chapter 50

After a single rainfall in March, it was as though all the flowers in the city of Luo had bloomed overnight. The flowers decorated the streets and all the pedestrians could see were the colours of the flowers. This was the land of Prince Xiao. Prince Xiao had previously proven his merits in war and had been named a prince despite having a different surname. He had always loved flowers so he had ordered for all the streets and alleys to have planted flowers and trees along the sides. When the flowers bloomed, they were the most beautiful sight one could witness however when they withered, it was also the most pitiful.

The best landscape was along the river that went through the city with flowers and beauties on each side. Many youths would arrange to meet their loved ones here. It was hard to imagine that in half a month to a month later, the scenery here would be filled with dead flowers.

The young man with the fan smiled. “How is it, Miss Xia? Does the scenery make your trip out of your residence worth it?”

“Yes, thank you for your invitation, crown prince.” As the wind passed, it lifted up the veil of the lady in red. Her slender figure had already attracted the attention of many but now, there was silence amongst the people around them. They wanted nothing more than to close the distance between them as they stared at her beauty which could topple countries. Unfortunately for them, a hand quickly put the veil back in place and they could only see the lady’s graceful eyes. However even though they could only see her eyes, they couldn’t shift their gazes.

She was such a graceful and lovely lady. There was only one such person like this in the city of Luo and that would be Xia Fengguang of the famous Xia family. Since she was young, she was often sickly and rarely ventured outside her residence. Recently, she had started going out more often but around a month ago, she suddenly stopped going out again. The people who worked at the Xia residence said that she had gotten sick again.

“Cough cough…” She covered her mouth and coughed again. She had indeed gotten sick. Yesterday, she had caught a cold.

The corners of Qi Mu’s eyes turned languid but his smile remained elegant and considerate. “Since Miss Xia is feeling unwell, let’s end our sightseeing here and let’s get you into the carriage.”

“Then I thank the crown prince,” Fengguang didn’t like to strain herself so she nodded and agreed. The servant girl behind her supported her as they headed towards the horse carriage parked alongside the river.

Qi Mu walked with them, keeping his distance that wasn’t too close or too far at a steady pace that wasn’t too slow or too fast. His smile became even more alluring but no one could understand him so no one knew that this was a result of his growing impatience.

Boring.

This was too boring.

Why was it that such a rare woman who could attract his interest had become so boring? Xia Fengguang used to be a rich miss who had never taken a step outside her own residence and was not unlike the other ladies of other families. Afterwards, she became a cold-hearted woman who didn’t seem like she had a heart at all. She even treated Qi Mu’s deep affection as though it didn’t exist but now… She was just another lady.

Qi Mu felt that it was a pity. Not because she lost her coldness but rather because he found that ever since he took the position of crown prince, his recent life had become too boring.

In other words, he didn’t have anything to kill time with.

“Cloud,” the veiled lady called out her servant girl’s name. “There’s a puddle in the path ahead. Don’t step into it. You’re wearing white shoes today. If they get dirty, it’ll be difficult to wash out.”

“Yes, miss.” Cloud looked at the small puddle ahead and easily stepped past it. If her miss hadn’t mentioned it, she would have stepped there without noticing it.

Fengguang’s tiny warning had come just in time.

Qi Mu’s was holding his fan with his right hand and knocked on the centre of his left hand, closing it as he took in the scenery of flowers. “Miss Xia, I would like to know if there will be a next time for an outing like this?”

Fengguang stood at the side of the horse carriage, her figure appearing even more frail and thin. She slightly nodded as she said, “If the crown prince were to send an invitation, it would be this lady’s pleasure.”

However, her body was weak. This was a fact that everyone knew so whether or not she would be able to go would depend on her mood.

“Very well.” He gave a slight smile that would easily make any girl’s ears turn red.

She lowered her head in curtsy. “Then please excuse this lady for leaving.”

Qi Mu smiled and nodded as he stepped to the side. The servant girl helped Fengguang into the horse carriage. Soon after, the horse carriage left.