Water Mirrored Moon - 水鏡月

Part III - Beloved of the Seventh Prince: 50. Gentleness

Xiao Hei was not surprised when the Seventh Prince descended from the carriage carrying his wayward mistress.

Still recovering from being bashed in the back of the head, Xiao Hei had been relieved to receive a message from the Eldest Prince in the middle of the night and had been patiently watching from the balcony all morning despite Xiao Yu's scolding. The scolding had alternated between his uselessness as a guard and for getting himself hurt defending the mistress. He didn't know what was worse, his ears ringing from her sharp comments or his headache from being knocked unconscious.

"The Mistress is back," he hollered over his shoulder, chewing at the piece of straw in his mouth.

"You trash!" Xiao Yu hissed, hitting him in the back of the shoulder with the folded linens that she carried. "Go down and help!"

"Oi! My head still hasn't recovered yet! How could you hit an injured person? No compassion at all!"

"You useless piece of garbage! Useless! Why can't you improve yourself and stop being a burden to A'Xi? She indulges you to no end!" Xiao Yu yelled, stomping away.

He stood up huffily, a little startled at Xiao Yu's foul mood. She was normally quite pleasant, but this mood had lasted for two days. Irritating girl!

He sulkily admitted that he really was quite useless, but the mistress was surrounded by the most powerful men in Tiansheng. How could she not be rescued? It wasn't that he shirked his responsibility, but that he simply had no chance when it came to the Eldest Prince or the Seventh Prince. He really couldn't stand next to them. Xiao Yu was right, he was more of a burden to the mistress than help, but that would not always be the case. Wu Cui Xi's kindness and generosity sustained him and despite his lack of experience she didn't stop encouraging him.

Turning his eyes back down, he sighed.

The Seventh Prince was Tiansheng's God of War...it wasn't possible that he would drop such a precious burden and Su Qing and Su Rou were already greeting him.

"Oi...Xiao Yu, your father is here too..." Xiao Hei said, leaning over the rail.

"Yes. One of the children had a message from him: A'Xi has been poisoned...we'll have to use the bath house to detoxify her," Xiao Yu sighed.

"Ennn," he grunted, and then took the items from her hands.

She looked up, astonished.

"I'll help carry things. A small girl like you shouldn't carry such heavy items."

She looked like she wanted to protest, but then smiled and Xiao Hei was taken slightly aback as her expression lit softly.

"Very well. Come with me," she said, grudgingly.

He stood staring after her for a moment and then shaking himself out of his stupor, trotted after her.