The silence between the pair stretched on before Chu Yeguang finally broke out into a chuckle. "Alright, this prince understands! I won't pressure you anymore!"

Who's pressuring whom?! Mei Yanran silently shouted in her head. I'm the one pressuring you to forget about me!

Out of nowhere, Chu Yeguang whipped out a fan and started fanning it gently against his chest despite it being the middle of winter. "Miss Mei, I'll make no secret of my feelings. Your dance at the Snow Festival was a truly wonderous thing. Even now, this prince recalls the splendid vision of your form!"

Good grief, is he confessing to me? Mei Yanran's alarm was slowly turning into mounting horror. No, no, go away. "You praise me over much, Your Highness."

"You praise yourself too little!" Chu Yeguang snapped his fan shut for emphasis. "Miss Mei, this prince has heard your wish at the palace, and hopes to fulfill it of my own accord. Consider it a favor from Your Highness!" He stepped to the side next and gestured grandly to the cart behind him. It was piled high with long, shapeless bundles covered by a large burlap cloth.

In spite of herself, Mei Yanran leaned forward to take a peek. This is...?

"Eighteen young plum blossom trees!" Chu Yeguang declared as his retainer lifted a corner of the burlap. "Nine from the west and nine from the south, ready to plant and bloom this winter!"

"What...?" Mei Yanran blurted out.

Chu Yeguang only grinned. "Miss Mei, weren't you preparing a dance for imperial grandmother next year? Rather than visit some upstart official's estate, why not enjoy these blossoms from the comfort of your own home?"

Mei Yanran felt her eye twitch. Ling Fengxiao's not some 'upstart official,' but the future Prime Minister! You watch your mouth! "With all due respect, Your Highness, Yanran has already given Esteemed Empress Dowager her word. It has also been Yanran's dream to see the Winterflower Woods for herself, so Yanran wouldn't miss the chance for the world."

"Ah, but Miss Mei," Chu Yeguang took a step forward, causing Mei Yanran to instinctively grab the door. "Will you not allow this prince to show you a glimpse of my world?"

"Yanran seeks nothing quite so grand, Your Highness."

Chu Yeguang frowned slightly, before spreading out his arms. "Even if I bring its splendor right to your doors?"

Is he talking about the trees or himself now? Mei Yanran thought distractedly, before plowing on with her spiel. "A flower forced to bloom against its will lives only briefly, Your Highness. Yanran aims to see the blossoms awaken of their own accord. May Your Highness understand."

Chu Yeguang visibly drooped as his eyes narrowed in thought. Worried that he'd come up with more nonsense if she waited, Mei Yanran added, "Your Highness, you promised that you wouldn't pressure me anymore."

Chu Yeguang's gaze flew up, seeming to burn through her veil. "Are you making demands of this prince?"

"Yanran wouldn't dare. Yanran only knows that as crown prince, Your Highness is a man of his word."

Although Chu Yeguang knew this was less a compliment and more of a reminder, he was pleased by her speech nonetheless. "So I am, so I am!"

It was at this moment a cold blast of wind blew past them both. The servant by Mei Yanran's side gave a sneeze, while Mei Yanran herself clutched her robes to guard against the chill. The sudden stir lifted the edges of her veil, allowing Chu Yeguang a glimpse of her face.

She wore no makeup---a marked contrast to the ladies he knew from the imperial harem and the local brothels. The only trace of color were in her faint pink cheeks and finely sculpted brows, as well as the glint of surprise in her wide brown eyes. Those pale lips were parted in a small 'oh' and looked delightfully soft and tender.

Chu Yeguang felt his heart give a thump before the wind settled and hid her from view again. Mei Yanran hastily grabbed the ends of her veil as she stuffed her hands into the sleeves to guard against any more accidental face-reveals. "Your Highness," she began.

"This prince will be no gentleman if I kept you out in the cold," Chu Yeguang suddenly said out loud. "Miss Mei, go quickly back to your chambers. The winter winds are no friend to any maiden."

I... What...? Mei Yanran blinked. Wasn't he going to give me some trees? Did he suddenly change his mind?

Chu Yeguang was already cupping his hands in a polite bow. "Miss Mei, this prince has disturbed your rest. Let us meet again another day!"

And then he turned and left, leaving a bewildered Mei Yanran staring after him and his cart as they departed down the road.

Well... That worked out, I guess? Privately relieved, Mei Yanran simply shut the door and went back to her studio. Maybe more dance choreography would be enough to soothe her rattled nerves.

--

"Your Highness...?" Chu Yeguang's retainer ventured to ask when they were out of earshot of the Mei Estate. He hadn't understood what had happened back there, either. Wasn't the crown prince planning to win over Miss Mei today?

"Wondering why we left?" Chu Yeguang glanced back. The retainer quickly lowered his head and tightened his hold on the reins of the horse pulling the cart.

"This servant doesn't dare presume. May Your Highness forgive my impertinence."

"There's nothing to forgive!" Chu Yeguang said magnanimously. "The merchant who sold you these trees---is he still in the city?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Find him, this prince wishes to buy more. Much more!"

Eager to please, the retainer replied, "Shall I have them delivered to the doors of the Mei Estate, Your Highness?"

Chu Yeguang only chuckled. "No. You shall go around the capital and have them planted all over the city!"

The retainer's head whipped up in surprise. "Your Highness?"

Chu Yeguang was now idly toying with his fan, his gaze distant as he strode through the quiet streets. "Tell me, have you ever caught a butterfly?"

"....no, Your Highness," the retainer replied. Isn't that what the ladies of the palace like to do?

"They're delicate creatures that easily startle, so one must be gentle with them. A careless crush and they die; a rough brush of their wings and they lose all their powers of flight."

The retainer nodded mutely as he followed along.

"There are many ways to do it," Chu Yeguang continued. "You can grab it with your hands, or catch it in a net. Or you could simply lure it close with the scent of flowers and watch while it drinks the sweetest nectars."

In the north, snow was a common sight throughout the winter months, and Chu Yeguang's boots crunched noisily underfoot as he walked on.

"Imperial father keeps his in the gilded cages of the palace, where they're dressed to match its splendor. The brothels raise their own from birth, and paint their wings to fit the fancy of any man who sees them."

In vain, the retainer tried to think of any butterfly farms in the red lantern district, but couldn't recall a single one. What is His Highness talking about?

"But today, I have seen one different from them all." Chu Yeguang came to a halt with a meaningful sigh. "A fancy cage hardly suits her; her beauty is that of the simple and unadorned, like that of a dew-kissed flower."

"A...a winter butterfly, Your Highness?" the retainer groped for answers. 

"Hmm?" Chu Yeguang considered it. "Ah, perhaps so." Plum blossoms only bloom in winter, after all. 

"In any case, catching her now will only mar her natural beauty. So this prince shall endeavor to try other ways." He tossed his head back and looked to the skies, the buildings, and the silent air all around them. "I will fill this capital with her favorite flowers, so that when they bloom, they will carpet the streets and her courtyard in their petals. Their scent will caress her as she breathes, their gentle rustling be her lullaby as she sleeps, their vision of loveliness filling her eyes wherever she goes in this city!"

"She will live wholly in a world of my making, even as she keeps me from entering her own! And then, when she has finally gotten used to all the flowers..." Chu Yeguang trailed off with a satisfied smile. "This prince shall slip in one day and sweep her off her feet!"