63 Kissing For Reassurance

Yu Mei could not sleep a wink, thus she was up earlier than usual. Being outside again was too exciting.

Chu'mei made sure to give her a fur cloak this time. Last time her lady had to return early due to the cold. She would not make the same mistake twice. Not that she was in the room to begin with but Yu Mei still blamed her anyways. LIfe of a maid, poor Chu'mei.

It was still too early for Pei Nan to have arrived. Yu Mei sat impatiently at the side of her bed, staring at the front door. It seemed like ages before Pei Nan showed up. When he did make his appearance, Yu Mei's eyes were glued on him. He looked different. This was the first time she saw him in his court official attire. A white collar, a dark purple robe and an official's hat and belt. He had the aura of a high and mighty official rather than the normal cold prince. He finally caught her attention for the first time. Pei Nan could sense it too, this made him glad he chose to wear this over. He had been debating all morning whether to try to look mighty in front of her or not. Turns out, it was a good idea.

"I see you are already dressed." He tried to stay calm as he made his way over to her.

"En. I was too excited I couldn't wait." She gestured with her hand for him to hurry. "Hurry, I want to go outside."

[You dare command me? No one has dared.] No matter how much he wanted to scold her, he stayed silent. She was after all an injured patient. He could only swallow at the anger.

The first thing Pei Nan did was grab hold of her hand and lift the sleeves up. "Luckily the scratches didn't leave a scar." He said relieved. Thankfully his scar preventing medicine worked well. If she knew he used a rare medicine, to be exact only three existed in the world, she would flip out.

"Of course it won't scar. My skin is very thick." Yu Mei proudly said. Pei Nan shook his head. She was too shameless indeed.

"Your highness, can we go now?" Pei Nan placed his arm out for her to grab. Yu Mei pulled herself up. Yu Mei tried to keep her distance, never doing more than holding onto his arm from a far distance. After three steps, Pei Nan got annoyed. He took a step closer to her and wrapped his arms around the back of her waist, pulling her in. He made sure to leave no space between the two of them. Yu Mei let out a gasp of surprise as she looked up at him as if waiting for a reason. Pei Nan didn't need to look at her to know what she was thinking. "Hold onto me tighter. If you fall, I might not be able to catch you."

[Ah~ So you can be nice.] Yu Mei smiled delightedly at him.

Slowly, Yu Mei guided him to the same blossom tree she went to with Gu Shao. "Your highness, I told you it was beautiful." Yu Mei pointed to the ground. Today, the ground was a thicker pink than yesterday but why did Pei Nan frown. He did not want to be under the same tree that Yu Mei and Gu Shao were under.

"I see it." Pei Nan quickly replied uninterested. Of course he would be happy if he was the first one to go with her but his mind was filled with thoughts of Yu Mei and Gu Shao under the blossom tree.

"Let's take a longer walk. You've gained weight." Pei Nan scolded himself when the words came out of his mouth. He didn't mean for it to come out that way, he had just been too nervous right now.

Yu Mei looked up at him angrily. "Of course I got chubby. What do you expect from someone who eats and sleeps all day? Your highness is too harsh, hmph!"Hearing how unruly she was becoming, he shook his head. He had let her get away with too much lately. No matter how much he wanted to correct her actions, he couldn't bring himself to scold her. Because he was the one who first provoked her.

"Let's not fight today." Pei Nan did not want to come here to fight. His relationship with her was starting to turn for the better; he couldn't ruin it on impulse.

Yu Mei had been thinking the same. This nice Pei Nan would only last until she healed. She better make the best of it. With that in mind, Yu Mei forced herself to let go of the bitterness she felt just now. "You're right, let's not fight. Today is such a good day; let's walk further if you want."

Side by side, the two of them continued further into her blossom tree courtyard. Pei Nan was right; they hit a beautiful area surrounded on all sides, filled with blossom trees. Even Yu Mei herself was amazed. This was her own courtyard but she had never walked this far into her own place. Why? Sleeping and eating were higher priorities.

Her eyes lit up as she stared at the flower petals flowing along with the wind like magic.

Yu Mei and Pei Nan stood in the center as the petals blew in circles their way. Yu Mei placed her hand out trying to catch some like a happy child. Pei Nan felt happy too. Not because of the flowers but from looking at her child like image. She was after all only 17.

Even though he was standing next to her, he felt like they were miles apart. As husband and wife, he knew nothing about her. They were more distanced than strangers walking past each other on the streets.

[Pan Yu Mei, where did this side of you come from? Has this always been the real you?] Pei Nan kept staring at her, deep in thought. [Life in the palace, can anyone truly stay this carefree?] Pei Nan's eyes were suddenly filled with sorrow and regret. Was this side of her so deeply hidden because of him? Was it because of him that she became the willfully ill-tempered and stubborn girl in the past? To suddenly be this carefree, did she truly stop loving him? The more Pei Nan thought, the more regrets he felt.

Pei Nan stepped in front of Yu Mei, catching her by surprise. As he stared at the blank faced woman in front of him, he didn't know how he was feeling. All he knew was his heart was racing. Racing so fast it could leave. Yu Mei looked at the hands on her shoulders and then gazed back at him. "Your highness?" she had no clue what he was thinking. What crazy did he want now?

Yu Mei had a look of a lost child. This made Pei Nan flustered. Shouldn't she be looking away shyly or smiling at him like a woman in love? So why was she just giving him a confused and almost guarded look. [Did you truly stop loving me?] Pei Nan refused to believe it. Before Yu Mei could react, Pei Nan took a step closer to her, tilted his head and forced his lips on hers. He deeply inhaled the sweet smell of orange jasmine, making her lips taste sweeter than he expected. He knew the moment their lips intertwined, there was a spark. He only hoped she felt it too.

Pei Nan didn't want to separate his lips from hers. Especially since Yu Mei hadn't reacted to his sudden rough kiss. Not only was he unwilling to part, he was afraid. Afraid of her reaction. Afraid it was like how he thought. When did he start to see her as a woman? His woman. So many thoughts were floating inside his mind, making him become breathless.

Finally, his lips parted only when he needed to breathe. He looked to confirm. Yu Mei was standing there in a daze. She was staring at him like before, confused. No trace of embarrassment or shyness. Pei Nan got his answer. His eyes looked disappointed before he turned to leave.

As she watched his figure fleeting, she slowly raised her hand to her lips, lightly brushing her finger on her slightly swollen lips. What was she supposed to think? It was so sudden; she had no time to react. Not to mention, she had no clue why he had kissed her.

Her hand slowly went to feel her chest. It was beating, beating fast. [Heart, you are beating from the sudden kiss, right? Which woman wouldn't feel her heart beat when kissed? Even from someone like Prince Nan. Ju Ming, do not feel anything for him.] Yu Mei kept telling herself. Even when he was gone, she still stood there like a statue.

*Shakes head* *Blinks* "Pei Nan, you actually left me here by myself? You…you terrible man!" just now, she had been so caught off guard she forgot she was standing by herself. Not just by herself but with a sprained ankle. He actually left her to fend for herself. That no good man...