Chapter 48 Lanterns

The stream babbles and flows gently by.

Shen Panyan felt a blush creep up her fair cheeks and neck as he stared at her. She quickly lowered her head, pulled her hand back, and turned away. "You... don't overthink it. I don't dislike you."

"From now on, from now on, when I face the winter snow, I will definitely scold it. In my heart, you are more important than the winter snow. You, you must not think nonsense."

"And, and also, next time, next time don't look at me like that..." she stammered, "You brought me out for a spring outing today, is this all you wanted to say to me?"

She twisted her hands together, her mind filled with the image of him looking at her.

She had seen many handsome men, but none of them could compare to Lin Xiao... He was dressed in black, with a slender waist and long legs. He was handsome when he was aloof, and even more so when his eyes softened, like snow falling into the palm of your hand and melting into a blanket... Shen Panyan wished she could cover her face and bury herself in the ground.

What is she thinking?

Lin Xiao watched her retreating figure, and suddenly smiled, as if thinking of something. "It's good that Your Highness doesn't dislike me."

He never mentioned it again, and Shen Panyan breathed a sigh of relief, trying her best to avoid his gaze.

But some things become more uncontrollable the more you try not to think about them. She secretly glanced at him and saw him standing by the stream, holding a tree branch. With a forceful movement, the branch shot out like an arrow, catching a fish in the water and splashing up a shower of sparkling water.

He turned around, his tall, dark hair fluttering with his movement, and a smile appeared in his eyes. "Your Highness, would you like to eat fish?"

On a bright, sunny day, his face seemed to glow in the sunlight, and his smile was dazzling. Shen Panyan couldn't help but blush.

—I told him not to look at her like that, so why is he still smiling at me?

Shen Panyan twisted her handkerchief with her knuckles, lowered her head, and blushed.

She didn't hear what he said.

*

Lin Xiao is very good at cooking all kinds of wild game.

Unable to leave or hide, Shen Panyan could only sit there and watch him grill fish.

Even though it was the same fish, she felt that it was different from any fish she had ever eaten before.

Just like the clear spring day in the woods, where birds chirp and sing, the wildflowers, wild fruits, wild grasses, and even the fish have an extra touch of sweet, wild flavor.

At first, her gaze was on him, but later, as he led her to watch the fish by the stream, the wildflowers growing tenaciously under the moss-covered pebbles, the wild grasses still glistening with dew in the woods, and the birds taking flight... her gaze then fell elsewhere.

Lin Xiao was never one to talk much, but this time he spoke in detail, telling her what things in the forest were edible and what things were inedible, what birds were beautiful and what birds were unique. Seeing her curiosity, he even took her to the treetops to see the baby birds with their mouths open, chirping for food... They were all very common things, but they were things she had never seen before.

She had been inside the high palace walls for too long, surrounded by delicate flowers carefully tended by palace servants. They were protected from the wind and rain, beautiful as they were, but she always felt they lacked a vibrant life force.

Now, standing in the forest, everything is full of life: wildflowers growing tenaciously under the moss-covered stones, agile fish swimming in the stream, birds flapping their wings... These are scenes she had seen in her notes before, but had never actually witnessed.

Overjoyed, she pestered him with questions. Before she knew it, the sun was setting.

As dusk settled, a pale crescent moon gradually appeared in the sky above Bixi. The entire forest seemed to quiet down; the birds stopped chirping, the insects and fish stopped clamoring, and only the rushing sound of the flowing water remained.

She reached out and grabbed the hem of his shirt, whispering, "Lin Xiao, we should go back."

When the time came, even though she was reluctant to leave, she knew it was time for her to go back.

If we don't go back soon, the entire Xiyuan area will probably start to panic.

"Your Highness, please wait a little longer!"

He brought her here, but there's one more thing she hasn't seen yet.

Shen Panyan asked curiously and doubtfully, "Is there anything else?"

Lin Xiao said gently, "Your Highness will know soon enough."

Thus, Shen Panyan had no choice but to suppress her curiosity and doubts, and wait for dusk to fall.

At first, there were only a few faint lights, but gradually, more and more faint lights appeared, green and dancing in the forest, their shimmering light like scattered stars, flickering on and off, as if one were in the Milky Way in the sky.

Shen Panyan was so surprised she couldn't speak, "This... what is this?"

Lin Xiao explained: "Fireflies."

"I noticed that Your Highness enjoys reading all sorts of miscellaneous notes, so I thought that Your Highness would probably like these kinds of rustic and natural things in the forest."

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon her. Under the shimmering moonlight, her dress seemed to be draped in a layer of shimmering gauze. Her almond-shaped eyes were as clear as autumn water. A gentle breeze blew, causing her hair and dress to sway. Amidst the fireflies, she resembled a goddess descending to earth in springtime.

"Your Highness..." Lin Xiao's voice lowered, "You will be returning to the capital tomorrow, and I will not be able to protect you by your side. I hope you will take good care of yourself and be careful in everything you do."

After she finished speaking, the smile on Shen Panyan's face faded, and her expression became silent.

All good things must come to an end. She was going back to the capital, and he was going back to the secret guard camp.

Shen Panyan lowered her eyes and whispered, "Yes, I understand."

After he goes back this time, she doesn't know when she will be able to see him again.

Shen Panyan turned around, her expression hesitant, clutching the hem of her clothes tightly. After a long while, she asked tentatively, "Lin Xiao, after you go back this time, when will you come to see me next?"

Lin Xiao did not hesitate: "Your Highness, please rest assured, after returning to the Dark Guard Camp, I will collect information about the Crown Prince and the Empress as soon as possible and send it back to you."

Shen Panyan opened her lips—that's not what she meant!

She simply wanted him to come see her, but she had already asked him to secretly pass on a message to her, so she couldn't go back on her word and therefore couldn't explain it.

Today is like stumbling upon a paradise, forgetting all her worries. But when the paradise fades, she must return home, back to that treacherous cage that belongs to her.

She pushed a man who should have been free into the abyss; what right does she have to ask when he will come to see her?

After figuring all this out, Shen Panyan lowered her head almost in despair, and said, "Hmm."

"Be careful when you return to the Dark Guard camp this time, don't let anyone discover you..."

Hearing her words of concern, Lin Xiao's eyes curved slightly. "Your Highness, please rest assured, I will be careful."

After he finished speaking, the wind calmed down. Lin Xiao stood there, hesitant, unsure whether he should give that thing away.

But if he doesn't deliver it now, he probably won't have time to do so later.

Therefore, after hesitating for a while, Lin Xiao finally spoke up: "Your Highness, do you still remember the lantern you liked on New Year's Eve?"

Shen Panyan was stunned. "Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

Of course she remembered, but so many things happened afterward that she had long forgotten about the lantern.

Lin Xiao turned and leaped into the tree. When she came down, she had a beautiful and delicate flower basket lantern in her hand, which was somewhat similar to the lantern she had liked that day.

"This is....?"

Lin Xiao smiled and handed her the lantern. "That day, I was unable to win the lantern that Your Highness liked, so I made one myself to give to Your Highness."

As he spoke, his voice lowered, seemingly somewhat embarrassed, "However, my craftsmanship is rough, and it is far inferior to the lantern that Your Highness liked the other day. I hope Your Highness will not find it distasteful..."

He actually still remembers this?

Shen Panyan clutched the lantern, her almond-shaped eyes glazed over, tears welling up as she was overwhelmed by a torrent of emotions... joy, shock, guilt, reluctance...

"You..." How could she possibly dislike it? This sentiment was far more beautiful than the lanterns from that day.

The moment she opened her lips, tears streamed down her face. "Thank you, Lin Xiao..."

Seeing her tears, Lin Xiao panicked instead, "Your Highness, what's wrong...?"

He was somewhat annoyed, thinking that His Highness was crying out of fear because he was remembering the terrible events of New Year's Eve; he shouldn't have sent the lantern in the first place...

He reached out to wipe away her tears, but Shen Panyan seemed to be burned and quickly took a step back, wiping her own tears. "No, no, I like it very much."

She lowered her head and clutched the flower lantern tightly. "I just... I've never received a flower lantern as a gift before..."

Seeing that she had dodged, Lin Xiao paused, his knuckles curled slightly, and he withdrew his hand, letting it hang down at his side.

"If Your Highness likes it, I will send you a lamp every year from now on."

Shen Panyan bit her lip, lowered her eyelashes, and tears fell in large drops.

He's such an idiot, why is he so nice to her?

She clearly pushed him into a pit of fire, yet he still tried to make her happy, not even understanding why he was crying... What an idiot!

The better he treated her, the more guilty Shen Panyan felt.

Guilt weighed heavily on her heart like a boulder, making it hard for her to breathe.

Shen Panyan's fingertips trembled... Lin Xiao noticed that something was wrong with her and quickly reached out to touch her wrist. Shen Panyan couldn't dodge in time and her wrist was grabbed by him.

She bit her lip, turned her face away, her heart pounding, "I, I'm fine..."

His interruption calmed her breathing considerably. Shen Panyan tried her best to control her heartbeat, hoping he wouldn't notice anything amiss.

Lin Xiao frowned slightly and examined the prince carefully for a long time. Apart from finding that the prince was already a little weak and his heart was beating a little fast, he did not find any other problems.

The moonlight was cool and clear, and it was getting late. Perhaps His Highness was tired.

She was just recovering from a serious illness.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiao felt annoyed and no longer hesitated, "I will take you down the mountain now."

After saying that, he bent down, picked her up horizontally, and used his lightness skill to travel swiftly back to the royal villa.

At this moment, the palace maids and eunuchs of the royal villa were frantically searching for her.

The princess has been gone for so long, and it's already dark. Why hasn't she returned yet?

Could something have happened?

Just as everyone was hesitating about whether to ask the Imperial Guards of the capital to find the princess, Shen Panyan suddenly appeared in her bedroom.

The young palace maid who had been guarding her rushed forward with delight, "Princess, you're back!"

Shen Panyan nodded, her mind still filled with the image of Lin Xiao holding her just now. She gave a soft "Mmm," and said, "I'm fine, you can go now."

Seeing that she was really alright, the little palace maid breathed a sigh of relief, bowed, and said, "Yes."

Shen Panyan sat by the window, the candlelight flickering, looking at the lantern he had given her. For some reason, tears fell again.

But she knew that Lin Xiao was hiding in the shadows watching her, so she didn't dare to cry out loud. She could only hold back her tears, her eyes red and swollen.

sorry!

Linxiao.