Chapter 2 — King of Madness

The prince pulled out a branch of almond flowers from the vase, on the branch there were three flowers in full bloom. He pointed at me. "If only the beauty was holding a flower, whoever could hit all three flowers on the branch would be able to go to the palace to receive a reward, how about that?" I suddenly raised my head. Just because King Qi looked at me, I immediately became a pawn in the hands of powerful people. Indeed, the fate of ants is as cowardly and cheap as mud! I looked at the flower branch being stuffed into my hand, a lump in my throat. Just laughed sadly. That's it! This body has long endured to the limit. Now, if we can end it without having to end it ourselves, it can also be considered a way out of the sea of suffering. I just hope whoever shot that guy can give me an easy death! I held the flower branch in my lips, and there was no longer fear in my eyes. The Crown Prince raised his eyebrows, glanced at Giang Thanh Ngon, then glanced around the main hall. There was a complete silence in the palace. "Who's going first? Isn't there anyone, so let Ben Cung go first." Giang Duc lifted the bow, stretched the string as tight as possible, the arrow aimed straight at my eyelashes. Whoosh— The moment the bowstring vibrated, I closed my eyes tightly. However, the intense pain I imagined did not come. On the contrary, a strong force pulled me into someone's arms - extremely warm. "Don't be afraid, it's okay." I opened my eyes, facing a pair of gentle and determined eyes. Giang Thanh Ngon's voice resonates in my ears, as soft as a spring breeze. However, I saw blood leaking from his shoulder and back, dyeing his white brocade robe red. He reached out and broke the arrow's tail, blood dripping from his fingertips onto the back of my hand, so hot that it made my eyes sting. Giang Duc was so angry that he threw the bow. "Giang Thanh Ngon! Do you dare to oppose this palace?" "My brother has disturbed the Crown Prince's elegant mood, please punish me." "Just because of a dancer? You'd better think clearly." Giang Thanh Ngon shielded me from behind, his voice like cutting iron. "My brother enjoys your dance. People like that, it's a pity to be hurt." At that moment, all the noise around seemed to turn into a backdrop. Faded background. Only blood stains remained on his shoulder, in the shimmering light, red enough to shock people's hearts. 4. Giang Thanh Ngon took me to his palace to stay temporarily. He was recovering from injuries, and I stayed by his bed every day. From then on, we spent mornings and nights together. He practiced writing, I sharpened ink. He danced with swords, I danced. We play chess together and look at flowers. I leaned against the dusk and slowly told him my old story. His eyes looked at me, gentle and quiet. One time, the candlelight flickered, and he suddenly raised his hand to gently stroke my sideburns. "Her eyebrows, her eyes... are very similar to the peach blossoms in Dao Tri." My heart trembled slightly, my cheeks turned red, in that moment, I naively thought - That was the beginning of a love affair. Until that day— I just wanted to bring him freshly brewed tea, but as soon as I arrived in front of the study, I stopped walking. A burst of laughter rang out, it was his old friend, carrying a bit of teasing. "You're treating that dancer like that now, are you really moved? Have you forgotten A Dao so quickly?" My fingers tightened around the tea tray. Who is A Dao? I just heard him laugh softly. "Really?..." His voice was as calm as the wind and clouds, each word was like a needle piercing my ear. "In this world, no one can compare to A Dao. She... is just a substitute." I was like a wooden statue, frozen in place. My chest felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, pain rushed up my throat. A sweet, fishy mouthful was about to flow from my throat. I couldn't help it. Hot blood spurted out and fell into the cup of Thanh Hoa tea, spreading red like a withered apricot blossom. It turns out, the most painful thing is not that he doesn't love you. But—I don't even have the qualifications to be loved by him... In the study room,

The laughter suddenly stopped. Immediately afterwards, the door was pushed open. Before I could avoid it, he was standing in front of me. "Why are you here?" He opened his mouth, his voice lower than usual, carrying a bit of embarrassment. His eyes stopped at the blood on the tea cup, then moved to the blood stains at the corner of my lips. He held out his hand. I instinctively dodged. He frowned slightly, his hand slowly lowered. "If you're sick, go back to your room to rest."