He had been hurrying me all morning, yet now he sat beside me in companionable silence. His arm slid across my shoulders, drawing me to him. I inhaled deeply, catching his scent—like spring grass, fresh with a tinge of sweetness.
Slowly, his heat seeped into my trembling body until I was steady once more. Conscious of his nearness, I shifted away, clasping my hands around my knees and trying not to think how cold I felt without his touch.
“I’m fine. We don’t need to sit here anymore,” I said.
“What happened?” he asked gently.
“I . . . I don’t like falling.” A sliver of the truth, barely scraping its surface.
Footsteps thudded against the ground, growing louder. Guards, patrolling the area? Taking my hand, Liwei helped me up, and we sprinted into the forest.
“Was this how you got out the first time I met you?” I asked, as we ran. After the months of training, I found it easy to keep pace with him.
“Yes. I was curious about my companion. I would be spending a lot of time with this person and I wanted to make sure they weren’t annoying, awful, or dull. I’d already visited six houses before the Golden Lotus Mansion.”
“Why did you hold the competition?” I wanted to know.
“Friends—real ones—are hard to come by in the Jade Palace.” His blunt admission took me by surprise. Countless courtiers and nobles vied for his attention. Part of my duties included sifting through the gifts and invitations which streamed into the Courtyard of Eternal Tranquility each day. Liwei ignored most of the requests, preferring to read or paint in his room than attend any banquet.
“I ask myself, sometimes,” he continued in a low voice. “How many would seek my friendship if I were not the emperor’s son? A position I did nothing to earn.”
I would.
The words sprang to my tongue, yet I could not speak them aloud. It sounded like hollow flattery when it was nothing but the truth. How many times did I wish he were not the son of the Celestial Emperor? And that I did not have to lie about who I was to keep my loved ones safe.
“With the contest, I hoped to meet someone new—untainted by ambition or greed. My mother thwarted me with her conditions, but fortunately, I met you.”
It was the first time he told me why he had aided my participation. “I thought you helped me because you pitied me,” I admitted with a pang of shame. I had not deserved his sympathy, not when I’d misled him into thinking my family was dead. Yet how could I have corrected him without more lies?
A smile lit his face. “I helped you because I liked you. You speak your mind, you take pride in yourself. You’re honest in what you want, and fearless in reaching for it. You don’t pretend to be someone else around me. And while you didn’t know who I was then, that holds true even now.”
Guilt doused the glow in my chest. I found myself unable to hold his stare. I was pretending, I had been right from the start. I was myself and yet, I was not who he thought I was.
He continued, oblivious to my unease. “When I’m with you, I feel you see me for who I am—not the crown or the kingdom. Not the favors I can extend or withhold.” He sighed then, with exaggerated heaviness. “Little did I know what I got myself into. Every night I fall asleep, worn out from your attacks, your insults ringing between my ears—”
“Nothing you didn’t deserve or ask for!” I retorted. “Might I remind you that you’re the one who insists on sparring with me day and night.” I ignored the hand he extended to me, glaring at him instead.
Liwei cleared his throat meaningfully. “And might I remind you, you’re not honoring the terms of our bet right now.”
Swallowing several choice insults, I took his hand. When his strong fingers closed around mine, I tried to quell the unexpected leap in my pulse.
We strolled through the forest, only halting at the sound of voices. The air hummed as though alive, with the mingled auras of immortals.
“We’re here.” He pulled me through the trees into a large clearing.
Dozens of stalls were packed together, coiling into a large spiral like the whorl of a shell. They were crafted from lacquered wood in red and black, blue and yellow, with painted signs displayed on the top. Mouthwatering smells of unfamiliar and tempting foods laced the air, and there was an undercurrent of excitement among the crowd already browsing at this early hour.
“What is this place?” I breathed, in a tone of wonder.
He seemed pleased by my reaction. “This market is held once every five years. It appears at dawn and ends by noon. Immortals come from all over to trade possessions, magical items, or rare delicacies.”