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CHAPTER 11: Got scolded just because they stood on different sides

"Love?" Long Lian stared at her second brother in disbelief. This second brother of hers that always wore the everlasting ice cube face finally fell in love? That was hard to believe! "Is it her background that tempts you?"

The Second Prince gave his sister a cold look. "Long Lian, you are being impolite."

"Surely you don't mind us being curious about your beauty? We are, after all, siblings with a good relationship." The Third Prince smiled gently. "Or the Second Imperial brother is trying to cover up something?"

"What are you trying to imply?" The Second Prince asked with an unfriendly tone.

"If there is nothing to cover up then there isn't any need for you to be this defeNsive," The Third Prince pointed out with a peal of careless laughter.

Liu Chu Chu placed a hand on the Second Prince's arm before stepping forward.

"Third Prince and Princess overthink this commoner's background. This commoner is nothing but a simple person."

The Third Prince let out a soft chuckle but hearing it made Xiao Hua's heartbeat speed up in anticipation. The author had written that the Third Prince had fallen for the heroine at first sight. After all, the heroine was described as if she was a celestial being from heaven that no female mortal could be compared to due to her intel-ligence, talent, and pure beauty.

Xiao Hua felt so regretful that the body she currently occupied possessed short-sightedness. If only she knew how to make spectacles, then she could feast - cough - admire all the beauties!

It was terribly sad that this time era has a very limited hobby to choose from.

"As a commoner, what right do you have to dictate a prince's thoughts?" Da Liu stepped forward with an overbearing aura and directed it onto Liu Chu Chu's small frame.

Xiao Hua blinked and stared at the Third Prince with a dumbfounded look. The

Third Prince did not seem to have any intention of telling Da Liu to stop.

What is this? Where's the gentleness that was promised by the author when the Third

Prince interacts with the heroine? (o_o)

"You dare to threaten this prince's consort?" The Second Prince stared coldly at Da Liu, but the loyal secret guard did not back away. If he was afraid of the Second Prince, his face showed none of it.

"Second Imperial brother, this younger brother isn't aware that the Father Emperor had already granted you marriage with a lady of unknown background." The Third Prince may sound polite, but the two last words were said with undisguised mockery.

In the novel, the Third Prince was portrayed as a prince that was shy with words despite his penchant of reading poetry and being a terrible liar. He was also dreadful in masking hidden intentions under polite words.

But now..What was going on? Why did Xiao Hua feel that the Third Prince disliked the heroine?

Liu Chu Chu decided to help out by sharing some of her past. "Third Prince, this girl is from a humble family of a small merchant in the Guilin Kingdom. Chu Chu was separated from her father when my carriage horse was frightened by wild animals."

"You are the daughter of a merchant? Second brother, this younger sister thinks that Father Emperor would not agree to this match," Long Lian straightforwardly voiced out what she thought with her eyes filled with contempt.

Liu Chu Chu was the most beautiful lady that she had ever seen, except for her Mother Empress, but her status does not match a prince. Her innocent looks gave her a strange feeling as if that expression did not belong on her face.

"Father Emperor would allow us to marry. After all, Chu Chu has saved my life and my men. To have a princess consort like Chu Chu is considered as my fortune with heaven's blessing."

Why did this diehard fan, Le Xiao Ting, start to think this Second Prince was rather cheesy?

With a considerate smile, the Third Prince stood up from his chair. "Since you are determined, this younger brother has no other words to say. Second Imperial brother, do take your time to return. Father Emperor and Mother Empress would be worried about Long Lian, so it would be best if we hurry back first."

Before the Third Prince had even finished speaking, An Jing had already entered the carriage with Xiao Hua, along with the rest of the inner maids. Xia Hua did not get to see the rest of the show and not long after, the carriage resumed its ride.

Xiao Hua could not resist asking. "What's going on?"

Tian Zi and Tian Chi looked at each other. An Wan let out a sigh as if she was reluctant to explain. "You are now one of us, so you are entitled to know most of the things that could harm our Master."

Why does the Third Prince, one of the cannon fodders, have such a detailed back-ground? The author had not revealed much about the Third Prince, other than being the heroine's secret admirer. Xiao Hua understood that she could no longer treat this world as a book, but a world where people would be acting differently from the novel.

This was her new reality. But she still clung onto the hope that the novel was accurate and would aid her in future decisions.

"Never trust any of the princes," Tian Chi stated firmly and pointed at Xiao Hua, her finger nearly poking Xiao Hua's eye.

"Wrong," Tian Zi admonished. "She should never trust anyone except for the inner servants and our prince!"

"Because you are our master's personal servant, many would see you as someone worthy to be manipulated with the purpose to harm our master," An Wan added.

"Even if the first prince is the Crown Prince, that does not mean he's untouchable. The Second Prince would try to remove the title from him by any means. At the same time, he would try to get rid of other possible competitors."

"The Third Prince does not wish for the throne, right?" Xiao Hua asked before her mouth could catch up with her mind. "I mean, he would not hurt his siblings, would he? He is a nice person."

Xiao Hua was given looks as if she had just said something unbelievable.

Tian Zi denied fiercely. "That throne belongs to our master!"

"Quiet down. Some things must not be said out loud," An Wan told Tian Zi off with a frosty glare before answering Xiao Hua. "We may not know what our master's final goal is, but our master likely aims for the Four Kingdoms."

Four Great Kingdoms? (• • )?

Before Xia Hua could ask more, the sounds of galloping horses filled her eardrums again. How she longed for earmufis to protect her poor ears!

"Third Imperial brother," The ice cube known as the Second Prince called out. "It would be safer for us to travel back together. With my men watching our surround-ings, you and our younger sister will be unharmed."

"Pretentious guy," Tian Zi mumbled and got a sharp elbow jab from An Wan. "Ow!"

"Be careful or your tongue will bring trouble for our master."

Xiao Hua silently praised Tian Zi for being loyal to her master. Even the hero with the golden halo got scolded just because they stood on different sides.

The carriage stopped again, and the driver, Xiao Liu, called out to them. 

"The prince says to camp here for the night."

Indeed, being busy could help you to forget about the time. It was only now that Xiao Hua realized the sun was setting and the sky was getting darker. The view of the sunset in the middle of the forest was not much different from the one she saw in the city.

Gazing at the sunset, Xiao Hua felt nostalgic and she missed her home even more.

She could watch the sunset during her stay at Mong Lu manor, but she was too busy feeling panicked in her new environment to feel nostalgic until it was time for bed.

"We are your family now," An Jing suddenly said.

...Sister An Jing, you truly deserve to be known as the perfect maid! But are you aware that you are not my maid? 

Xiao Hua tried to stop her from doing things for her, but with her funny limping. she would create trouble instead of helping. She reluctantly sat down at a large boulder and watched the servants moving around. In no time, the fire was created, four large tents were set up and the dinner was cooked.

The meat came from the wild animals that the soldiers had hunted down earlier.

Their hunt was fast and silent, with no terrifying roar or scream reaching her ears.

She shivered slightly at the bad thoughts that rebelliously formed in her head.

Xiao Hua could smell a nice floral fragrance when a beautiful lady holding onto a plate full of meat sat down beside her.

"Xiao Hua, what do you think of that woman?" Long Lian immediately asked.

"Liu Chu Chu?"

"What do you think of her?" Long Lian repeated her question, insisting on getting an answer from Xiao Hua.

"Er..... She seems nice?"

Faced with a sour-faced princess, Xiao Hua honestly did not know what to say without revealing spoilers to reader Ah Lian!

CHAPTER 12: How could you make the princess eat your leftovers?

Reader Le Xiao Ting was one of the fangirls that steadily supported the fierce heroine in manipulating, conquering, and finally ruling the Guilin Kingdom with the handsome hero by her side!

It was difficult for her to come up with negative thoughts of Liu Chu Chu when

Xiao Hua supported most of what she did. Or what she was going to do in the future.

That was how most readers reacted because the author wrote in a way that influenced the readers to support the main characters.

Despite the author's efforts, the author was still soundly scolded thanks to the unnecessary death of some characters. Le Xiao Ting admitted that she was one of those readers that scolded the author in her heart. She was nice enough not to leave a comment about her dissatisfaction.

"They seem to be in a rush to marry?"

"Right?" Long Lian exclaimed. "That's what I thought too! Second brother is too hot-headed!" Actually, Long Lian could not imagine her second brother, the walking ice cube, to be hot-headed, but that was the only reason she could come up with his reckless decision!

"Is she pretty?" Xiao Hua asked curiously. There was no chance for her to stand close enough to get a good look at the heroine's face.

"Hmph! So what if she has a pretty face? The granddaughter of Grand Tutor is not bad in appearance but what stood out is her talent in chess! She has the intelligence that matches my second brother well!"

Eh? Granddaughter of whom? Why was this unknown person suddenly butted into the conversation?

"Mother Empress was the one that chose her, so her choice won't be wrong. Even Father Emperor agreed and that's why he proposed it to the Grand Tutor."

"Choose her. for what?"

Long Lian stared at Xiao Hua as if she had said something weird. 

"She is my second brothers' betrothed."

"Oh, her!" Xiao Hua only remembered that the Second Prince only has one fiancée and no concubines, appearing to be the best choice of a husband to all ladies. Their heart goes 'ba-dum' over a man that was not stray-eyed and remained faithful to his wife

The author did introduce the background of his fiancée, but the simple-minded Le Xiao Ting only read novels for fun and could only remember his wife was a granddaughter of a fellow by the name of Ping Pong. That name was catchy enough to be remembered by her until now.

"The wedding was going to be held before the year ends, but now..." Long Lian gave Chu Chu a nasty glare. 

"An Jing, when will we reach Guilin?"

"His Highness plans to hasten the trip. It will be late afternoon when we arrive, Princess."

"We will sleep early so we can wake up early tomorrow! Eh, Xiao Hua, you are not eating?"

Actually, Long Lian was talking and eating at the same time. Now that she was done, her eyes strayed to Xiao Hua's plate, who had only eaten a small portion of her dinner.

"I'm full. Here, you can have it." Xiao Hua passed her plate all too willingly.

"You don't look as if you have eaten much." Despite saying that, Long Lian still took the plate as she was still hungry.

"Princess, it would be better to wait for Sister An Wan to come back with more meat," An Jing suggested.

"Ah... I'm already full so Ah Lian can have it." Xiao Hua does not want to accept the plate again.

Le Xiao Ting was not a vegetarian and had eaten animal meat before. But after she had watched the entire process of skinning and chopping the dead animals with the smell of blood clogging her nose, it had killed most of her appetite even if the meat smelled good after it was cooked.

It would take a few days before she had the appetite to eat meat again. Hopefully.

When An Wan returned with extra meat, Long Lian had already eaten most of the meat on Xiao Hua's plate.

An Wan glanced at An Jing questioningly but the other maid just shook her head.

An Wan gave Xiao Hua a complaining gaze, but the younger girl, whose eyes could not see well, naturally did not notice it.

How could you let the princess eat your leftovers!

Xiao Hua had gotten used to giving Long Lian her unfinished meal and did not think much about it. She did not even consider their status as Long Lian never treats Xiao Hua as if she was below her position to talk to.

Out of nowhere, An Jing pulled out a warm wet cloth and helped to clean Xiao Hua's hands. "Sister An Jing, have you eaten?" Xiao Hua asked, remaining docile and letting An Jing do what she wanted with her.

Earlier, Xiao Hua had protested when An Jing gave her a plate filled with meat.

Compared to An Jing's plate, her portion was larger. An Jing ignored her protest and even helped her to clean her hands, even down to her fingernails, before allowing her to eat. Her complaints had fallen on her deaf ears!

"Yes."

Le Xiao Ting wants to ask, are maids required to eat that quickly? She had not seen when she had eaten!

"Hmm, the meat is cooked well." Long Lian looked satisfied as she let An Wan take away the empty plates and helped her to wipe her hands.

"Chu Chu will be happy to hear that." The Second Prince approached them and happened to hear his sister's words.

"Why would she be happy to hear that?" Long Lian frowned.

The Second Prince's eyes flashed with a hint of pride. 

"She helped with the cooking. My men and I had not tasted such a delicious way of cooking the game."

Ah... Ah Lian looks very annoyed. Second Prince, look at your sister's face! E°A°||D With a loud gulp, Xiao Hua was distracted when she noticed the hero stepped closer to them. A chance for her to look at his face had arrived!

One...two.three.four.

Finally! Xiao Hua greedily ogled the Second Prince's face.

Oh, my! 

That was a face that could bring women to their knees indeed! His handsome appearance could rank in the top list of the most handsome models in her world. Tall, handsome, and muscular! No wonder the citizens of Guilin were steadfast in calling him the most handsome man in Guilin for years.

He had removed his armor, leaving him in white clothing that did not hide his muscles. Matched with his indifferent expression, he gave off the feeling of heroism and dependable strength.

But why did the Second Prince's face remind her of someone in her original world?

Xiao Hua could not place who the Second Prince looked similar to. It was so close yet she was unable to grasp it. It feels very frustrating!

"How dare you look at the Second Prince with your dirty eyes!"

Xiao Hua cried out in surprise when an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her to the side, avoiding the whip that had targeted her. She gave An Jing a thankful gaze, if not for her timely rescue, she would have been dead. She swore she heard something crack on the spot where the whip had landed.

"Insolent! You dare to harm this Princess' friend?" Long Lian immediately stood up and bellowed at the female that had tried to whip Xiao Hua.

The offender was dressed in tight-fitting black attire, which clearly displayed her natured figure. "Princess Long Lian, surely you jest! A maid is not your friend." Long Lian turned to the Second Prince with fury in her phoenix-shaped eyes

"Second brother, I believe she is one of your trusted guards? It would not be good if our family heard that a servant dared to comment about a Princess."

In other words, 'she is one of your people, so handle her or I will tattletale to their family members and get you in trouble!. Being the only princess was different because the Emperor and Empress spoiled her, along with the other princes.

The Second Prince did not even bother to look at his servant when he issued an order. "Retreat and receive your punishment of twenty hits."

The female guard immediately kneeled in front of the Second Prince. "This servant only hopes for the Princess not to fall onto that girl's scheme!"

"Thirty hits."

The female guard swallowed her protest and bowed, accepting her punishment.

Before she left, she glared at Xiao Hua with such great intensity that even Le Xiao Ting, someone with a crippled sense of danger due to living in a peaceful world, could feel it!

In a better mood, Long Lian offered the hero a smile. "Second brother, please do not mind how my friend stares at you. She has poor eyesight, so she tends to stare at people weirdly."

Shall I, Xiao Hua, apologize for being weird? 

"Please forgive this servant for being rude, Second Prince," Xiao Hua quickly offered an apology in case the hero decided not to forgive her. "This servant would never do it again!"

"There will not be a second time."

"Thank you for being understanding, second brother." Long Lian smiled, looking relieved.

"Long Lian, since your tent has enough space, why don't you share it with Chu Chu?"

Long Lian's face showed a moment of displeasure before wiping it clean from her face. "How can a princess like me share a camp with an unknown person? What would happen if she tried to do something to me?"

Princess, how high do you want to raise your head? Be careful not to sprain your neck!

"Long Lian, Chu Chu has never done anything to offend you. Why do you keep on slandering her?" The Second Prince's tone was a little tougher.

"Slander? I don't have time to slander someone I don't even know. Second brother, how could you be so careless with my well-being? When I sleep, there won't be anyone to protect me inside my bedchamber."

Woah, Princess, you genuinely look like you are wronged. Did you take acting lessons?

Xiao Hua did not believe Long Lian felt mistreated because... her spine was as straight as a pillar and her eyes seemed to be shooting fire as if she was going to battle with someone!

"Long Lian, I believe in Chu Chu. Don't you believe in your second brother's judgment?"

Look, look! That look on her face totally reveals what she really thinks! But the Second Prince does not seem to notice it. No way, it was so obvious though?

Or the Second Prince's mindset about Long Lian had polluted his eyes?

Long Lian let out a pitiful sigh as her slender fingers carefully wiped her fake tears that seemed to appear at will. "I always believe in you, second brother, but I don't believe those people around you that only revealed their good side to you."

"Long Lian-"

"Second brother, you do not need to persuade Long Lian anymore because my camp already has a second person. Having a third person in my camp will be too stuffy."

The Second Prince did not expect to hear that.

  "Are you sharing with a maid? That maid can share a tent with other maids." The Second Prince promptly decided.

"No, the person that will share my camp is my sister," Long Lian declared, her eyes showing her displeasure at her brother's directive manner.

"Sister? You don't have a sister..." Suddenly, the indifferent prince revealed a weird expression.

"Third Imperial brother is not a female."

"I will tell third brother that you called him a female," Long Lian cut him off.

The Second Prince eyed his sister meaningfully. "I'm not the one that called him 'elder sister'."

"That was when I'm five years old! And I only said it once!"

"Oh?" The Second Prince stared right into Long Lian's eyes, who immediately shifted her eyes away in guilt.

Witnessing their expression, Xiao Hua knew it was juicy news! Whatever it is, it was not in the novel!

"My sister is naturally not third brother." Long Lian rolled her eyes and pulled Xiao Hua to stand beside her. 

"This is my sister, Xiao Hua."

Princess, my surname is not Long! And what happened to them being just friends?!

CHAPTER 13: To find a great treasure in the midst of dirt

Xiao Hua and the Second Prince unconsciously got into a battle of staring and it took a moment before Xiao Hua realized she was staring at a prince. She quickly lowered her head, breaking off the eye contact, while at the same time getting the Second Prince's mind back from whatever he was thinking about.

"Earlier, you said she was your friend. But now you say she is your sister. Long Lian, it's not good to lie."

"I'm not lying. She is my friend and I treat her just like my own sister."

The Second Prince stared at Long Lian as if he was assessing something. 

"Long Lian has yet to properly introduce her to me."

"She's my personal maid." An enthralling voice broke into the conversation. The Third Prince walked towards them leisurely and the light from the sunset highlighted his back, shadowing him in an angelic manner.

Behind him was the forever loyal Da Liu with his menacing aura fully switched on, which brought Xiao Hua's injured legs once again to their trembling state. So impres-sive, to be able to cause fear with just his aura. Even Xiao Hua, a passer-by, got af-fected!

The Second Prince did not look affected by Da Liu's pressuring aura at all, even ignoring his presence. 

"Third Imperial Brother's personal maid? I remember her name is An Jing?"

"Pardon me, Second Prince, but this servant is An Jing," An Jing spoke up and curt-sied. There was no indication from her that she was surprised or honored that a prince other than her master would remember her name.

"Then this prince remembers wrongly. An Wan, is it?" The Second Prince always kept track of his royal siblings' inner maids to ensure there would be no surprises in the future.

The Third Prince laughed. "No need to keep guessing, Second Imperial Brother. You have not met my new personal servant before."

"New?" The Second Prince's gaze revealed a hint of surprise. "I would not have expected you to choose a new maid as your personal maid."

That was a rather bold and dangerous move that no one else would have dared to make. It was common sense to promote a servant that had been by your side for years and proven their trustworthiness instead of a complete stranger. It was no wonder that the indifferent prince would be shocked by what the Third Prince had done.

Long Lian, the ever-curious one, decided not to speak up and let her third brother provide an explanation, simply because she wanted to hear the explanation too! She was a little irked that her third brother had taken Xiao Hua away from her even though he was the one that managed to get Xiao Hua to come along with them.

"This younger brother trusts his younger sister's choice."

"It's Long Lian that recommended her?"

Long Lian: Third Brother, since when did I recommend Xiao Hua to you? It was you who stole Xiao Hua away from me!

However, Long Lian had a closer relationship with her third brother compared to her second brother, who had a different mother. So, Long Lian did not reveal what had actually happened.

With a smile, Long Lian explained. "Long Lian treats Xiao Hua as if she's my real sister, so of course Long Lian wants Xiao Hua to be treated well."

The Xiao Hua that the princess wanted to be treated well wanted to tell the princess not to waste her effort because she was heading straight down the path of destruction the moment she was forced to stay at the Third Prince's side.

Just give me a house and money! And my freedom!

"To be praised by the younger sister, this maid must be very capable. Second Brother hopes that Long Lian could introduce a good maid for me as well."

Capable? When had Long Lian said that I was capable? Xiao Hua started to worry more about her future duties as the Third Prince's personal maid.

"But second brother, have you not found a good maid already?" Long Lian's eyes flashed with evil intent.

"I have?" The Second Prince questioned while trying to remember when he had found a good maid. The current maids he had were capable enough to do their job, but not to his degree of satisfaction.

"I'm speaking of that red-clothed lady that's travelling with you. What a pretty and talented maid you have, able to cook the meat to your taste. Second brother has such good luck, to find a great treasure amidst the dirt."

This time, the Second Prince no longer portrayed his indifferent expression because someone dared to blatantly insult the woman he planned to have as his future consort!

"She is not my maid, but my future princess consort!" The Second Prince's voice was low and deep, his inner energy lashing out and creating a fierce wind out of nowhere that had Xiao Hua trembling from the cold.

With her cultivation realm lower than her second brother, Long Lian was unable to block out most of the cold wind. Her second brother was truly angered this time but she decided to carry on since she was in trouble already anyway. It was not clear why she resented Liu Chu Chu, but there was something about her that screamed treach-erous. It would not be good to have a person like her beside her second brother.

"Future Princess Consort? You will never be able to marry a commoner girl like her! Did you forget you are already engaged to the granddaughter of the Grand Tutor?"

"I never planned to marry her!" The Second Prince said coldly.

"Be careful, Second Imperial Brother," The Third Prince decided to add his two cents in. "This engagement was decided by Father Emperor and Mother Empress." In other words, 'are you planning to defy the Emperor's decision?'  Doing so could be viewed as a rebellion.

"This prince does not mind letting Miss Ping Shui be my concubine, for the marriage was set to appease the Grand Tutor. But my Princess Consort must be Chu Chu and no other."

Long Lian looked as if she wanted to argue, but the Third Prince stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"If Second Imperial Brother is this determined, then there is nothing to talk about. The day is getting late, it's best if we retire early tonight for our journey tomorrow." The Second Prince did not say a word and walked away, and the surroundings were no longer cold as the wind died out.

"Third brother."

"Long Lian, you should not be disrespectful to your Second Imperial Brother. He is your elder after all."

"...Yes, Long Lian is wrong."

"As for Second Imperial Brother's decision in marrying his savior, he will have to

personally convince Father Emperor."

"Hmph! Father Emperor will not let him marry that commoner!" Long Lian exclaimed confidently.

"Long Lian, commoners are the ones that bring wealth and resources to our King-dom. Without them, there is no Kingdom." After saying those words with the absence of his laid-back smile, the Third Prince walked away with Da Liu.

Left behind, Long Lian looked about to cry as she bit down on her lower lip, which was slowly turning into a deeper shade of red. This Long Lian in front of Xiao Hua was different from the Long Lian that Le Xiao Ting had read about in the novel. This Long Lian was still naive and ignorant about many things.

Remembering that the novel's Long Lian was forced to grow up in the Munzhu Country, Xiao Hua silently vowed to protect the current Long Lian from that perverted King of Munzhu. It was good that they had left Munzhu before anything bad happened to Long Lian.

Hopefully, nothing would happen this time around.

Staring at the upset princess, Xiao Hua knew she needed to comfort her, but she was not good at comforting people. "Ah Lian..." 'Are you alright' sounds stupid. "Let's go to sleep?"

Long Lian turned her head, planning to scold Xiao Hua for not giving her space, but the smaller-sized girl was smiling kindly, with no scorn or criticism to be seen on her face. But even when the younger girl tried to hide it, the concern for her could not be hidden under her smile.

The irritation bled away. ".Hmm."

An Jing led them towards their tent, passing by busy soldiers that were arranging their patrolling schedule. The tent that they were going to stay in for a night was totally different from the camping tent Le Xiao Ting had used. It was like comparing an A grade product to a C grade product!

The floor was covered with furry animal skin carpets to prevent people from tripping when stepping on the uneven ground. There were two tiny beds with comfortable covers behind the large screen divider with pretty butterfly drawings painted on them. There was also a wooden roundtable with three stools placed near the tent's en-trance.

How on earth had the two carriages been able to carry this much stuff?

"Master has spatial dimensional storage to store them," An Jing explained after seeing Xiao Hua's bewildered face.

Oh yes! Xiao Hua nearly forgot this novel has these things too. The author had categorized the novel under the light wuxia [9) genre. The hero and heroine were cultivators with superb fighting abilities using Chinese martial arts mixed with cultivation methods. But there was no existence of immortals, only cultivators with extended life-spans.

"Xiao Hua, I'm going to wash first!" Long Lian darted behind another screen in a small corner of the tent.

"Elder Sister Hua, do you wish for a wash before heading to sleep?" An Jing asked instead of deciding for her.

"No need." Xiao Hua shook her head in refusal. She had bathed not long before and she did not even sweat much during the easy journey. There was no need to trouble people to haul in buckets of water to fill in the tub.

But there was something strange in this situation! "Sister An Jing, do I not need to serve the Third Prince?"

"Your duty will begin after we arrive back at the manor. Sister Tian Zi and Sister Tian Chi will serve Master until then."

Just thinking of serving the Third Prince gave her a headache. Will she need to help

him dress and bathe like those nobilities in the Chinese dramas?

But.Why did she secretly look forward to that? Imagining a beautiful man like the Third Prince stripping and bathing... No, Xiao Hua! Stop imagining or there will be a nosebleed!

CHAPTER 14: This type of princess, Xia Hua does not hate

"X iao Hua, don't you want to clean up?" Long Lian asked when she saw Xiao Hua sitting on her bed after finishing her bath. An Jing had left the tent long ago.

"I will just wash my face."

Xiao Hua could stand and walk without problems now because the burn was much better thanks to the medicine. The medicine made by the Third Prince was amazingly effective.

Surprisingly, Long Lian followed Xiao Hua and watched her wash her face with warm water that was in a copper basin. She assumed that Long Lian wanted to say something, so Xiao Hua waited until she decided to talk.

"Xiao Hua, do you hate me?"

Xiao Hua halted in the middle of drying her face with a clean cloth and looked at

Long Lian with surprise. "I don't. Why do you think that?"

"I... towards commoners...I'm not polite. I had not realized my rudeness until my third brother pointed it out to me."

Xiao Hua was not really surprised that the Third Prince was concerned about com-moners. He was gentle and kind towards everyone, which was a rarity for royalty. But for Long Lian to broaden her views after one sentence, it showed that Long Lian was truly different from those stereotyped selfish and narrow-minded princesses.

This type of princess, Xia Hua did not hate.

"Ah Lian is a princess. Most princesses do not care much about commoners. But Ah Lian does, so why would I hate you?"

With teary eyes, Long Lian embraced Xiao Hua. She had been hugged by the princess so many times in the past that she was no longer surprised by it. "Xiao Hua, you are so nice to me."

...Is she nice to Ah Lian? Princess, are you saying that the Xiao Hua that feeds you her leftovers is nice? Or the Xiao Hua that speaks only a few words of concern yet does not offer her hand to help you is nice?

It sounded so pitiful when she heard that.

"Only my mother, father, and my brothers truly care about me. The maids and other ladies only treat me well because I'm a princess. I don't have a true friend that really cares about me."

"That's not true..."

Long Lian untangles herself from the smaller girl. "Once, I had embarrassed myself for being caught in a scandal with a minister's son. Mother Empress had pleaded with Father Emperor not to marry me to him, and fortunately, Father Emperor agreed in the end. But with the reputation of being 'ruined', no madams dared to offer their son to marry me. Even those that I had always viewed as my friends had distanced themselves from me. There are some that asked for my hand in marriage but with the intention to use me."

That sounds like a novel... oh wait, she's living in a novel now. But Le Xiao Ting did not know Princess Long Lian had this past. The novel had not mentioned this history.

"Then. Are you.... with that man..."

"No! That scoundrel dared to enter the room I was using to change my dirty clothes, and a group of ladies that came over to visit me saw what happened. They were quick to spread rumors and stretched the truth to their benefit."

"What! Did you and that guy not explain what really happened?" Xiao Hua asked in shock.

Long Lian smiled bitterly. "No matter how much I tried to explain, no one believes me, other than my mother and my brothers."

"Did you not prove your virginity? With the red dot on your arm?"

"Red dot? What is that?" Long Lian lifted her sleeve and revealed a pale, slender arm. There was no red dot on it.

Seeing the genuine confusion on the princess's face, Xiao Hua realized that the red dot that proves a ladies' innocence did not exist in this world. Actually, she did not even know if it existed in her original world as she only found out about it from historical novels.

Pity, she thought that she could finally know about its true origin and how it worked.

"N-Nothing, I was muddle-headed and remembered some facts incorrectly." Xiao Hua tried to cover her mistake. "I truly believe that Ah Lian is innocent."

"Xiao Hua is a good friend!"

Le Xiao Ting had sympathized with Long Lian when she read the novel. This strong and kind princess did not deserve to have such a terrible fate. She always thought that the author must have hated Long Lian so much to put her in one terrible situation after another.

But now that Le Xiao Ting was living as Xiao Hua, she would try to help Long Lian achieve a better future. It was great that the Third Prince had saved them earlier. It prevented Long Lian from falling into the dirty King of Munzhu's hands!

Xiao Hua had little to no power to save Long Lian as a maid, but that does not make her powerless. She had felt that the current Third Prince was different from the novel's Third Prince, but to what extent, she was uncertain.

In the novel, the Third Prince always dressed in dark-colored clothes with a portion of his long and silky hair pinned up with a gold crown. His attire helped others to identify him as a male. But most readers in the novel had wondered if he was actually a female in disguise with how beautiful the author had described him. There was a large group of readers that even bet on the Third Prince's true gender being female!

But the Third Prince that Xiao Hua met favored light-colored clothes that emphasized his beauty with his long hair let loose to play in the wind. He gave off a lazy and seductive atmosphere, yet no one could doubt that he was anything but a male with those wide shoulders and tall stature, along with his authoritative aura.

And that Adam's apple, of course.

Another difference was his intimidating guards and his four not-so-simple inner maids that knew martial arts. Any person with common sense would already know something was wrong.

Feeling her body getting pulled in a direction, Xiao Hua came out from her inner

musing to find the older girl had pulled her to one of the beds.

"Xiao Hua, let's sleep together," Long Lian suggested sweetly.

Mother, please forgive your daughter, for she might stray to the wrong path. Beautiful things are the strongest temptation!

"T-That is not appropriate!"

"What's not appropriate? We are both females, there is nothing forbidden about it."

Princess, should Xiao Hua introduce you to girl and girl- No! Xiao Hua smacked her dirty mind. Ah Lian should remain pure!

"It's improper," Xiao Hua said firmly.

"We are both girls!"

"Xiao Hua snores when she sleeps," Xiao Hua said with an expressionless face.

"Xiao Hua also tends to fling her legs around. Xiao Hua also talks in her sleep."

"Xiao Hua, do you forget that we shared the same room before?" Long Lian asked with a sharp piercing gaze, poking a large hole into her lies.

Xiao Hua could feel her poker face starting to crack. "... Xiao Hua suddenly wants some fresh air. Princess, please head to bed first."

Xiao Liu, one of the Third Prince's top guards that was usually tasked as a carriage driver, was assigned to guard the princess and their master's new personal maid, Xiao Hua. Although he wondered why the Third Prince would pick that scrawny girl as his maid, he did not dare to question his master's decision.

He was serious with his duty and his eyes never remained on the same spot for more than three seconds. His ears were focused on every sound that was out of place.

Suddenly, a small shriek came from the tent behind him, where the two people he was assigned to guard stayed in. He would have darted right in if he had not heard a playful giggle straight after that.

Xiao Liu blushed as his ears caught every single giggle and gasp coming from the tent. His youthful mind could not prevent himself from imagining the colorful scene of what could be happening inside the tent. It was only a while later that the sounds stopped, but it took Xiao Liu a lot longer to calm himself and focus back on his task.

When the morning arrived and an older guard relieved Xiao Liu's night shift, he wondered why the young boy blushed when he asked about his night shift.

Could it be that this boy had a crush on the princess?

Xiao Liu might have been an adult of twenty years old but he spent all those years devoted to the safety of their prince, training himself to be stronger and tend to the horses. He might not even know what happens between men and women.

Hmm...Maybe it was time to give Xiao Liu a talk about bedroom

CHAPTER 15: Silence Courtyard

When they could finally see the large gates of the Guilin Kingdom, Xiao Hua wanted to cheer! Her butt was saved from abuse thanks to An Jing's comfortable and steady lap but it was still tiring to endure a long journey.

A large crowd had gathered around to watch the incoming carriage enter the cap-ital. It was because they recognized the symbol on the carriage, which told them the identity of the owner.

"That is the royal carriage!"

"Which prince is it? The Third Prince?"

"The Second Prince is back!"

"Huh? Third Prince is not in the capital?" A male commoner asked casually and instantly got dozens of females glaring at him.

"How could you not know our Third Prince had set off on a journey? Are you a foreigner?"

"What journey?" Another woman scoffed. "He went to get our Princess from the Munzhu country. Tsk, Munzhu Country must be filled with barbarians or else they would not even think of kidnapping our precious princess!"

"It was fortunate that our Third Prince managed to get the princess back!"

"I heard from a travelling merchant that the Third Prince had offered something to the Munzhu's King in exchange for Princess Long Lian's freedom!"

"How bold! Those barbarians dared to make our honourable prince give them something? What did the Third Prince give them?"

"A pearl that can only be found in the Xuanwu Kingdom!"

The crowd sucked in a harsh breath. They all knew the Xuanwu Kingdom was famous for its luminous pearls. But its production was not much, hence why they were very stingy when it came to giving out their pearls to other countries. For the Third Prince to offer something so valuable to the King of Munzhu just to save Princess Long Lian had touched their hearts.

From that moment on, the flames of hatred in the citizen's hearts towards the King of Munzhu grew.

At the same time, the oblivious King of Munzhu sneezed continuously and was forced to drink plenty of bitter medicine from a concerned Imperial doctor.

Their conversation was loud enough to be heard by Xiao Hua in the carriage. She did not know the importance of the pearl and just assumed that Long Lian and the Third Prince were loved by everyone. Even the Second Prince was only mentioned once or twice.

"Everyone loves you, Ah Lian!" Xiao Hua said to the princess that was sitting opposite her.

Xiao Hua did not know how the princess had managed to change the Third Prince's mind, but she got permission to ride with Xiao Hua and the other inner maids. With Long Lian inside the carriage, the two younger inner maids, Tian Zi, and Tian Chi did not dare to show their usual playfulness. They squeezed to sit beside An Wan despite the carriage having enough space to fit ten people.

The whole ride was filled with silence and vigilance but Long Lian ignored the atmosphere and kept on getting Xiao Hua to talk to her. That action earned her a few glances of respect from Tian Zi and Tian Chi.

"Princess Long Lian is loved by everyone for her kindness and cheerfulness. She is generous in spreading her joy." An Jing did not conceal much of her adoration from

"You overpraised," Long Lian said demurely, hiding her lower face with her sleeve.

"This Princess is just acting according to what is expected of me."

It took quite a long time before the carriage stopped outside the palace gate, which showed how large the Kingdom was. The carriage's door opened to reveal Da Liu with his usual grim aura.

"Princess Long Lian, this servant is here to pass on the Third Prince's message. Princess needs to ride in His Highness' carriage to enter the palace and greet the Emperor and Empress."

"This princess understands." Long Lian turned to Xiao Hua. 

"I will visit you later." Xiao Hua nodded and watched the princess gracefully step out of the carriage.

"Tian Zi and Tian Chi, both of you will guard Princess Long Lian." As the princess currently had no maids to serve her, the Third Prince generously loaned two of his inner maids to his sister.

"Yes, Elder Sister An Jing!"

Left with An Jing, An Wan, and Xiao Hua, they continued riding the carriage until it reached their destination. Embarrassingly, An Jing carried Xiao Hua out of the carriage and into the grand, large manor.

"I can walk, Sister An Jing!" Xiao Hua hurriedly said.

"His Highness has left me an order to not let you walk for today, for your legs to heal properly."

Eh? The Third Prince did? Could it be he had been fooled by the redness of her legs and assumed it was a severe burn?

Regardless of the truth, Xiao Hua let An Jing continue carrying her into the manor since she already attracted people's attention. She kept quiet and avoided any eye con-tact, trying her best to endure the stares as they made their way in.

"Welcome back, Elder Sister An Jing. Elder Sister A Wan." Everyone greeted them as they passed by.

"Gather everyone at the Silence Courtyard," An Wan ordered one of the servants in passing.

When they stepped into a wide courtyard that would have been ideal for a football game with the spacious and tidy short grass, there was already a crowd of people lined up and waiting for them.

An Jing brought them to the front of the crowd, where all eyes fell on them, secretly wondering who was the newcomer that managed to get the indifferent and aloof Elder Sister An fing to carry her.

An Jing set Xiao Hua down on her feet, who insists that it would leave a bad impression for not standing properly while being introduced. "I have two announcements to make. First, the position of our master's personal maid had been filled." This time, all eyes openly assessed and judged her, with such immense intensity that Xiao Hua wanted to run away. "Her name is Xiao Hua and according to the rank-ing, you will all call her Elder Sister Hua. Everyone will show their respect accord-ingly."

"Elder Sister Hua!" It was scary to have more than thirty people calling her at the same time.

"Please take care of me," Xiao Hua said humbly and gave a slight bow but she earned a few strange looks. Those words were actually what Le Xiao Ting always said whenever she met a new co-worker.

"As for the second announcement, no uninvited guests or relatives will be allowed into the manor! This rule is an old rule, but our master decided to place a heavier weight on this rule from today onwards. We have caught some rat that managed to sneak into our master's manor to steal information."

The two familiar mini guards appeared and grabbed one of the male servants in the back row. When the male servant was forcefully brought to the front, he was already tied up and kneeled down before An Jing.

An Wan stepped forward to the tied-up servant, staring down at him with chilly eyes. It was difficult to be intimidating while having a submissive appearance but An Wan managed to pull it off.

"Er Han, our master is generous to us all, yet you dared to betray him. Not only that, you also didn't even run away. Aren't you looking down on our master way too much?"

Xiao Hua trembled when she felt that everyone's gaze on the tied-up servant turned hostile. Every time Le Xiao Ting watched a TV drama about a servant getting face slapped for doing bad stuff to the main characters, she had supported the punishment and even suggested worse alternatives.

But when she saw it happening right in front of her, her enthusiasm died and was replaced with dread. That was because Xiao Hua was now a servant! She could be killed off even when she only made one small mistake!

Er Han knew that he would not be spared, so he did not even plead or make excuses for himself. "I am a citizen of Munzhu! I've always looked for a way to go back. Even if I'm grateful for Guilin's Third Prince's kindness, I'll not betray my country!"

A Wan sneered. "How loyal you are to your roots but not to your benefactor! For a person like you, no outsider would dare to offer aid!"

"Er Han, stop being foolish!" One of the male servants from the back spoke up frantically.

"Er Yen, you are an embarrassment to Munzhu!" Er Han looked at Er Yen with scorn. "Did you forget that we have been kidnapped from Munzhu to harm our soldier's morality? We are hostages! We have been taken away from our family!"

"Your family?" A Wan laughed, but it was filled with mockery. "You mean your cousin, Wang Wang?"

Hearing that name, Er Han's face paled. "What did you do to my cousin!"

"She and her friend were sent to South Guilin Village as a courtesy of the Third Prince." Wang Wang's grandfather was from Munzhu country, but successfully migrated to Guilin and started a family. However, the younger generation was patriotic and agreed to help out their relatives that were held as hostages.

As for Jing Jing, she wanted to escape the life of a servant, thinking that she could at least be a concubine of a noble in the Munzhu country.

Er Han's pale face filled with horror. "No, no! You can't do this!"

"Our prince was also kind enough to bring your brother and mother from Munzhu to stay at South Guilin Village as well."

"No! You monster- Ahh!" Er Han screamed when one of the mini guards snapped his left arm easily, stopping him from charging at An Wan.

"Monster? Have you thought about what you did when you betrayed our prince's trust? Stealing information from him and kidnapping our Guilin's beloved princess, do you think there won't be consequences on you?"

"Please, Elder Sister An Wan! Spare him!" Er Yen kowtowed and started slamming his forehead on the ground. Xiao Hua detachedly wondered if his forehead would start bleeding like what she had seen in dramas.

Some servants tried to pull Er Yen back but with a frosty look from An Wan, they

did not dare to do so again.

"Kill him," An Jing commanded. Immediately one of the mini guards pulled out his sword and very swiftly sliced Er Han's throat open.

The sight of blood spraying out from the deep wound, revealing the dark red flesh and the white bone. Xiao Hua, who had been feeling disconnected from the situation, came back to reality and screamed in terror at the sudden violence. An Jing hugged her, pressing her face onto her soft bosom and hiding the sight away from her eyes.

Oh my God, they killed people so easily!

CHAPTER 16: We, as servants, must support our master

Seeing how badly the younger girl reacted to the scene, An Jing lifted the terrified girl into her arms to leave. She gave An Wan a meaningful glance which An Wan returned with a nod.

"Clean it up," An Wan ordered the other servants, and they instantly moved, fearing that if they were a second slower, they would be punished.

An Jing carried Xiao Hua to a quieter place within the same courtyard. She kindly advised the trembling girl in her arms. "You have to get used to violence soon."

When Xiao Hua gazed at her with wide eyes filled with confusion and fear, An Jing further explained. "The Third Prince aims for something that is beyond reach for a normal person. We, as servants, must support our master and help him by removing the obstacles in his journey to achieve his goal."

"His aim..he will use force to achieve it?" Xiao Hua's heart squeezed in fear. She did not know what the Third Prince's exact objective was, but if he had to use force to achieve it, it must be something big.

An Jing entered a bedroom that was the same size as the Old Madame Mong Lu's bedroom. The room was decorated in a simple style, with only a white vase filled with bright colored flowers to brighten the room.

"If we do not use violence, we will die from other people's violence. To stay alive, our master has no choice but to attack instead of defending until the end. If we do not attack, many of our people will die and our master is not a heartless person to his own men."

Le Xiao Ting was familiar with business war, family war, and political war, but never wars that used weapons and fists to exchange blows until the victor was decided by the last person that survived. She never really liked violence, but playing video games was different because it was just a game, not reality.

To force herself to accept her future filled with violence and without peace. Then got her sleep interrupted by nightmares while being haunted by guilt during the day?

What kind of life was this?

"Sister An Jing, I- I don't think I can accept it."

"I had a similar mindset as you in the beginning," An Jing revealed, not at all angry at Xiao Hua's averseness. Her eyes were staring at Xiao Hua, but she was actually seeing her past, remembering what she had experienced.

"But I have experienced the horror of starvation with my life hanging at the edge. I do not wish for my family to suffer again. I am eternally grateful that the Third Prince saved my family from hunger and poverty."

Suddenly feeling cold, Xiao Hua shivered. Le Xiao Ting knew how unfortunate a person's life could be, but she chose to remain ignorant about the darker side of soci-ety. But now that she was living as Xiao Hua, she has no choice but to live in that dark side that will be darker in the future.

"After being appointed as a lower-ranked maid for the Third Prince, I worked very hard to reach the inner maid's position." An Jing chuckled softly as if laughing at herself. "I've got a mindset that the higher my position, the less worries I will have."

"But it won't," Xiao Hua said softly with her head bent low. Her eyes revealed empathy and pity, her hand gripped onto her blue skirt until her knuckles turned white.

An Jing smiled in agreement. "You are right, it won't. But my worries have changed. In the beginning, I was worried about the food, shelter, and safety of my family. Now, my worry is focused on my master. His safety, his enemies, and his worries are the factors that could indirectly harm the safety of my family."

"You want to keep the Third Prince safe just to protect your own life?"

"What do you think?" An Jing asked with clear eyes. She was not ashamed to be known for someone that placed her own interest before anything else.

Actually, Xiao Hua did not know what to think at all. She had no choice but to step onto the Third Prince's boat. She does have another choice, which was to seek the heroine and board her ship, but she has mixed feelings about that path. The novel had mapped out the future, but Xiao Hua knew better than to place all her eggs into one basket. Not when there were events that were different from how it was written in the novel.

An Jing poured them a cup of water each. Xiao Hua politely gave her thanks and slowly took a sip of the warm water. It was slightly sweet but it gradually turned bitter and the taste lingered in her mouth.

"The Third Prince has allies just as he has enemies. You must have guessed that we, the inner maids, are cultivators."

Xiao Hua nodded. It was very cool to meet beautiful maids that could fight.

"We had willingly sworn an oath to protect and serve our master till our death. We learned how to fight to protect our master and ourselves. Violence is common here but that does not mean there are no rules to prevent people from senselessly committing an offense. However, the law could not stop the strong people from thriving while the weak people were to be used to sustain the strong ones."

"Sister An Jing." Xiao Hua stared seriously at An Jing. "I'm just a commoner that does not know how to read or write. I don't even know martial arts. Yet your master chose me as his personal maid. Why is that?"

An Jing's lips tilted upward as she stared down at her cup between her palms. She could still vividly remember the day before they set out to get Princess Long Lian back from the Munzhu Country. Her master suddenly announced that he will bring back his new personal maid along with the princess.

Naturally, his shadow guards and inner maids voiced their disagreement. Having a stranger that no one had heard of before to occupy the position that would place her closest to their master's side screamed of danger. They were worried about their master's state of mind.

'This prince trusts her.' That was the only thing their master had said and after that, he disregarded any of their objections.

Her younger sisters had boldly guessed the new maid was going to be a rare beauty with superior talents, but what they met was an unhealthily thin, small-sized young girl with plain features. Xiao Hua was not intelligent or street smart, but a simpleminded person with an honest disposition.

Tian Chi and Tian Zi were saddened that their master had chosen a plain-looking girl with no special talent while An Wan was determined to analyse Xiao Hua until she found out what she had in her that captured their master's attention.

Among the four inner maids, it was An Jing that had served him the longest, when the prince was still an eight-year-old child. She could be considered one of the people that understand him the most. Even his biological mother, the Empress, was not truly clear about what her biological son was thinking most of the time.

An Jing guessed that this new maid was related to the 'nightmares' that her master had unconsciously revealed in his mumbles during his sleep. After the discovery, she prohibited any servants to be around his bedroom during his sleeping time to keep his 'nightmares' a secret. It would be dangerous if someone managed to piece together the clues her master had unintentionally revealed during his sleep.

That was why, as a person that had pieced together the clues given by her master, she trusted his decisions and judgment. If her master said that Xiao Hua was his important person, then An Jing would protect her and use her own life to do so if need-

"He trusts the people that the princess chooses," An Jing finally answered after a while. It could be considered the truth even if it was not the reason behind her master's actions.

"It's only because of that?"

An Jing chuckled at Xiao Hua's look of disbelief. "Do not underestimate Princess Long Lian's judgment. It was not widespread knowledge, but our princess usually only likes people that have a higher moral compass."

"It's tested?"

"On a few people, but it will only work if the princess does not hold certain biases and she had no knowledge of the person before."

An Jing's face revealed that she held Long Lian on a high pedestal but Xiao Hua was ashamed to admit it was nothing special to be amazed about.

Le Xiao Ting had a fellow co-worker that was very good at calculating a person's fate just by looking at their facial features. The results were very accurate and their HR supervisor would often pass a stack of application forms for her co-worker to choose the best candidates.

Her co-worker accepted the task, with charged fees of course.

But even without Xiao Hua saying it out loud, just by seeing her honest face, An Jing already knew that she was not marveled with Princess Long Lian's talent.

Xiao Hua's image in An Jing's eyes improved and her approval of her being the princess' friend deepened. She could see that Xiao Hua would not abuse the princess' trust by using the friendship card.

If Xiao Hua knew what An Jing was thinking, she would be embarrassed to be praised for looking down on Long Lian's talent instead.

CHAPTER 17: Reader Le Xiao Ting truly pitied the Third Prince

An Jing did not chat with her for long, as she had other duties that needed her atten-tion, and left Xiao Hua to rest in her new bedroom. With heavy emotions still riding on her, Xiao Hua laid on her bed and hid under the quilt, even if it did not provide much emotional security. Her optimistic side had collapsed and was unable to stop her mind from imagining terrible scenarios.

An Jing had not forced her to accept the Third Prince's choices and fight for him.

Her words were for Xiao Hua to broaden her view and hopefully be able to encourage her to support the Third Prince. For An Jing to choose this way to get Xiao Hua to stand on the Third Prince's side could mean that she genuinely wanted Xiao Hua to help the Third Prince without resorting to blackmail or force, but pure free will.

But could servants have free will to choose their own master?

Actually, Le Xiao Ting truly pitied the Third Prince. The Third Prince possessed good looks that bewitched both males and females alike and had a delicate and gentle character. It was a miracle that he had survived until now. The Empress had done well to protect her son and was still capable of letting him remain untainted from cru-elty, for usually those with royal bloodline were swimming deep in it.

The author had described his beauty, praising him to be the most beautiful in the uilin Kingdom, but was biased when it came to praising the hero and heroine, lifting hem up to Heaven. However, Xiao Hua had truly been star-struck by the Third Prince's looks. If he looked this awesome, could the hero and heroine look even more breath-taking?

Speaking of the Third Prince's face, Xiao Hua could not get used to it. Le Xiao Ting's boss looked eerily just like the Third Prince, except that the prince was more femi-nine!

Remembering her boss reminded Le Xiao Ting how she transmigrated here in the first place. Her anger towards her boss tripled as it was partly his fault that she died and ended up possessing Xiao Hua's body. She supposed that she was pretty lucky that she did not encounter Xiao Hua's spirit or else they would have fought over this body.

It would be terrifying to have her soul chewed by the original Xiao Hua until there would not be enough for her to reincarnate.

The source of her predicament could be traced down to Le Xiao Ting's guilty plea-sure, which was reading Chinese romance novels. She read them during her free time... and secretly during work hours. Despite not being able to read Chinese char-acters, she could still use Google translate to read. There were also plenty of translators that translated them into English for readers such as her to enjoy.

On the day of the incident, it was actually the same day that the author had posted the epilogue of this novel. Very quickly, the comment page was filled with dozens of comments. Le Xiao Ting felt that the ending was unsatisfying and lacking in substance so she decided to read through the comments to see if other readers had caught some interpretation behind the character's actions in the novel that she had missed.

It so happened to be during work hours, so she used her office laptop to indulge in her guilty pleasure while acting as if she was enthusiastically doing her job. She was so absorbed in reading the increasingly interesting comments that she had not noticed her boss was calling for her. It was only when he suddenly rapped on her desk sharply

Her first, unconscious reaction was to click on the close button of the window page, not wanting to be caught doing something unrelated to work. However, at the same time, her other hand tried to push down her laptop screen in reflex, a habit she had assumed she had broken years ago. It was a habit she developed during her university days when she wanted to hide her screen from her busybody friends.

Unfortunately, Le Xiao Ting had forgotten the existence of a cup filled with hot chocolate that was placed right beside her laptop, an important instrument that aided her downfall. Thanks to her clumsy hand, she had unbalanced the cup and the contents splashed all over her laptop and cables.

When she saw the stained cables, Le Xiao Ting panicked and grabbed them, stupidly trying to unplug them without switching the power off. Predictably, she got electro-cuted. In her mind, she cursed the tech department for ignoring her request to hide her wires from plain view on her desk!

When she woke up, she felt embarrassed and ashamed. But those feelings were not needed when she found herself in a totally different place with a totally different body.

Xiao Hua let out a loud sigh, unafraid that it would be heard by anyone. She was alone in the room, sprawled over the soft bed, and accompanied by her own misery.

The pillow was surprisingly comfortable, unlike those hard pillows used for props in a movie. The bedding used to cover the hard bed underneath was unexpectedly thick and soft. A thin and smooth quilt came along with it in a matching design and it was warm enough to keep the cold wind away.

Perhaps if she tried to get lightning to strike her, she could go back? But the fearful Xiao Hua would never attempt it even if there might have been a small possibility that it would work.

Could she escape death if she chose to help the hero and heroine? In the novel, the heroine had been generous when it came to helping her own people. But if they had thoughts that they should not have, they would end up in a terrible way.

Xiao Hua could not accept that reasoning, even if it worked extremely well in making sure no one dared to betray her.

But she was not willing to jump into their ship mainly because of the hero. The Second Prince was the perfect example of handsome, powerful, and arrogant! Most novels' male leads were just like him.

He would not hesitate to sacrifice his servants if that would save himself or his beloved wife. Even the two maids that the hero had brought to protect the heroine were told to sacrifice themselves so that the heroine could escape from danger.

Xiao Hua had no choice but to give up on seeking a safe haven from the hero and heroine. Now, she could only stay with the seemingly nice Third Prince. Maybe she could encourage the Third Prince to get stronger or migrate to another country?

Xiao Hua sighed, already feeling it was a hopeless and difficult task. All she wanted was to go home, why was it so difficult?

"What is this prince's maid worried about?"

Xiao Hua bolted upright from her worm-like position and spotted the Third Prince sitting at the end of the bed, looking gorgeous as ever. The sun was setting, casting shadows into the room from her window. There was a tall but thin tree right outside the window, and its shadow danced on the Third Prince's frame, forming beautiful scenery to be admired.

Wait, what am I thinking? Xiao Hua mentally slapped her 'Love Beautiful Things' side away and focused on the main issue.

"Third Prince, what orders do you have for this servant?" Xiao Hua composed her-self.

"This prince is here to see if you are doing well but you look as if something troubles you."

"Nothing troubles this servant!" Xiao Hua quickly denied it.

Her chin was grabbed and forced to tilt upward to look at the Third Prince. The Third Prince was frowning as if he had seen something that he disapproved of. "You are about to cry."

Have you ever experienced that moment when you were depressed and then someone asked if you were crying even when you were fighting to hold back your tears? Then you felt something inside you break free and you started to cry?

That was what happened to Xiao Hua at that moment. She tried to hold it in, but she failed as the body wanted to vent her frustration.

"Prince, please let go of me!" Xiao Hua tried to turn her face away to hide her tears but the grip on her chin was unyielding but strangely the grip was not painful at all.

She stopped struggling when the Third Prince used his thumb to wipe her tears, his red ring feeling cold on her warm cheek. His touch was gentle as he wiped her tears away without recoiling from the dirtiness. Even her tears became obedient and stopped falling.

"Now, tell this prince what bothers you."

"Why... Why does Your Highness wish to know? I am only a servant, someone that a prince does not need to be concerned with."

"You are my personal servant. Your concerns will affect me when your attention should only be on me." His reply was spoken with a serious expression and his tone was sincere.

Dear Ikemen [9], do you know your words make this lady's heart beat like crazy? 

"My worries will not affect my duty to you, Your Highness." Xiao Hua promised earnestly but was affected by his close proximity.

This beautiful prince, can you move your head away? You are too close!

Xiao Hua could see the Third Prince's face clearly from such a close distance. A man, with such a beautiful face, along with smooth and glowing skin, was almost un-fair. What did he do to his face to have such beautiful skin?

"You don't trust this prince?" His voice was surprisingly soft and calming yet it gave off a dangerous feeling that made Xiao Hua cautious.

"T-This servant doesn't dare."

"Then tell this prince your troubles." The Third Prince let out a peal of alluring

laughter. "You are pretty daring, to make this prince beg you."

"No! I-I mean-"

"Speak," the Third Prince cut her off with a demanding tone.

"I'm just worried about you!" The stark surprise on his face helped her to realize she had said something inappropriate.

Oh dear, why did she say it that way? It's open to many interpretations!

CHAPTER 18 What is this finger? So strong!

The Third Prince arched an eyebrow and Xiao Hua did not know if he purposely made it look seductive or if he was being his natural self. His phoenix eyes that were similar to Long Lian's were bright as if to convey he was pleased.

"As your master, this prince is happy that you worry about me." That's good to hear!

"But as a servant, you should not worry too much about me. This prince only needs a servant to obey me and do well in attending my daily necessities."

Xiao Hua gulped at the intense look directed right at her. The effect doubled with his face near hers, forcing her to imprint his intense expression into her mind.

His warm breath lightly hit her cheeks and she could smell mandarin oranges that he must have eaten earlier. His fingers were playfully rubbing her chin, successfully enticing her. With their close distance and his body slightly bent forward, he was looming over Xiao Hua with his tall stature.

It looked very much like a soon-to-be kissing scene.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

Her heartbeat kept on rising and she could feel her cheeks getting warm rapidly.

Her boss had been close to her before in some situations, but not even her heart rate increased this much before! She was not immune to this invasion of space!

"You are not going to reply to your master?"

Xiao Hua gulped. "Y-Yes, Your Highness! This servant will serve you well!"

"That's what this prince wants to hear. Hmm? Do you have a fever?" The Third Prince caressed his beautifully shaped fingers over her red face, feeling her temper-ature.

Slap!

Both of their faces expressed astonishment.

Much to Xiao Hua's horror, her body had unconsciously moved and slapped the Third Prince's hand away from her face. The Third Prince blinked in surprise as she scrambled out of the bed and kneeled down on the floor, her head touching the ground with a soft thud.

"This servant did not mean to hurt Your Highness! Please forgive this servant's rudeness!"

What else did she need to say? She was reluctant to say 'Please punish me'! Who on earth would ask for punishment for themselves?

Xiao Hua waited for the prince to say something but he remained silent. She did not dare raise her head to gauge his expression. Oh no, will she be dragged out and beaten to death?

No, no, no. Xiao Hua, do not think too much! This prince is very kind and forgiving!

But his silence was terrifying! She gritted her teeth before she reluctantly said,

"Master, please punish me."

In this silent room, Xiao Hua could clearly hear the sound made by his clothes when the prince moved. Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her armpits and lifted her up.

"Eek!" Xiao Hua let out an ear-piercing squeal and the Third Prince's eyes flashed with amusement.

"Hmm." The Third Prince pondered as he stared at Xiao Hua who he was lifting in mid-air. "You need to gain more meat." He had her sat on her bed and rubbed the top of her head, totally treating her like a little kid.

It took her a moment to realize she had unconsciously glaring at the Third Prince!

She quickly bent her head downwards, facing south, and was about to kneel again when a gentle force on her forehead stopped her.

Xiao Hua blinked at the slender finger on her forehead that had stopped her move-ment. She tried to push against the finger but it would not even budge, not even a tiny bit!

What is this finger? So strong! (o_o)

"Tomorrow An Jing will tell you what you need to know about this prince's manor." The Third Prince released her and walked out of the door. Da Liu closed the door after the prince left, leaving the dumbfounded Xiao Hua staring at it blankly.

Whatever warm feelings that Xiao Hua had felt for the Third Prince were already gone. Xiao Hua took a huge deep breath, urging herself to calm down, but the fear of being punished could not settle down. It encouraged her active mind to imagine bloody types of punishment and continuously stirred her imagination to greater heights.

"Nooooooo!"

Someone let out a cough to alert Xiao Hua, who immediately stopped her screaming. She turned and found An Jing standing at the doorway.

An Jing's expression was normal, but her eyes were brighter than usual, as if they were silently laughing at Xiao Hua. Actually, she had waited outside when Da Liu said their master was inside. When the Third Prince exited the room, his face showed a smile, but An Jing, who knew him well, noticed his smile was different than usual. His smile was softer and his eyes were brighter, making the prince look even more stunning than usual.

Ah how many times had An Jing seen this rare expression? It could be counted with one hand.

"Sister An Jing!"

An Jing stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. "I've come over with your dinner." Xiao Hua only then realized that An Jing was carrying meal boxes with different types of food inside each box.

"I could have gotten them myself, Sister An Jing."

"You did not know where the kitchen was yet. I will give you a brief tour tomorrow before telling you what your tasks are."

Xiao Hua did not know where the kitchen was, but she uttered those words due to the habit of being polite when someone helped her to do a menial task without her asking, such as carrying stuff for her. Xiao Hua vowed to think more before she spoke next time. It did not matter if she would be scolded for being slow. At least the chances of unintentionally saying something that could land her in trouble would decrease dramatically.

However, saying it was much easier than doing it.

"Thank you, Sister An Jing. Will Sister An Jing join me for the meal?" An Jing shook her head. "I still have some urgent tasks to complete for our master. Elder Sister Hua should eat first and rest early. Tomorrow we will begin our day before dawn."

Xiao Hua slowly nodded as she was forced to remember the time system that the ancient one used. When she arrived here, she knew nothing about the historical Chinese hour system. It was after countless trial and error did she manage to roughly memorize it. She learned that instead of using the one-hour system in her modern original world, the historical time uses the two-hour system.

An Jing bowed, which Xiao Hua hastily returned, before leaving the room. It was only after An Jing had left for quite a bit did Xiao Hua finally remember there was something she needed to ask An Jing.

Xiao Hua facepalmed. She forgot to ask An Jing if she knew anything about being punished for slapping a prince's hand. Oh, the agony of not knowing what to expect!

Xiao Hua sighed and hoped that An Jing would come back later. She moved her attention to her dinner. Even if she did not have much appetite, the food looked good.

There was a bowl of white rice with three different dishes served on the table. She recognized one of the dishes was Chinese cabbage. The second was a pot of Buddha's delight, which also happens to be the favorite dish of Le Xiao Ting's mother. The steamed white chicken was the last dish, looking very appetizing.

Le Xiao Ting could easily eat these dishes in her world, but for Xiao Hua, these dishes were a rare chance for her to eat.

During the time when she was living in Mong Lu's manor as a servant, the meals were usually a bowl of rice with some cheap vegetables that were not fresh. If they were lucky, they could eat the leftovers from their master's meal.

But... this amount was too much, was it not? This amount could feed at least three adults!

"Princess Long Lian arrives!" Someone announced outside the room and before the sentence ended, the door was already pushed open.

"Xiao Hua!"

Shifting in her seat to face the door, Xiao Hua smiled brightly at the beautifully dressed princess. 

"Princess, you've come right in time.."

... To help me finish the food!

At the same time in another place, the Third Prince was lost in his thoughts as he stared down at his palm, which had covered the whole top of Xiao Hua's head.

She was much tinier than he expected. Strange, he used to remember she was around the same size as Long Lian.

Is his memory faulty?

CHAPTER 19: The three that had gotten good things

"Xiao Hua, why are you not eating any cabbage?"

The younger girl that had been slowly pushing rice from her bowl into her mouth stopped her shoveling motion and went still. "I did eat it."

"Don't lie to me." Long Lian rebuked and pointed her silver chopstick at Xiao Hua.

"I only saw you picking chicken to eat. Even the Buddha's delight was not eaten by you!"

"I..."

Long Lian did not bother to listen to whatever excuse Xiao Hua tried to come up with and piled her bowl with vegetables until it resembled a flowerpot.

"Ah Lian, this is way too much," Xiao Hua complained in dismay.

"It's good to eat more meat, but you must eat vegetables too!"

"I did-"

"Then look at me when you say that."

"..." Oops, she got caught.

"You eat way too little when you are still growing. It's bad for your body!" Long Lian scolded as she narrowed her eyes at Xiao Hua's small figure. "Third brother also agreed that you are too small."

She's... too small?

Xiao Hua pointed out. "Ah Lian, I'm only thirteen years old."

Le Xiao Ting was the only child in her family and her friend's children were not older than ten years old. She knows that her current body was thinner compared to a few months ago, but she doubted she could be any smaller than the average thirteen-year-old.

Seeing that Xiao Hua truly believed that there was nothing wrong with her body, Long Lian decided to show her instead. "An Wan, are there any thirteen-year-old servants around?"

An Wan had switched shifts with Tian Zi and Tian Chi to serve the princess until there was a new trustable maid to fill the empty position. "Replying to the Princess, there are."

"Have them all brought over."

"Yes, Princess."

"Ah Lian...? What are you doing?" Xiao Hua asked in confusion, her head tilted to the side slightly. That action tickled Long Lian's heart.

Long Lian: So cute! If she gains more meat on her cheeks, she will look even more adorable!

Long Lian wanted to pick up more vegetables for Xiao Hua but her chopsticks stopped moving when she noticed there was no more space for her to add onto Xiao Hua's bowl.

"Eat!" Long Lian ordered and stared at Xiao Hua, using her forceful gaze to push her friend to finish all the food in her bowl.

Sighing inwardly, Xiao Hua started to eat the food, not wanting to argue. She had just finished off a piece of cabbage when An Wan returned.

"Princess, they are gathered at the courtyard."

"Good!" Long Lian put down her chopsticks, grabbed Xiao Hua's wrist, and pulled her out of the room. Two female servants were walking in front of them as guides while carrying lanterns to light up the way under the dark sky.

"Ah, wait!" Xiao Hua cried out when she nearly tripped over her long skirt from Long Lian's forceful pulling. Her hand was still holding onto her chopsticks as there was no time to put them down.

They arrived at a small courtyard where there were two boys and one girl standing at attention. The girl looked nervous while the two boys stood with straight backs, ready for whatever would be asked of them.

"This servant greets Princess!" The three of them greeted Long Lian.

"Rise," Long Lian said absentmindedly as she pulled Xiao Hua to stand closer to the other kids. "Look, they are the same age as you."

Why did this situation remind Le Xiao Ting of her friend that had tried to get her child to befriend other kids at school?

Even if Xiao Hua felt a little embarrassed about the situation, she had to go along with it. While Xiao Hua was wondering how she should greet them, the three of them had already moved to greet her.

"Greetings to Elder Sister Hua!"

"Hello, how are you?" After she said that, she wanted to smack herself. What kind of greeting was that? A stupid ingrained reflex of hers!

One of the boys snorted rudely and the other boy quickly stopped him with a sharp prod of his skinny elbow.

"Can you see, Xiao Hua? They are taller and larger than you!" Long Lian ignored their antics and focused on the main objective of this meeting.

Xiao Hua blinked and took her time to stare at them properly. The three of them were indeed taller than her. Since two of them were male, they naturally had a big-sized body.

So Xiao Hua turned her attention to the sole female to compare herself to. Her height was actually taller than the boys but thinner than them, yet her size was definitely a size bigger than Xiao Hua.

Xiao Hua turned her attention back to Long Lian, who sported an anticipating ex-pression. She answered the princess seriously. "They have gotten good things from their parents. That's nice."

Long Lian: "..."

An Wan: "..."

The three that had gotten good things: "..."

Long Lian did not say anything and pulled Xiao Hua back to her room to continue stuffing her with food, much to her horror. However, Long Lian had no sympathy for Xiao Hua. She felt that Xiao Hua was simple-minded and only needed to do what she told her to, then everything would be fine.

After the thirteen-year-old servants were dismissed, they returned back to their task. Their minds were still replaying the earlier incident and they finally decided on one thing. Elder Sister Hua is weird.

Long Lian did not give up and kept stuffing food into Xiao Hua's bowl. Xiao Hua knew that if this went on, she would vomit, so she shifted her body away from the table and ignored the unreasonable princess.

An Wan's mouth twitched once when she saw the scene. Their Princess had never been treated like this before and yet this little maid dared to do so and was not punished for her rudeness. This girl was not as simple as she portrayed herself to be.

The remaining dishes went into Long Lian's stomach when she could not stuff the sulking Xiao Hua with food anymore.

An Jing came by and reminded the princess to return back to the palace. The Emperor and Empress were waiting for her and had even sent a carriage to bring her back.

"I will see you tomorrow!" Long Lian promised earnestly, her eyes twinkled with anticipation.

"I will wait for you," Xiao Hua said, no longer sulking over the food stuffing. "You don't need to visit often when you are busy. I heard that a princess need to do a lot of things."

Long Lian whined. "Mother Empress wants me to learn archery tomorrow. I don't know why I would need to learn it. It's not as if it will be useful to me."

"There must be a reason why the Empress wants you to learn it," Xiao Hua gently pointed out.

"She told me that it would be good for me when it comes to self-defence. But I still feel that there isn't a need for me to learn it. I'm not planning to enter the military."

"Learning archery isn't only useful for military or war," Xiao Hua pointed out.

Long Lian frowned. "What else could it be used for? Most of the court ladies have never learned archery and focus only on the four arts. But currently, they are obsessed with the zither."

"Oh, zither? They make beautiful sounds." Xiao Hua felt a bit excited. She had never seen or heard live zither playing before. She only saw it on the YouTube site and historical Chinese dramas.

"You want to learn it? I can have one of the court ladies to teach you."

"No, there's no need. I'm just interested in listening, not playing it. Wait, don't switch the topic!"

"You are the one that switched it." Long Lian laughed. "But what's there more to talk about archery? Mother Empress wants me to learn, so I have to."

"With that mindset, you will learn it just to obey your mother's words. Without interest, you will not concentrate well and will waste a lot of time before you succeed in mastering it."

Xiao Hua felt a strong determination to try to broaden Long Lian's view. She knew that it was not good to push a person to follow her mindset, but not if Long Lian was ignorant of the benefits of learning archery.

"Archery is indeed mostly used in battles, but it will also help you to train your mind and eyesight. It also helps in building your arm strength. I do not claim to know what the Empress is thinking, but did she not tell you it's for your self-defence?" Long Lian pouted. "I already asked the third brother to teach me sword arts earlier. Sword arts are definitely more useful than archery."

That was what Xiao Hua secretly thought too. "Archery has its own strengths."

"Perhaps so, but it's still not as good as a sword. I will need to refill the arrows every time they are used!"

"Just learn both arts are fine, isn't it?" Xiao Hua asked.

"It's wasting my time. I can use the time to learn more about sword arts." Xiao Hua never thought a fifteen-year-old girl would think this much, but then, this was not the modern time period. "But Ah Lian, archery seems to help a person's mind to be sharper. Isn't there a general that follows the Second Prince that's good in archery? Tian Zi said that our kingdom has a well-known General that is good at gorilla strategy."

"Xiao Hua," Long Lian stretched out her name with an annoyed expression on her face. "Are you calling me stupid?"

"What? Of course not! No one is stupid except when they do not use their brain or are suffering from mental deficiencies."

"Me-what?"

Xiao Hua's eyes widened in mortification when she realized she had spoken English!

When she talked to her Chinese friends back in her original world, she would often speak in a mixture of Mandarin and English. It was especially when she did not know a certain word in Chinese and had no choice but to say it in English.

"I mean... a person that's got a problem with their brain. But my point is, learning archery helps you. I don't know much about the strengths of archery, but learning more than one form of protection is always better, right? Even if it wastes some time, at least you will know what to do when you are in a situation where you have lost your sword and there's only a bow and arrow in your hand. And you need lots of strength to pull the bow and fire the arrow at the target, so it could be considered as training your strength too!"

Seeing that Long Lian was contemplating what she had said, Xiao Hua smiled hap-pily. This princess was a good one by not being narrow-minded. It was truly tough to listen to people's reasoning when they had a strong belief.

"Take your time to think about it. Just attend the lesson tomorrow and experience it. If you think you don't need to learn it, you can always tell the Empress to stop the lessons."

Long Lian sighed wearily. "I cannot tell Mother Empress that I don't want to learn. But...I still don't believe it would help me much."

Xiao Hua smiled and did not say anything. She had said all she could say. The rest would be up to Long Lian herself.

Standing at the side of the room, An Wan stared at Xiao Hua with a complicated expression.

The younger maid's thinking was broad for someone that claimed to be uneducated.

CHAPTER 20: Human alarm clock service

During her stay in Mong Lu's manor, Xiao Hua had shared a room with five other maids. She would only wake up when others did, as Xiao Hua did not know how to tell time with the absence of a clock. Now that she has a room all to herself without a human alarm clock service, she had no choice but to avoid sleeping too deeply.

It truly felt like she had only rested for a moment when someone knocked on her door a few times, jerking Xiao Hua awake with a heavy body and tired eyes.

Oh no! Did she wake up late?!

Hearing noises from the room, a young girl said, "Elder Sister Hua, Elder Sister An Jing had assigned me to help you."

Xiao Hua climbed out of the bed and opened the door, disregarding how she looked currently after a night of tossing and turning.

The young maid was shocked when she saw Elder Sister Hua had opened the door in her sleepwear. But to Xiao Hua, she did not mind other people seeing her in her so-called 'pajamas', especially when her sleepwear had covered her from neck to toe.

"Pardon me, Elder Sister Hua!" Xiao Hua was pushed back into the room and the other girl quickly shut the door so that no one accidentally saw something inappropriate.

Xiao Hua squinted her eyes at the newcomer that was dressed in plain dark blue robes. "You look familiar."

"We met last night. My name is Si Si."

".....Oh, you are one of the 13-year-olds."

"Yes, Elder Sister Hua."

Seeing the dazed look on Elder Sister Hua's face, Si Si was relieved. She was forced to accept the task to serve Elder Sister Hua when no one was willing to. It would be al tough chore as Xiao Hua was weird but Si Si was willing to endure it if that meant she would get more chances to meet with the Third Prince. Her chances of entering the inner maid ranks would increase once the Third Prince noticed her competency.

Si Si was confident that the Third Prince would one day remove Xiao Hua from her position. A maid that was weird and not properly trained would not be useful to the Third Prince at all.

Le Xiao Ting's occupation in her original world did not need her to interact much with other people, except for her co-workers, boss, and the lousy IT technicians that could not do a good job whenever she called them in. They even ignored her when she told them those wires would zap her one day!

This young lady is not happy being the first sacrifice to get those jerks to move their asses and to do something about those wires! 

As a result, she was not well versed in identifying sly foxes with double meanings behind their actions. Those jealous fangirls of her boss did not bother to hide their dislike towards her and that was why she was aware of their intention.

However, this girl's expression revealed eagerness that could not be hidden behind her half-baked attempt of a polite smile.

Xiao Hua would normally pass it off as a maid that was eager to serve her master, but she remembered she was a newcomer, and a servant herself. How could there be a servant that would willingly serve another servant?

"Si Si, did Sister An Jing ask you to show me what I should do?"

"No. Elder Sister An Jing only told Si Si to take care of your daily needs starting from today."

"But... I'm a maid, just like you." Xiao Hua's face revealed genuine confusion.

"You are not just any servant, Elder Sister Hua. You are the Third Prince's personal maid. Your duty is to attend to his needs and nothing else. Si Si is here to take care of small matters for you," An Jing explained as she stepped into the room, her arrival as silent as her name.

Si Si's eagerness was wiped off of her face as soon as she saw An Jing. With how sharp Elder Sister An Jing was, it would be best to not show even a hint of her ambitions.

Xiao Hua's confusion was quick to disappear when she started thinking the other way round. The thought of having a maid to help her around sounds very pleasant.

"Will Si Si wake me up every morning?" She did not want to experience this torture ever again. She had constantly forced herself to wake up once in a while to check if it was time to wake up and it was exhausting.

An Jing's eyes glistened in amusement, well aware of the reason for Xiao Hua's question. "Si Si will be there to wake you up every morning. Si Si, help Elder Sister Hua to get dressed."

"Yes, Elder Sister An Jing." Si Si hurried out of the room and returned with a basin filled with water and a small white towel hanging over her arm.

It took little time to prepare Xiao Hua for the day with Si Si's help. An Jing stood at a corner, silent and still as a statue, with only her eyes moving, following Si Si's every movement as if to evaluate her. Due to the heavy pressure, Si Si made some beginner mistakes, which was not noticed by Xiao Hua but was silently noted by An Jing,

"Sister An Jing, what am I supposed to do?" Xiao Hua asked when she was ready and dressed in her blue uniform.

"I will lead you to the master's room. Remember the way." Xiao Hua's eyes widened in panic and she started to pay more attention to where they walked.

"Si Si, return to your task," An Jing said.

Si Si was unwilling to leave. This was a chance to meet the Third Prince! Her slave contract was sold to the Third Prince's residence when she was nine. Four years had passed but she was only able to see him from far away. The number of encounters between them could only be counted on one hand.

But she wisely did not show any of her dissatisfaction. With a bow, she walked away, all the while assuring herself that she must be patient. Patience is the key to suc-cess!

"Si Si seems happy to serve me," Xiao Hua commented uncomfortably. She had spotted Si Si's reluctance to leave just now. The girl had tried to hide it, but Xiao Hua was rather sensitive to other people's feelings once in a while.

Could this be the right mindset that a servant must have?

In contrast, An Jing grew suspicious of Si Si.

Princess Long Lian had begged the Third Prince to have someone take care of Xiao Hua. They had become good friends after their short bonding period and the princess noticed that Xiao Hua did not know many things. Worried, she wanted someone to help Xiao Hua, and preferably someone around Xiao Hua's age,

An Jing had wanted to assign an older maid for Xiao Hua, but everyone refused to serve another maid. To them, it was an insult to them. Each of the servants in the Third Prince's manor had undertaken strict training and could be considered an elite servant.

They would not have minded much if the three younger servants had not told the rest of the servants about their encounter with Xiao Hua. Or else how could the news of Xiao Hua being weird and stupid have spread all over the manor this quickly?

An Jing did not want to force the servants, or else Xiao Hua would suffer, so she decided to look for the younger ones. But they were unwilling as well.

When no one stepped forward, Si Si volunteered herself. An Jing had heard Si Si was a good girl and had never done anything out of line. She only assumed that Si Si volunteered because no one else would.

An Jing's eyes narrowed at where Si Si had disappeared to. It seemed that her mind was starting to get rusty. It was time to train her mind and body back to peak form.

"Elder Sister Hua, please pay attention. In this residence, there are four main court-yards; winter, autumn, spring, and summer. Silence courtyard is where we, the ser-vants, stay."

How original. Please notice the sarcasm. But it certainly would make it easier for her to remember the names.

"Summer courtyard is for guests to stay over. Winter Courtyard is the Third Prince's personal training grounds. The Autumn courtyard is a restricted area. Without permission from the Third Prince, you will be punished regardless of whatever reason you had to enter that courtyard."

Restricted area?

Xiao Hua knew better than to be curious and go over there to sightsee. She was not one of those heroines that accidentally stumbled into the forbidden place, discovered the male lead's secret by a miracle, and escaped punishment because they had done something remarkable enough to be pardoned!

"Right now, we are going to Third Prince's secluded abode, the Spring courtyard." Seeing how earnestly Xiao Hua tried to memorize what she had said, An Jing decided it was not a bad choice for her master to pick this young girl to be his personal maid. Having someone that schemed too much would only endanger her master's safety.