258 The day is approaching
Li Hua kept gazing at the sleeping face of Lóng Wei. She lifted her hand and her fingers trailed down his cheek. However, she kept in mind not to disturb his sleep. âYour Highness, I will become strong and will protect you,â Li Hua murmured and softly kissed his lips.
Slowly, she moved out of the bed and went to the patio. She went down to the patio and opened the small equipment room. She wanted to practice shooting the arrow which she had left in the middle.
After selecting a bow, she picked up the quiver, which had around fifty arrows in it. She wore it on her back and started to practice. If she had practiced when Lóng Wei was awake, then he would have stopped her. She thought he was pressuring her too much when it wasnât the case. She was too weak to work on her body. She used to slack off in physical activities.
However, after finding out that the enemy around her was powerful, she realized that she had to learn all the things that would help her protect Lóng Wei.
After practicing for an hour, she stopped. She collected the arrows from the ground. Today she missed the aims many times. It was probably because it was evening time and the visibility was not that good.
âHow did the shooter shoot the arrow when it was dark in the morning? He must be very skilled,â Li Hua murmured and took out the arrows from the trunk of the tree when her palm got a cut with the sharp edge of the arrow.
âAhh!â she let out a low cry and quickly pressed her thumb over the cut. After a few seconds, she moved her thumb away and sucked on it. She lowered her hand when she was assured that the cut had clotted. She put the arrows inside the quiver. She put the quiver inside the small equipment room, then went to the chamber.
To her surprise, Lóng Wei was still sleepy. She walked out and returned with two lanterns in her hands. She placed one in the room adjacent to the bedchamber, while the other she put on the patio.
After that, she lit the candles in the bedchamber. Since Lóng Wei didnât like much light, she kept the count low and came to the living room.
.....
âLi Hua,â she heard Lóng Weiâs deep voice say. She lifted her head and found him rubbing her eyes. He stretched out his arms and yawned. âI overslept but I feel good,â he said, and smiled.
Li Hua stood up from around the floor table and asked him if they should change the bandage on his back. âLetâs go to Physician Peng,â she suggested.
âI donât want to see his face. He tried to kill me,â Lóng Wei said, and got annoyed. âChange it after dinner,â he said, and grasped her hands. He furrowed his brows and looked down at her hands.
âYour fingers seem rough,â he murmured, and saw the clot on her left palm. âDid you hurt yourself?â He asked and looked into her eyes.
âIt was a small cut. While cleaning the table, it happened,â she lied to him. She didnât want to reveal to him that she practiced archery when he told her not to learn it anymore.
âThere are hundreds of servants in the palace. Why did you clean? You will not do it anymore. I will punish the servants who are appointed to my manor if you work unnecessarily,â he warned her while showing his sincere concern towards her.
âIt is merely a slight cut. His Highness is reacting too much,â she told him and smiled.
âTonight, I will be out as I need to find the truth,â Lóng Wei informed her, which worried her. Before she could stop him, he said, âI have promised Yi Xinze that I will save his wife, and then, I need to prove to my father that I am the most suitable person to be the Governor of Qinping. I told you because it would be wrong to hide my activities. As my wife, you must know where your husband goes and what he does.â He tucked her hair behind her ear.
âWho is Yi Xinze?â Li Hua was curious to know.
âThe man who attacked the Crown Prince. He told me his real name and revealed a few more things. Someone from the palace tasked Yi Xinze with attacking the Crown Prince. He doesnât recognize the person, so I need to investigate. Donât miss me at night,â Lóng Wei asserted.
âIf I knew how to fight, then His Highness would have let me accompany him. Currently, I am a mere burden to him,â she said with a disappointed look and sighed.
âLi Hua, you are not a burden to me. You can accompany me if you want. You will get to see how your husband works,â he said with a wide smile. Li Hua enthusiastically agreed with him.
âBut I do not want to exhaust you. So, if for any reason I have to go out of the palace, then I will drop you here first,â he clarified to her.
âHis Highness shall not go out of the palace even if the situation arises. The King is already infuriated,â she anxiously said.
âI cannot do that. As I said, this Governor position is important to me,â Lóng Wei affirmed and took Li Hua towards the patio. They both sat on the floor mat when Lóng Wei laid down, resting his head on her lap.
The low-height wooden handrail was adjacent to them, and outside it were a few stairs. âLi Hua, the day is approaching,â he said while exhaling a deep sigh.
âWhich day, Your Highness?â Li Hua arched her eyebrow with inquisitiveness.
âThe day I killed her. I didnât want to do it. However, I have no other way,â Lóng Wei said. âShe made me despise her to the extent that I decided to remove her from my life,â he stated. He sounded low and regretful. This was what Li Hua observed. She was hoping that Lóng Wei would tell her that he didnât kill his mother.
Lóng Wei looked into her eyes, which were glued to him. âAre you scared?â
âNo. Why would I be scared?â She gently stroked her hand through his hair.
âBecause if I can kill the person who gave birth to me, then I can kill anyone. Thatâs why people run away from me. However, there are a few people who, despite my past, didnât run away from me,â Lóng Wei said, and a tiny smile formed on his lips.