"Alright, i ili," the Crown Prince said gently to her. "Where would you suggest I take you for treatnt then?"
It didn’t seem appropriate to disturb his Majesty’s rest with this matter, she thought.
"Perhaps your sister’s courtyard?" she ventured. "If that wouldn’t be too disruptive for her at this hour?"
"Excellent idea!" he agreed, quickly changing directions.
Shi Lei would just have to work out their change of plans.
Tricky walked at the Prince’s heel, never straying more than a few inches from his mistress. The dog knew Zhu Yicai, and although he didn’t like him, he would tolerate him carrying his injured mistress. The Chow Chow knew this man would do her no harm.
"Are you injured?" the Prince asked her, white hot rage simring just beneath the surface of his words.
"I’m okay, Yicai," she soothed him.
"You’re clearly not okay!" his voice was raised. "Tell every detail from start to finish," he said stonily.
She knew there was no point trying to wriggle out of telling him everything when he used that tone. The voice that ant he was barely keeping his hot temper in check.
She turned her face, so she wasn’t looking at him.
"I was walking down the alley between your Father’s chambers and the small kitchen when those two guards and eunuchs you just saw erged from a side branch. I didn’t think anything of it at first, but then the guards asked if I was Court Lady i, and as soon as I said that I was, they said I had to go with them," her voice shook.
"I told them I needed to serve the Emperor his tea before he retires for the evening before I went anywhere, but then they suddenly rushed at and grabbed . I struggled and tried to cry out, Yicai," she felt the need to explain how hard she had tried.
"But one put his hand over my mouth. I was very scared, especially when Tricky started to attack them, and one drew his sword," she shook in the Crown Prince’s arms, and he drew her closer to his chest.
"I managed to scream again, which is probably what drew the guards to us."
The Crown Prince had tasked his n to keep an eye on her. His Father was probably doing the sa. It wouldn’t have taken long at all for the n to realise sothing was wrong.
"They said they needed to get back to the Palace of Purity," she told the Prince. "I knew that couldn’t be right, with what’s happened to Prince Haoran recently. I know he’s not allowed any visitors except for family... and I’m not family."
’Not yet’, said the Prince to himself.
"Then the chief guard tried to hand over to one of the eunuchs so that he could silence Tricky’s barking. Of course I fought as hard as I could then, knowing he planned to hurt Tricky," her voice hitched.
"I bit his hand that was covering my mouth," she was ashad to admit this terribly unladylike behaviour and she looked at the ground as she said it.
"I scread out ’help! Help !’ That’s when he slapped to silence ."
The prince stopped his rapid striding and looked down at her.
"The guard slapped your face?" his voice was quiet and asured, but ili wasn’t fooled, she knew that was outrage disguised as a reasonable question.
"Y...yes?" she said tentatively, as though she was asking him if it was alright.
"May I see your cheek, i ili?" he asked her gently.
She nodded. Her eyes wide as she looked back up into his face.
He very gently picked up her hand that still covered her cheek.
An angry red hand print was visible on her beautiful face, like soone had thrown paint on a masterpiece.
He closed his eyes briefly, steadying himself and trying very hard to contain his fury.
"At least I have the handprint to match to the culprit’s hand before I take it from his wrist," he muttered to himself.
He placed his own cool hand on her burning hot cheek, holding it there carefully for a mont as he looked into her eyes, his expression achingly tender.
"Don’t worry, i ili. It hasn’t broken the skin, so it won’t leave a permanent mark. It must have hurt you very much though."
She nodded up at him. It would be lying to suggest otherwise.
It had hurt more than most other things she could rember having hurt her in her life. With the exception of the murder hornet sting of course! That was the very most painful thing she had ever experienced!
The Prince picked up his pace, keen to get her to his sister’s palace so a cold compress could be put on that bruise to take the swelling down.
He banged on the doors to Princess Lingling’s courtyard.
"It’s the Crown Prince. Let in!" he shouted.
Servants rushed from their positions to open the doors from the inside. "The Crown Prince has arrived!" called a maidservant.
Princess Lingling stumbled out of her bedroom. She was tying a robe over her nightgown and her long hair was loose. She had been about to retire for the evening.
"Gege? i ili?" she called with alarm, seeing her second brother carrying the girl, who held her hand over her face. "Is everything okay? What’s happened to Miss i, gege?"
"It’s not clear yet, but it seems that First Brother may have tried to have her taken by force to his Palace. There was a scuffle, and Miss i was injured by one of his guards."
The Princess tried to see what type of injury i ili was covering with her hand. God forbid sothing had happened to the girl’s face! Her brother was so desperately in love with her.
"Quickly, co inside," she told them. "Fetch a physician here imdiately," she called to her nanny, and the older woman picked up a lantern and hurried off into the night.
"I can walk now, Crown Prince. Thank you for your assistance," said i ili, feeling the impropriety of this intimate position in front of the Princess and her servants.
Zhu Yicai didn’t bother to reply to that statent, continuing to carry her up the short flight of stairs and into the room the maidservants had opened for them, the Princess and Tricky close on their heels. He placed her down gently on the bed.
ili removed her hand from her face once her head was resting on the pillow.
Princess Lingling’s eyes widened at the very clear bright red handprint on i ili’s cheek.
Soone from her eldest brother’s Palace had been silly enough to hit a Court Lady that worked by the Emperor’s side and was beloved by the Crown Prince? The guard clearly didn’t value his own life...
Before her nanny could return with a physician, there was another loud pounding on the closed gates to the Princess’s courtyard.
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