Lotus in a Bottle - Chapter 5

Section 8

Only after we reached a deserted spot did Shen Huaihuan finally stop running.

He glanced back and realized he was still holding my hand. As if he were the one who had been taken advantage of, he snatched his hand away.

“You! A man and woman shouldn’t touch so casually! You’re already a married woman. How could you hold my hand?”

The corner of my mouth twitched. “My apologies for not shaking Your Highness off in time.”

Shen Huaihuan’s eyes widened. “I only did it to save you from that old hag!”

I assumed he would use this opportunity to demand that I repay the favor, either by putting in a good word for him with Tan Lian or, like the Princess Royal, helping him find a chance to get closer to Tan Lian.

Instead, Shen Huaihuan glanced around and lowered his voice. “Don’t tell anyone about this. I-I really did only hold your hand to save you. You absolutely can’t let this get out.”

I gave him a thoughtful look. “Not even Tan Lian?”

Surprisingly, the person who usually couldn’t go two sentences without mentioning “Brother Tan” didn’t react with his usual enthusiasm. Instead, he looked at me dejectedly.

“Last time… Last time, I tried to drug you with sleeping powder so you’d sleep through your wedding night, but Brother Tan caught me in the act. Afterward, Imperial Father punished me severely. I wasn’t allowed out again until today.”

Serves you right, I thought.

Out loud, I said, “Tan Lian made far too much of it.”

Shen Huaihuan looked at me again.

He neither agreed with me in shared indignation nor rushed to defend his beloved Brother Tan. The Third Prince’s palm-sized face scrunched up with conflict. After a long hesitation, he finally asked, “Then… have you forgiven me?”

“?”

What did that have to do with me?

When I didn’t answer, Shen Huaihuan grew anxious and thrust his hand in front of my face, waving it about.

“I was forced to copy texts for so long! You should be over it by now! Besides, I was tricked. That wasn’t sleeping powder at all. It was… it was…”

It was an aphrodisiac that had pushed me one step closer to death.

Ha.

“Anyway, I’ve saved you now, and I’ve already been punished. You have to forgive me!”

Growing desperate, Shen Huaihuan grabbed my sleeve and refused to let go.

I was still angry that he had drugged me, but he had helped me escape the Princess Royal. Besides, there was never any harm in staying on good terms with a prince.

I nodded helplessly. “I never blamed Your Highness. And I truly must thank you for rescuing me today.”

Shen Huaihuan really was easy to placate. A single sentence was enough to make him smile.

Just like that, he unilaterally declared us friends. Refusing to return to the men’s banquet, he kept dragging me around and chattering about one thing after another.

“Have the Xie Family’s caravans really traveled to the Western Regions? I’ve never been anywhere that far away. Tell me all about it.”

My mouth was practically dry from talking. I was just about to find an excuse to send him away when we rounded a corner and I suddenly spotted Tan Lian speaking with someone nearby.

From the looks of it, they were discussing official business.

In a flash of inspiration, I stopped the endlessly chattering Shen Huaihuan and asked, “You’re so close to Tan Lian. Do you know what he hates?”