XH 43

 

Xiao Hua quickly surfaced from the water when her oxygen ran out. Her face was flushed from the lack of breath and her eyes were red and teary.

 

It was a view similar to a poem he had read about a little water fairy visiting the human realm and a young scholar just happened to came across the unforgettable scene.

Her long black, glossy wet hair had plastered over her small, fair face as well as her tempting naked flesh, creating a picture that men yearned to possess.

 

"Get dressed. This prince will wait for you outside." His words were spoken in a calm manner, but he was quick to retreat from the scene. He had already forgotten about his original purpose of cornering his little maid while she was defenseless to make her more acceptable to her punishment.

 

When he returned, Lau Liu had informed him every single word of his and Xiao Hua’s conversation. His little maid found out she was played and gotten angry. Normally, he did not even bother if any of his servants disliked or hated him, so long as they obeyed his orders and did not mess up his plans.

 

What made her different from the other servants was because he never had the intention of treating her as a normal maid. He had already decided to treat her like his own sister, giving her but what he saw and feel diverges from how he feels towards Long Lian. Her small tasks were just a cover for the public if someone decided to investigate about him and his people.

 

His little maid's heavy footsteps approached and he threw his worries into the back of his mind to be cross-examined later. He turned his face to Xiao Hua and upon seeing her, his rosy lips formed into a teasing smile.

 

Her messy black hair was hanging loosely behind her, with few short strands sticking onto her small, damp face. He could see her clothes were worn with inexperienced hands. She was worrying her lower lips, refusing to raise her red face, stubbornly facing the ground.

 

"Serve the dinner," the Third Prince called out, giving Xiao Hua time to get over her awkwardness. After that, he will continue with the discussion, albeit he no longer has the initial leverage.

 

Xiao Hua raised her head just in time to see An Jing and An Wan entered her bedroom with stacks of meal boxes, carefully placing them on the small table. She looked around but could not see even a shadow of Si Si that should be around here previously.

 

An Wan carefully wiped the Third Prince's hands with a wet cloth and An Jing was transferring the plate of dishes onto the table at the same time making an eye contact with Xiao Hua. Once Xiao Hua met her eyes, An Jing moved her gaze to the tray that was holding onto tea brewing items.

 

Quickly understand what An Jing had tried to tell her, Xiao Hua grabbed onto the tray and brewed tea. The tea leaves were already prepared at the side so she just used it. After waiting for the tea to seep, she poured a cup and placed it before the Third Prince.

 

He picked up the cup and Xiao Hua noticed he hesitated for a second before drinking it. She could see that the Third Prince clearly likes the tea, yet he seems reluctant to enjoy it. Could it be he was afraid to indulge in his desire and forget himself?

 

Could one be addicted to tea, by the way?

 

He picked up his silver chopstick and picked some dishes to eat, but Xiao Hua noticed that as usual, he ignored the bowl of rice. She was curious why he would dislike eating rice when the people in this era usually crave for rice.

 

Suddenly, he stopped eating and placed his chopstick down.

 

"Each one of you, pour yourself a cup of tea and drink it. Tell this prince what it tastes like."

 

An Jing was the first to do as her master ordered, unlike An Wan and Xiao Hua that wondered why he would want them to do that.

 

"Please excuse this servant's rudeness." An Jing sipped the tea and her eyes widened in surprise.

 

"Master, this is?" An Jing stared at the Third Prince with confusion.

 

"Tell this prince, what tea is this?"

 

"This servant personally chose the tea leaves. It's Lu' An Melon Seed Tea."

 

"Yes," The Third Prince drawled and took a sip from his own cup. "Lu' An Melon Seed Tea, this prince's favorite."

 

"But master, this taste seems different from what this servant remembers," An Jing voiced out the problem.

 

The Third Prince smiled as if satisfied with An Jing's answer. "An Wan, Xiao Hua, try it and tell this prince how it tastes."

 

An Wan poured herself a cup without hesitation this time, but Xiao Hua did not make a move.

 

"Your Highness, this servant had never drunk any tea before and would give a useless answer."

 

It was not a lie, for Xiao Hua had never drunk any tea before except for the impromptu choke by the small cup of tea by the Third Prince which she quickly gulped down without tasting. But for Le XiaoTing, she often drank tea whenever she was having a meal with her mom. However, she did not bother to remember the names of the tea she drank.

 

Thus, even if she tasted this tea, she could only give answers such as, 'I've tasted it before' or 'I never taste this before'.

 

"Then drink it as an experience," The Third Prince said generously.

 

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Xiao Hua could only accept his kindness.

 

"It's better than the normal Lu' An Melon seed tea." An Wan stared at the tea curiously. “Strangely, I feel a little energized after drinking it.”

 

An Jing frowned. “I felt the same.”

 

Gotten curious, Xiao Hua poured a cup for herself and took a sip from it. Hmm, what a yummy tea! It's not overly sweet and it feels refreshing! The taste is not heavy and she could easily drink this all day without getting tired of it!

 

Xiao Hua guzzled down the tea until the cup was empty. She stared at the teapot but quickly looked away. She must not forget she was only a servant! The Third Prince only allowed her to taste it once!

 

But Xiao Hua would prefer it if he had not pushed them to drink a cup of the delicious tea! It was like giving her a taste of heaven before throwing her back down to earth!

 

The inner maids and the Third Prince do not even need to ask what Xiao Hua’s opinion of the tea, as Xiao Hua's face revealed everything she feels.

 

An Jing suddenly went down to both her knees before the Third Prince. "Master, please hand out this slave’s punishment! This servant was negligent, failed to notice the tea had been tampered!"

 

Xiao Hua freezes and her hand that was holding onto the empty cup started to tremble. Did she just drink poison? This would be a very good lesson to teach her to be wary of delicious drinks!

 

"This is not your fault. This prince knows this tea is special and have you all taste it to indulge this prince's curiosity."

 

"Pardon this servant's rudeness for asking a question, but this servant had used the same tea leaves as always and the water was used by everyone. What special thing had been added?" An Jing daringly asked.

 

She never doubted Xiao Hua because that young girl had drank it as well, without worry on her face. However, if it was really Xiao Hua that tempered with the tea and that carefree expression was just an act, then Xiao Hua was actually a very dangerous person.

 

"You are not allowed to know," the Third Prince said coldly. "If anyone else were to know what happened today, don't blame this prince being merciless."

 

The three maids immediately kneel down and promised not to speak about this matter even among them.

 

The Third Prince nodded and picked up his chopsticks to continue eating. "Except for Xiao Hua, everyone is dismissed."

 

Xiao Hua gulped when she was the only left in the room with the Third Prince. She suddenly could not remember why she should be angry with him. Her nervousness had pushed her anger into a small corner in her heart.

 

The Third Prince finally stopped eating and placed down his chopstick. Except for the bowl of rice, every dish was finished. Xiao Hua went forward to help cleaning his hands, carefully wiping every inch of his hand with a wet towel.

 

Seeing how obedient his little maid being, his heart softened and before he fully aware, he had already opened his mouth to explain his actions.

 

"This prince did not hand you that task just to make you accept the punishment."

 

Xiao Hua remained silent and busied herself with wiping the beautiful hands. His fingers were slender and long, like a pianist's hand, but she could feel weird shapes or lines on his hands. They felt like scars. Could it be these scars were from sword practice? That was the only thing that comes into her mind.

 

She refused to think about the possibility of darker reasons, such as caning.

 

"This prince had originally planned for you to learn to protect yourself. Staying at this prince's side is dangerous. Your 'punishment' was originally what this prince wish to assign as a task to you, but since this prince had not thought of an appropriate punishment, the order had ended up being used as your punishment."

 

Halfway through his sentence, Xiao Hua had raised her head to stare at the Third Prince. He was staring at her, but his eyes seem to emit gentleness.

 

Could it be that the Third Prince is apologizing to her?