Chapter 7

The aloof crown prince's nemesis (Chapter 7)

Crabapple blossoms carpeted the pavilion at the lake's heart. The gentle spring breeze lingered tenderly, quietly stirring both their hearts.

Shen Zhiwei's fingertips barely brushed Xiao Heng's cool finger pads. As though a tiny current had swept over her skin, she abruptly withdrew her hand, a faint blush instantly spreading to the tips of her ears.

The crabapple jade hairpin lay quietly in her fair palm. Its jade was lustrous and translucent, its carving exquisite and delicate-clearly a costly piece of the finest palace craftsmanship.

She hastily lowered her head and softly declined. "Your Highness, this hairpin is far too precious. I dare not accept it."

She was staying at the Eastern Palace with no one to rely on, already a subject of gossip. Accepting such a personal gift from the crown prince would only fan the flames of rumor and make it harder for her to find her footing in the future.

Xiao Heng's gaze deepened as it settled on her shy, averted face.

This young woman had always been gentle and cautious. When wronged, she merely endured in silence; when shown kindness, her first instinct was to consider every consequence. She never displayed even a trace of greed. Such a perceptive, untainted nature was especially rare within a palace steeped in schemes.

"If I bestow a gift, what does your daring have to do with it?"

Xiao Heng's voice remained cool, but its usual chill had faded, replaced by a tenderness that brooked no refusal. "It is only a jade hairpin, hardly something so precious. Take it."

Shen Zhiwei lifted her eyes and met his deep, tender gaze. Those eyes, ordinarily cold and unruffled, now brimmed with glimmers of gentle light. None of an imperial heir's distant majesty remained-only an indulgence reserved for her alone.

Her heart trembled softly. She pressed her lips together and finally obediently clasped the hairpin, bending her knees in thanks. "Thank you for your gift, Your Highness."

"Put it on," Xiao Heng said quietly.

Shen Zhiwei paused in surprise, then raised her hands uncertainly. Unable to see her own coiffure, she fumbled with her fingertips, struggling to secure the hairpin.

Watching her clumsy attempts, Xiao Heng's eyes flickered with the faintest hint of amusement.

He rose and walked slowly toward her. His tall figure bent slightly, enveloping her slender frame, while a faint scent of ambergris drifted around her, refined and reassuring.

Without a word, his long, clean fingers gently took the crabapple jade hairpin from her hand.

His fingertips lightly lifted her hair, and his warm breath brushed her ear. Shen Zhiwei instantly froze in place, unconsciously softening even her breathing, her heart racing as though it might burst through her chest.

From so close, she could clearly see his finely defined jawline and his long, lowered lashes. His cool, noble features had lost some of their distance and gained a lingering tenderness.

Within a few breaths, the jade hairpin sat securely in her coiffure.

Her raven-black hair set off the white jade, its crabapple blossom lovely and graceful.

Xiao Heng straightened and quietly lowered his gaze to study her.

The young woman who usually wore plain clothes and no makeup, keeping quiet and out of sight, now looked gentle and ethereally beautiful with the jade hairpin adorning her hair. Like a crabapple blossom quietly opening in the spring breeze, she stirred the heart.

"It looks lovely."

He spoke softly, his voice carrying a sincerity and tenderness it had never held before.

Shen Zhiwei's cheeks flamed scarlet. Not daring to look up at him, she clutched the edges of her clothes as warmth surged through her heart, flustered and sweet.

Beside the stone bridge not far away, a figure stood silently, taking in every moment within the pavilion.

Su Wan had not truly left.

Publicly rebuked by the crown prince moments earlier and stripped of all dignity, she could not swallow her resentment. She had quietly doubled back, wanting to see just how far his special treatment of Shen Zhiwei went.

But the scene before her stabbed viciously at her eyes.

The lofty, coldhearted crown prince, who had never shown a pleasant face to any woman, had actually placed a floral hairpin in Shen Zhiwei's hair himself. The tenderness and affection in his eyes were things Su Wan had never received, despite years at his side and every effort to please him.

Jealousy instantly wound around her heart like a poisonous vine, dense hatred and resentment sweeping through her entire body.

Shen Zhiwei was nothing but an orphan from a fallen family, with neither standing nor support. What right did she have to receive the crown prince's one-of-a-kind favor?

Su Wan clenched her sleeves tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms, a sinister chill churning in her eyes.

She would never allow this lowly orphan to steal everything that belonged to her.

Inside the lakeside pavilion, the tenderness lingered.

Watching the young woman's shy, lowered eyes, Xiao Heng softened his voice further. "The palace flower banquet is approaching. You will attend with me."

Shen Zhiwei looked up in astonishment. "Me, Your Highness?"

Her position was awkward, and she had never attended a formal palace banquet. She feared a breach of etiquette would make her a laughingstock, and feared even more that she would attract fresh gossip.

"With me there, no one will dare say a word against you." Xiao Heng's tone was certain, every word a promise of protection. "From now on, you need not endure and give way in everything. If anyone deliberately makes trouble for you, simply tell me."

Before, he had watched with cold detachment because he wanted no part in the complications of love. Now, however, he willingly stood behind her, ready to safeguard her peace for a lifetime.

Shen Zhiwei gazed into his deep, tender eyes, feeling the sting of approaching tears.

Within the palace, every step brought danger. Everyone courted power, and she alone knew the warmth and cold she had endured. This was the first time someone had protected her without reservation and favored her, allowing her to stop treading so carefully at every turn.

The spring breeze sent a skyful of crabapple blossoms drifting down onto their shoulders and into their hair, tender and lingering, peaceful year after year.

Xiao Heng raised a hand and gently brushed the remaining petals from her hair, his touch tender beyond measure.

No one knew that this decisive, ruthless, coolly restrained crown prince, who inspired awe throughout the court, had already, without realizing it, let this gentle, sweet, pure-hearted young woman quietly breach every icy defense and make him a prisoner of love.

Meanwhile, in the shadows nearby, Su Wan stared coldly at the tender pair in the pavilion, a vicious sneer curling at the corner of her mouth.

At the flower banquet, she had no shortage of ways to ruin Shen Zhiwei's reputation and make her disappear from the crown prince's sight forever.