âThese are gifts for King Troy. They were taken from Queen Veraâs imperial palace.â
The youngster had to put his back into it to heave a huge chest with another guard. Ying took the key and unlocked the chest. The chest was filled with glistening gold items. While there was nothing particularly captivating and of high quality, the gold alone was worth a lot.
âGive Queen Vera our thanks for the kind gesture. We will send a gift back later on,â said Ying, nodding then turning around to organise the sailors for the trip home.
Ying considered the youngsterâs mission complete. He was there to deliver gifts. Ying had received the gifts, the youngster, therefore, could head back. However, he didnât disembark. Instead, his gaze swam around on the ship. Ying turned around when she noticed that there was still a gaze on her back. Seeing the youngster still standing there, she furrowed her eyebrows: âIs there something else?â
Ying suspected he might be trying to sneakily take the four sisters back. Troy wasnât fond of the youngster in any capacity. You might as well say that he wanted to kill the youngster after learning he sneaked off with the four sisters. That was why her masterâs attitude toward the youngster was her attitude toward him. She was wary of the younger.
The youngster stood on the deck in an awkward and embarrassed manner. There was one more thing he had to do. His job wasnât over yet. His job was to deliver the gifts; however, he hadnât delivered his personal gift. His gift wasnât for Troy. It was a personal gift he wanted to give.
As Ying was about to force the youngster off the ship, Nona appeared behind him. She cheerfully stated, âYou plan to come with us back to the North for a vacation? Youâre very welcome in the North. We can take you around. Itâs not safe here, but itâs safe at our place.â
âAh, no⊠Princess Nona, I want to know⊠umm⊠umm⊠umm⊠Princess Liu YueâŠâ
The youngster barely uttered those words. His burning face was about to burn his brain. He lowered his head. It was as if he was at the guillotine. The youngster wanted to see Liu Yue, but the thought of mentioning her name to others always scared him. He didnât know why he was scared. He was the sistersâ bodyguard. It shouldâve been fine for him to be looking for them. His relationship with them wasnât shabby. It was fair for a friend to say his farewells. For some reason, though, he was afraid of mentioning Liu Yue to others. In fact, he didnât dare to go anywhere near the topic. All of the other guards would evaluate the four sisters, but heâd never comment. He wasnât sure why he didnât. He just didnât dare to mention her.
âLiu Yue⊠is tidying up her roomâŠâ
Being so pure, Nona didnât understand what the youngster was thinking, so she tilted her head. She remembered her sister was tidying in her room, so she informed the youngster. However, he couldnât enter her room. As such, Nona considerately asked, âDo you need me to call her? Did you want to say something to her?â
âMmâŠâ The youngster nodded. The fact is that he didnât dare to answer Nonaâs question.
âWait here.â Nona ran off.
Ying asserted, âYou only have three minutes, all right? Weâre in a rush, so keep it short.â
A red pair of ears, which stood out when combined with her white cloak, appeared. Liu Yue strolled over to him. His heart began to race. He reached into his pocket and clutched a small container. He wanted to give it to her as an apology for all the things he did but also as a farewell gift. He prepared himself beforehand, and it was time to hand it to her. For some reason⊠for some reason, the closer she came, the more he wanted to run.
âWhy am I scared?â the youngster asked himself.
âWhatâs he looking for me for?â wondered Liu Yue.
Liu Yue had no clue what he was looking for her for. It was futile for him to try and ask for an audience with her father through her for her father would soon arrive. In essence, there was no need to go through her.
The youngster was obviously nervous. He had his head down the entire time. He didnât dare to utter a word.
âIs there something important orâŠ.?â pondered Liu Yue
Liu Yue suddenly recalled lots of things they went through⊠Boys at school confessed to her before. Most of them confessed in the same mannerâŠ
Liu Yueâs mind began to race: âCould he⊠Could he⊠No way, no way. Weâre not even as close as I am with my classmates. My classmates have been at school with me for a long time, while he and I have only known each other for a short month. If I think about it, although chatting with him was quite joyful, weâre not connected in that many ways. Is he going to confess to me now?â
Liu Yueâs first reaction was to find a way to reject him without hurting his feelings. She asked herself, âAm I struggling to find the words now since I was friendly with him? I donât know how I can answer without hurting his feelings. Do I have any reasons to reject him with? We were quite happy around each other, after all.â
Liu Yue dimpled: âIs something the matter? Just tell me. Weâre friends, arenât weâŠ? Tell me.â
If the youngster was forthright, Liu Yue could outright reject him. She understood what friends and love meant. She considered the youngster a nice boy, but he wasnât what she was looking for; she intended to reject him.
The youngster took out the small container and stuttered, âUmm⊠Th-Th-This is for you.â
The small container shook along with him. Liu Yue never expected to receive a gift. Liu Yue took it from him and curiously opened it by the time Ying was about to grab it to inspect it.
Inside was a tiny necklace. It wasnât an expensive or brand name gem. As a matter of fact, it didnât even qualify to be considered a gem. It was merely a pretty and small pearl. It wasnât worth much in a nation that sat the border of the ocean. She could purchase one of Queen Veraâs necklaces with any of her own treasures, but she tightly held it, nonetheless.
Liu Yue gently wore it around her neck and placed the pearl in the centre of her developing chest. A gentle smile blossomed on her lipsâŠ