A Dash of Romance

"Qing Ying?" a quiet voice asked, waving his hand in front of my dazed face.

"Yes?" my eyes were glued to a certain person under the tree. Even from this angle, I could tell that he was very handsome. A pretty boy, the type that was very popular in the century that I used to live in. With a face like that, he could've been an actor or an idol.

"Have you fallen in love?" Qing Shan asked curiosly. We were taking a stroll through the Imperial Gardens when I happen to spot an intruder underneath the Nine Flowers. It was a very unoriginal name if you asked me, not that my opinion would've mattered. As uncreative as it was, it basically said everything about the tree. Every year, nine flowers would bloom for a day before dying off.

As it was spring, the flowers were blooming and so were the nine flowers with their delicate petals that blushed a light blue.

"Well, father is looking for someone to marry you off to. That Liu Wei is a pretty good match and father would approve." Qing Shan said with a contemplative glance.

"Well, if you think he'll pass fathers standards then he must be something," I said laughing. Perhaps I laughed to loudly for Liu Wei turned his head around. I was right, he truly was beautiful and the gentle smile he gave could give me a heart attack!

"He is very intelligent," he paused for a bit, "but not as intelligent as you."

I giggled, "you praise me too much. I should praise you instead for having such patience."

"Yes, but I would never have thought about faking my death to avoid the turbulences in my future. At most I would've pretended to be stupid."

I stayed quiet. In Changing Fate, he did in fact pretended to become stupid, but that caused his father to abstain him and banish him to a small courtyard in the back of the Palace. However, things are different now. Although many people thought he had died, his Imperial Majesty knew otherwise and approved of this method to avoid assassinations. Right now, he is nothing but my shadow guard.

"Liu Wei, is it? I recommend you flee from this area before anyone else catches you," I called out to him from across the small man-made stream.

"Ah, but how can I leave such beautiful flowers to go unnoticed?" his voice reminded me of my brothers except much more gentle and without the permanent frost engraved within it.

"I've noticed it, you've noticed it. I believe that it has been noticed enough?"

"First Princess, if you don't mind inviting me to the Imperial Garden, I would be indebted to you," his gentle smile was still on his face and I laughed.

"Very well, please make a painting for me if you don't mind. It's the least you could do for witnessing such a marvelous scene."