Just as Sun Shaozong was feeling inexplicably puzzled, the Crown Princess spotted him as well, and her graceful dance abruptly stiffened.
She then lowered her head and silently withdrew into the western corridor.
That left Sun Shaozong stunned again.
He had just been preparing to offer her a respectful greeting from afar, yet the Crown Princess had unexpectedly chosen to keep her distance.
What was that supposed to mean?
Whether she had invited him before or encountered him by chance, the Crown Princess had always been poised and generous. She had never acted so bashful.
Could it be...
That she had been caught in her uninhibited moment just now and was too embarrassed to face him?
Having barely pieced together a somewhat reasonable explanation, Sun Shaozong had no time to dwell on it before the palace maid leading him pointed toward a corner on the western side. "Please enter, my lord. His Highness has been waiting inside for some time."
"My thanks."
Sun Shaozong gave her a slight nod and strode to the place she indicated, only to find it pitch-black inside, with what seemed to be faint candlelight flickering somewhere within.
Tsk.
Sun Shaozong smacked his lips. Though he felt that, given the current situation, the Crown Prince had no reason to harm him, he quietly heightened his vigilance.
Keeping alert for any movement around him, he announced himself at the door. "Your Highness, your servant Sun Shaozong has come in response to your summons."
After a long while, a muffled reply came from inside. "No need for such ceremony, my lord. Come in and speak."
It sounded as if something lay between them, but it was indeed the Crown Prince's voice.
Sun Shaozong grew even more suspicious, but he could not linger outside for long. He stepped over