It was the week of Chinese New Year, and the Second Prince was practising archery with the i brothers at their mansion. It had been his habit in recent years to spend a lot of the week of New Year visiting the i mansion. The absence of his mother was felt most keenly during this week, and that chasm was slightly filled by the family atmosphere at the i’s, and the presence of Madam Yu.
It wasn’t lost on the i brothers that he was an even more frequent visitor since he’d t their sister.
ili appeared to join her brothers for so fun. She spotted the Second Prince imdiately, and her steps faltered. Too late to turn around. She pushed her shoulders back and held her head high. She had nothing to be ashad of. That despicable man should be the one who was ashad of himself!
"Your highness," she greeted him with a curtsy. "Happy New Year to you and your family."
"Miss i," he said with the half-amused look he always seed to direct her way. "May good fortune fall upon you."
"Tan Bowen plans to visit this afternoon too," said Fifth Brother.
"Speak of the devil," the prince rolled his eyes as his friend and rival in love, appeared.
Normally he would be happy to see the fellow, but when Miss i was available, he didn’t want any competition for her attentions. Even her brothers weren’t excluded from his possessiveness.
"Tan Bowen, may all your wishes co true in the Year of the Dragon," called ili happily, walking up to greet him.
"i ili," he smiled and perford a dashing bow. "I certainly hope that they do. Here’s to another twelve months of joy and unforgettable mories with my dearest friend."
ili looked touched as she smiled at him.
Fourth Brother nudged Third and indicated towards the Second Prince with his eyebrows. The man was scowling.
Third smirked. "I sll vinegar," he whispered.
As ili headed to the weapons rack and reached for her bow, the Second Prince deliberately reached over her for a weapon, touching her hand.
"Excuse , Miss i," he said, letting his hand linger on hers.
She stared up at him with those wide eyes of hers, trying to pull her hand out from under his as he deliberately tightened his grip, giving her a little smile before he let go. She blushed furiously. She was going to have to have a serious talk with this young man. He was taking liberties!
Then she thought for the first ti, that it was perhaps because he hadn’t had a mother to raise him, and her annoyance turned to empathy. She should be patient with him and teach him how to behave nicely around young won. She could only imagine what her brothers would be like without the influence of their mother raising them; they would be savages!
She took her place on the shooting platform, Tan Bowen standing on one side of her and the Second Prince on the other.
"A little competition?" asked the Second Prince.
"Yes, let’s," agreed ili imdiately.
"Count in," said Tan Bowen cheerfully.
ili called to the servant who was setting up the targets. "Can we have so bowls pulled for a competition please Boyan?"
"Yes, Young Miss."
They each started with a single bowl, tossed high by Boyan. Each of them struck their target in turn. Boyan upped the ante to two bowls per competitor, thrown in quick succession. ili and the prince hit both of theirs. Tan Bowen hit one, but only tapped and didn’t shatter the second.
He sighed, nodding in resignation.
"Beaten by a girl, Tan Bowen," gloated the prince.
"If I have to be beaten by a girl, I choose it to be you, i ili."
"Thank you for the complint, Tan Bowen," she grinned.
She steadied herself for the pull of three bowls. The prince went first, and he struck all three with ease. Now it was her turn, she struck the first two imdiately and just managed to shatter the third before it hit the ground.
"Yay!" she danced about happily. It was a bit ssy, but she did the job.
"This ti we shoot for the sa three targets," said the prince.
The feathers on ili’s arrow were blue and the prince’s were red, so it would be easy to see who hit which target.
The three bowls flew up into the air, almost no ti between them. The prince loosed three arrows in a single shot, smashing all three bowls. He reloaded another three arrows with eye-watering speed and shot each of ili’s three arrows out of the air where they were sailing into nothingness, knocking them to the ground.
"Oh," she said sadly. "You already won fair and square. Was there any need to knock down all of my arrows?"
"I didn’t want to give you any false hope. That can be dangerous."
"You sound exactly like First Brother," she complained.
"He’s a good man, i Renlong."
Third Brother, who had been watching them, walked over to his sister. "Never mind ii. It’s no disgrace to lose to the Second Prince. He’s a fearso archer. Almost as good as he is at polo."
"i Renjun," nodded the prince.
"It’s nearly the Lantern Festival ii. Have you thought about your reward from father?"
When First Brother had given her his reward for winning ’take-the-flag’, she had asked to be allowed to leave the city on the night of the Lantern Festival to enjoy the view from a mountain peak.
"You know gege, with all that’s happened over the last two weeks, I had completely forgotten! But yes, we must take advantage of father’s promise. How about Purple Mountain ge?"
"Alight if that’s what you want. Leave it with to make the arrangents with father, ii."
"May I join you, i Renjun?" asked the prince formally.
"Of course, your highness."
No one would consider refusing the second prince of the realm a simple request like that.
"I must co too, Third, this will be great fun!"
"Alright Tan Bowen. Let clear all this with father first."
"What about Sofya?" asked ili. "Can I invite her?"
"There’s no way her brother will let her leave the city in a small group. She’d need an ard escort and even then, I don’t think he’d agree."
"Yes, you’re right ge," she realised it wouldn’t be appropriate to ask after the attack last week.
ili would have been upset that the Second Prince was tagging along, but she was hopeful now to spend so ti alone with him and have a heart-to-heart conversation with the man.
He would be missing his mother at this ti of year, more than any other, and her heart softened thinking of this. She would do her best to fill that void.
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