Chapter 2
Chapter 2
To protect the lives of our Nine Clans, my parents never dared to let me attend another palace banquet after that incident.
They were terrified that I would cause another world-shattering disaster.
Then came an oral decree.
The names of our Nine Clans on the Register of Life and Death began to flicker once more.
The palace had granted special permission for the children of high-ranking officials to study at the Imperial Study.
In reality, we were to serve as study companions for the Imperial Princes and Princesses.
My parents confirmed with the Eunuch delivering the decree over and over again: Was my name truly among them?
The answer they received left them utterly chilled.
Left with no choice, they instructed me that if I could learn, I should learn; if I couldn’t, I should at least make sure I ate my fill. The Imperial Study wasn’t a regular academy; once inside the palace, I had to watch my words and actions. I wasn’t to talk nonsense or stir up any more trouble.
Most importantly, I had to stay far away from the Crown Prince.
I nodded repeatedly in agreement, then turned and asked, “What does the Crown Prince look like now?”
I was seven years old now.
Three years had passed.
Naturally, I couldn’t remember his face.
“The one wearing bright yellow robes, or clothes embroidered with a four-clawed python pattern, is definitely the Crown Prince.”
My mother sighed.
She added, “Just find an inconspicuous corner to sit in.”
Keeping my mother’s words in mind, on my first day at the Imperial Study, I chose a corner seat by the window.
As it turned out, that spot had already been taken.
Dressed in a plain white robe with cloud patterns embroidered on the collar, the boy exuded a natural air of nobility.
I breathed a secret sigh of relief.
He wasn’t wearing bright yellow, nor was there a four-clawed python pattern.
So, I plopped myself down right next to him.
The boy ignored me, focusing entirely on the book in his hand.
I glanced at him and grumbled inwardly.
To specifically occupy such a prime spot when he clearly wasn’t the scholarly type-what was with the act? What was he still pretending for!
Students gradually trickled into the Imperial Study, all of them unfamiliar faces. I sat sideways in my seat, keeping a close eye on the door.
I wanted to make sure I recognized the Crown Prince the moment he appeared.
The red ribbons tied to my two little hair buns fluttered in the breeze.
They brushed against the pages of the boy’s book beside me.
“What are you looking at?” he asked.
He lifted the ribbons off his pages and tucked them neatly behind me.
“I’m looking for the Crown Prince.”
“Oh?” His indifferent expression suddenly turned curious. “You actually know the Crown Prince?”
Seeing his clueless look, I couldn’t help but straighten my back. With a haughty expression, I said, “Of course.”
I leaned in close to his ear.
Cupping my hands around my mouth, I lowered my voice. “The Crown Prince and I are… very… close.”
The boy clearly didn’t believe me. “Very close?”
“The Crown Prince and I have a life-and-death bond!”
My life, and his “life-root.”
I sat back in my seat and threw my hands up. “Believe it or not, it’s up to you!”
Before I could finish showing off, a voice behind me called out, “Prince Brother!” which instantly froze me in place.
There was no one else around.
That “Prince Brother” definitely wasn’t directed at me.
It could only be the person right in front of me.
Mother, you misled me!
The Crown Prince gave a simple response to the newcomer, then turned back to find me shrinking into a corner, trying my best to act like a quiet little quail.
However clever I felt choosing this seat earlier was exactly how much I felt like I was sitting on a bed of needles now.
The Crown Prince looked at the top of my head.
“Every time I see you, the two buns on your head are always crooked.”
With that, he reached out and straightened my two little hair buns for me.
It wasn’t that the hair-combing maid was unskilled; it was purely because I was too mischievous and restless.