"I swear to God, if you embarrass me today, I'll break both your legs and you'll only be able to crawl," Zhao Hua hissed at him as she hooked her arm through his, smiling broadly, and walked with him along the lavishly decorated courtyard.
Tian Liu Yan adjusted his pace to match hers, suppressing the urge to wrap his fingers around her throat.
Outwardly, his face was expressionless, cold, and showed no emotion. But inside, he was shaken by having to be so close to this woman.
Red lanterns hung everywhere, everything was festively decorated, and even the new employees had quickly learned to duck under the gaze of the family members.
The great hall was filled with visitors from the upper nobility, princes, ministers, and scholars. They all chatted animatedly about the news from the capital and old friendships.
When Zhao Hua entered the hall with Liu Yan, all eyes immediately turned to them. Some were skeptical, others pitying, but all the looks directed at Liu Yan were without exception hostile and full of resentment. Zhao Hua dragged him along as she fought her way through the crowd, stopping here and there to chat.
"Well, if it isn't the curse of our country," a voice behind them sneered.
Zhao Hua let go of him as a corpulent young man approached. Liu Yan recognized him as the son of a minister he knew from the imperial court. He braced himself and took a step back as the young man approached him. Liu Yan searched his mind for a name. Pigface, Sun?
"Tai Sun Gongzi," he greeted the young man politely. Tai Sun was round, not just his whole body, but his face was also almost a perfect sphere, sliding seamlessly into his shoulders without a neck.
His nose was flat and his cheeks were red, as even the slightest exertion was too much for him. He panted as he reached Liu Yan and had to look up at him.
The last time he had seen Pigface Sun, he had been a boy. As the son of an important minister, he had been accepted into the prestigious academy and had begun his studies.
Liu Yan had heard that he was not very successful in his studies and was described by most of his teachers as dull-witted and stupid.
He could only agree. Even his bullying was quite unimaginative: it was mostly limited to laughing in his face and kicking him around, telling him how useless he was as a curse shackle.
Tai Sun stared at him aggressively with his small eyes.
"So our cursed prince has been hiding with the Zhao family?" he sneered.
"I hope you're not causing any trouble for Miss Hua," he reprimanded him, looking at Zhao Hua with shining eyes.
Zhao Hua returned his gaze with disgust and gave him a half-hearted smile. Before it shook her and left the two men alone.
"Not at all," Liu Yan replied coldly. Tai Sun's gaze flew back to him.
"I have a gift for you, my dear prince," he purred, pulling a package from the folds of his robe.
Liu Yan took a deep breath. He already knew the game. When Tai Sun learned that he didn't tolerate almonds well and was allergic to them, he made it a point to bring him almond moon cakes from all parts of the country every New Year's celebration.
Only to discover, to his regret, that Liu Yan didn't fare well this time either. But before Tai Sun could condescendingly hand him the package and ask him to open it, he was pushed aside.
Liu Yan dodged just in time, using his years of training to move in the shadows. The crowd pressed close together, yet still tried to make room for the two men who had just arrived.
They were tall, stately, and looked like younger versions of their father, Zhao Jisheng. Their dark hair was tied back and adorned with an elaborate, intricately crafted hair crown. Their robes were white with silver embroidery of a crane on them. Their swords jingled with every step, and the atmosphere crackled with pure qi.
Now that Liu Yan had become a little more sensitive to this, he too could feel the cultists' qi in the air and smell the scent of five-mile grass wafting around them. They walked down the aisle that the crowd had cleared for them, greeting old and new faces along the way.
"My sons, my pride." Zhao Jisheng stepped forward and greeted his sons with joy. Concubine Dali appeared behind her husband. With tears in her eyes, she took her children into her arms.
"You're late this year," Zhao Hua scolded them. But for once, a sincere smile lit up her face. She hugged her brothers tightly.
"But we have a lot of new stories to tell, Jiejie," Yuan laughed and hugged his sister tightly.
"You won't believe it, but we found a cave where it's freezing cold all year round and the glaciers never melt," Yuehao began to tell her.
His mother gently scolded him: this was not a topic of conversation for such an occasion, and so the siblings slowly trotted out. Zhao Huan was already waiting for them and waved them over impatiently.
"We were interrupted, Third Prince," Tai Sun's voice began to rise behind Liu Yan.
"Excuse me!" Without looking back, he took flight. If Zhao Hua was no longer here, there was nothing left to keep him. He was only there to briefly present the image of a perfect little engagement.
He hurried out and literally fled from the crowds of people who were pressed close together, admiring the gardens, the house, and its architecture. Tables were set up in the large courtyard, where the invited guests gradually took their seats, strictly separated according to rank and prestige. Charcoal bowls glowed everywhere, and the snow had almost completely melted here.
Even Liu Yan found the heat too much and felt discomfort throughout his body. He scratched himself and instinctively loosened his robe until he reached a quieter part of the courtyard.
Breathless, he pressed himself against the cold wood and breathed in the icy air deeply and greedily. Suddenly, he sensed the presence of a second man and the coldness of steel against his throat. He opened his eyes and found himself face to face with a man who was actually a few inches taller than him.
His hair was tied back tightly, and he wore armor and carried a sword. His gaze pierced Liu Yan's and did not bode well.
"Why are you sneaking through the gardens? Who are you and where are you from?" the man asked.
His muscles were visible under his uniform and his voice sounded deep and dangerous. Dark eyes bored into Liu Yan's and a small mole on the man's nose gave him a mischievous look. If he weren't radiating murderous intent, that is. Tian Liu Yan swallowed.
"I am the third prince, Tian Liu Yan, fiancé of Miss Zhao Hua," he replied.
The man's eyes widened in surprise. He immediately lowered his sword and sheathed it.
"Your Highness, forgive me for not recognizing you," he apologized. He bowed and folded one hand around his fist.
"My name is Li Wangxi, I am pleased to meet you. Please make my sister happy!" he introduced himself.
Liu Yan choked as he felt nauseous at the thought of making Zhao Hua happy. He took a step back as Li Wangxi gave him space and looked him over discreetly. So this was Li Wangxi, the pride of Zhao Jisheng? The generous, sincere, and righteous general of the army currently guarding the country's border?
"Have Zhao Yuan and Zhao Yuehao arrived yet?" Wangxi asked. Liu Yan nodded and pointed in the direction from which he had come.
"Your sisters have missed you dearly," he said, watching Li Wangxi's reaction. Wangxi looked in the direction he was pointing and then smiled.
"Has Zhao Huan asked about me?" he asked hesitantly.
Liu Yan was not used to having conversations, so he just shrugged his shoulders helplessly. The fact that Li Wangxi asked first and exclusively about the second young lady confirmed the rumor among the employees. The affection Zhao Huan felt for him was mutual. Tian Liu Yan wanted to turn away when Li Wangxi held him back.
"Don't you want to celebrate with the family?" he asked. Liu Yan didn't know if this man was just stupid or infinitely naive. He shook him off.
"No, I prefer my peace and quiet," he said coldly.
Wangxi frowned, but didn't seem to question his habits. Perhaps it was completely normal for him to withdraw from crowds as a curse-bound person. Or perhaps it was simply incomprehensible to him that someone would make another person's life hell because of a birth curse for which they could not be blamed.
He looked naive and simple-minded enough to live up to his reputation as a righteous warrior who believed only in the good in people.
So he was definitely someone Liu Yan wanted to stay away from. He had neither the patience nor the nerves for someone like him. With a slight bow, he apologized and fled once again.
It led him back to the backyard, which was so neglected that no one had even bothered to clear the paths and trees of snow and ice. A person was sitting in a pavilion in the middle of the rock garden. When Liu Yan approached, she immediately jumped up and knelt down.
"It's you," Xinxin sounded relieved and pulled herself up again on the stone seat. She glanced at his new clothes.
"You look good in them, Your Highness," she teased. Liu Yan gave her a contemptuous look. But there was far less hatred and disgust in it than there had been at the beginning.
Her teasing seemed affectionate, in contrast to what he had had to endure for the rest of his life. He stood under the pavilion when it began to snow lightly.
"Zhao Hua?" he asked after a while. Xinxin listlessly rolled a pebble across the stone tabletop and nodded.
"She didn't want me to run into Li Wangxi by chance," she replied. Liu Yan's gaze cooled noticeably as he thought of the tall man who looked like an oversized husky.
"How long do you think Li Wangxi will stay?" Xinxin asked. Liu Yan shrugged, anger building up inside him.
"Why, do you want to meet him?" he asked, more harshly than he intended. Xinxin blew a strand of hair out of her face.
"Quite the opposite. Zhao Hua said I shouldn't move until he leaves."
"That could take a while. As far as I know, he's staying for a few days," Liu Yan replied coolly.
Xinxin hung her head when something else suddenly caught her attention. She narrowed her eyes and Liu Yan followed her gaze. He could clearly recognize Miss Zhao Huan by her gait and clothing. Xinxin had recognized her too.
"What is the second miss doing here of all places?" she whispered. Liu Yan shrugged. He didn't know and he didn't care. Someone followed her and they both sneaked away from the banquet.
"Are you coming here?" Xinxin asked. Liu Yan recognized the ostentatious general's uniform.
"It's Li Wangxi," he remarked. Xinxin jumped up.
"He mustn't see me, or Zhao Hua will get wind of it. My five-mile herb is empty," she whispered.
She grabbed Liu Yan, who made no move to leave, and pulled him with her. The babble of voices grew louder, along with laughter. Xinxin quickly looked around. But there was no way out other than the one the two had just taken. So she dragged Liu Yan with her into the bushes.
Since it was completely overgrown and covered with snow, the two were able to crouch down unseen. Ice trickled into Liu Yan's collar and he turned uncomfortably.
"Is this necessary?" he asked in a low voice.
"Do you think Zhao Huan will show you mercy if she finds you here?" Xinxin whispered back.
It was obvious that the two had left the party without any staff. Neither of them wanted to face the punishment that would befall them if Zhao Huan found out. So Liu Yan crouched down too, and the two huddled close together in the bushes.
Although Xinxin was trembling all over, she radiated a pleasant warmth. Normally, Tian Liu Yan didn't like closeness or physical contact, but Luo Xinxin's closeness wasn't quite so unpleasant to him.
Zhao Huan placed her hands on Li Wangxi's chest and snuggled up to him.
"What should we do now?" she asked, her voice sounding troubled. Wangxi took her hands in his and looked deep into her eyes.
"I will ask Zhao Jisheng not to approve the marriage. Zhao Hua will do her duty and marry the third prince. It would cause unrest among the people if the two most powerful families in the country were to form another marriage alliance," he explained gently.
Huan smiled at him and Wangxi kissed her on the tip of her nose. Xinxin pretended to feel sick and covered Liu Yan's eyes. He pushed her hand aside.
"You know that I'm the one who's already engaged," he whispered.
"You know that people don't normally let themselves be beaten and bullied, right?" she replied.
Huan and Wangxi looked deeply into each other's eyes. Wangxi brushed a strand of hair from Huan's face and whispered something in her ear. The second young lady giggled and snuggled up to him.
"I can't stand it," Xinxin muttered quietly, covering her own eyes.
Liu Yan, on the other hand, watched closely. Even though he was uncomfortable with human closeness and wasn't really interested in the two lovebirds, he was still curious about interpersonal relationships and reactions.
He didn't understand why one person did this and another did that. What was the point of this banter? He knew that these were romantic advances, but he didn't understand them. To him, the behavior was childish and affected.
Xinxin slapped him on the shoulder a few times with her flat hand and nudged him energetically.
"Hey, don't look at it like that," she scolded. Liu Yan's gaze slid to Xinxin, who was crouched down, half out of shame, half out of fear, buried deep in the bushes. He couldn't help but grin mockingly.
"Maybe you should take a closer look. The likelihood of someone finding you attractive is regrettably low," he teased.
Xinxin's next blow was significantly more painful, and her gaze cooled dramatically for a moment. But instead of countering, she just crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared at the ground.
Fortunately, Zhao Hua saved her from the awkward situation when her voice echoed across the estate. The two lovebirds quickly broke apart and disappeared as quickly as they had come.
Liu Yan gave Xinxin, who was sitting angrily on the cold ground, a triumphant smile before he too left.