Chapter Text
Maomao thought she must be the dumbest person alive.
Her self control must be extremely terrible or else she would not have been in similar circumstances, twice.
First, the meeting of the named clan and now, this.
This extremely dull banquet, held by the imperial family to welcome the envoy that came from the west.
She led out a quiet sigh. She has so much better things to do than playing dress up and attending a banquet for people she knows nothing about.
Then she remembers what Lahan had offered her for attending this evening banquet, her mind squealed due to the suppressed excitement.
An encyclopedia full of amazing herbs she had never even heard of, she almost drooled thinking about it. Of course, she wasn’t going to trust him by words only, she wasn’t that pathetic. But when Lahan brought the book in front of her, she folded immediately.
It was embarrassing how easy it is to force her to do something, really. But she knows better than to reject such a fine offer.
Technically, her presence was to ensure that the monocled freak wouldn’t embarrass the La clan much further (though she doesn’t know why she would be of any help), but due to the style of the banquet that aren’t the ones that are common in Li and more of the type of the banquet you would rather see in the West capital, she doesn’t even need to be stuck to the monocled freak’s side for the rest of the night.
It was such an easy win.
Of course, she would need to handle being found and followed by him for a few more hours, but she can definitely handle that. That freak does follow her everyday while she’s working, therefore, she would say that she is used to the freak’s present more than she likes to admit.
Her eyes wander around the hall, she only now realizes how long it has been since she was lost in her own thoughts.
Maybe saying the banquet was extremely dull would be an exaggeration. She was aware that the Empress had done meticulous preparation for the event, and she can admit that it had paid off.
The hall is lively with friendly chattering among the nobles of Li and the envoy. The food choices were diligently picked by the Empress herself to suit the taste of the guests. And, to Maomao’s great delight, the finest wine has been served for all the attendees to enjoy.
She sighs in contentment as she takes a sip from her third glass for the night.
She’s currently standing at one corner of the hall, enjoying her drink. From where she is standing, she can observe around the hall pretty clearly.
It was, of course, an event prepared by the Imperial family. Hence, a certain celestial prince is here as well, exchanging polite gestures with the envoy and the guests.
They had long been aware of each other’s presence in the hall. She remembered his confused expression when his eyes caught hers, before diverting it away to continue talking with whoever he was chatting with.
She swear that she saw pink hues appeared on his cheeks. His expression brightened up as well after that exchange with her.
He had moved much closer to her now than before, too. She noticed.
She also noticed that he is surrounded by a few young noble ladies from different clans. He gave his best staged smile that she could see often on his face especially during his life as a eunuch back in the rear palace.
A smile who might have fooled the young ladies, but definitely not her.
However, she couldn’t stop the weird feeling forming in the pit of her stomach.
Having accepted his feelings for her (which she still questioned him for), she couldn’t help but feel weird when she encountered these situations. Though there are some changes happening to how Jinshi behaves as well because he practically avoids touching her like he used to with the reason he wouldn’t be able to control himself.
The memory of her being carried like a sack of rice during their last encounter replayed in her head.
Which she still thinks is perplexing, since she herself was down to do it all the way with him.She had prepared thoroughly for it too.
She huffed in annoyance. She thought that the wine must be stronger than usual since it must be the reason for the weird feeling forming in her stomach.
Yes, it must be it. She convinced herself. She decided to ignore him all together even when she could practically feel his gaze on her. She averted her gaze to observe the extremely expensive accessories scattered around the hall.
Her eyes could immediately see a tall statue of a knight to her right. It was huge and definitely imported since it isn’t one that is common in the Li Empire. The statue is of a knight in silver armor with its face closed. He’s holding a huge sword with both of its hands.
Maomao did think that it was beautiful, but she was more focusing on how much it would bring her if it was melted instead.
‘They must have better things to do with that amount of metal than that absurdly huge statue’ Maomao thought. Such a waste.
As she’s trying to take another sip from her wine, she couldn’t help but notice a glimmer in between the statue’s hand and sword.
“What was that?” she murmurs silently to no one but herself. As she focuses on it for a bit more, she could decipher what it was. It was small but definitely identifiable.
‘An arrow?’ Her eyes widened on the recognition. She was sure it wasn’t part of the statue since the arrow’s shaft was made out of wood when the statue was entirely made out of a silver metal.
She tried to trace where the arrow is pointing at. Her heart skipped a beat when she had a grasp on who it’s targeting.
The Moon Prince, Jinshi.
He’s currently conversing with an envoy, a radiant smile placed on his face. Unbeknownst, that his life is in danger.
She could see that a man was holding the blowgun at the back of the huge statue, preparing to release the arrow anytime. It was impossible to reach him before he could release the arrow.
She moved before she could even think what she’s doing.
The time suddenly moved slowly as she was running towards him, towards Jinshi.
She ignores all the voices and grunts of the other guests that she accidentally bumped. Her mind and heart is resolute on one person only.
The exact person that caught her gaze as she was running towards him, his brows scrunched up, confuzzled.
“Maomao-”
Their bodies collided before he could finish saying anything, with Maomao’s hand around his shoulder. She turned her back, she opened her mouth to say something, anything that would justify her actions.
But then, she felt it. A pained gasp left her as the arrow managed to penetrate through her back.
The sharp and stinging pain on her back. The pain was immediate and shocking. It was unlike anything she had felt before. Her back feels like it’s burning.Her breaths became short and ragged as the pain consumed her small body.
Her body immediately slumped against Jinshi's who instantly supported her falling frame.
Jinshi has been silent for a while now, she noticed.
She could feel a body trembling, though she realizes, wasn’t hers.
Before she could focus on her surroundings, she let out a cough onto her hand and she could feel something wet on it.
Which then she recognizes the wet substance she felt.
It was blood, her blood.
‘Oh, the arrow must have been laced with something’
She couldn't help the sudden excitement after she registered that she had been poisoned, despite the situation.
She could barely hear the words let out by the person holding her in his strong arms. All she could think at the moment was how warm it was.
She could still feel the burning pain on her back, but she is so tired.
She is getting drowsy, her visions are blurry and it doesn’t help how he feels so comfortable.
She can feel her eyes getting heavy by each breath she lets out. Has breathing ever been this difficult?
Must be the effects of the poison, she thought briefly.
She needs to document the side effects of whatever poison she has been blessed upon.
‘At least he wouldn’t be able to force her to vomit whatever this poison is’ She sighed.
And within seconds, her vision darkened.