The Dragon's Flower

XH 8

Xiao Hua’s hair was tied up into a round bun on top of her head at each side, leaving a long tail hanging from each bun. The hair buns were decorated with shiny and heavy accessories, making it heavy to move her head around.

This little girl's hairstyle would have suited Xiao Hua’s age, but for Le XiaoTing, a woman in her mid-twenties, it was actually really embarrassing to go out in that hairstyle! Everyone would assume she was a diehard fan of Sailormoon! Seeing Xiao Hua's face that displayed her real thoughts of her current hairstyle, Long Lian's enthusiasm dimmed.

"You don't like it?"

Xiao Hua winced. How should she answer that without offending Long Lian?

Long Lian seems to know Xiao Hua would probably give her an insincere answer so she stared Xiao Hua down with a grim look. "Answer me honestly."

"I don't like it," Xiao Hua blurted out the truth, unable to resist the look.

An Wan was first to speak out for Long Lian. "This hairstyle suits your age and appearance. It took a great effort for the Princess to think and even helped to tied it up for you."

In other words, you should not be ungrateful to the princess' kindness, huh?

But Long Lian does not appreciate her help for she gave An Wan a look that immediately had her head bowed downwards and took a step back. "If Xiao Hua doesn’t like it, then this Princess doesn’t like it too."

Woah, this princess, aren't you being too nice to this commoner? Σ(￣。￣ﾉ)

"T-This, it's not that Xiao Hua doesn't like it." Xiao Hua tried to give an acceptable excuse that Long Lian would not be offended. 

"You don't need to explain."

"It's just that this hairstyle is too young for me!" Xiao Hua pushed on. If she can do it, then she will avoid making this princess unhappy!

"But you are young," Long Lian pointed out, and Xiao Hua was glad to see that her bad mood slowly disperse.

"I'm not young! I'm thirteen!" Xiao Hua put on an ‘insulted’ look.

Long Lian showed an indulging expression as she said, "Yes, Xiao Hua is an adult."

"So it's fine if I use back my usual hairstyle." The hairstyle she had used before was just a simple ponytail tied with a long, thin cloth. She looked neat and smart like a proper maid should look like.

But the three ladies' expression immediately revealed a horrified expression. "No!" They answered hastily.

Hmm? Why not? (・・ ) ?

Xiao Hua stared at Long Lian and her two fellow maids’ hairstyle, which was complex looking. Unlike Long Lian’s which was filled with hairpins, the maids were filled with ribbons. Would they not find it heavy and tiring to do it every day?

"Princess, perhaps with the buns with loops at the sides might not be as childish? It would also follow the proper attire of a maid." An Jing suggested. Although An Jing and An Wan’s hairstyle was more eye-catching compared to normal maids, they only used ribbons as accessories.

Long Lian only then realized she nearly got Xiao Hua into trouble if Xiao Hua did not reject the previous hairstyle and went to the public with accessories that maids should not be wearing. She would be insulted and offend noble ladies that looked for trouble.

"Not bad of an idea!" Long Lian quickly untied Xiao Hua's hair before effortlessly tied her hair into figure-eight coils at each side of her head and right behind the ears, with ribbons holding them in place.

Xiao Hua's terrified eyes accidentally met An Jing’s, but the elder maid just smiled in a reassuring manner.

"There! How is it, Xiao Hua?"

An Jing dutifully held up the mirror in front of Xiao Hua. Xiao Hua thinks that this new hairstyle looks better than the previous ones. But there was still something lacking...

"Perhaps..." Xiao Hua slowly tried to stand up but was pushed back down by An Jing in a soft but firm manner.

"Where do you want to go?" Long Lian asked.

"Ah... I want to find scissors. I think having bangs would be better." Xiao Hua makes a cutting gesture in front of her forehead.

An Wan frowned. “As a maid, it would be best not to have any sort of bangs.”

An Jing gave An Wan a piercing stare that immediately raised her hairs on her arms. “Elder Sister Hua would not be serving in the laundry room or the kitchens. Having bangs is not a problem.”

“Who knows how to cut it?” Long Lian asked, ignoring An Jing’s subtle scolding towards An Wan.

"Leave it to me, Princess." In a short time, An Jing found a pair of scissors and loosens the bun to gather some hair to the front to cut into a nice, straight fringe for Xiao Hua. Once it was done, she tied back the remaining hair back to figure-eight buns.

"Thank you, Sister An Jing," Xiao Hua said with a bright smile as she admired her still unfamiliar face with the new hairstyle. With nice hairstyle, even a plain girl would look better!

Finally presentable, they left the room and head towards the hall where the third prince would be waiting for them.

Xiao Hua was able to move her legs now, but when she walked, there was a noticeable limping, and her speed was slow, so An Jing ended up being her private 'carriage' again. They followed behind Long Lian, who was familiar with the place’s layout after plenty of visits and does not need a guide.

Two men dressed in armor opened the door for them as they were instructed to do so as soon as Princess Long Lian arrived. The Third Prince was waiting for them while drinking tea, seated before a round, jade table.

Prince Long Zhu was like a painting coming to life. His thin, delicate fingers were holding onto a small and fragile-looking teacup with graceful movement as he drank, which was something that most men would unable to achieve. When the tea was swallowed, his Adam apple moved enticingly, luring eyes to follow down the trail.

Thankfully, Xiao Hua's poor eyesight saved her from being exposed to the full impact of the prince's charm. It kept her from doing something embarrassing, like drooling or staring at him with dreamy eyes.

"Come and have a seat. This tea is from Zhulang Country. Have a taste while it’s still warm." The Third Prince waved his long-sleeved toward the empty stools.

"Zhulang?! No way, how did you get it? I heard from Mother Empress that they don’t usually sell their tea leaves to outsiders."

With no princess manners in sight, Long Lian immediately filled a cup of the famous tea and unceremoniously drank it in slow sips as if it was precious. An Jing sat Xiao Hua down on a chair beside Long Lian, scaring her to death.

Why would a maid like her sitting down with her master?! Σ(°△°|||)︴

Her inner rambling halted when a cup filled with tea was pushed over to her. Xiao Hua's eyes followed the hand inside a light yellow sleeve before slowly trailed upwards to look at Prince Long Zhu.

When Xiao Hua finally noticed that she was making eye contact with the prince, which was a big NO for a maid, she quickly lowered her head, so much that her new bangs nearly touched the tea in front of her.

Xiao Hua swears that her soul nearly escaped from this body when a warm hand cradled her chin and raised her head. She gulped audibly when her eyes make contact with the prince again.

What is he trying to do?! (>_<)

Xiao Hua breaks the eye contact and tried to pull her chin away, but his grip was strong. She did not dare to look at the prince again and turned to Long Lian for help.

But Long Lian was looking at them with her mouth hanging open, looking silly and no longer has the ability to think due to the shock. The two maids standing at the corner does not look any better either. One was spotted with a stark surprise while another with disbelieve and jealousy.

Oh ho! One of prince Long Zhu's fans was spotted! Wait, why is she thinking of these trivial things! She needs to think of her current situation first!

"P-Prince, please let go of this servant." Xiao Hua ended up mumbling instead of sounding firm like she planned to. She only possessed a small amount of courage!

The hand on her chin slowly moved away and his fingers, either intentionally or not, caressed her before breaking contact. The Third prince rubbed his fingers as if discovered something interesting.

T-This rascal! How dare he molest her! (°ㅂ°╬)

Although she was not pleased, she was not foolish enough to reveal it plainly on her face. But what she did not know was that her round, peach-shaped eyes had already conveyed her inner thoughts.

She did not notice the Third Prince’s eyes flashed with mischief or else she would have readied herself.

Xiao Hua nearly coughed when tea suddenly filled her mouth. The Third prince had poured a cup filled with tea right into her mouth! Is this rascal trying to choke her to death?! Fortunately, the tea was lukewarm!

“You need to replenish the water inside your body.”

Although the Third Prince had slowly tipped the cup, she still had to quickly swallow the tea to avoid getting choked. It was not until the cup was empty did the prince remove it from her mouth. He wiped his hand that was slightly wet from the tea with a white napkin before standing up.

"Father Emperor and Mother Empress are waiting for us. It’s best if we make haste," the Third Prince said to Long Lian before leaving the room with Da Liu. No one makes a move to follow, as they were still in shock from what they had just seen!

The Third Prince, Long Zhu, always has a charming smile on his face that gave off a gentle feeling, but he was actually a person that prefers not to have skin contact with anyone!