13 Punishment

The days and weeks went by very quickly in the crown prince's estate for two people. Lin Mei would spend the entire mornings sleeping and as soon as she woke up she would head to the kitchen, where she would personally pick and blend some leaves to brew tea for Zhen Feng. A kitchen servant named Ling Ai had taught Mei how to prepare the crown prince's favorite teas but sometimes the mermaid would feel adventurous and try out a new blend.

The prince wouldn't allow anyone else into the library and thus, Lin Mei had to bring in the tray with the tea set herself. Oftentimes she would also take a plate full of pastries with her, which had left many servants wondering if their master had either been hiding a love for sweet things for his entire lifetime or if his tastebuds had been secretly exchanged for someone else's.

Their young master who had despised most women for over 20 years and had never appreciated the taste of sweet cuisine was now enjoying pastries with a female mermaid in the library he had not allowed anyone in since the death of his biological mother. Could it be true that mermaids had indeed the ability to bewitch humans? But if so, would that charm even work on someone as nonchalant as their crown prince?

While all the servants in the household were in a frenzy speculating on their master's uncharacteristic current behavior, the two people inside the library couldn't be more peaceful.

Inside the palatial library room, Lin Mei was serving the prince a cup of tea and observing his reaction. She had begun to detect slight changes in his expression that exposed his moods and preferences. And with that newly-found knowledge, she had learned how to please him. She now knew the things that displeased him the most as well as the things he found enjoyable.

Most of the time they spent in the library Lin Mei continued her fruitless pursuit for any scroll that could contain information about her bracelet. Even if it were highly unlikely that she'd find it there, at least she could potentially come across an educational book that would teach her more about human beings, or maybe a secret compartment inside the giant room. However, her explorations had been utterly futile.

And while Lin Mei was entertaining herself with these useless tasks, the prince would be reading, writing, and attending to other official duties in his desk for the majority of the afternoon, without so much as taking a glance at her. Only once in a very long while would Lin Mei find the prince peering at her. She would pretend not to notice it but smile inwardly.

Outside the walls of the spacious library, no one would have imagined how Zhen Feng would sometimes ask Lin Mei to sing a tune for him, read him one of the old storybooks sitting on the dust-covered bookshelves, or even tell him about her life when she lived under the sea.

When Mei talked it was a unilateral conversation since he mostly listened to her trivial ramblings about her life in the ocean and her little adventures in the world of the humans. Even so, Mei wasn't forgetful of her own predicament and would only disclose inconsequential experiences that she had gone through before and after venturing into human land, never mentioning details that could implicate her with the royal mermaid family.

Unexpectedly, she could discern that her singing, her reading, and her one-sided conversations pleased him to some extent. Maybe that had been the reason he had allowed her to bring her sweet pastries inside the room when she suggested that she should take a break to eat. Could it be that he enjoyed her company?

Sometimes they would also discuss the stories that she read or he would ask about the tales behind the songs she sang. Although their opinions were often not identical, they would find an interest in each other's points of view and sometimes even discuss their perspectives. Lin Mei caught herself wanting to spend more time in the library and even started waking up earlier. Arriving at their shared space a few hours in advance, she had still found him sitting at his desk. Had he been waiting for her?

When she left from the library that day, the mermaid princess was cheerful, having noticed that the crown prince had thoroughly enjoyed the tea she had prepared for him. She was calmly walking in the direction to her room when she came across a servant relentlessly flogging a maid who was keeping her voice so quiet no one would be able to tell that the skin on her back had been completely torn open in several places, the clothes she was wearing were stained with blood and adhering to the exposed flesh underneath.

Realizing that the victim of the corporal punishment was Liu Ting, Lin Mei ran towards the frightening scene and intersected the wooden stave with her own hand, tightly gripping it within her palm. She felt the skin on her hand rip. The physical pain of the injury together with the shock she was feeling from watching her friend being subjected to such a barbaric disciplining method brought Lin Mei into a fit of rage.

"What are you doing?! What could she have done for you to be exercising this sort of primitive punishment on her?!" She demanded to know, her teeth clenching angrily.

"Miss Bai Ni Ni, you are a guest in this estate. This servant wouldn't dare to purposely injure your hand! May you please forgive this servant."

"This is not the issue here. Can you not answer my question? Must I go ask your master?"

"Miss Bai, this servant is only following orders. This maid let a strange child come into the household. The rules state that she should be beaten 60 times. This servant dares not disobey!" The servant replied honestly, slightly startled by her aggressive temper.

"Why did she bring the child in? I know Liu Ting, she would do nothing to put the Lord of this house or anyone else here at risk!" Lin Mei insisted, still keeping a firm grasp on the wood stick.

"Young Miss, I just wanted to feed a hungry child. The boy chased me all the way from the market to the gates of the estate. I felt pity for the youngster and sneaked him here to feed him some leftovers…" Liu Ting finally spoke. "However, I know the rules. Miss Bai, I am willing to accept this punishment." She added.

"What? A child…? Does the prince know of this?" Lin Mei inquired.

"This Crown Prince knows the rules of this household very well, Miss Bai." Zhen Feng interrupted, arriving at the scene from behind the two servants that were punishing Liu Ting.

Lin Mei immediately released the stave and retreated her arm, hiding her injured hand behind her back. She knew when she could attack and when she had to retreat. Since she was on Zhen Feng's territory and that cursed bracelet was on her hand, she could not even hurt him in the slightest without him seriously wounding her first.

"Hmmm… I see. So you humans prioritize rules over values." She spat out the words in disgust.

"Without these so-called rules, the world would be in a state of chaos. Anarchy. Values are subjective." Zhen Feng informed in a very strict tone, leaving no room for discussion.

"I can understand that some values are questionable and subjective, but others shouldn't be. It should be an intrinsic instinct to care for unprivileged children... Liu Ting didn't do anything inherently wrong, can you not make an exception and tolerate it just once? She has learned the lesson."

"Even children are not always innocent. He could have had ulterior motives to enter the residence. The rules of this house are to be followed always. No exceptions." Zhen Feng sternly declared. "Has she taken the 60 floggings? If not, continue." He ordered.

"Your Highness, there were still 10 floggings left to complete the punishment before Miss Bai took one for Liu Ting, should we count that one as well?" The servant holding the stick asked.

Zhen Feng slightly shuddered. He clenched his fists and looked deeply into Ni Ni's eyes, his heart beating painfully in his chest. However, she immediately dodged his look, shifting her eyes to the ground, her face clearly exhibiting resentment and sorrow. Zhen Feng took one step towards her but she returned his advance by retreating two steps back.

The servants patiently awaited their master's reply but it was only after a while that they heard the prince:

"Let her go. It's fine if she has received the 50 floggings. Take her away and leave." Zhen Feng spoke in a firm voice, hiding the trembling he was feeling in his heart.

"Your Highness, should Miss Bai also-"

"You three leave right this moment!" Zhen Feng raged, fearing that he would kill someone had they continued the sentence.

The servants shook at their master's fury and rapidly left the scene, taking the injured Liu Ting with them. The maid looked worriedly at the lady she had been serving - or rather, keeping an eye on - and vowed to not betray her friend in days to come.

As Zhen Feng looked at Lin Mei, silence filled the air and nothing around them could be heard. Not the irritating voices of the nosy servants, not the noise of insects batting their wings amidst their flight, not even the sound of the wind gently caressing the leaves on the nearby trees.

Lin Mei could only hear her own heavy breathing. She felt aggrieved, disappointed and hurt. Zhen Feng could only hear his painful heart that was fighting his reason and threatening to win the long battle.

Was it because he was her soulmate so it was a normal thing to feel this way? Was it because they had spent over three months together and she had grown somewhat attached? Since when had she been expecting more from him?

Before she turned to leave, she looked him directly in the eyes and asked:

"So this means that if it were me who broke the rules, you would still let me be beaten?"

"Bai Ni Ni!" The prince shouted for the first time.