Looking For His Attention

In the woods, Princess Nuying brushed her fingers against the flowers. The smile on her face was enough reason to let you know she was happy.

Behind her was a man clad in black. He held firmly onto a sword. He watched the Princess from behind.

All of a sudden she turned and came face to face with him. His eyes widened as he hadn't expected that turn from her just now.

He bowed immediately.

The smile on the Princess face disappeared instantly. "Junnian!" Her tone was filled with distaste.

"Yes your Highness."

"Look up." She commanded. "I said look up!"

He looked up, "Good." She smiled again.

She plucked a flower and sniffed it, and tucked it behind her ear. "Tell me, how do I look?"

Junnian didn't respond instead looked down again.

Princess Nuying face crumpled up, "I said you should look at me!"

"Princess..."

"Be quiet now! And do as I say."

He still didn't look up, she walked up to him and hit his chest. "I should be the mean one here! I'm the Princess and if I say look at me, you do just that."

"..." How could he possibly look at her when she returned the gaze. He is just a commoner and had no right to look straight at her, the Princess. The only Princess in the kingdom.

She pushed him a little, he didn't move. She pushed him again with a little strength, he still didn't move. She grabbed his arm and shook it but he still didn't move. Oh, playing dead? I can play it more.

Thud! She suddenly dropped to the ground.

Junnian wasn't surprised by her little acts. She did anything for attention as she was spoiled to the brim by almost everyone at the palace.

He stood there like a statue and didn't budge.

She sat there and waited for him to help her up but he didn't move an inch from where he was currently standing. Hmph. she snorted.

She stood up by herself and dusted her palms.

She stormed off. Leaving Junnian to himself.

His throat bobbed. He followed after her.

After walking a while she stopped.

When does she plan on returning to the palace?

As if she heard him she said, "I won't be returning to the palace today neither tomorrow." This time she took him by surprise as he looked up at her.

She was smirking.

I fell for it! He remarked.

They stood there for some minutes before he heard the silent foot steps heading towards them. He didn't raise his guard as he already felt the presence.

My brother is here. I'm in for a scolding.

After some seconds, he felt a pair of eyes on him.

*

Junting watched the Princess stump her feet angrily on the ground around his brother. He must have provoked her.

"I say, look at me! You don't obey nor heed to my orders... Do you still think I can't get rid of you? Far away from the Emperor?"

The question didn't scare any of the two brothers one bit. Junting came out of the three he was hiding and said, "Your Royal Highness,"

Princess Nuying turned to face him. "What are you doing here?"

"I will escort you from here, Junnian has to..."

"Go back and tell the Emperor that I won't let him. Humph." She folded her arm on her chest.

"But prin..."

"Be quiet and return to the palace!" They looked so familiar that if it was someone else they would have surely had trouble remembering who was who. But she knew they both looked different, their eyes was always cold but one was colder. Junting's face looked much calmer than Junnian's. "Leave now!" She commanded.

He bowed reluctantly and left.

"Now you listen clearly to me, if you don't look up at me in five, four, three, two..." He still doesn't want to look up? "Then I will never talk to you again." She sounded so serious about it.

"Five, four three, two...You really don't want me to talk to you anymore? Fine." She swallowed, turned around and walked away. I'm really not going to speak to him, ever. He thinks too much of himself.

*

Junnian watched her leave and clenched his sword more tightly.

*

He thinks he's the only one that has a child personality? No. I have mine as well! No more talking to him! No more!

For some unknown reason tears welled up her eyes. She rubbed them off with the back of her palm.

*

She heard a hissing sound. Thankfully she was walking with her eyes lowered or else she wouldn't have seen the black mamba snake sticking out its tongue at her.

"Ahhh!" She moved back slowly and the snake followed her. Is this animal mad? Can't you see that I'm the Princess? Are you blind?

"Ahhh!" She screamed for the second time but Junnian was nowhere to be seen.

Where is he? Now am I meant to die from a snake bite?

She shuddered in fear. She had never felt like this since her birth. To be consumed by fear.

"Junnian!" She called out his name this time.

*

He heard her scream the first time but stood rooted at the same spot as if his leg had been screwed to the ground. She must be throwing tantrums again.

She screamed for the second time. Now what does she plan on doing, by screaming so much?

The third scream was filled with anxiety, he took large steps towards the direction of her voice. When he got there, he saw how her body shook as she moved back continuously. He looked over her shoulder and saw the deadly animal in front of her. With anger in his eyes he went forward, his moves so calculative that the snake didn't have time to fight when a pair of fingers grabbed It's tiny neck.

Princess Nuying backed away, she held the hems of her clothe tight, crumpling the material.

Junnian snapped the snake's neck, making it lifeless in the matter of seconds.

He turned around and saw how panic-stricken she looked, her face had lost it glow.

Before she could drop to the floor he caught her but she slapped his hand away from her wrist.

Nuying's legs wobbled and she sat on the ground. "Don't you ever touch me! Not with those dirty hands of yours! Get away from me!"

After some minutes she dragged herself up from the ground and went towards her palanquin outside the woods.

He followed behind silently.

_________

"Hey, are you back?" Jianguo asked, resisting the urge to smile. He knew his sister quite well, she must have been provoked for her face to look this sour.

She came to sit close to him and the palanquin was taken away.

"Hey, are you alright?" Jianguo asked with worry in his tone.

"No!" She screamed.

"Easy, easy." He picked some nuts and passed it to her but she rejected them. "Really? You're even rejecting your favourite?" He shook his head. "Tell this big brother, maybe I'll be able to help."

"A snake almost bit me because Junnian was running late,"

The nut Jianguo was about to ear fell from his hand. "What did you say?"

"You heard me,"

"You went to the woods, again?" He frowned. "What for? To see Junnian? Tell me it's not true."

"Well it is,"

The young man massaged his temple, "I told you to stop..."

"Never!" She screamed stood up and walked out on him. His mouth hung open for a while more before he went towards the central palace.

He went straight to the Emperor's office, his table was covered up by scrolls. "Brother, did you know Nuying went out again, today?"

There was no expression on Ju-long's face. "Yes?"

"Yes? Did you just say yes? What if something had happened to her?"

"Sixth prince, I promise..." Junting started but Jianguo cut him off.

"Be quiet. You escorted her there, didn't you?"

"I didn't," Junting said.

"He didn't, Nuying went on her own." Ju-long stated.

Jianguo closed his eyes, to control the fire burning within him. He realized that venting his anger out here wouldn't be useful so he left the man.

As he got on his horse, he heard someone call out his name. "Jianguo, are you going hunting?"

Jianguo didn't need to turn to know it was his second brother, Prince Pengfei. "No,"

"Oh that's bad. You must be too busy painting, I forgot that's your hobby."

"Now that you remember, can I go?"

"To paint naked women?" Prince Pengfei taunted. "Sure,"

And Jianguo rode away on his horse.

"That idiot isn't going to paint," Wu Mengyao said. The fourth prince. "Didn't you see the sword tucked at his waist? If he was going for painting, he would have carried his paint bucket."

"Hahaha, maybe he wants to paint with his sword." Prince Pengfei said. "Jianguo still doesn't know how to use a sword."

"Don't be too sure," Prince Mengyao said.

And it only made Prince Pengfei laugh more, "You really think he's going to war?"

"Just saying,"

"You're dumb for just saying," and he strode away.