The Crown Prince's Bodyguard

33 ♛ The Excursion

- Long'Er -

Hours later, the girls were spying on the Han's residence. They scaled the stone walls, wedging their feet and fingers into the small cracks. Their heads peeked over the top, scouring the courtyard for their target.

However, Minister Han was nowhere in sight.

All they could see was his son playing in the courtyard, running away from the attendants who were trying to catch him. He weaved expertly between their legs, dodging their hands. The more flustered they became, the wider his mischievous grin was.

Still perching on the wall, Li Xue nudged the girl beside her.

"Are you really just going to hide here forever?" she whispered. "You don't wish to walk up to the manor and request to speak to Minister Han in person?"

Long'Er pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She climbed back down to the ground, sliding down the wall into a crouch. Her face buried in her hands.

"Now that I'm here, I don't think I can do it," she laughed nervously. "No, on second thoughts, I really can't do it."

"Don't be a coward now. I always thought you're more brave than this..." Li Xue mumbled under her breath, disgruntled. She leapt off the wall awkwardly, brushing dirt off her skirt.

Before Long'Er could see it coming, she was being hauled to her feet and dragged towards the entrance of the manor.

"Your Highness? Wait a minute-"

"No, we aren't. I say eighteen years of waiting is enough for you, don't you think?"

Li Xue wasn't wrong. How many times did she imagine herself meeting her father in person? How many times did she yearn for him to hold her hand just like any other father would?

That was if he was willing to accept her. A child from his failed marriage.

She blurted out a question quietly. "If he finds out about me, do you think he will be happy to see me?"

Li Xue grew solemn, uncertainty swirling in her eyes. "I don't know," she admitted, "but which parent wouldn't be happy to know that they have a child to love and care for?"

Those words sank into Long'Er's mind. She followed Li Xue and they hurried up the steps leading towards the manor's entrance. After exchanging a few words with a servant, a pall of disappointment hung over them like a shroud.

"I can't believe we're having such terrible luck today," Li Xue lamented. "Of all the days, he's out on a work trip."

"It can't be helped," Long'Er murmured sombrely. "Maybe we should come back another time."

As much as she didn't want to leave after all their efforts of sneaking out of the palace, they didn't have much of a choice. Perhaps this was fate's way of telling them that it wasn't the right time to see him.

They left the manor. Trudging past rows of huts and heading into the bustling market. As they chatted, men kept staring at them, especially at Long'Er. Awkwardness trickled through her. She shuffled her feet awkwardly, glancing down at her unusual appearance.

A lavish, red dress hugged her body, embellished with lotus flowers and a swan. It was beautiful, but it didn't belong to her. It was the princess's. Her hair twirled into a bun and sat on the back of her head, adorned with a few hair ornaments. Gone was the mask that she usually wore, because Li Xue had stolen it and discarded it aside. Insisting that it was a shame to conceal her bare face behind a mask.

"I can't believe I let you convince me to wear a dress out of the palace. A conspicuous one at that," she sighed. "What if we're caught?"

"Relax, little bumpkin." Li Xue hooked an arm around Long'Er's and walked with a spring in her steps. "It's easier for me to walk around like this instead of with a man. And you look much prettier this way. Now that we've some time for ourselves, we should go shopping before returning home!"