Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Following everyone’s gaze, she turned to see several people approaching.
Jiang Youze led them.
His eyes passed over the esteemed Fifth Princess before him and came to rest squarely on her.
Then they lingered on the pin in her hair for two seconds. His expression visibly stirred.
The instant Si Yan met his eyes, her heart missed a beat.
She hurriedly looked away and lowered her head to the flowers again, but her ears reddened.
Had he just smiled?
“Secretary Jiang.”
Xue Yushu looked at the man before her. Even dressed as a eunuch, he was strikingly distinguished.
A trace of regret showed in her eyes.
Once, she too had lost her heart to the Jiang family’s graceful, splendid legitimate son.
He was a eunuch now, yet whenever she saw him, she still looked twice.
Perhaps his face was simply too handsome, handsome enough to make people forget his station.
Or perhaps it was because, eunuch though he was, he was more compelling than any man who was whole.
Jiang Youze’s gaze left Si Yan’s hair. His usual coolness returned.
“Greetings, Fifth Princess.”
“I hear you are very skilled at board games, Secretary Jiang. Might I ask you for a game another day?”
At Xue Yushu’s words, everyone held their breath, waiting for his answer.
Normally, no one would dare refuse a princess’s request.
Eunuch or official, if the princess addressed you, she was granting you a favor. To refuse was to spurn her kindness.
Even Si Yan expected him to agree. Instead, she heard him say,
“I am merely a palace eunuch. I would not presume to play against Your Highness.”
Jiang Youze bent in a slight bow, leaving no room for negotiation.
“If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave.”
Without waiting for Xue Yushu to speak again, he led the young eunuchs past the gathering.
The smile on Xue Yushu’s face faded a little. She twisted her handkerchief twice but said nothing more.
Si Yan sensed him passing beside her. The faintest trace of ambergris drifted through the air.
Then something warm brushed the back of her hand.
She instinctively pulled away and looked up to glare at him, only to see his receding back.
That man!
In broad daylight!
Before all these people, he had actually, actually touched her hand in secret!
He was far too bold!
Xue Yushu had lost interest in the flowers as well. Saying she was tired, she turned to go back.
The others were already some way ahead, but Si Yan still stood there, covering the back of her hand with her handkerchief.
“Miss?”
Linghe called from beside her. When she got no response, she waved a hand before her eyes.
“The princess is getting ahead of us. We should follow.”
Si Yan abruptly came to herself, blinked, and hurried to catch up.
Back in her courtyard, she flung herself onto the bed and buried her face in the pillow.
She kicked twice against the bedboards, mortified and annoyed, silently cursing that bastard!
At the door, Linghe glanced at the sky. She was just about to fetch the meal when someone knocked on the courtyard gate.
She knew who it was without opening it.
Instead of doing so at once, she leaned toward the bed.
“Miss, shall I send them away again today?”
Si Yan sat up, smoothed the loose hair at her temples, and patted down the skirts her kicking had disordered.
She raised a hand to her mouth and coughed softly, suppressing the smile she could not quite hide.
“Let them in.”
As expected, the two young eunuchs at the gate were familiar faces.
The round-faced one was Xiao Fuzi. The tall, thin one was Xiao Luzi.
They stood side by side with their food carriers, miserable expressions already arranged on their faces.
Just as they were about to begin their tearful pleas, Linghe said, “Come in and put them on the table.”
“What?” Both miserable faces froze at once. Neither quite understood.
“What do you mean, what? Hurry up.”
Linghe stepped aside, suppressing a smile, and tipped her chin toward the courtyard.
“My mistress is hungry.”
The two young eunuchs exchanged a look and hurried inside with their carriers, overjoyed.
Xiao Fuzi, leading the way, was quick with his tongue. Even setting down the food did not stop him offering a little flattery.
“Thank you, Sister Linghe! You’re looking so well today. And what a lovely outfit!”
Behind him, Xiao Luzi nodded vigorously. Feeling he could not come all this way without contributing, he struggled for a long time before producing,
“May Miss Si enjoy good fortune, long life, and good health!”
Laughing, Linghe saw them out, shut the courtyard gate, and returned inside.
Si Yan held a cup of tea, but her gaze was not on it. It kept drifting sideways toward the window.
Linghe opened the carriers, laid out the dishes, and asked as though in passing,
“Miss, have you forgiven Secretary Jiang?”
Si Yan’s hand paused on her chopsticks. “When did I say I forgave him?”
She looked up at Linghe, her eyes wide, her tone perfectly assured.
“He sends the food. I eat it. How will I have the strength to stay angry if I don’t eat enough?”
That was what she said. Yet at bedtime, when Linghe went to the window as usual to close it and put out the lamp,
her fingers had barely touched the bolt before her mistress spoke behind her.
“Leave the window open. The moon is lovely tonight, and it’s stuffy in here.”
Si Yan turned the pages of her storybook, her tone casual, though her eyes were not on the page.
“I’ll put out the lamp myself.”
Linghe’s hand stopped on the bolt. She blinked twice and looked at her in puzzlement. “Miss…”
“What are you staring at?”
Si Yan held her book squarely before her, hiding half her face. Her voice was both fierce and soft.
“Go to sleep.”
Taking the hint, Linghe withdrew and closed the outer room’s door behind her.
Si Yan was alone.
She put down the storybook, lay on her side with her back to the window, and closed her eyes.
After a long while, she turned over to face it.
She stared at the half-open window for ages, then pressed her lips together.
At last, she got up, went to the window, and pushed it wider.
The early-summer breeze poured in, carrying the scent of flowers. The candle on the table flickered twice.
She leaned on the sill and peered outside.
There was nothing by the courtyard wall. Only the crabapples bloomed quietly in the moonlight.
Si Yan pushed the window another half-inch outward, returned to bed, and closed her eyes.
She did not know how long had passed when, half asleep, she heard a faint sound by the window.
She neither moved nor opened her eyes, but her grip tightened on the quilt.
Footsteps stopped beside the bed. The mattress dipped, and a shadow blocked the candlelight.
A fingertip gently brushed her earlobe, tucking the stray hair behind her ear.
It tickled a little.
Her toes curled beneath the quilt. Her eyelids fluttered several times despite herself.
The finger behind her ear paused. Then she heard a very soft laugh.
The chill of night dew and a faint fragrance drew closer. The shadow was about to cover the candlelight completely.
Hot breath spilled over the tip of her nose. He was so close she could even feel the warmth of his lips.
Just as he was about to kiss her, Si Yan opened her eyes and clapped a hand over her mouth.
She glared at him, her eyes still watery with sleep and full of the embarrassment of being caught.
Her voice emerged muffled behind her palm, indistinct but emphatic.
“Did I give you permission to kiss me?”