Chapter 18: Frightening

Chapter 18: A Fright

After passing through three lotus ponds and a few clusters of rockeries, Liu Yun followed Princess Changyang to her peony room.

Liu Yun was instantly stunned.

The flower house was so gorgeous that she stood there, eyes wide, unable to look away.

It was a structure made entirely of precious glass—every tile, window, door, and wall.

But since peonies love light but hate harsh sun, and to keep the summer heat from wilting them, the glass flower house was wrapped in a layer of fine gauze, softening the sunlight's harshness.

This only made the glass flower house look even more stunning.

Through the gauze-draped glass, you could see a dazzling riot of colorful flowers vying for attention inside.

"Wow, this is absolutely gorgeous!"

Shaken by such overwhelming beauty, Liu Yun gasped, her eyes glazing over as she stood frozen in the doorway.

Princess Changyang just chuckled, a proud smile playing on her lips—clearly, she was very pleased with her flower house.

Only Xiao Hang's eyes flickered, darting between Liu Yun's face and the flower house, a scheme forming in his mind.

"Come in and take a closer look."

Princess Changyang beckoned, and Liu Yun's eyes sparkled as she trotted eagerly after her, momentarily forgetting the scary guy tagging along.

At the entrance, sheer curtains strung with jade beads swayed, clinking with a crisp, pleasant sound as they were pushed aside.

Past the beaded curtain, another breathtaking sight awaited.

Thanks to the gauze, the glass room, which once soaked up blazing sunlight, now glowed with a soft, gentle light that naturally soothed the heart.

With all the flowers filling the glass room, Liu Yun felt nothing but peaceful calm.

In a daze, fragrant scents swirled around her, making Liu Yun feel a little tipsy.

Princess Changyang loved the majestic peony, but the flower house had plenty of other blooms too.

Roses, azaleas, irises, gardenias, lotuses...

Liu Yun's eyes were dazzled, and she no longer regretted coming with Princess Changyang.

"I don't stand on formalities here—go ahead and look at whatever you want."

Liu Yun wished she could turn into a butterfly and land on every flower, but since she was a guest, she held back, just gazing at the fragrant blooms with sparkling eyes.

Princess Changyang noticed and smiled, giving her permission.

With the hostess's blessing, Liu Yun didn't hold back—she thanked her and scurried over to the riot of colorful flowers.

This was heaven!

If this flower house were hers, she'd set up a lounge chair, get comfy, have Jin He bring her iced drinks and snacks, and after stuffing herself, just doze off.

Nice dream.

Too bad it was just a fantasy.

Spotting a lush Guifei Chacui peony in full bloom, Liu Yun crouched down, gently stroked its petals, and leaned in to sniff it.

Unlike the Yao Huang or Wei Zi varieties, this Guifei Chacui had a light, subtle scent—elegant and unique.

Not far off, the siblings strolled side by side, watching the slim, pretty girl among the flowers, trading glances.

Why isn't she making her move already?

Under his sister's teasing, impatient stare, Xiao Hang got the message.

He looked away and shot his sister a look that said, "Figure it out yourself."

Princess Changyang caught on to her brother's meaning and felt a bit stuck.

What excuse could she come up with to leave the flower house?

Just then, Yao Huang—the servant who took her daughter to and from the palace for lessons—came rushing over, saying little Nian Nian had come home crying and was looking for her.

Though worried about her daughter, Princess Changyang secretly celebrated having an excuse to leave.

Looked like the heavens were rooting for her brother and Yunniang too!

"I just remembered something urgent—Yunniang, feel free to look around."

With that, Changyang just smiled, said those words, and rushed off.

Liu Yun didn't even get a chance to say anything—like offering to go with the princess—before Changyang was already gone.

Her body tensed up. She shot a nervous glance at the Crown Prince, who stood with his arms crossed by the wisteria, and had no idea what to do with her hands.

Since they were at the hostess's place, Jin He, as her maid, was waiting outside, and Liu Yun didn't have the guts to call for her.

So after Princess Changyang left, the gorgeous, dreamy glass flower house was left with just Liu Yun and the Crown Prince.

Liu Yun got more and more uneasy, even wanting to bolt.

But she had no reason to leave. She could only stay there, trembling like a little mouse trapped by a tabby cat.

Too scared to draw the Crown Prince's attention, Liu Yun shrank into herself, pretending to admire the flowers.

Little did she know, she'd already touched every petal of those Guifei Chacui peonies and nearly sniffed all their scent away.

Xiao Hang couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

Was he really such a scary monster that she was this afraid of him?

His mood darkened, and his face went cold and grim, clearly displeased.

Sometimes, when someone's presence is too strong and their mood too obvious, it's hard to ignore them.

Like the Crown Prince, just standing there without a word.

Liu Yun felt like the air in the flower house had gotten thin, making it hard to breathe.

Footsteps echoed—tap, tap, tap—

Just then, something even more terrifying happened.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Crown Prince walking toward her, step by step, his stride quick and deliberate.

Liu Yun's heart leaped to her throat as she caught a glimpse of the increasingly close purple-robed figure from the corner of her eye.

A breeze swept past her from behind. Just as Liu Yun was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a swath of fabric landed over her head.

In that instant, everything went dark before her eyes, with only a scent lingering at her nose.

A very distinctive smell, as if mixed with agarwood—soothing and serene, yet crisp with a touch of sweetness.

Liu Yun had never smelled anything so nice; she instinctively sniffed.

As light returned before her eyes and the fragrance dissipated, Liu Yun realized what had just happened.

It seemed a sleeve had swiped across her head, smearing her face.

As for whose it was, there was no need to guess.

In the glass greenhouse, besides her, there was only the Crown Prince.

Liu Yun turned her head, staring blankly at the Crown Prince's lean, upright back.

How rude—he actually swiped his sleeve at her head!

Jin He had done her hair in double-loop buns today, so cute and tidy; she couldn't let it get messed up.

With that thought, Liu Yun immediately reached for her head and found that the silk flower had indeed shifted slightly. She was really annoyed.

Caught up in the moment, Liu Yun instinctively wanted to glare over—even just at the Crown Prince's back would do.

But as she looked up, her angry eyes met the young man's deep, icy phoenix eyes.

All her anger fizzled out.

She forced a tight smile, trying to look obedient and pitiful, hoping the Crown Prince would think that whole thing was a hallucination.

Amid all the gorgeous colors, the timid girl was still the most striking sight.

Xiao Hang didn't say a word, just watched for a moment, then slowly turned away, his eyes full of amusement.

Crisis averted, Liu Yun sighed in relief and buried her face in her hands for a second to calm down.

But she hadn't counted on a second round.

To ease her legs, which had gone numb from crouching, Liu Yun stood up and wandered for a bit, then snuck over to the other side, getting even farther from the Crown Prince.

Liu Yun prayed Princess Changyang would hurry back while keeping an eye on the Crown Prince from the corner of her vision, in case he came closer.

Out of the corner of her eye, Liu Yun saw the "Guifei Chacui" peony she'd been admiring get scooped up in the Crown Prince's ruthless hand, then covered.

Unless something stopped him, this gorgeous peony would end up crushed and wilted, just like the one at the banquet last time.

Just a moment ago, she'd been holding it in her hands, sniffing it and stroking its soft, pretty petals.

How could she stand to watch? In a panic, she blurted out.

"Stop!"

Honestly, her voice wasn't that loud, and her tone wasn't harsh at all—it was almost pleading.

But the second the words left her mouth, Liu Yun realized what she'd done.

She'd offended the Crown Prince.

And a Crown Prince with a pretty bad temper, at that.

At that thought, her heart raced and her head spun.

"You... are ordering me?"

After a soft laugh, the Crown Prince spoke, his tone unreadable, with a hint of sinister questioning.

Liu Yun was naturally timid, and facing the Crown Prince's fearsome reputation, her legs gave out, and she dropped to her knees with a thud.

"Your Highness, forgive me. This servant spoke out of turn just now. Please, Your Highness, show mercy!"

The Crown Prince, second only to the emperor, could easily crush her or even her whole Liu family if he got angry. Liu Yun knew the stakes and caved without hesitation.

Footsteps sounded again, getting closer. Liu Yun knew the Crown Prince was coming to deal with her.

What should she do? This was terrifying!

She wailed inside, wanting to cry but having no tears.

A shadow fell, and in front of her appeared a pair of black deerskin boots and the hem of a purple robe embroidered with golden dragons.

Feeling an intense stare on her, Liu Yun flinched nervously, like a startled bird.

"Why aren't you wearing those bracelets?"

After all that anxious waiting, what she got was a baffling question.

Liu Yun was stunned and looked up, totally confused.

Author's note:

None