The Untamed Princess

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Stealthy Intrusion

The jealousy that had been burning inside of Weisheng had quickly given rise to a different kind of emotion, and he was struggling to exercise any kind of self-restraint now that they were alone together in the dead of night, and when he tightened his grip around her and lifted her off the floor, Ming Yue felt her own resistance seeping away.

"Weisheng," she murmured, as his mouth explored the exposed skin at the base of her throat.

He suddenly stopped and brought his head up to look her directly in the eyes.  She was momentarily startled by the intensity of his gaze, then he rested his forehead against hers in a soft gesture.

Before either of them could speak again, a sudden sound captured their attention.

Luo Jian strode into the prince's quarters in his usual way, without announcing his presence in advance, only to be met with the sight of Weisheng and Ming Yue frantically adjusting their clothing.  He raised a disapproving eyebrow, and the two culprits had the good grace to look at least a little sheepish.

Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Ming Yue was the first to move.  She walked quickly towards the exit, mumbling a good night to each man, before slipping out into the darkness.

Luo Jian turned to Weisheng, who was staring at his friend in disbelief.

"Luo Jian, your timing is..."

"Impeccable!" Luo Jian shot back.  "Just be thankful it was me and not Eunuch Wang.  Can you imagine?"

No, Weisheng definitely could not!

***

The following day had been set aside for negotiations between the two kingdoms regarding proposed trade routes.  Unfortunately for Ming Yue, the late finish to the day meant she overslept, and had no time to eat before making her way to the main tent to ensure that the furniture had been rearranged from the banquet the night before, ready for the more serious matters at hand.

Of course, it had completely escaped her notice that her lengthy discussion with Eunuch Song the previous day had lasted well past her usual time to eat her lunchtime meal and, while she would normally have eaten after last night's banquet, she had instead gone straight to the prince's tent.

Consequently, it had now been over twenty-four hours since Ming Yue had consumed any food at all, and she was now starting to feel a little light-headed.  Still, she quickly became oblivious to her condition as she continued with her task for that morning, only leaving the main tent when she was completely happy with the layout.

As she made her way through the camp towards her tent, a wave of dizziness suddenly came over her, and she swayed on her feet.  Stumbling to her right, her hand found a wooden beam being used for tethering the horses, and she leaned against it gratefully.  Only then did she realise that she had, once again, gone for over a whole day without eating, and she cursed inwardly at her stupid tendency to disregard one of life's essential activities.

It was Ming Yue's good fortune that Luo Jian was approaching from the other side of the camp and witnessed her predicament.  However, it was horribly bad timing that, at the same time, her brother Zhixing was entering the camp from an early morning ride, and also saw his beloved sister close to losing consciousness.