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CHAPTER 1: Be good and swallow it

Thanks to Princess Long Lian's help, Xiao Hua learned that it was now the eleventh month of the year. It had been four months since she started serving the Third Prince as his personal maid, and six months since the day she transmigrated into a novel.

During these four months, Xiao Hua's daily tasks were mainly brewing tea, grinding ink, and accompanying the Third Prince during mealtimes. It was actually a simple job compared to Le Xiao Ting's job in her original world.

She felt a little disappointed that she did not get to help the beautiful man to get ready every morning and before bedtime. Not that she was being a pervert, but it would be a memorable experience.

Princess Long Lian, who had often visited Xiao Hua to play and complain about her lessons, noticed that Xiao Hua had sharper eyesight than average, thanks to the miracle medicine from the heroine. Using that her eyesight was restored as an excuse, Long Lian forced Xiao Hua to learn archery with her, but even if her eyesight was sharp, she still could not shoot accurately.

When the Third Prince found out, he scolded Long Lian and pulled Xiao Hua out of the lesson. But on the same day, the Third Prince suddenly threw a question at Xiao Hua.

"Do you want to be stronger?"

"Stronger? Your Highness' meaning is for this servant to learn martial arts?"

"If it's possible, this prince would have An Jing teach you already. Unfortunately, you do not have the mindset and determination to learn it."

"Ah?" Don't have the mind set and determination? He did not even know if she had it or not!How could he say that!

Seeing his little maid getting angry, he felt a little amused as she looked like a small animal being bullied. "You lack concentration and prefer taking the shorter path to success. That is not the correct mindset that a cultivator should have."

Xiao Hua felt as if a large boulder had dropped onto her head. What he just said... is true! Is she that transparent? 

"There are other ways for you to be stronger. You would not be as strong as Long Lian, but at least you can protect yourself if you face any danger."

An Jing stepped forward and placed a rolled-up cloth onto the table before unravelling it. It was similar to those pouches where the doctors stored their equipment or acupuncture needles from historical dramas.

Inside the black cloth was a row of short, slim sharp knives. Their height was the same as a pen, and their width was thin as cardboard. She could see her own reflection on the surface of the blade and the handles were carved with the picture of a dragon with intimidating claws.

It was small in size but the sharpness of the blade looked lethal.

"Your Highness wants me to carry weapons for self-protection?"

The Third Prince sipped his tea leisurely. "Even a normal human could win against a cultivator with a weapon. The key to winning a fight depends on how familiar and skilled you are with your weapon."

When Le Xiao Ting was a child, like most kids, she used to dream of being a superhero. To fight against the dark forces and protect the world! Remembering how silly she was during her childhood was embarrassing. Yet when she saw these cool and dangerous knives, it brought out her old dream to be a badass superhero from deep inside her heart.

But Xiao Hua had to face reality. In this novel, she was 'Xiao Hua', the Third Prince's personal maid. In other words, she was already knee-deep inside the Third Prince's camp, and to survive, she had to make sure the leader remained alive to continue sheltering her.

There were no beautiful fantasies of being a hero but only a harsh reality of fighting to survive and protect what was important.

It was during these moments that Le Xiao Ting missed the peaceful environment in her original world. She was lucky to be born in an era and country that was not involved in a war.

Speaking of original worlds, the heroine's original world was not exactly peaceful either. The heroine was born in a very technology savvy era, where most of the things were already well developed with new unimaginable things being created every day.

It was the 25th century, a world where human lives were entwined deeply with technologies.

However, there was segregation of rich and poor, and the contrast was rather ex-treme. The heroine was born in a poor area and had worked hard to climb to a higher place. She was a highly in-demand mercenary with a high success rate. The reason she died was thanks to her best friend that betrayed her because she was jealous of her success and wanted her boyfriend.

Sounds silly and cliché, but there were still readers liking it.

In the latter half of the novel, the heroine used her previous life's knowledge to create a few gadgets with her future knowledge skill. Le Xiao Ting was a reader that usually skipped explanations, so she was not clear on the process of how those gadgets were made.

"Lack of concentration."

Xiao Hua snapped back to reality and blushed in embarrassment when there were eyes staring at her in exasperation layered with thin amusement.

"I- I... Xiao Hua will not do it again!"

"When you are in danger, being alert is the key to survival," the Third Prince chastised lightly.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"You will start training to use these knives."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Eat this pill."

..Huh? (• • )?

An Jing reached out a hand to take the small porcelain bottle from the Third Prince's palm and took out a pill before gently shoving the pill into Xiao Hua's unresisting mouth. Xiao Hua, who was used to being fed with pills once a while, did not hesitate to chew on the pill.

Her face immediately twisted and rapidly turned greenish, her hands quickly grabbing onto her throat. She was in conflict about whether or not to vomit the pill out.

The Third Prince was quick to cover her mouth with his palm before she vomited the pill out. "Swallow it."

Le Xiao Ting was bad at swallowing pills and usually resorted to chewing them into small pieces or swallowing them with the help of water. The pill currently in her mouth was not small-sized and the taste was the most horrible she ever tasted! Even the previous pills fed to her were not this bitter and large-sized! Yet they expected her to swallow this big pill, with no water to help her?

She could not do it! 

Xiao Hua struggled and tried to tug his hand away but no matter what, his hand seemed to be glued onto her skin.

With her teary eyes and red face, the Third Prince's eyes gradually soften and gently pats her back with his other hand. The four inner maids in the room looked away as if they were watching something they should not.

They felt as if they were witnessing a couple's interaction.

"Be good and swallow it. It's good for your health."

Stop treating me like I'm a disobedient kid! Why don't you come and swallow it yourself?!

Xiao Hua's eyes darted around to distract her as she tried to swallow it. She knew it was her mental block that made her afraid to swallow it but she did not dare to continue chewing the pill because the taste will get even worse.

She knew this from experience.

Her eyes landed on the cup that was filled with tea. She quickly reached out to grab the tea and the Third Prince did not stop her as he already had an inkling of what she wanted to do. He removed his hand and Xiao Hua eagerly drank the tea to cover the taste.

After successfully swallowing the pill, Xiao Hua let out a noise of a person that could finally breathe. She wanted to give the Third Prince a glare when the temperature in her body suddenly rises and does not seem to stop. In no time, she was already sweating.

"What... What's going on?"

There was a sharp pain from the back of her neck before everything went dark.

"Your Highness!" The inner maids stared at Xiao Hua worriedly.

"Being unconscious would be better for her. She could not withstand it."

Normally, one would have tried to withstand the effects of the pill as they were not that difficult to endure. The maids secretly thought getting stabbed was much more painful than eating the Nutrient pill for the first time.

Actually, they do not know if there was even a person who dared to make themselves unconscious after eating the Nutrient pill.

The Third Prince stood up with Xiao Hua in his arms and leisurely walked out of his room. He walked towards the next door, a room for a servant to rest during nighttime when they take turns to keep watch.

He stood in front of the room, pondering for a while before turning back to his bedchamber.

"Your Highness!" An Wan called out. An Jing had wanted to pull An Wan back before she could dig her own grave even further but the Third Prince had already halted his steps.

"This prince knows what you are worried about. But this prince doesn't need a servant that thinks too much."

An Wan unconsciously trembled in fear, remembering her own punishment when she had done what she should not have a year ago. She had boldly waited for the Third Prince on his bed, naked, anticipating that the prince would not be able to hold himself back once he saw her alluring body.

Her ego and self-confidence were crushed when the Third Prince stared at her body as if it was a piece of wood and ordered An Jing to personally punish her for a whole day. The Third Prince would have thrown her back to her previous master if An Jing had not pleaded to give An Wan a second chance.

The identity of An Wan was special and the Third Prince had to give her some face on behalf of her previous master.

The Third Prince would have sent An Wan to be punished if Xiao Hua had not suddenly let out a pained whimper and started squirming around, feeling uncomfortable even when she was not conscious.

The Third Prince's attention shifted away from his inner maids and stepped into his bedchamber with Xiao Hua. The door closed behind him, leaving his four inner maids outside, each with different thoughts in their minds.

CHAPTER 2: This view is so magnificent!

Long Zhu gently placed Xiao Hua on his bed before taking a seat at the edge of his bed, peering down at her. He could see the pill's effect working fast inside her body, clearing her pathway, and pushing the toxins out of her pores.

The dark toxin started extracting out from her pores and stained his bed, but strangely, he did not find it disgusting as he normally would if it was a different per-son. He did not mind his bed getting dirty, for he could always have his whole bed changed with a new one, or have the sheets cleaned.

If An Wan, who had once 'dirtied' his bed with her naked body, knew that the Third Prince did not mind having his bed dirtied by Xiao Hua, she would have cried in disbelief. After she had laid on the Third Prince's bed, he had immediately ordered it to be thrown out and burned.

Xiao Hua's tiny face scrunched up in pain and her tiny mouth open and closed without making a sound, silently enduring her pain. Her eyelashes trembled and droplets of tears rolled down her cheek that was covered with a thin layer of dark brown dirt.

Long Zhu's eyes clouded as his mind travelled back to his memory from a distant past, yet was also the future he was determined to change. He admitted, with a pang of guilt, that he does not remember Xiao Hua much, only that she was his sister's personal maid.

The only thing he could remember about Xiao Hua vividly was during the moment where she had stood in front of him and blocked the deathly attack for him. He recalled there was so much blood gushing out from her and the strong smell of copper imprinted deep into his senses. He could vaguely hear the anguished screams of Long Lian but his eyes remained glued onto Xiao Hua.

She died immediately from the blow, her body fell onto the ground like a marionette whose string was cut and buried under her own dark red blood. Her eyes were wide open, staring into nothing, and her face showed no fear or pain, but only relief.

As if she was happy to die for him.

It was the Crown Prince that sent the assassins that day, but they failed to take his life and instead took the lives of his servants and Xiao Hua. Since then, he hated the Crown Prince for making Long Lian depressed and taking those innocent people's lives.

But the person he hated the most was himself, for being weak and bringing harm to the people around him. Even if he finally wanted to change himself, it was already too late.

His brothers had already prepared themselves for many years and were ready to move for the final kill. Right in the middle of their fighting was Long Zhu, who had no chance to escape from death. It was only right before his death that the true culprit revealed himself to be the mastermind. It was him that manipulated the Crown Prince to view Long Zhu as a threat. That was why the Crown Prince suddenly sent assassins to kill Long Zhu, the harmless prince.

He died unwillingly, filled with anger and hurt from the deep betrayal. He died knowing that Long Lian would die right after him, as that man aimed to kill everyone that shared the same blood with the Emperor. His family died, all because of that bastard's evil schemes in the name of revenge.

When he woke up in his eight-year-old body, he felt lost, anger, and finally, desire for revenge. He will kill that ungrateful bastard and protect his family this time!

Long Zhu gave out a hand sign command and his shadow guards left his side, giving him privacy. If there was an attack, Long Zhu himself was enough to handle it.

"Xiao Hua," Long Zhu called out softly as if he feared waking her up although she would not be conscious any time soon. "I couldn't avenge your death. But I will kill the one that caused it."

Then she will not die this time.

Long Zhu did not have the heart to kill his eldest brother, especially when he had managed to mould and train his eldest brother to be a better person than before.

Now, his eldest brother was one of his valuable chess pieces.

As for Long Shan, even if he could change him, Long Zhu had no desire to do so. He was not a saint, and the hatred in his heart would never disappear until he witnessed Long Shan's death personally.

The night passed with Long Zhu reminiscing about his dark past while Xiao Hua fought against the pain in her unconscious state.

It was only when the soft light of the morning slipped into the room from the window did Xiao Hua return to consciousness.

The first thing she noticed was something slimy covering all over her skin and that stopped her from moving around. She turned her head around and observed that she was lying on a soft bed with the bed sheet smooth to touch. She turned her head to look for clues to identify where this place was and nearly had a heart attack.

This view is so magnificent!

An unclothed man was inside a wooden bathtub, with his wide back facing her and his hair rested over a shoulder, allowing her to ogle his muscular, broad back without hindrance. He had fair skin that made a girl like Xiao Hua envious, yet tempting her to touch. This sight was even more amazing than the one starred by Long Lian during the hot spring trip. The water droplets sliding over his skin made her throat burn in thirst.

She wants to lick- oh, he's turning around- Argh! Nosebleed! Nosebleed incoming!

Xiao Hua quickly rolled her body over until she faced the wall and held onto her nose. Why was the Third Prince bathing at a place where she can see!

"You are awake." Xiao Hua's ears were surprisingly sharp that she could hear him getting out of the wooden tub to get dressed.

Xiao Hua shut her eyes tightly, but the sexy sight was imprinted deep into her mind. Since when did she have such an excellent memory? She could feel her face burning with heat and there were funny tingles crawling all over her body.

Le Xiao Ting had a boyfriend before, but he never made her body react that way.

His looks could be considered as good-looking, but he failed to capture her heart. That was one of the reasons why she decided to break up with him. He was sweet and car-ing, but not enough to make her fall for him.

Her mom just shook her head when Le Xiao Ting did not seem to feel heartbroken over the breakup. She felt sad that she could not return his feelings properly, but it did not take long for her to move on.

Xiao Hua jumped when a warm hand touched her face. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that the Third Prince was already dressed. His wet hair caused the wet spot on his clothes to slowly get larger.

"An Jing," the Third Prince called, allowing An Jing to enter the room.

"Your Highness."

"Carry her to the tub and clean the bed. After that, exchange the water with a new one after the first soak."

"Yes, Your Highness." An Jing reached over and lifted Xiao Hua up from the bed.

"I-I can walk!"

"Elder Sister Hua, for now, it would be better for me to carry you."

"Why-" An Jing was quick to put Xiao Hua into the bathtub. Xiao Hua jumped at the sudden difference in temperature. The water was lukewarm, suitable for bathing for the chilled Xiao Hua.

But why was she inside the water while fully dressed? What were those black things? Xiao Hua noticed the water quickly turned dark and realized that she had polluted the water.

"W-Why am I so dirty?" Xiao Hua raised her arms and stared at them in horror.

Her blue uniform was dark in colour now, looking as if Xiao Hua had rolled around the mud for the whole day!

"That's the effect of the Nutrient pill you ate yesterday. It purges out the toxins inside your body which will make it easier for you to train," An Jing answered as she covered the bathing area with a foldable screen divider with a large blue dragon flying around the clouds painted on it.

The last thing Xiao Hua saw before the screen blocked her vision was An Wan drying the Third Prince's hair. Tian Zi and Tian Chi entered the bathing area and placed an empty wooden tub beside the one Xiao Hua was currently polluting.

Tian Zi let out a soft giggle when she saw Xiao Hua. "Elder Sister Hua, remember to dip your head into the tub once in a while."

"Huh?"

Tian Zi and Tian Chi had already walked away to get water to fill the empty wooden tub before Xiao Hua could ask further.

Suddenly scared, she slowly raised her hand to touch her face. Her fingers did not receive the usual feedback of her skin texture that was slightly dry and rough. Instead, her fingers touched something thick and slimy.

Goosebumps immediately broke out and with a terrifying shriek she quickly scrubbed her face with water. She did not know how long she had scrubbed her face but why does the slimy black thing so difficult to rub off?

By the time she was finally satisfied that her face was free from the slimy feeling, Tian Zi and Tian Chi had already filled the other wooden tub with water. Tian Zi dropped a bunch of flowers into the clean water so it would cover the stink coming from her impurities.

"Elder Sister Hua, remove your clothes in the tub. Then we will move you into the clean water," Tian Chi said.

Xiao Hua felt a little awkward to strip before the two girls, but if she were to ask them to leave and get into the other tub on her own, she would very likely dirty the floor.

Ah! Just quickly get it over with.

After Xiao Hua removed the dirty, wet clothes with difficulty, Tian Chi easily lifted her up and dropped her into the clean bathtub.

...Why does Tian Chi make it look as if she doesn't weight much?

Although Tian Chi was shorter than Tian Zi, she was still a bit taller than Xiao Hua.

But to lift someone with similar height without difficulties was astonishing!

Xiao Hua was amazed when Tian Chi and Tian Zi lifted the polluted bathtub filled with water out with no indication that they struggled with the weight. She needed to quickly adapt to the things here and stop acting like a fool whenever she sees something that did not make much sense in her original world.

Suddenly, she remembered the Third Prince that had just finished bathing. There was only one wooden tub before...

Kyaaaaaa! She just bathed using the same water that the Third Prince previously used!

CHAPTER 3: It's truly a miracle pill!

She had soaked in the bathtub for hours to get over her embarrassment as well as to completely free herself from the black slimy thing and the stench. When she got dressed, it was only then she noticed her skin was whiter than before and became as smooth as a baby. She had to stop touching herself or everyone would think she was a pervert or a narcissist.

It's truly a miracle pill!

"Elder Sister Hua can feel the difference?" An Jing asked with a smile on her face.

Xiao Hua nodded, her eyes glued to her soft-looking hands. Even her original body that was layered with lotions could not produce this kind of result.

A mirror was held up by An Jing right in front of her face, and her eyes immediately changed her target to be glued on.

"No way." Xiao Hua's breathing quickened as she traced her face with her fingers gently, unable to believe what she was seeing. This mirror could not be compared to the mirrors in her original world, but it was enough to let her spot the obvious differences in her appearance.

It must be because of the purging of the toxin from her body that her face looked even slimmer and her sharper cheekbones were even more eye-catching than before.

The drastic weight loss was pretty scary, but the small face with skin as fair as jade was a contrast to it. There was a healthy shade of blush on her cheeks and her lips were a healthy pink.

Why did she think her appearance resembled a living doll?

"Elder Sister Hua can learn knife throwing easier now that your senses are sharper!" Tian 7i cheered.

Indeed, Xiao Hua could detect things even farther away than before thanks to her sharper hearing and sight. She also felt energized to run a few laps around the manor without feeling half dead.

With a wide smile, Xiao Hua bowed deeply towards the Third Prince. "Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness!"

The Third Prince's hair was no longer wet and he had changed into dry clothes. His hair was not in its usual loose style, but with half of his hair pinned up by a jade hair crown with a shape of a dragon engraved on its surface. His clothes were also not in their usual loose and lazy style, but rather tight and form-fitting, with the end of his sleeves wrapped with long strip cloth, as if preparing to do something that requires lots of movement. He had even ditched his usual bright clothes and picked dark-coloured attire instead.

So... so dashing! If there's a sword for him to hold onto, it will be perfect!

"It's just a pill that's useful for new cultivators. This prince has no use for it." An Jing's face was a picture of indifference while An Wan looked as if she had bitten something sour. As for Tian Zi and Tian Chi, they felt that they had suffered an attack and fought the urge to vomit blood.

Their master had made the Nutrient pill, one of the top ten rare pills in the whole Four Kingdoms, into something that was only useful for a newbie!

But do not get him wrong, for what he said was reasonable. The Nutrient pill would be very useful for beginner cultivators, but in comparison for advanced cultivators, the Nutrient pill could only help improve a little of their cultivation but it was better than no effect at all.

Master, if you still have the Nutrient pills, give them to us, please!

"So it's like that." Their silly Elder Sister Hua nodded with an innocent smile, not at all aware she had just eaten a precious pill.

"The day is getting late. We should not delay any longer." The Third Prince left the room and Xiao Hua quickly followed behind along with the inner maids.

They arrived at a large courtyard with a few square-shaped wooden boards hanging onto the tree branches. The entire ground was a field of short grass, reminding her of the football field.

"This is Master's training grounds," An Jing explained. This small courtyard was right behind the Spring Courtyard which was built especially for the Third Prince's use if he was too lazy to go to Winter Courtyard to train. Only inner maids and the shadow guards were allowed to step in, but even then they were not allowed to use this ground for training.

Stepping inside the small pavilion, the Third Prince spread out a cloth with the sharp knives that were neatly arranged in a row on a table. He pulled one out and went closer to the hanging wooden boards, motioned Xiao Hua to stand beside him.

After that, with a wave of his hand, the ground suddenly had a long, thick line drawn on it. Xiao Hua blinked in surprise as she had not seen how the Third Prince did it. They were standing just behind the line, with a considerable distance between the spot they were standing and the hanging wooden boards.

"Look closely." He threw the small knife without much force behind it, but the knife landed right on the wooden board with a loud 'thud'. Strangely, the wooden board did not sway from the force. It remained still as if a knife had not just been embedded in it.

"This prince wants you to be able to throw and hit any of the wooden boards from where you are standing now."

Xiao Hua gulped, the nervousness bubbling like boiling water inside her but anticipation slowly crawling out of her heart. "Yes, Your Highness!"

"You will have three days' time to complete this task. If you fail to have ten knives on the wooden board, you will be punished."

Xiao Hua suddenly no longer felt eager about her new 'task'.

"The knives will be counted after three days. If any of them drops from the board before the time is up, it will not be counted."

Xiao Hua wanted to cry. (@ @)

"Master, the time to depart is near." Da Liu appeared silently and reminded the Third Prince.

"An Jing, A Wan, Xiao Liu, follow me. Tian Zi and Tian Chi, watch over the manor. Da Bei, you will oversee Xiao Hua's training."

"Yes, Master." Xiao Hua stared at the black-dressed boy that shared the same height as her. It was unknown when the boy had appeared beside her as his presence was hard to detect and was silent when he moved.

When Da Bei returned her stare, Xiao Hua gave him a wide grin. He immediately looked away, ignoring her.

Xiao Hua unconsciously pouted, no longer afraid of the black-dressed boy. She was no longer a fence sitter, unsure which side to help. Now that she had decided to be in the Third Prince's camp, it would be silly to be distrustful and scared of her companions.

"Da Bei, make sure she does not slack off. It's important that she eats on time, sleeps on time, and wakes up on time."

"Yes, Master."

...That is a bit too much, isn't it?

The Third Prince walked away, leaving Xiao Hua and Da Bei alone. It was only then Xiao Hua let out a shaky breath before turning to Da Bei. "Please...be gentle."

The Third Prince, whose cultivation level was high, could hear what Xiao Hua said despite having walked quite far away. He halted his steps and added a new order.

"Have Da An bring Lau Liu back earlier. It would not be good to have the manor lack of manpower."

"This subordinate will inform them," Da Liu said. When the Third Prince continued walking, Da Liu made eye contact with An Jing.

An Jing gave him a small but sweet smile and nodded her head. Da Liu, the fierce and cold man, would unexpectedly have a soft look in his eyes. He nodded in return and flashed away to complete his task.

Tian Chi and Tian Zi had gone somewhere, leaving Xiao Hua to practice. It was not long before they returned with a few meal boxes containing their afternoon meal. It was placed on the table after Da Bei packed the knives away.

"Eat first before resuming your training!" Tian Zi pushed Xiao Hua to sit down. "Da Bei, your share is here too."

"I've already eaten, Sister Tian Zi."

"A growing boy needs to eat more!" Tian Zi forced the awkward boy to join the feast. Da Bei sat still, making no move to pick up his chopstick. All awhile, Xiao Hua stared at him, her interest rising like the pace of a turtle.

The lower half of his face was covered with black cloth, making it hard to read his expression, but surprisingly, his expressive round black eyes were like a small window to his soul.

"Elder Sister Hua, you need to eat more. You will need more energy for training."

Tian Chi added more dishes onto her bowl generously.

"Em!" Xiao Hua nodded and ate her food heartily. She will need more energy for the training and Da Bei does not look like the type that would defy his master's orders and let her rest.

After this short time, she knew that the Third Prince was a good person and would not treat her badly, but she still does not know what punishment she would be given if she failed in her task. speaking of punishment...

Xiao Hua remembered the incident where she had accidentally slapped the Prince's hand when he saw her crying on that day. Hopefully, the Third Prince did not remember that she owed him a punishment.

CHAPTER 4: Perfect little brother type

With lunch done and training resumed, it did not take long before Xiao Hua had the urge to destroy something and prefer that something to be a certain huge tree with the hanging wooden target boards. No matter how much she had tried to throw the knives, not even a single one could come close to it. All of them fell to the ground before they could even approach a foot near the board.

Her right arm felt tired from the constant throwing, and she feared if she continued throwing, she might end up dislocating her right shoulder. But she had to admit her body was tougher than she had originally expected.

Her frustration led her to throw the knives at targets closer to her, such as the shorter and thinner tree which was a few feet closer to her than a certain huge tree with the hanging board.

Since she can't bully the big tree, she will bully the smaller one! (# Ò.Ó)

Xiao Hua was happy to see her knives sunk deep into the smaller tree with a satisfying 'thud' sound.

"That's not the target." Da Bei decided to pop her happy bubble.

Xiao Hua's shoulder slumped. "I can't hit it."

Da Bei stared at her for a moment before reaching out to take a knife. He moved his hand backward before swinging his hand upward and at the same time, releasing the knife. It hit straight into one of the hanging boards, making it swing slightly.

Xiao Hua bit her lip, contemplating. She picked up a knife and tried to copy Da Bei's move, but the knife fell to the ground even before it reached half the distance between her and the board. Depressed, she went to pick up the fallen knives.

"You lack strength."

Xiao Hua nodded in agreement. She knows that, but the Third Prince only gave her three days. If she trained her right hand to get stronger, she would not have enough time to train her aiming.

So many choices yet so little time!

"Da Bei, do you know what my punishment is going to be if I fail?" Xiao Hua anxiously asked.

"No."

"What...what do you think it will be?"

"Beat by a wooden stick." That was his punishment when he failed to finish the given task in the past.

.. No matter what, she needs to have ten knives on the board before the third day!

After hours of constantly trying, Xiao Hua let out a loud cheer when one of her throws managed to touch the board. "I did it!"

"You are out of the line."

Xiao Hua looked down at the ground, and sure enough, she had crossed the line.

And it was not by a few centimeters either. She had crossed more than a few feet!

"Why didn't you tell me, Da Bei?" Xiao Hua cried without tears. Her tiredness had long ago crushed her politeness towards Da Bei. To her, Da Bei was a very likable kid even if he was rather quiet until you asked him a question.

This is the perfect little brother type! 

"... I'm sorry."

Xiao Hua grinned. "Next time, tell me if I did something wrong, okay?" She grinned even wider until her teeth could be seen when Da Bei nodded.

"I never thought the master would cut down Elder Sister Hua's basic learning and jump straight into the main teaching," Tian Zi mused as she stared at the hanging wooden board.

"Master has his own reason," Tian Chi said at the same time, eating her food happily. It was again her favourite time of the day, tea time.

During the short time they had known each other, Xiao Hua found out that Tian Chi loved to eat. Xiao Hua's eyes looked at Tian Chi's figure up and down and silently thought that she must have undergone a strict exercise regime to maintain that slim figure despite all that eating.

"Elder Sister Hua, are you throwing only using your right hand?" Tian Zi suddenly asked. Xiao Hua nodded, unable to answer verbally as she was chewing a pastry.

"It would be better to train your left hand too. We all learned to fight using both hands."

Xiao Hua was already half dead with just one hand. And now she was told she needs to train her non-dominant hand as well?

"Don't worry, Elder Sister Hua. You can train your left hand later. Right now you just need to hit the board with ten knives!" Tian Zi said as if the task was easy. Perhaps it was for Tian Zi, but Xiao Hua was a beginner that does not even know how to punch someone in the right way.

Xiao Hua did think of a way to quicken her training, but it might be dangerous. But since there was not much time and she did not want to be beaten up by a wooden stick, she would just need to be careful. "Sister Tian Zi, Sister Tian Chi, can I have two long ropes?"

"What do you want them for?"

Xiao Hua let out an awkward laugh. "To help my training."

"I will find them for you." Tian Zi darted away and Xiao Hua started searching for suitable rocks. When Tian Zi came back with the ropes, she had already more or less chosen the suitable-sized rocks.

"What are you trying to do?" Tian Chi asked curiously.

"Can you help me tie a rock on my wrist?"

Tian Chi and Tian Zi's eyes lit up in understanding. "A good idea! But Elder Sister Hua, you should have told us what you want to do."

"Huh?"

"Da Bei!" Tian Zi raised her head to stare at a spot on a tree, directly where Da Bei

jumped down a second later. "Can we borrow your warming bag?"

"This is used by Da Bei and Da An to warm themselves up but we can also use it to help Elder Sister Hua with her training! Their weights are heavier than the rocks but they won't accidentally cut your skin." Tian Zi took two palm-sized black coloured pouch bags from Da Bei.

Tian Zi and Tian Chi wrapped a pouch bag around each of her wrists and tightened it with ropes and her arms immediately straightened, facing downwards. Xiao Hua could feel the heat coming from the bag and they were pretty heavy and her back unconsciously bent forward. It was heavier than a 1000ml water bottle.

"What are these?"

"These are specially made pouches, using fire crystals that could only be found in Feng Country. Because Da Bei and Da An's body are weak towards cold, our master had it made for the twins."

"Eh?" Xiao Hua stared at Da Bei in panic. "You need to wear it!"

"Don't worry Elder Sister Hua. Da Bei still has more."

Seeing Da Bei did not mind her using them, Xiao Hua was a bit relieved. "Then I will return them back to you after I'm done with the task."

Assured by Da Bei's nod, Xiao Hua returned to her training. It took her quite some time to get used to the weight before she could start throwing. Her aim skewed and the width of her throw was shorter, but she had expected that with the additional weight and so she did not stop practicing.

When it was time for dinner, Xiao Hua was in the state where she could not lift her hands anymore. She tried to feed herself but her hand could not stop shaking, chopsticks kept crossing or slipping, and often dropped the food before it could reach her mouth.

Tian Zi silently laughed before helping to feed Xiao Hua or else she would not even be able to finish the food before bedtime.

"Thank you." Xiao Hua felt embarrassed for causing trouble.

"I remember when I was still a beginner, I would often skip meals and choose to sleep instead," Tian Zi reminisced fondly. "Tian Chi was worse. She ate like a pig."

"I did not eat like a pig!"

"You did not use your hands and just ate from your mouth! I remember you made a mess!"

"I cleaned up after!"

Seeing them bickering made Xiao Hua smile. "How old are you?" Xiao Hua asked curiously.

"I'm sixteen and Tian Chi is fourteen."

"Woah!" Xiao Hua's eyes widened as she reassessed them again. Although Tian Zi was taller than Tian Chi, Xiao Hua always assumed they were the same age.

"Surprised?" Tian Chi nodded knowingly. "Elder Sister Hua needs to eat more."

Is she really small? Fine, she will try to eat more! 

"How old are you, Da Bei? You and Da An are twins, right?" Xiao Hua was pretty sure Da Bei and Da An were around her age or younger.

"I'm eight years old."

... This young lady wants to flip a table! 

How can he be eight years old with that body size! What on earth did he eat!

CHAPTER 5: 'Do or Die' Xiao Hua

No matter how much Xiao Hua asked, the twin's diet was normal, but only a larger portion. But it will still be impossible to grow this much with just a large intake of food and exercise. She had thought she would ponder over it for a while, but the comfortable bed overrode her command and forced her mind to go offline.

"Elder Sister Hua, it's time to wake up."

It took Si Si a few times to rouse Xiao Hua from her deep sleep. Xiao Hua had never slept this deeply before since the day she transmigrated here. The training had worn her out and completely dropped her guard, waving her straight in to greet the dream lord.

"Sorry, Si Si. I'm awake now."

Xiao Hua winced when she tried to sit up. Her arms hurt! Her waist was not as bad since she mostly used her arm muscles and Tian Zi had her soaked in hot water last night. If she had not done so, her muscles would be even more painful.

Si Si helped her to sit up and even carried the water basin to her so that Xiao Hua did not need to walk.

"You are too nice, Si Si." Xiao Hua sighed blissfully as Si Si wiped her face with a towel soaked in warm water.

"That's my job." Si Si gave her a small smile while secretly sneering at Xiao Hua's drowsy state as she struggles to open her eyes.

How weak!

After asking around, Si Si found out that Xiao Hua had been practicing knife throwing all day. To be reduced into this state from a light training, aren't you embarrassed of yourself?

Once Xiao Hua was dressed up, she slowly dragged her feet, trying not to move her arms if possible, towards the table where the breakfast was waiting for her. Xiao Hua struggled to pick her chopsticks up to eat her breakfast, and the time she needed to finish her breakfast was longer than usual. Halfway through her breakfast, her mind was clear and more alert.

Si Si wanted to roll her eyes at Xiao Hua's 'awake' face. Since the day of the royal family gathering, it was known that Xiao Hua had her eyesight recovered by a miraculous medicine given by Miss Liu Chu Chu, the Second Prince's future Princess Consort, but her eyes were no longer as wide as before, adopting a lazy look.

To have this kind of personal maid is an embarrassment to the Third Prince!

Even if Si Si's heart was full of dissatisfaction, she had to restrain herself and be pa-tient. One day, Xiao Hua will make a big mistake and the Third Prince will get rid of her. Si Si would have to do well until that day and make sure to catch the Third Prince's eyes, by having him compare her professional conduct with Xiao Hua's clumsy manner.

Si Si was not allowed to enter the Spring Courtyard where Xiao Hua would be train-ing, so after exchanging a friendly smile, they parted ways. The training resumed and Xiao Hua's mind was quick to turn blank from exhaustion, leaving her right arm working in auto mode to continue throwing.

It was the same routine of collecting the knives from where they had fallen once she had finished throwing every knife, before resuming the training again.

Her effort could be seen, as the width of her throw was longer than yesterday. But it was still pretty far away from the board. She emptied her mind to avoid imagining her failure and being beaten as her punishment, and only focusing on throwing.

But when the sun had set and the moon shone brightly up in the sky, she could not stop herself from feeling panicked. The deadline was tomorrow!

When Tian Zi and Tian Zi tried to force her to stop training when nighttime ar-rived, Xiao Hua refused. In the end, Da Bei was forced to knock her out with a single chop on the back of her neck. It was already tomorrow morning when she woke up with a faint ache behind her neck.

Her desire to cry was dead.

She ignored Da Bei when she saw him, even if she knew that it was childish but she was still angry with him for wasting her time sleeping. She continued with her training, refusing to eat to save time. It was the last day and there was not even a single knife on the board.

It's time to up her stakes!

She removed the pouch bag from her left hand and tied it to her right hand. After that, she tried to lift her right hand and it took her a great effort to lift her arm an inch upward.

"Wait, Elder Sister Hua! You will hurt your hand!" Tian Zi cried out.

"Today is the last day and I have not even had one knife on the board," Xiao Hua answered gravely.

"But."

Xiao Hua turned to Tian Zi with a pair of eyes that evoked great pity. "Sister Tian Zi, Xiao Hua is afraid of pain."

Tian Zi could not bring herself to stop the younger girl anymore. Stopping her also means she was helping Xiao Hua to fail in her task. Since Xiao Hua refused to eat, Tian Chi chose to feed Xiao Hua instead.

Xiao Hua had just managed to lift her arm with a double pouch bag for the first time when an unfamiliar male voice said, "The Third Prince had ordered this servant to pass on a message that the dateline will be extended to one more day."

"Sir Lau Liu!"

Tian Zi, who had been taking a break from her duties and sprawled the top of her body over the cooling jade table, quickly stood up with a straight spine. Tian Chi and Da Bei respectfully greeted the man in his sixties who was wearing a eunuch uniform.

Xiao Hua quickly followed the greeting.

A pair of bright, wise eyes fall onto Xiao Hua. "You must be Xiao Hua, our prince's new personal maid."

"Yes, it is indeed this servant."

"His Highness indeed has good eyes." Eunuch Lau Liu nodded with a wide smile and the wrinkles on his face became more noticeable.

"Sir Lau Liu, Master will return later than expected?" Tian Zi asked.

"There were some troubles and the return had to be delayed. Don't worry, our prince is not in danger. The one that's in trouble is, unfortunately, the Second Prince." Eunuch Lau Liu turned to Xiao Hua. "Would you let his old man give you a bit of advice on your training?"

"This servant will be grateful to hear Sir Lau Liu's advice!" Xiao Hua did not mind listening to his suggestion if that would help her.

"When you throw, you do not need to do any big movements. Just concentrate on your hand, and only use your energy when you flick the weapon out of your fingers."

Flick?

Eunuch Lau Liu smiled when he saw Xiao Hua's confused expression. "Allow this old man to demonstrate."

He picked up a knife and held it on the blade, with the handle facing upward.

"Remember, do not hold it too tight but also not too loose, with three fingers is enough."

With a small movement, Eunuch Lau Liu threw the knife with a speed that Xiao Hua could not keep up with, and managed to land on the target without making the wooden board swing from the impact.

The effect was the same as the Third Prince's!

"Remember to place both feet on the ground when you throw. Do not lean forward too much or you will risk back pain."

Xiao Hua nodded. Her back did feel a little pain.

"Everyone has their own way of throwing, and their way is the best for themselves. The method that I've shown you is usually for beginners. After you have mastered the art of throwing, you can find a throwing style that best suits you."

"I see! Elder Sister Hua's arm does not have much strength, and with the big swing, she had wasted most of her energy before throwing!" Tian Zi's eyes brightened in understanding.

Xiao Hua had all the while been crudely flinging her arm back at the three o'clock point before swinging her arm forward to throw the knife. It had used most of her strength from just the swing itself, as she was counting on it to build momentum in the throw. But it would only build momentum to have the knife going downwards instead of her planned straight line.

Eunuch Lau Liu nodded. "Indeed so. But to use that method, Xiao Hua will need to be careful to not twist your wrist accidentally."

The 'do or die' Xiao Hua: "..."

She does not have the time to be careful! After knowing the Third Prince had given her an extra day, she did not know if she was supposed to be happy or not. Will she be able to land a hit with an extra day of practice?

"Xiao Hua does not need to worry much," Eunuch Lau Liu said gently. "You just need to do your best. The prince will understand."

Will he though? 

Xiao Hua sighed. "Thank you for your teaching, Sir Lau Liu. Xiao Hua will remember it well."

Eunuch Lau Liu nodded. "Then this old man will leave you to it."

Xiao Hua immediately tried the method that Eunuch Lau Liu had taught her. In her excitement to try the new technique, she forgot to take into account the double weight on her right arm, and when she tried to stop after remembering the weights, it was too late and she accidentally sprained her right wrist.

"Ahhhhhh! Pain!" Xiao Hua finally had the tears to cry!

CHAPTER 6: The tale of Beauty and The Beast

Her piercing scream had Tian Chi quickly carrying her somewhere with Da Bei following closely behind. Eunuch Lau Liu passed a bottle of medium-grade medicine to Tian Zi and left, as even if he was a eunuch, it would be highly improper for him to visit a female room, especially if she has a special position in the Third Prince's heart.

Knowing her special identity, he had also willingly offered medium-grade medicine for a sprained wrist. Who knows if their master would be displeased upon knowing her injury?

"Where did the Third Prince go?" Xiao Hua was curious and since she could not train in her state now, she decided to indulge in gossiping.

Tian Chi had left to deal with some stuff, leaving Tian Zi to apply the medicine. She was careful to adjust her strength as she rubbed the medicine over Xiao Hua's red and swollen right wrist.

"Master is participating in a hunting game with the Second Prince and Crown Prince." Tian Zi's gossiping side was kindled and turned her bright gaze to Da Bei, who was standing silently at a corner, half-hidden by the shadow.

"Where's Da An? He should have been back with Sir Lau Liu."

Da Bei stared at Tian Zi without saying anything, and after a minute, he turned his neck to the direction of the courtyard's entrance. He could sense his twin was approaching him. Less than a minute later, a blur of black rushed over and stopped beside Da Bei.

"Da An! You come just at the right time!" Tian Zi grinned. "Are you free for a moment?"

At Tian Zi's question, Da An suspiciously answered, "Yes...Elder Sister Tian Zi."

"Elder Sister Hua has some questions, so Da An, do your best to answer them."

Tian Zi, are you not pushing all the blame on Xiao Hua if they were scolded for being nosy?!

Da A stared at Xiao Hua with earnest eyes. "I will try my best to answer all your questions, Elder Sister Hua."

Xiao Hua felt as if she had been forced to participate in a crime. Le Xiao Ting had gossiped before, but never once did she feel bad about it!

"Elder Sister Hua wants to know what happened during the hunting game that delayed Master's return," Tian Zi 'helpfully' repeated the question on behalf of Xiao Hua.

Da Bei, another party that knows Tian Zi's plan, had automatically become an accomplice when he chose to remain silent. He wanted to know what happened as well.

"The Second Prince's consort followed along to the hunting trip," Da An revealed.

"She had gone missing for half a day before she was found."

From the way Da An spoke, Xiao Hua could see that he was the more talkative twin.

"Why would a candidate consort join the hunting trip that only consists of Princes?" Tian Zi's eyes flashed with disapproval over the heroine's behaviour. Even if the Second Prince insisted on Miss Liu to be his consort, the Second Prince might change his mind as long as the date has not been set.

"It was the Second Prince that insisted on her following along. She's a good hunter based on her skills."

Now that she thought about it, Le Xiao Ting remembered that in the novel, there was an event where the heroine and hero went on a hunting trip. The Crown Prince and the Emperor were there too, except for the delicate Third Prince.

"Duke Heng?" Tian Zi frowned. "Why would he be there?"

Xiao Hua blinked her eyes a few times to clear her mind and pay attention. She had missed out on some conversation but when Tian Zi said 'Duke Heng', Le Xiao Ting immediately knew who that person was.

Duke Heng was the second male lead that the heroine would meet for the first time during the hunting trip when she had accidentally separated from the group. The second male lead had seen her fearsome skills when she killed a pack of fierce wolves she had accidentally stumbled upon.

As for how and why Duke Heng would be around that dangerous place, the author did not explain. 

He only showed himself when she finished killing them, giving her an appreciative clap. He admired her ruthless gaze, admiring her kills that were quick and clean, straight to their fatal point. His trained eyes noted that those skills were similar to those with plenty of experience in killing.

Since then, he became curious and often approached her, trying to figure out how a concubine daughter of a merchant could have learned those dangerous skills when his informant told him she was always inside her house without a teacher. The more often they interacted, the more he had fallen in love with her intelligence. In the end, he was not as outstanding or courageous as the male lead, and he failed to capture the heroine's heart.

But even so, he decided to support and back the Second Prince to secure the throne just for Liu Chu Chu to be happy with a better life.

"He said he happened to pass by the hunting ground and saved the injured Miss Liu."

Happened to pass by? That was the exact excuse he gave in the novel and the heroine does not believe him!

As the second male lead, it was a given that he possessed good looks, but he was more of a scholarly type rather than heroic, which solely belongs to the hero. It was his golden halo after all.

Xiao Hua felt a brief pity for the Third Prince, for even with such a heaven-defying beautiful face, he could not even get one of the supporting male lead positions. He could only be a tragic cannon fodder that lasted the second longest among his colleagues.

His beauty was tragic for there were no females that wanted a husband more beautiful than him. There were some that wanted to have a one night stand with him, but the author did not reveal if he had accepted those offers or not.

Even his crush towards the heroine was tragic as it was always his one-sided feelings that made him weak and submissive to the hero and heroine's suppression.

Towards the end of the novel, the Third Prince was severely injured, taking all the blows just to keep Long Lian safe, even if it was only for a second longer. The hero had imprisoned the Third Prince and Long Lian in a dungeon, and they were treated badly by the guards that were loyal to the Second Prince. It was the heroine that decided to lend a hand to deal the final blow to the severely injured Third Prince to end his pain.

The author wrote in a way to justify that the golden couple's actions were rather merciful by ending the Third Prince's life with poison. Instead of getting under-standing, the author only received harsh scolding from his readers for being cruel and heartless.

"Da An, why would the trip extend?" Tian Zi felt that something was odd. "Why did the trip not cut short in the name of safety? Normally, would the Second Prince not immediately return back to his manor to tend to his consort's injuries instead of continuing to stay in a dangerous place?"

Sister Tian Zi, you are good! To scold the Second Prince for being a lovesick idiot and justify your assumption in just one sentence!

Thanks to the author's cliché writing, the hero ended up with traits such as possessiveness and defensiveness, but it was only for the heroine. Even if she had just suffered a small paper cut, he would immediately act as if something terrible had happened and summoned the Imperial Doctor to check his precious consort. Not even his blood mother had been treated by him this well.

There was a group of black powder readers that nit-picked about the hero's traits.

They even throw in some logical questions, such as 'did that fella just forget his waifu got miracle water to heal herself? She is a walking clinic!'

Obviously, when treated that well by a handsome man, the heroine's heart slowly got captured and at last, agreed to marry him because of the hero's obvious and genuine love for her. Then they started to play a mobile love theatre and throw dog food everywhere, torturing the single dogs around them!

"It was actually Master that requested the extension of the trip. He said, 'This prince wants to enjoy the rest of his hunt even if someone had ruined it'."

Xiao Hua gaped. "D-Did he really said that?"

"Yes."

"He said it in front of the heroine?! I-I mean the Second Prince's future consort!"

Xiao Hua quickly corrected herself nervously. She had just made a stupid mistake!

"Master said that right in front of everyone." Da An recalled.

Surprisingly it was Da Bei that asked, "How did the Second Prince react?"

Da An's eyes twinkled in mischief. "Angry. But he could not say anything because Duke Heng supported the master's decision. The Duke also requested to join the hunt as well."

Tian Zi snickered. "I bet the Second Prince got even angrier when Duke Heng supported Master."

Da A nodded. "Yes. The Second Prince's inner energy started flowing out and the Crown Prince snubbed him for not being able to control his inner energy well."

Duke Heng must have agreed to lengthen the trip so that he could get closer to Liu Chu Chu!

"Right, I nearly forgot. Da An, did you ask Elder Sister An Jing about the permis-sion? I feel uncomfortable to keep on declining Princess Long Lian's request to visit." Decline Princess Long Lian's visit? What's going on? It was no wonder Xiao Hua did not see Long Lian these days! Long Lian had never failed to drop by every day to visit Xiao Hua so it was strange when she had abruptly stopped.

"Mother said to keep on declining so that Elder Sister Hua would not be distracted from her task."

Oh, so it was to prevent her from being distracted- wait, mother?

"Elder Sister An Jing is the mother of these two," Tian Zi answered. Xiao Hua realized she had accidentally spoken out loud.

Xiao Hua was very shocked. "Sister An Jing is already a mother at such a young age!"

"Elder Sister An Jing is already twenty-five years old. She's not that young." An Jing did have a face that belongs to the range of the early twenties, now that Xiao Hua carefully analysed it. The ladies during this time period would marry and have children early, so it was not strange that a twenty-five years old lady would have eight-year-old twins already.

"Who did Elder Sister An Jing marry?" Xiao Hua could not contain her curiosity about who had managed to win beautiful An Jing's heart.

"Sir Da Liu."

Something inside Xiao Hua's mind exploded. Are they talking about Da Liu, that ultra-menacing man? That scary man managed to score such a beautiful wife?

This was just like the tale of Beauty and The Beast.

CHAPTER 7: How can he have such a dark view of his own allies

After Tian Zi finished wrapping a clean bandage over her swollen wrist, Xiao Hua actually planned to continue training, albeit a lighter one to avoid making her injury become worse. But her plan was destroyed when she felt a raindrop land on her cheek.

"It's raining!"

Luckily, the spot they were resting was under a pavilion, with a thick, secure rooftop protecting them from the sun and the rain. The rain was not light yet it was not overly heavy, causing a headache for Xiao Hua.

What should she do? Train or not to train under this weather?

The pain in her right wrist had eased up a lot since the medicine was applied. She could do some light throws, but the padded bag should not be used on her right hand.

"Sister Tian Zi, can you help me tie the bags on my left wrist instead?"

Tian Zi frowned. "You are not allowed to train while it's raining."

"It's just rain. You never trained when it's raining before?"

Tian Zi looked awkward as every servant under the Third Prince's command would treat rain as if it was nothing but different scenery. But nevertheless, she stopped Xiao Hua because of her special identity.

Master had told them to make sure Elder Sister Xiao Hua ate and slept on time.

Actually, they had already predicted that Elder Sister Hua would fail the task unless she was a prodigy or a talented cultivator, which she was not.

Tian Zi: Could it be...Was their master just looking for an opportunity to punish Elder Sister Hua?

Xiao Hua felt uncomfortable when Tian Zi's eyes on her suddenly changed to something that raised her guard. It was as if her eyes were conveying her pity and condolences.

She was not going to die under the rain for a few hours!

"Da Bei, can you help me tie this?" Xiao Hua lifted her left wrist to the younger boy when Tian Zi did not make any move to help.

A voice suddenly cut in. "It's unwise to train under the rain." Eunuch Lau Liu stepped into the pavilion after closing the umbrella and leaving it aside.

"Sir Lau Liu is right. Elder Sister Hua, please stop the training for now," Tian Zi quickly coaxed Xiao Hua when she had gotten someone to back her up.

Xiao Hua was unwilling to but she understood that there would be a high possibility of getting sick if she stayed in the rain for too long. The wind had gotten stronger as well and the wooden boards were swinging around, making it even harder to land a knife in it. Her throws would be skewed thanks to the wind.

After telling herself all of these things, her unwillingness slowly diminished. "Sir Lau Liu and Sister Tian Zi are right."

"The rain will not stop until tomorrow. Today's training will have to end here. This old man had Tian Chi prepare a hot soup for Xiao Hua to keep your body warm." Would the rain not stop until tomorrow? The sun was still high and Xiao Hua guessed it was still quite some time until evening. The sky was not gloomy-looking so it should not be an all-day rain.

Tian Zi personally escorted Xiao Hua back to her room before heading to the kitchen to bring her a bowl of hot soup. Xiao Hua refused to bathe despite how much Si Si tried to get her to. Why would she bathe when she would train later?

The warm soup was delicious, and her tongue could taste chicken and ginseng.

Tian Zi had said that it was personally made by Tian Chi, that food lover. After delivering the soup that warmed up her body, Si Si and Tian Zi left to do their own duties, leaving Xiao Hua alone in the room with Da Bei standing outside as a guard. Da An had gone somewhere with Eunuch Lau Liu.

It was strange that a maid would need a guard but maybe it was because the Third Prince had told Da Bei to oversee her training. With nothing to do, he might have decided to just hang around her.

"Da Bei, come in. There's no need to stand outside," Xiao Hua called. She had to keep coaxing him until he finally accepted her invite.

But he had his whole body plastered over the window, his eyes glued to the door vigilantly. Xiao Hua, who had originally planned to chat with Da Bei, felt that her hope was thrown to the ground when he did not even spare her a glance. Still, she decided to give it a try.

"Why are you wearing a mask even when you are around your allies?" She wanted to see how he looked.

"There are traitors everywhere."

What does he mean by that? How can he have such a dark view of his own allies!

She really wanted to ask him to reveal his face but she had a strong feeling that Da Bei would say she could be a traitor.

In the end, Xiao Hua failed to get Da Bei to talk more to her because she could not bring herself to ask questions without being scared of getting burned by his unexpected answers. Without realizing it, she had fallen asleep due to fatigue.

When the room was filled with sounds of soft snoring, Da Bei's eyes went to the girl sitting on a stool with her head supported by her left hand, sleeping soundly. With no one around, his guard finally lowered and his adorable round eyes full of curiosity stared at Xiao Hua. In his mind, this Elder Sister Hua was strange. When she talked to him, she acted just like those older maids, treating him like a cute little kid.

Da Bei's eyes went back to watching the door and windows, keeping an eye on possible dangers. Da An had told him that Elder Sister Hua was important to their master and they needed to protect her. Da Bei always believed what Da An said because he was never wrong in identifying these things.

Xiao Hua jolted awake at the loud sound of an object falling onto the ground. She stared blankly at the broken pieces of a grey teapot on the ground with the hot water escaping from its confinement.

"I'm sorry!" Si Si quickly bent down and picked up the broken pieces, her movement becoming clumsy due to her panic.

"Don't use your hand-" Tian Chi sighed when Si Si let out a sharp cry. "Go and apply medicine to stop the bleeding. Have someone come and sweep the mess away."

"Yes, Elder Sister Tian Chi." With her head bend downward and her injured hand clutched to her chest, Si Si walked out of the room quickly.

"Elder Sister Hua, it's time for dinner. I will have someone prepare the bath after." The sky was already dark, and the lanterns were lit to brighten the place. She tested her right wrist and found that she could move it without much pain now. That medicine and Tian Zi's massage were truly helpful.

"It's still drizzling," Tian Chi said, able to guess that Xiao Hua wanted to go out to practice from the desire in her eyes. With an air of experience, Tian Chi smoothly transferred the dishes from the containers to the table. "There's warm water for you to clean your face."

"This...thank you," Xiao Hua said sheepishly. All her daily necessities were prepared and served to her. They were all servants so why do they treat her so well? She could not even see any hint of dissatisfaction from them, except for Si Si, who was confident that Xiao Hua would not notice it.

Xiao Hua wiped her face with a wet towel and saw from the corner of her eye that a young male servant swiftly gathered the broken teapot using a broom. Feeling a bit like an outsider, she decided to help with the cleaning and grabbed the rag cloth that Tian Chi had used earlier to wipe the table.

She was about to wipe the wet floor when her upper arm was grabbed. She looked up and found two panicked faces staring at her.

"W-What?" Xiao Hua blurted out and tried to shrink backward but the grip on her arm prevented her from doing so.

"Please let me do this task!" The male servant's voice was soft, giving him the impression of a mild-mannered person but when he grabbed the rag cloth away from Xiao Hua's grip, she found that he was actually strong despite his appearance. He clutched the rag cloth tightly as if Xiao Hua would steal it from him.

"But I'm a servant too!" Xiao Hua protested.

"These things, let Lau Ming do it," Eunuch Lau Liu said from the doorway with a warm smile. "Xiao Hua's whole body belongs to the Third Prince and should not be casually used."

What are you saying, old man?!

CHAPTER 8: Did the Third Prince wish for my failure?

That sentence rendered Xiao Hua speechless and even Tian Chi does not know what to say. The young male servant, Lau Ming, busily scrubbed the floor, pretending to be deaf. Estimating from his force, Xiao Hua could see that a certain spot on the floor would be whiter than the rest.

The awkward moment was thankfully broken when Tian Zi let out a loud cough behind Eunuch Lau Liu. "Sir Lau Liu, please do not say things in a way that's open to other interpretations. You will shock these innocent young girls' minds."

Eunuch Lau Liu laughed. "Ah, forgive this old man for being uncultured."

"Sir Lau Liu is far from uncultured," Tian Zi swiftly replied with sweet words, living up to her name. "Plenty of young maidens adore you because you are a gentleman, sir. You have saved us all when we are in trouble from time to time. We all view you as a great hero."

Eunuch Lau Liu's smile grew brighter at the compliment. "Such a sweet talker," he teased. "This old man nearly forgets the reason why I'm here. I have news to convey to everyone. The Third Prince is on his way back."

Xiao Hua had just recovered from Eunuch Lau Liu's words when he dropped another shocking news. The Third Prince's back, so it was possible that the extra day promise will be revoked.

So when's the deadline?!

Tian Chi stared at Xiao Hua with worry as the other girl's eyes had lost their usual sparkle.

"Then I will prepare for Master's return." Tian Zi hurried away.

"Xiao Hua, the prince will see if you have completed the task tomorrow morning." Tomorrow morning? Xiao Hua's eyes flashed with protest, which could be seen by Eunuch Lau Liu.

"Xiao Hua considers that tomorrow morning is hours before the deadline?"

Xiao Hua nodded rigidly. Tomorrow was the third day. The Third Prince should look at the result the day after tomorrow instead!

"The prince had also told this old servant to pass on a message to Xiao Hua. 

'One day does not make much difference'."

Xiao Hua wants to scream at the injustice! Does that mean the Third Prince had already expected her to fail in the first place?

She forced herself to calm down. "Sir Lau Liu, may I ask a question?"

"If this old man can answer, it would be an honour to impart some knowledge to the younger generation."

"Sir Lau Liu is a cultivator and knows how to throw knives very well. Xiao Hua wants to ask... what if you are a thirteen years old beginner? Would you be able to throw ten knives into the wooden board?"

"Then let this old one answer according to my experience. When I was thirteen years old, I already had years of knife-throwing experience. I started cultivating at the age of four and became well-versed in using a sword, archery, and dagger before I reached the age of ten. As for throwing knives ..... I only needed one day to master it."

"One day?!" Xiao Hua gasped. Her head started to throb in pain.

"But what Xiao Hua wanted to ask was whether other children with the same circumstances would be able to achieve that aim or not. But Xiao Hua should not compare yourself with this old one that has had tough experiences in life. Not even Tian Chi or Tian Zi can be compared to you. You all have different experiences and circum-stances."

Her plan was seen through!

Xiao Hua indeed had a plan to compare others with herself to argue about her failure when the Third Prince returned. But Sir Lau Liu stated clearly that everyone was different, and should not be compared.

She had foolishly underestimated him when she should have known better after watching those Chinese historical dramas centered in palace life. There was always an evil, sly eunuch with powerful martial arts that always found ways to make the main character's life miserable!

Judging from his appearance, Lau Liu looked to be in his early sixties and a eunuch with strong martial arts if the respectful tone and behaviour the others had shown towards him could be trusted. He often had a warm smile and friendly behaviour, but what was underneath that facade chilled Xiao Hua's heart.

"Yes, that's what Xiao Hua wanted to ask. Xiao Hua thanked Sir Lau Liu for answering my question and clarifying it for me."

Eunuch Lau Liu smiled. "But you had yet to ask me the main question."

Xiao Hua gulped. She had planned to retreat, but since he already said it, then she would go ahead and ask. "Did the Third Prince wish for my failure?"

Tian Chi stared at Eunuch Lau Liu expectantly. She and Tian Zi had bet that the true motive for their master to give Elder Sister Hua this task was to have her pun-ished. But they were not sure why the Third Prince would do this much when he could have just ordered Xiao Hua to obey him?

Tian Zi had excitedly guessed that their master wanted to hit Xiao Hua due to his fetish and as a result of her bold guess, her beloved novels were taken away by Da An as a punishment for slandering their master.

Tian Chi wisely did not share her guesses, for it was not safe for Da An to hear. She had also been corrupted by the 'educational' picture books that Tian Zi had spent all her pocket money to buy.

Eunuch Lau Liu slowly grinned. It was not his usual warm smile, but one that invoked dread when one sees it. His smile promised something painful for an unlucky person. "You already know the answer to it."

"I dare not claim that I know the answer," Xiao Hua denied quickly. It would be stupid to confirm things without making sure of it. Le Xiao Ting's tendency to clarify things such as confirming appointments or deadlines had more than often earned her a cold glare from her boss.

Yes, she could be annoying, but she had learned to thicken her face to ask things instead of ending up inside a pit if she did otherwise.

One would either be shy or prideful for not asking when facing a problem.

"Please enlighten me, Sir Lau Liu," Xiao Hua insisted, thickening her face.

Her ass is on the line ahhhhh!

"The answer is... this old man does not know." Eunuch Lau Liu laughed. "How can this servant know what our prince is thinking? This servant dares not claim I know what the prince is thinking."

I want to kill him!

Xiao Hua exhaled loudly. Despite being angry, she could only hold it in. "Thank you for your enlightenment, Sir Lau Liu."

Eunuch Lau Liu waved her thanks away without shame. "This old man is happy to be of use. I will pass on the word to the prince that you wish to meet him."

Stunned, Xiao Hua watched Sir Lau Liu leave with Lau Ming.

"Elder Sister Hua?" Tian Chi called questioningly. They were servants and must not question or argue with their master. But why did Eunuch Lau Liu not scold Xiao Hua for doing so?

"...Ah?"

Tian Chi looked conflicted when she saw Xiao Hua's dazed face. "Eat before the food gets cold. I will have the bath ready soon."

Xiao Hua smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Sister Chi."

Da Bei had already taken his food box and disappeared somewhere to eat without an audience.

It took quite a long time for Xiao Hua to eat because her right wrist was still not healed to the extent of maneuvering a chopstick. In the end, she dumped her bowl of rice into the vegetable soup and used a spoon to eat.

Tian Chi stared at the messy eater Xiao Hua and her eyes shone with pity... towards the food. How could Elder Sister Hua destroy the food that way?

Tian Chi, a foodie, could feel her heart clench in pain as she witnessed the way the food was being eaten. The only thing that stopped her from reprimanding Elder Sister Hua was the understanding of the difficulty in eating using her injured hand. If she knew Elder Sister Hua would do that, she would have fed her instead!

Once the food was finished, Tian Chi left with the empty plates and box, leaving Si Si to help Xiao Hua prepare for her bath. Si Si knows that Xiao Hua does not like people helping her bath so she waits for her on the other side of the screen divider.

When Xiao Hua first saw her wooden bathtub after starting living in the Third Prince's manor, she was relieved that it was shorter than the one from the hot spring.

It was pretty embarrassing because she suspected it was An Jing that had arranged a shorter wooden tub just for her.

Xiao Hua happily sank into the bathtub and the warm water quickly worked its magic to soothe her sore and stiff muscles. She scrubbed her body lightly with a bar of soap, but sadly it did not produce many bubbles compared to the soap in her original world.

It would actually be fun to have bubble baths once in a while. Le Xiao Ting often returned home late and would be too tired to indulge in something that would be time-consuming. Her free weekends were spent accompanying her mom-

"Lau Liu said you have something to say to this prince?"

Xiao Hua wondered if she had just imagined the Third Prince's voice. But her eyes clearly saw the Third Prince leaning on the screen divider. His eyes were staring right at her, with a laughing expression on his face.

With a frozen face, Xiao Hua slowly let herself slide into the tub, hiding inside the water while her mind was filled with her screaming.

Why the heck is he here?!

CHAPTER 9: Never had the intention of treating her as a maid

Xiao Hua quickly surfaced from the water when her oxygen ran out. Her face was flushed from the lack of breath and her eyes were red and teary. Her long black, glossy wet hair had plastered over her small, fair face as well as her tempting naked flesh, creating a picture that men yearned to possess.

This view reminded Long Zhu of a poem he had read about a little water fairy visiting the human realm and a young scholar just happened to come across the unforgettable scene.

"Get dressed. This prince will wait for you outside." His words were spoken in a calm manner, but he was quick to retreat from the scene. He had already forgotten about his original purpose of cornering his little maid while she was defenceless to make her more acceptable to her punishment.

When he returned, Lau Liu had informed him every single word of his and Xiao Hua's conversation. His little maid found out she was being played and got angry. Nor-mally, he did not bother if any of his servants disliked or hated him, so long as they obeyed his orders.

What made her different from the other servants was because he never had the intention of treating her as a normal maid. He had already decided to treat her as his own sister, but with more interaction with her, the more his feelings diverged from how he similarly felt towards Long Lian.

His little maid's heavy footsteps approached and he threw his worries into the back of his mind to be cross-examined later. He turned to look at Xiao Hua and upon seeing her, his rosy lips formed into a teasing smile.

Her messy black hair was hanging loosely behind her, with few short strands sticking onto her damp face. He could see her clothes were worn with inexperienced hands. She was worrying her lower lips, refusing to raise her red face and stubbornly facing the ground.

"Serve the dinner," the Third Prince called out, giving Xiao Hua time to get over her awkwardness. After that, he would continue with the discussion, albeit he no longer had the initial leverage.

Xiao Hua raised her head just in time to see An Jing and An Wan enter her bedroom with stacks of meal boxes, carefully placing them on the small table. She looked around but could not see even a shadow of Si Si that should have been around here, previously.

An Wan carefully wiped the Third Prince's hands with a wet cloth and An Jing transferred the plate of dishes onto the table at the same time making eye contact with Xiao Hua. Once Xiao Hua met her eyes, An Jing moved her gaze to the tray that was holding onto tea brewing items.

Quickly understanding what An Jing had tried to tell her, Xiao Hua grabbed onto the tray and brewed tea. The tea leaves were already prepared at the side so she just used it. After waiting for the tea to steep, she poured a cup and placed it before the Third Prince.

He picked up the cup and Xiao Hua noticed he hesitated for a second before drinking it. She could see that the Third Prince clearly likes the tea, yet he seems reluctant to enjoy it. Could it be he was afraid to indulge in his desire and forget himself?

Could one be addicted to tea, by the way?

He picked up his silver chopstick and picked some dishes to eat, but as usual, ignored the bowl of rice. She was curious why he would dislike eating rice when the people in this era usually crave rice.

Suddenly, he stopped eating and placed his chopstick down.

"Each one of you, pour yourself a cup of tea and drink it. Tell this prince what it tastes like."

An Jing was the first to do as her master ordered, unlike An Wan and Xiao Hua who wondered why he would want them to do that.

"Please excuse this servant's rudeness." An Jing sipped the tea and her eyes widened in surprise once the taste hit her. "..Master, this is?"

"Tell this prince, what tea is this?"

"This servant personally chose the tea leaves. It's Lu' An Melon Seed Tea."

"Yes," The Third Prince drawled and took a sip from his own cup. "Lu' An Melon Seed Tea, this prince's favourite."

"But master, this taste seems different from what this servant remembers," An Jing voiced out the problem.

The Third Prince smiled as if satisfied with An Jing's answer. "An Wan, Xiao Hua, try it and tell this prince how it tastes."

An Wan poured herself a cup without hesitation this time, but Xiao Hua did not make a move.

"Your Highness, this servant had never drunk any tea before and would give a useless answer."

It was not a lie, for Xiao Hua had never drunk any tea before except for the impromptu choke by the small cup of tea by the Third Prince which she quickly gulped down without tasting. But for Le Xiao Ting, she often drank tea whenever she had a meal with her mom. However, she did not bother remembering the names of the tea she drank.

Thus, even if she tasted this tea, she could only give answers such as, 'I've tasted it before' or 'I have never tasted this before'.

"Then drink it as an experience," The Third Prince said generously.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Xiao Hua could only accept his kindness.

"It's better than the normal Lu' An Melon Seed Tea." An Wan stared at the tea curiously. "Strangely, I feel a little energized after drinking it."

An Jing frowned. "I felt the same."

Gotten curious, Xiao Hua poured a cup for herself and took a sip from it. Hmm, what a yummy tea! It's not overly sweet and it feels refreshing! The taste was not heavy and she could easily drink this all day without getting tired of it.

Xiao Hua guzzled down the tea until the cup was empty. She stared at the teapot but quickly looked away. She must not forget she was only a servant. The Third Prince only allowed her to taste it once.

But Xiao Hua would prefer it if he had not pushed them to drink a cup of the delicious tea. It was like giving her a taste of heaven before throwing her back down to earth!

The inner maids and the Third Prince do not even need to ask Xiao Hua's opinion of the tea, as her face reveals everything she thinks.

An Jing suddenly went to her knees before the Third Prince. "Master, please hand out this slave's punishment! This servant was negligent, and failed to notice the tea had been tampered with!"

Xiao Hua freezes and her hand that was holding onto the empty cup started to tremble. Did she just drink poison? This would be a very good lesson to teach her to be wary of delicious drinks!

"This is not your fault. This prince knows this tea is special and has you all taste it to indulge this prince's curiosity."

"Pardon this servant's rudeness for asking, but this servant had used the same tea leaves as always and the water was used by everyone. What special thing had been added?" An Jing daringly asked.

She never doubted Xiao Hua because that young girl had drunk it as well, without worry on her face. However, if it was really Xiao Hua that tempered with the tea and that carefree expression was just an act, then Xiao Hua was actually a very dangerous person.

"You are not allowed to know," the Third Prince said coldly. "If anyone else were to know what happened today, don't blame this prince for being merciless."

The three maids immediately knelt down and promised not to speak about this matter even among them.

The Third Prince nodded and picked up his chopsticks to continue eating. "Except for Xiao Hua, everyone is dismissed."

Xiao Hua gulped when she was the only one left in the room with the Third Prince.

She suddenly could not remember why she should be angry with him. Her nervousness had pushed her anger into a small corner in her heart.

The Third Prince finally stopped eating and placed down his chopstick. Except for the bowl of rice, every dish was finished. Xiao Hua went forward to wipe his hands, carefully cleaning every inch of his hand with a wet towel.

Seeing how obedient his little maid was being, his heart softened and before he was fully aware, he had already opened his mouth to explain his actions.

"This prince did not hand you that task just to make you accept the punishment." Xiao Hua remained silent and busied herself with wiping the beautiful hands. His fingers were slender and long, like a pianist's hand, but she could feel weird thick skin or lines on his hands. They felt like scars. Could it be these scars were from sword practice?

"This prince had originally planned for you to learn to protect yourself. Staying at this prince's side is dangerous. Your 'punishment' was originally what this prince wished to assign as a task to you, but since this prince had not thought of appropriate punishment, the order had ended up being used as your punishment."

Halfway through his sentence, Xiao Hua had raised her head to stare at the Third Prince. He was staring at her with his eyes seemingly emitting gentleness.

Could it be that the Third Prince is apologizing to her?

CHAPTER 10: Built-in 'hate the heroine and hero' device

Xiao Hua would have preferred to hear 'I'm sorry' from the Third Prince but it was impossible to have a prince verbally apologize to a servant.

It bothered Le Xiao Ting, who had always received an apology from those that had done something wrong to her. No matter how high your position was, or how noble your family name was, as long as you did anything wrong, they need to face their wrongdoings and apologize to the victims.

That was what Le Xiao Ting firmly believed.

Even that boss of hers was forced to apologize to her when he had borrowed her personal laptop without asking for her permission for a five days' business trip. For five days, she had been like a drug addict, suffering novel withdrawals. That happened before she got the courage to read novels using the workplace's computer.

She had used her laptop to read machine-translated Chinese web novels. She could have used her mobile phone to machine translate, but it often did not work right. It was that period where she was chasing after the novel she had transmigrated into.

In fact, that novel was one of the few Chinese novels that she could still understand after it was baptised by the machine translation. Actually, she was quite surprised that she could understand the author's words despite being written in a historical set-ting, where flowery words or idioms being used would always be killed by the machine translation.

That just showed how simple and straight to the point the author's words were.

Xiao Hua could no longer stay angry at the Third Prince. His words had indirectly told her that he was sorry, or else why would he bother to explain his actions to her?

She could not hear what he had continued to say, because she felt as if her heart had been injected with sweetness, and her mind was fuzzy as if trapped inside cotton.

Her fingers squeezed his hand that was still in her grip, stopping his words.

His eyes stared at their hands, but she did not release her grip, as her brain no longer worked properly to warn her about improper conduct for this time period. She was busy trying to arrange her words to fully convey her thoughts.

"Your Highness," Xiao Hua smiled, speaking carefully. "This servant understands

Your Highness' actions after you had kindly explained them."

Long Zhu found himself mesmerized by her smile. It was not the awkward or timid smile he usually saw on her face. It was also not the patient smile she usually reserved for Long Lian's gossips.

This smile was filled with genuine understanding. He had never seen this kind of smile directed to him before. He had seen respect, trust, and fear, but never under-standing.

He discovered he liked it a lot.

Xiao Hua nearly let out a yelp when the Third Prince rubbed her head as if one does to a pet but she found that she liked it. Did it not mean that she was loved when she received head pats?

"Xiao Hua is a good girl."

"Your Highness, this is not appropriate!" Xiao Hua quickly puts some distance between them, fearing that she would get addicted to head pats.

The Third Prince felt a little hurt from her reaction. Did she dislike his touch that much?

"Are you able to complete the task given?"

He had entertained the thought to send Xiao Hua far away from him, somewhere she would be safe, but he would be worried about her if she was not by his side where he can see her. But if she was to remain by his side, she would need to learn some self-defence arts.

Long Zhu could force her to cultivate but the young girl did not seem interested in it. Her age was also a little older than the age where children usually started their cultivation training

"No," Xiao Hua answered honestly. She doubted that even if she had removed the pouch bags from her wrists.

"Then you will need to accept the punishment."

This task could be given to Long Lian, but he does not wish for his sister to get involved in danger. The second choice was Xiao Hua, who was already pushed into danger as long as she remained by his side.

Xiao Hua ought to feel irritated but she felt detached. That might be due to knowing that she would never talk herself out of the punishment. So what if the Third Prince favoured her? That favour could be removed on his whim anytime, any day. The human rights from her world could not be applied here.

"Please tell me my punishment, Your Highness." Her words may be polite, but she refused to plaster a fake expression of gratitude on her face for a punishment that she was doomed to receive in the first place.

This young lady dislikes you and is not afraid to show it! (#Ò..Ó)

"Try to get close to the Eighth Prince and find out what he's planning."

Long Zhu could have questioned Eunuch Heng about his eighth brother's irregu-larities, but who in the palace does not know how protective he was to his charge?

Any question or actions towards the Eighth Prince was examined countless times from every angle available.

He had sounded him out once, casually asking why the Eighth Prince seems to adore the Second Prince quite a bit lately when they hardly met. Eunuch Heng's lips were tightly sealed, only saying 'This servant has no idea' to block every question that was thrown to him.

Xiao Hua blinked in surprise, her dislike abruptly stopped. Her punishment was this? Knowing that her punishment would not involve beating had her body relaxed from the tension.

"This servant receives the punishment." So the Third Prince had noticed the Eighth

Prince was out of character just like himself?

But then, the Eighth Prince had done a terrible job when it came to acting. He was supposed to be silly and childlike, but these days, whenever Long Lian visited the Third Prince's manor, the Eighth Prince would arrive not long after.

Long Lian had gained a stalker.

He made an excuse of wanting to hang out more with Long Lian, and whenever things seemed to be according to his plan, he would secretly smile in a smug way whenever he thought no one was looking.

Often, Xiao Hua had to politely look away when he was in one of his 'episodes' because it hurt her eyes to look. She was pretty sure the other inner maids had noticed too.

"Find out why he keeps on supporting the Second Prince as well."

"Was it not because the Eighth Prince admires the Second Prince?" Xiao Hua had not randomly guessed it. It was because the Eighth Prince had that look on his face that was similar to a fan whenever they talk about their idol.

"Admire?" The Third Prince said it with thick ridicule. "The Second Prince had done nothing to gain admiration from my Eighth brother."

As expected of a cannon fodder! They have a built-in 'hate the heroine and hero' device in them! There's no 'on' or 'off" button!

"This servant will look into it." She was actually quite curious about the Eighth

Prince's admiration towards the hero as well.

Did he feel that way because the Second Prince had done something awesome for him? Or was it because of the hero's built-in halo that forced the Eighth Prince to worship him?

"Being a friend to a prince is not a bad thing. It is understandable if the friendship becomes genuine."

The Third Prince's gaze was filled with meaning. He was basically telling her that it was alright to be friends with the Eighth Prince in the process. It has plenty of advantages.

"Xiao Hua understands."

The Third Prince had to say it in a straightforward way because he feared that Xiao Hua would not get what he meant.

Poor Xiao Hua, even the Third Prince viewed her as a slow witted girl.