Charcoal Stick

Fan Li Wei's eyes stilled on the black and white sketch drawn on the paper. His face didn't give a hint of expression but the depth of his eyes had a dark storm rolling chaotically. Although the white sheet of paper did not have a beautiful painting but a randomly drawn sketch, the distinct shape of the long petals gave away the specification of the flower. Especially to Fan Li Wei who had been consuming it for some time now.

The pressure on the surrounding suddenly increased tenfold, making it difficult for the servants around to even move their muscles. Wei Min gritted his teeth and maintained his position on one knee with difficulty as the nerve on his face tensed.

If anyone in the Fan heard that Fan Li Wei has this level of strength, they would laugh it off as a joke. After all, he was just a weak pawn to be played in their hands for them.

After a long silence when Wei Min finally thought that he could no longer bear the pressure, a deep gloomy voice rang above his head.

"What is this?"

Feeling the sweat forming on his palm, Wei Min silently gulped and replied, "Your Highness, this one found it while coming from the garden in the west wing...Unfortunately...this one was unable to know who sent it."

Wei Min clenched his jaw remembering his action, He was deeply remorseful for his moment of carelessness. If only he had checked the paper right there and then...He really felt useless at that moment.

As soon as his voice dropped, the pressure above his head suddenly vanished. Surprised, Wei Min raised his head to see that the servant at the door, who was holding High Highness's outer robe, stood there empty-handed.

Fan Li Wei had already left the courtyard without even bothering to mask his fierceness with gentle appearance.

Alarmed, Wei Min cursed under his breath and rushed after Fan Li Wei.

Inside Consort Shu's Palace, a maid brought the medicine for Li Ling's injury who was lying on the couch.

With perfectly manicured nails, Consort Shu inspected Li Ling's wound with distress and applied the medicine with a cotton roll.

"Look at this injury, and you still don't want to tell me how you got it?" asked Consort Shu with slight annoyance in her voice.

She was really worried for her clumsy daughter who only knew how to eat and play around. Thinking about the first Princess who would be soon returning to the Palace, the knot in her forehead deepened.

"Mother, I told you that I just fell in the bathroom in the tea house. You don't know how slippery it was."

Consort Shu was already fed up with that story. Knowing it would be useless to ask anymore, she changed the topic.

"I heard that Bai Yu Yan came to the palace today. Are you really that close with her?"

With her eyes closed, Li Ling let her mother gently apply the medicine on her nose and hummed, "Umm. She is my friend, don't you know? Why would she come to see me else?"

Inside, Li Ling felt pleased to tell someone else that Bai Yu Yan is her friend. In the palace, she had to always be wary of other people where she could not even put down her guard and have a normal conversation. And outside the palace, the noble ladies tried to befriend her just because of her status of the princess. Their fake smiles and high ambition was tiring to keep up with. Because of that, she never had anyone to call a friend ever since her childhood, let alone play with anyone.

But with Bai Yu Yan, Li Ling felt a sense of attachment like no one else. Whenever she was with Bai Yu Yan, she didn't have to put up her guard that she would use her for some purpose and could genuinely enjoy herself.

"Mother, you really have discerning eyes for people. If you hadn't chosen her to design your dress, I would not have met her at the spring banquet," said Li Ling while raising her eyes to look at Consort Shu.

Consort Shu smiled and shook her head in amusement. "Alright, no need to flatter your mother. After living in the palace for so long, if I cannot even understand people, it would really be a waste. But I didn't know my daughter also has a glib tongue" she teased Li Ling in return as she helped her to a sitting position.

"Yes, yes, Mother has the best eyes" saying this, Li Ling stuck out her tongue and ran outside.

With Li Ling gone, the smile on Consort Shu's face slowly fell off and a gloomy shadow covered her eyes.

Looking outside the window, her eyes were looking somewhere far away in the past. After a few moments of silence, she spoke, "Momo, do you think she will blame me after knowing the truth?"

At the side, an old servant looked at Consort Shu's face lined with worry and said with a sigh, "Your Highness, please don't worry. You have done nothing wrong. Anyone in your place would do the same. Even if the day comes when the Third Princess knows the truth, she will not blame you."

"Momo, I didn't have any other choice. I cannot even rely on His Majesty on this matter. After seeing it that day, how can I sit still as a mother? Otherwise, what will happen after the First Princess returns to the palace?"

"Your Highness, rest assured. This old servant has seen how much you have done for the Third Princess as a mother. I am sure that she can also see it and will understand this in the future. Moreover, you have not wronged Madame Lu in any way. So please don't think too much about this matter" assured the old servant. She had been serving Consort Shu for many years and had practically raised the Third Princess along with Consort Shu. Because of it, she could see that Consort Shu was doing it all for the sake of the Third Princess.

Consort Shu closed her eyes and tiredly nodded her head. Since she had already come all this way, there was no way to go back now.

In the garden, Li Ling was returning to her courtyard when her eyes detected a familiar face. Stopping in her tracks, she squinted her eyes wondering if she had started hallucinating in the broad daylight. Did she really start seeing Fan Li Wei outside of her dream as well?

The Fan Li Wei in front of her wasn't like his usual self. His white robe had been changed into night-black ones, radiating a different temperament. But, oddly the style felt even more suitable on his well-shaped body.

Li Ling tilted her head and rubbed her eyes to see if her eyes were deceiving her. When the man was still there, a smile bloomed on her face unconsciously.

Thinking for a moment, she smoothened out her hair and dress. After making sure that her appearance was alright, Li Ling pulled the veil up to her nose and walked inside the garden with lotus steps.

"Your Highness, what a coincidence. Did you also come to the garden to admire the flowers?"

Inside the gazebo, Fan Li Wei's hand wrapped over a charcoal stick as he composed his expression and turned around.

The usual gentle expression was back on his face when he looked at Li Ling and nodded his head, "Third Princess, this prince was just taking a walk. The garden of Xin Palace really lives up to its name."

Following it was an awkward silence. Li Ling suppressed the blush spreading on her face and wrung her fingers as she racked her brain to think about the conversation topic.

Unfortunately, Fan Li Wei was not in the mood for small talks. His sharp eyes analyzed the girl in front of her before he asked, "Does Third Princess like sketching? This prince found this on the table and thought it might belong to you," saying, he opened his palm to show the pencil-like structure to Li Ling.

Li Ling looked at the charcoal stick on his palm. She remembered Bai Yu Yan was using it a while ago and honestly answered, "It belongs to Bai Yu Yan. I think she forgot to take it."