Chapter 4
As he left, he kept looking back and made me promise, “Big Sister, I’ll come play with you again tomorrow.”
Coming back would do him no good. I had no more sweets.
Nor did I have any silver to buy them.
But no sooner had he left than the Marchioness summoned me to the main courtyard.
“Do you know who the man you gave that sweet to was?”
“Not at first. He said he was taking the flower back to the palace, so I realized he was a prince.” I spoke softly, sounding timid and afraid.
The Marchioness gave a quiet hum. “That was the emperor’s most beloved Ninth Prince. Years ago, he took a sword meant for His Majesty. He barely survived, and afterward he was no longer quite as clever as before.”
Even the Marchioness did not dare call him a fool.
He had risked his life to save the emperor. Even if his mind was now impaired, His Majesty still cherished and indulged him. What I could not understand was why he had been alone in the rear garden.
“If he comes looking for you again, keep him company. If he wants you to leave the estate…” The Marchioness paused.
“He is a prince. No one could bear the responsibility if anything happened to him. Coax him into staying here to play.”
I answered quickly, “Yes, my lady.”
“You may go.”
I imagined plenty of people had tried to win the Ninth Prince’s favor, but so far no one had managed to make him remember them.
Or perhaps his memory had suffered along with his mind, leaving him able to remember very few people or things.
I had no real hope. I ate when it was time to eat and slept when it was time to sleep.
Compared with my calm, Yanxi was even more restless than usual, constantly glancing toward the gate.
Yuxi and Nanxi occasionally looked at me before returning quietly to their dance practice.
Clearly, they had heard as well.
And if the Ninth Prince came, they intended to compete for him too.
I did not know whether they hoped to become his concubines or simply escape the Marquis’s estate…
“Big Sister, I’ve come to play with you.”
At the sound of his voice, Yanxi moved fastest, racing toward the gate.
Yuxi and Nanxi hurriedly straightened their clothes and hair, arranging sweet, ingratiating smiles on their faces.
“Your Highness.” Yanxi blocked his path at the gate, curtsying as she greeted him in a coy, obedient voice.
The Ninth Prince frowned and backed away several steps. “You smell awful. Stay away from me.”
The instant he finished speaking, a young eunuch appeared from behind him and roughly dragged Yanxi aside.
Yuxi and Nanxi made no move to approach after that.
So these two were clever girls too. Better at weighing costs and benefits, they endured in silence while waiting for another chance to leave the estate.
“Big Sister.”
The Ninth Prince ran to me and pulled my purse from inside his robe. “I brought sweets for Big Sister too.”
“And cakes and fruit. Shall we find somewhere to eat them?”
I nodded lightly.
Smiling, he took my hand and started outside.
“Big Sister, your hand is so small. Look how big mine is. Haven’t you been eating properly?
“Don’t your parents feed you? Do you want to come to my home? We have food. More food than we can ever finish, every single day.”
Go to his home for a meal?
Food was not what I wanted.
I wanted to use his present enthusiasm as my chance to escape the Marquis’s estate.
The stone table in the pavilion was covered with food.
“Eat, Big Sister.”
Then he asked, “Where did you buy those sweets? I’ve never had them before. They were so good.”
The treats he had brought were actually far better.
Unfortunately, my appetite was small, and I could not eat much.
He sampled one thing after another without ever stopping. Crumbs and fruit juice covered the front of his robe.
He did not care in the slightest. He ate with tremendous delight.
His attendants did nothing to stop him. No wonder they had let him grow so plump.
“Slow down. You might choke.” I handed him my handkerchief to wipe his hands.
He did not even know how. He simply held his hands out for me to wash and dry.
He really was a fool, wasn’t he?
Not merely pretending…