I am the crown prince? - Chapter 9

Zheng Lu breathed the fresh air in satisfaction, he finally passed through the main gate. He felt satiated, because to him, the gates were an obstacle between him and the outside world. His relief was short-lived as he found guards waiting for him.

“Those lowly beings greet his highness, the fourth prince!” Their voices were strong and steady.

Zheng Lu felt uncomfortable. He felt the warning bells echoing in his heart, which meant that these four guards were trouble.

He ignored it and went inside the carriage to find the young maid that he hugged when he woke up. They stared into each other’s eyes; one in embarrassment and the other in surprise.

“Your Highness,” she whispered, looking at the ground.

Without any reply, he sat on the right side of the carriage, in front of her and kept studying her face.

‘She really looks like her,’ he thought, staring at her, making her feel small under his gaze.

“Am I interrupting something?” Jia Ying asked, sitting near the new maid.

“No!” they both denied at the same time.

“Your Highness, we are ready to depart!” a guard informed Zheng Lu.

‘Wait how do they reply in such a situation? Leave? Go? Okay? Oh, I found it!’ he thought.

“To our destiny, we go!” Zheng Lu said coolly, making the guard comply.

‘To our destiny, we go? What was that? A poem?’ Both maids questioned the same thought.

“Let’s go!” the guard shouted.

Zheng Lu felt happy when the carriage started to move. Finally, he will see this new world. However, His happiness didn’t last long as he got bored from looking at the trees that surrounded them. The maids were quiet, looking at the scenery without a care in the world. Zheng Lu being the bubbly person he was, couldn’t help but open up a conversation with the young girl, he asked her about her name.

The little maid herself was surprised when the young prince asked for her name.

How come a person with such a status asked her, a mere slave, for her name?

She felt warm inside but at the same time, she felt depressed because she was just a nameless person. The little maid dropped her gaze from the kind prince’s face in shame.

“She doesn’t have a name,” Jia Ying replied instead, breaking the silence.

“Oh?” Zheng Lu felt guilty when he noticed the tears that gathered in the young maid’s orbs.

“What about Bo?” he asked, making the little maid gawk at him in surprise.

“Bo? It means precious! The name fits her well,” Jia Ying said, amused.

“Yup my precious,” Zheng Lu blurted out, imagining the ring of power, then kept whispering it in a creepy way which scared the maids in the process.

Outside the carriage, the Guards galloped, they felt anxious about their mission. They pursued the prince to rest and eat by showing their concern about his health. They thought it was the right time to start the mission. After all, he didn’t eat all day during the journey.

In reality, Jia Ying brought food with her; dumplings, sweets, honey, and bread, that’s why they didn’t stop. The guards wanted to finish the mission as fast as possible. As the night came, the guards’s stomachs kept making noises through the night, disturbing the peaceful atmosphere.

“When would we stop to rest?” Bo asked timidly.

“No! We won’t stop until tomorrow. We will sleep here,’ Zheng Lu said while yawning.

“The guards need to get fed so they can continue with their mission,” Jia Ying said.

“No need,” he replied.

‘He was never heartless, what’s going on?’ Jia Ying asked herself, not believing what she heard.

Zheng Lu ignored both of their curious gazes. He stretched his body and laid on his spot, trying to sleep.