to long for her alone.

The girl, slender in stature with exceptionally clear and bright almond eyes, said, "If you continue like this, I will have no choice but to let you go, to release you from the palace to be free."

The youth's complexion turned ashen, whether due to excessive blood loss or the chastising words that weren't exactly reprimands, he felt as if plunged into an ice cavern.

Since that night, from their initial encounter in the study, the gentle touch of her small hand on his cheek signaled her choice of him, transforming his life completely.

From that moment onward, he had resolved that even in death, he wished to remain by her side.

"Do you realize your mistake now?" Lu Nian was genuinely somewhat angered, her voice still carried traces of childlike tones, yet it was clear she was truly upset.

She feared that he might never return, unsure whether her anger stemmed from his disobedience, his absence by her side, or his blatant disregard for his own life.

The young man stood tall, the cold rain tracing lines down his slender jaw, before he slowly kneeled before her, his voice hoarse, "…I understand my mistake."

This was the first time he had adopted such a posture before her.

Lu Nian had a naturally tender heart, especially considering she had wholly regarded him as her own, always intending to cherish and take care of him, as advised by Jing Mei Ren.

She called out to Ting Ying, "Go fetch Doctor Zhang."

The lamplight in the warm palace illuminated the entire night.

Lu Nian stayed awake throughout the night, lingering in a state of semi-consciousness until she was assured of his wellbeing, only then did she retire to her room, her steps somewhat unstable.

He was young and fundamentally healthy, thus his recovery progressed rapidly, improving by leaps and bounds each day.

Following the incident, she initially intended to distance herself from him for a while as a form of silent protest.

However, children have short memories, and soon she could not resist adhering to her true desires, cheerfully sticking close to him day by day. Despite her young age, she wholly regarded Qin Si as her possession, constantly wanting him by her side.

Emperor He De quickly became aware of the incident at the Grey Falcon Camp and secretly summoned him for a conversation that lasted well over half an hour.

Upon exiting, Qin Si remained silent, while Lin Shao De walked beside him, his facial expression indecipherable.

"Focus on fulfilling your responsibilities and realize who you truly are," Lin Shao De said, his gaze fixed forward, "Forget everything else if you wish to stay and accompany her to the end."

Qin Si had never seriously contemplated this matter before. During his time at Grey Falcon, his life was simple, centered around killing and training. Since joining Lu Nian's side, he had devoted himself entirely to her wishes, striving to fulfill her desires with all his might.

This incident, this conversation, had heightened his awareness of the insurmountable gap between their statuses.

He could only forever remain in the shadows, watching over her.

If he were careless, the gravest punishment he might face could be the inability to see her ever again.

Lu Nian slowly started to notice.

Qin Si's appearances became increasingly infrequent; no matter whether she called him to pick flowers or to see the new painting she had created, he would no longer appear.

On one occasion, an exasperated Lu Nian dashed to the side of the imperial garden pond, threatening, "If you don't come out now, I'm going to fall in."

A shadow darted out from amidst the tree shadows. The youth had grown much taller, and dressed in unassuming black clothes, he swept past like the wind, cradling her in his arms.

She buried her little face in his chest, taking a deep breath, her tone muffled, "Are you no longer listening to me?"

His eyes were cast downward, attempting to keep his voice devoid of emotion, he replied, "Your servant wouldn't dare."

"Then why don't you play with me anymore?" the girl inquired, her sleeves seemingly emanating a rich fragrance, as she looked at him with pitiable eyes.

The girl in his arms was incredibly delicate, clean and warm, entirely different from him.

That year, the young man started to grasp the complexities of the world. However, to him, even entertaining such thoughts seemed a desecration. All he needed to do was to transform himself into a sharp blade, guarding her from the shadows for a lifetime, fulfilling his duty.

He silently set her down and swiftly disappeared once again.

Lu Nian stomped her foot in frustration on the spot, finding his personality utterly impossible to deal with.

Winter passed, and in the following year, Lu Nian began her studies in the royal study.

However, with an overwhelming number of imperial offspring, Lu Nian blended in seamlessly, going unnoticed.

Only the seventh princess, Chang Yi, who was of a similar age and also the child of an early-deceased concubine, held a particularly close relationship with her. They often huddled together, sharing whispered conversations between sisters.

"When we grow up, we will have to choose royal consorts," Chang Yi, the precocious one, declared, "We must obey father and leave the palace to choose husbands."

"Why must we leave the palace?" Lu Nian, who had grown up here and held some fond memories with Jing Mei Ren, harbored a lingering affection for the palace, "Isn't it good to stay here?"

"Because there are no men in the palace," Chang Yi replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Lu Nian countered, "But Fu Kang Gong Gong is a man, and so are the young eunuchs beside father, like Xiao Shun Zi, Xiao Mao Zi..."

"No, that's not the same," Chang Yi looked around and whispered into her ear, "They don't have 'that', it's different."

Lu Nian was puzzled, "What is 'that'?"

"It's... the place where they relieve themselves," Chang Yi didn't quite know how to explain either, having heard bits and pieces of conversations from others.

They were both still young, not yet at the age to receive instructions about such matters from the lady-in-waiting. Having lost their mothers at a young age and with Jing Mei Ren having passed away early, and the empress being reserved and somewhat cold, they had little interaction with her beyond daily formal visits, and no one dared discuss such topics with them.

Lu Nian pondered on this matter. In the evening, as she was practicing her calligraphy, she suddenly realized that she had run out of ink.

Too lazy to call someone else, she instinctively called out, "Si Si."

She wanted to ask him to grind some ink for her. Having been by her side for so many years, he had, through exposure, learned quite a lot about the matters in the study room.

He appeared, just as expected.

The young man had grown significantly taller, dressed in slim-sleeved black attire. His figure was tall and lean, resembling bamboo. He meticulously ground ink for her, his every move precise. From a side angle, his face seemed increasingly handsome and refined, and the undulating lines of his Adam's apple could faintly be discerned.

Lu Nian observed him, constantly feeling that he was somewhat different from others she interacted with.

She pondered, realizing that since he was male, his presence naturally contrasted with the delicate and soft women and girls in the harem.

However, thinking about the eunuchs she was usually familiar with, Lu Nian felt that Qin Si seemed different from them in some inexplicable way.

Even though he was just a young man nearing adulthood, not yet fully mature, there existed an indescribable distinction.

What exactly is different? She wondered.

Being scrutinized so intently by her, his ear tips felt somewhat hot, forcing him to continue his actions stiffly.

...It was entirely reversed from usual. Most of the time, he would be the one observing her from the shadows, not like this.

Lu Nian continued pondering over the words Chang Yi had mentioned.

Being still quite young, she couldn't fully understand and soon decided not to dwell on it, switching the topic, "I heard something today..."

"When we grow a bit older, we will be leaving the palace to get married," she said, "Chang Yi told me. When the time comes, I'll take you with me."

"I've heard that outside, there are many delicious foods and fun places," Lu Nian spoke with excitement, her eyes twinkling.

She knew that Qin Si must have never experienced these before and he would surely enjoy them immensely.

He lowered his eyes, silently grinding ink for her.

She would eventually marry and become another man's wife. The time he could spend with her would soon reach its end.

As spring faded and winter arrived, the young girl began to blossom, showing the earliest hints of youthful beauty, which was already astonishing.