A Lifetime Promise

Chapter 5

After hearing the young prince talk about how he could only study ⅓ of the study time the others Imperial members had because they said he was too stupid so they didn't want to waste their time with him, she felt angry. How could someone treat a child like that, moreover a prince!

She started from the beginning and taught him how to read, as well as writing. The lesson ended for the day when she noticed how late it was. Her father was probably still searching after her, she should hurry going back before her father would die from worrying too much.

"It's late, you should go back now. Also, I will be staying in the capital for a few more days so let's meet again here at the same time." Lin Xinglan took the young prince's hand, ignoring his shy attitude.

They walked hand in hand out from the forest together, since the Imperial palace was in the different direction from the busy streets they went in their separate ways. As how she could tell it was in different direction, it was just her hunch.

Finally walking on the busy streets, she decided to stand in a place where it was visible for others to see. It didn't take long before her father found her. That day he scolded her badly and he ended it with a heart warmed hug. Because of the searching, they had to stay an extra day to work. She felt guilty and could only apologize.

Quickly it became the second day of staying in the capital. They were staying at one of their workers' place. Because they couldn't let children join when they worked, her father could only reluctantly leave her in the house with the worker's wife and children.

"Father is going now and will be back in eight hours, be a good girl and behave, alright?"

"Yes, father." She nodded and got a pat on her head from her father before he left.

The wife was extremely busy with her own children, she couldn't get the chance to look after Lin Xinglan. Lin Xinglan took the opportunity to sneak out of the house, she ran to the forest which took a while. She finally arrived at the waterfall place, it seemed like the young prince hadn't arrived yet so she lazily laid down on the grass field and took a rest.

Lin Xinglan felt someone was shaking her body, she grumbled and tried to swat away the annoying movements of the other's.

"Stop it... Do you want to die? Should I beat you to death before you can understand?..." She grumbled in her half-asleep state.

It didn't stop like she wanted, on the contrary, it became even more irritating so she gave up on trying to sleep and sat up. She half-sleepily rubbed her tired eyes before she let out a lazy yawn.

"Lan, you can't fall asleep like that in such a place! Who exactly was the one who told this prince to be more careful?" She heard a young boyish voice, she opened her eyes and saw that it was indeed the fourth prince of Qin, Qiang Jingyi.

"You are you, I am me. You're a prince and I'm just an ugly common girl," She lazily replied.

The young prince having heard this became childishly angry at her because he could clearly see a childish but pretty face with her black hair shaped into a cute bun. If she was ugly then what was the other girls he had seen, hideous beyond repair?

"Okay, okay. Let's start the lesson of today, shall we?" Lin Xinglan stretched her arms before standing up.

Lin Xinglan continued to teach the young prince. It went the same process for her whole trip in the capital. Luckily, her father never found out that she had sneaked out from the house for five whole days. Before she went back to her father, she needed to properly bid her goodbye to the young prince she had been hanging out with.

"Little prince, I won't come here anymore. This is goodbye."

The young prince froze when he heard those words, he wished he had heard wrong but he knew he didn't so he started to tear up like a child was about to lose his toy.

"L-Lan... Do you not want this prince anymore? Did this prince do something? Have this prince not studied hard enough for you to want this prince to stay?... A-are y-you going to also abandon t-this prince?" There was snot running out from his nose, he looked so messy with all the crying. It really made one to have a heartache.

He's already ten but he's still crying... How bothersome.

"Hey, s-stop crying, will you? Really, I don't know what to do when you start crying like this... I'm not saying I will leave you forever, okay?" She waved her arms crazily, not knowing what to do with the crying prince.

She couldn't bear looking at his snotty face. Really cannot bear to see crying children, they are devils, I say.

The young prince suddenly stopped and she could no longer see his tears, only his red cheeks.

"Really?" His eyes started to sparkle in joy.

"Of course. It's just that I don't live here in the capital. I will come back to you on the same dates every month... Will that do?" Lin Xinglan awkwardly looked at the young prince who was supposed to be older than her yet he cried easier.

"En! You have to promise, really promise!"

"Yes, this big sister promise you that I'll be back for you. But until then, you need to study hard. Understand?"

He kept nodding his head hard, his eyes were full of determination. It seemed like he will be a diligent student. How she wished she was as diligent as him. She patted his head before setting off to the worker's house.

All she had to do was to somehow get her father's permission to bring her every time he went to the capital.

That should be an easy task. Lin Xinglan kept secretly grinning by herself as she thought of all possible ways.