While everyone was making a fuss, a pale-faced eunuch was suddenly brought in by Yang Mama, and upon seeing the commotion, he frowned and cleared his throat, "Who is Miss Su?"
The people who were just making a fuss looked over, and their expressions changed, knowing very well where this pale-faced and sharp-voiced eunuch came from.
Before Su Mo'er could react, she was pushed out by Li Linger and others, "She's here, right here, Mo'er is here."
Su Mo'er came to her senses and looked blankly at the eunuch, subconsciously saluting, "Greetings, sir."
To her surprise, the eunuch's cold, hard demeanor changed when he saw Su Mo'er, and he smiled kindly, "Miss Su, you're being too polite."
Then he glanced at her and said, "Ah, miss, His Highness is calling you down to prepare properly. Why haven't you moved yet?"
Su Mo'er exclaimed, "Eh?" She was slow to react, "Sir, do you mean...?"
The eunuch said, "Miss Su, quickly freshen up, and come to the banquet with me. His Highness has ordered to see you."
Upon hearing these words, even though Su Mo'er had faintly guessed it, she couldn't help but exclaim in excitement, "His Highness wants to see me?!"
It turned out that what His Highness meant was not that he didn't fancy her, but that he was concerned for her?
In just a short moment, she had experienced going from the clouds to hell, and then being pulled out of hell by a casual remark from the other party, resetting her experience in the clouds, leaving her in a whirlwind of emotions.
Li Linger and the others were overjoyed, congratulating her, "Oh my goodness! I really didn't expect this. His Highness actually wants Miss Su to go to the banquet directly, she's the first person tonight!"
As they spoke, they intentionally glanced at Liu Feifei, taunting her, "Just now we didn't know who was swaggering about! Look, His Highness really has a great eye, he spotted Miss Su instead of someone else?"
The implication was that Liu Feifei had not been chosen by the prince.
Even she did not expect that just before she had mocked Su Mo'er as a delusional dreamer, the prince, who was sitting high above, had taken her by the hand and placed her on a high branch. If it weren't for her knowledge that the two had vastly different status and no connection, she would have thought that the other party was deliberately against her.
The more she thought about it, the uglier her expression became. Annoyed, she threw out a chilling remark and left without saying much, only snorting coldly and threatening, "We'll see!"
Yang Mama also couldn't be bothered to deal with her and looked at Su Mo'er with relief, "What are you still standing there for? Quickly freshen up and go to the banquet with the gentleman."
Su Mo'er then calmed down, smiling and apologizing to the eunuch, "Please wait, sir."
The eunuch thought to himself that this person, being so beautiful, was noticed by His Highness at a glance and was even personally received. Her future prospects were limitless, so naturally, he was full of goodwill and agreed with a smile.
Su Mo'er and Qingyu hastily withdrew and carefully selected a few outfits, eventually choosing one to wear. Then they hurried to the banquet with the eunuch.
When she arrived at the banquet, Su Mo'er had already calmed down from her previous excitement and was even more nervous.
She was silently pondering on how to face the prince when the eunuch smiled and said, "Miss Su, go up then."
Su Mo'er looked up and saw that they had reached the top. However, when she saw the prince in the distance, she couldn't move her feet and couldn't help but reveal a hint of hesitation on her face.
The commander then said, "Miss Su is here, why are you standing there? Hurry up and come over to serve the wine to His Highness."
Su Mo'er hurriedly responded and, step by step, approached. However, because she had previously twisted her foot, she felt some pain.
But in front of the commander and the prince, she dared not show the slightest hint of discomfort, for that would be disrespectful. Therefore, she could only grit her teeth and bear it, and finally, with trepidation, she reached the prince and curtsied, "This servant greets Your Highness, long live Your Highness."
Zhao Jinghuan's gaze had already settled on her the moment she appeared, then lingered on her slender, fair neck.
At this moment, she was wearing a proper chest-length jacket over a simple dress. Unlike her seductive appearance on stage, she now seemed to exude a neighborly charm, yet her beauty was still striking even in this simple attire, standing out in the bright light.
After a while, he faintly nodded and said, "Come here."
With these words from the Crown Prince, Su Mo'er's tightly held heart finally relaxed somewhat, and she moved forward softly, step by step.
Zhao Jinghuan's gaze was so sharp that he subconsciously paused at her lower body, but unfortunately, her long skirt dragged on the ground and he couldn't see clearly.
By this time, Su Mo'er was already kneeling by his side, pouring wine. Every time he finished a cup, she would fill it halfway again, repeating the motion.
Both of them remained silent. Su Mo'er was happy because she was afraid of speaking and the Crown Prince started talking about daytime matters.
But Zhao Jinghuan's gaze always seemed to be locked on her, observing her carefully. When she poured the wine, her slender fingers were delicate and fair, and her gestures were gentle and charming.
If one looked closely, they could see that despite her efforts to stay calm, her movements involuntarily revealed a slight tremble.
Seeing this, Zhao Jinghuan couldn't help but smile in his heart. It occurred to him that in three encounters, she had presented herself in three different ways. This little girl was truly interesting.
Feeling a sudden burst of amusement, he seemingly guessed her thoughts and suddenly spoke in a cold tone, "Are you afraid of me?"
This cold remark startled Su Mo'er, making her heart race like a drum, and her previously blushing face paled. She hastily replied, "Your Highness is devoted to the people and widely renowned. How could I be afraid?"
In reality, she was already on edge, afraid of inadvertently offending him. Before his dedication to the people, there were descriptions such as strict and unsmiling, aloof and unapproachable, and so on...
She used to think that with her methods and charm, she would win the Crown Prince's favor in the future. However, the current situation was beyond her control. Her once high confidence had become as fragile as a floating weed on the sea.
Zhao Jinghuan then said, "Not afraid? Really not afraid or just saying it?"
Su Mo'er became even more anxious, but dared not show it. She softly said, "I dare not deceive Your Highness..."
Before she finished her words, the sound of the cup being placed on the table made her entire body stiffen. "If not afraid, then why were you crying while dancing just now? Did you think I would harm you?"
His voice wasn't particularly loud, but it drew the attention of the onlookers. However, no one else felt as much pressure as Su Mo'er did. She had been flustered during the dance earlier due to the Crown Prince’s distraction, and in that state of panic, she hadn't paid attention to much else.
If Zhao Jinghuan hadn't mentioned it, she wouldn't have even remembered whether she had cried or not. At this moment, the Crown Prince was waiting for an answer, and she couldn't possibly divulge the truth, feeling deeply that the saying, "Keeping the king's company is like keeping a tiger's company," was true indeed.
But all she could do was bear the cold, icy gaze, and quickly rack her brain for a response. She tremulously said, "No, n-not, Your Highness. I'm really not afraid. I was worried about dancing poorly and dirtying Your Highness' eyes."
Saying this, she deeply bowed down, "Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Seeing her like this, Zhao Jinghuan felt a sudden wave of guilt. His intention had been to tease her, but he hadn't expected her reaction to be so strong.
Thinking of her words, his cold heart inexplicably stirred, and unbidden, images of her dance from earlier surfaced in his mind, causing his heart to feel strange and unsettled, but he couldn't understand the reason.
However, this didn't stop him from making an observation. He was highly skilled in martial arts, and while he had no knowledge of dancing, many aspects were similar.
Coupled with his experiences in this life and his insights gained from growing up in the palace, it wasn't difficult to see that her dance, though somewhat inexperienced, seamlessly blended with the surrounding environment.
The entire performance was stunning, especially the way her gaze shone like autumn water at the end, resembling dewdrops in a shower of flowers, which added a finishing touch to the entire dance.
Calling her a stunning beauty and peerless dancer was not an overstatement.
Closing his eyes, he breathed out gently and said, "You danced very well."
With these words, the suppressed atmosphere in the room suddenly dissipated, and even Su Mo'er was somewhat surprised, not understanding what the Crown Prince meant by this.
Throughout the rest of the evening, she carefully attended to the Crown Prince and gradually realized that although he appeared noble, silent, and cold, he wasn't as difficult to get along with as she had initially thought.
This realization revived her waning confidence and cunning thoughts.
Yuan Niang had privately advised her: to capture a man's heart, one must first find ways to stay by his side, appearing in his presence, neither too far nor too close. This way, he would get used to your presence, just like how cats and dogs, when kept for a long time, develop affection. Why not a charming beauty as well?
So, what she had to do now was to seize every opportunity to stay by the Crown Prince's side.
Unfortunately, after their recent interaction, she couldn't think of any strategies. When the banquet ended, she felt disappointed.
Unexpectedly, she heard a clear and pleasing voice by her ear, "Tonight, go and attend to the Western Palace."
Su Mo'er was somewhat stunned upon hearing this, but was instantly filled with joy. She hurriedly agreed and when she looked up, the seemingly unattainable Crown Prince had already walked away.
The captain approached her and advised, "Miss Su, the Crown Prince wants you to attend to the Western Palace. This is a rare opportunity, so you must make good use of it."
After giving Su Mo'er a deep look, the captain followed closely behind the Crown Prince, leaving.
She naturally understood the captain's meaning. But when she actually arrived at the Western Palace, she realized belatedly... Could it be that she was going to serve in bed tonight?
...
...
Author's note:
Su Mo'er: Sob, sob, sob, I misjudged the Crown Prince! The Crown Prince is the best in the world! I love you! But, serving in bed... this... This... I have no experience... Who will teach me???