Such a Feast for The Eyes

The carriage slowly came to a stop. Ouyang Xueqing glanced outside in confusion. "Have we arrived?"

Ren Yupei shook his head.

They didn't have to wait for long until the carriage door opened and An Zhengnan's grinning face was seen. He was holding a few masks. It was all beautiful and feminine.

"Princess, why don't you choose from one of these?" He carefully showed them one by one just like a skillful merchant. "Look, this one has the butterfly pattern that suit you very much, this one has cookie pattern, you like them right?"

Ouyang Xueqing of course realized what he was implying. Her heart was filled with warmth and joy. No matter how annoying An Zhengnan was, he was still making her his first priority.

Honestly, she was actually kinda nervous about going out.

It didn't matter if she was seen by the people in the general's manor and the royal palace, but she was not ready to be seen in public.

She was afraid that people's reaction would make her sad and depressed, that's why An Zhengnan's little gesture had really touched her heart.

"Then…" Her eyes landed on a white mask with little blue flowers pattern on them. It was cute and beautiful, additionally it covered half of her face completely so that her abnormal left eye was hidden. "I will choose this one!"

"Great choice!"

When she put it on, she asked. "How is it?"

The two people didn't hold back their praises. "Beautiful!"

"The mask makes you so mysterious and enchanting, Princess!"

"You look like a chubby ice sugar cake!"

She glared at An Zhengnan's remark.

An Zhengnan laughed sheepishly. "I mean, you look absolutely adorable!"

"Humph!" She harrumphed yet failed to look intimidating. Her round black eye was bright, her rosy cheek and pouted lips made her really cute, in addition of the mask covering half of her face, she would certainly stood out in the crowd of openly dressed up ladies.

It was certain that both Ren Yupei and An Zhengnan too had thought of that possibility. They decided to wear masks too so that the Princess would not feel alone.

An Zhengnan slipped a fox mask on while Ren Yupei chose a similarly white mask with cookie pattern that didn't suit his handsome countenance. It made him look funny and odd.

Ouyang Xueqing laughed until she almost fell off to the ground.

Ren Yupei shrugged and said: "As long as Princess think it's cute, it's okay then."

Instantly, her heart swooned pitifully like an arrow had been pierced through it. Ouyang Xueqing swore that if she were to find a husband in the future, he ought to be better than her Brother Ren or else she wouldn't consider him at all!

Humph! Humph!

Her standard was raised so high that she wasn't sure whether anyone could ever met them.

For Ouyang Xueqing, Brother Ren was the best! She should just marry Brother Ren when she grew up!

Yep, she had to discuss it with Imperial Father first.

Poor Ren Yupei didn't even know his mistakes at all before he was exiled to the north for half a year before he could return to the capital. It was a later story though.

***

In the main street, it was crowded and full of people. There were shops selling food, accessories, flowers, chocolates and many more. Couples in hand were strewn everywhere, full of bliss and very much in love.

The flower petals gently swaying and floating through the air, making the situation more romantic and dreamy.

Even though the sun had not set, but the gentle orange hue and the sunset glow was breathtaking.

The scene was so perfect and peaceful that Ouyang Xueqing felt like her heart was full just by enjoying the scenery. This was the Beast Mainland, her home, the land that Imperial Father ruled for about a hundred years.

When she and her two bodyguards emerged from the carriage, all eyes were turned to them.

Ouyang Xueqing sighed. As she expected, they are too eye-catching ah!

Especially Brother Ren! She glanced at him sideway. He had a lean and tall figure, his dark blue robes was making the air around him seem more peaceful and languid. His long hair was tied simply and left swinging naturally. The white cookies pattern mask covering his face stood out among all.

Even when he looked a bit weird, he was still dashing and charismatic as always.

En, such a feast for the eyes.

Not only her, she noticed that almost all of the ladies were stealing glances at him and giggled bashfully among themselves. The sharp gazes directed toward her was so scary that Ouyang Xueqing stiffened. She could feel the envy, jealousy and resentment looking at their intertwined hands.

Carefully, she tried to untangled their hands.

Ren Yupei seemed to notice her abnormality. He bent down slightly and asked softly. His hand gripped hers a little more tightly, making her effort went down the drain. "Are you okay? Do you want to rest somewhere?"

His voice were low and magnetic. It was soft and gentle, tugging at every single one of their heartstrings. Ouyang Xueqing didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The stare was getting more intense that she wished she could hide somewhere.

It was impossible though with Ren Yupei holding her closely by his side.

An Zhengnan had gone elsewhere to patrol in case there were anyone trying to wreak chaos. Their coordination was perfect, outside and inside, they made sure that she was protected securely.

"No. I'm okay." She shook her head and snorted inwardly. She decided to ignore the attention.

So what if they are jealous? This man was holding her hand ah! He was her date for today!

Thinking like that, Ouyang Xueqing was somewhat proud of herself. Even her voice softened, filled with sweetness and honey. "Brother Ren, Qing'er is hungry!"

He chuckled and pulled her close, preventing her from bumping everywhere in this bustling crowd. "What do you want to eat?" He restrained himself to call her by the title 'Princess' lest it gathered everyone's attention which he didn't want to happen.

He preferred to draw them to himself though.

Drooling, Ouyang Xueqing pointed at a few stalls of snacks here and there. Ren Yupei complied and together, they queued and ate together, laughing and talking about everything.

The sky darkened when they got their tummies filled. At that time, the lanterns was hang out on every corner of the street, illuminating the scenery and making it seem magical.

The street was made of spirit stones. While it seem normal on daylight, they shone in the dark and reflecting the lanterns light. The road her feet landed on seem to glow up with her every steps. Ouyang Xueqing almost got her breath knocked out of her.

"Wow!" She gasped in admiration. "It's so beautiful!"