[BL] Eternal Spring

第十七章

The carriage rattled unceasingly over uneven ground as they travelled further away from the city. The hard seat made Jiang Zhilan's butt hurt as he was bounced around but the serene sight outside made up for it; a little. It was nearing winter but the trees still clutched onto their leaves, forming a canopy of red and gold. 'Such an auspicious colour.' The king thought, moving his hand away. The curtain fell over the window and blocked his sight of the trees.

He sat boredly for the next while, snacking on snacks and occasionally staring out the window. But the silence stretched on and Jiang Zhilan found himself wishing for a travel companion. No one dared to of course. And his good friend Fu Wei, General Fu's son, had his own party to travel with into the mountains. He was fun to have around; shameless, but not as much as Liu Qingyuan.

Jiang Zhilan hurriedly slapped the silly smile off of his face. He cleared his throat embarrassedly, although no body was there to witness his slip-up. After another stretch of silence, Jiang Zhilan got up, scooting to the opening of the carriage and pushing aside the cloth partition.

Unexpectedly, he almost shoved his face into Liu Qingyuan's shoulde, drawing back hurriedly in surprise. Liu Qingyuan, who'd been driving the carriage, startled a little. "Is there anything you require, your majesty?"

After a month of chasing chickens and grinding wheat and whatever else the palace chefs pushed onto their poor employers, Jiang Zhilan thought his guard's shoulders were a little broader... "Your majesty?" Liu Qingyuan asked at the silence. He only glanced back briefly. He hadn't seen that face for a month and still, that time wasn't enough to–

Liu Qingyuan hastily turned his head away as the king looked up at him. "Hmm? Ah...I'm bored," he admitted, a little embarrassed. He warily glanced up at Liu Qingyuan's profile. One month was enough to forget that incident, right? Their relationship couldn't have been destroyed from a kiss... Jiang Zhilan smacked the thought away. One month was enough?! What BS! Oh, why didn't he put more effort into forgetting?!

"..." The smack startled Liu Qingyuan and he stared disbelievingly. "Are you...okay, your majesty?"

"Huh? O-oh, uh there was just a bug on my cheek..." Fuck! Jiang Zhilan wanted to dig a pit and crawl into it. No need to get him out for the next hundred years.

"If there are bugs, you should stay inside the carriage." Seeing the embarrassed expression on his face, Liu Qingyuan had a sudden urge to start laughing. He bit the inside of his cheek and turned away.

"No need..." Jiang Zhilan waved him away. "I'm a man, why would I be scared of bugs." The pair descended into silence, the rhythmic horses' hooves accompanying them. Every few seconds, Jiang Zhilan glanced over at his handsome profile, still wondering whether he'd been forgiven or not. Liu Qingyuan could feel his gaze but he ignored it; that and the strange desire to look over and catch his gaze.

After a while, his hands were gripping the reins so hard, his knuckles were white. Finally, he glanced over, their eyes, one pair lowered and one pair raised, met. Caught off guard, Jiang Zhilan smiled tentatively. Although Liu Qingyuan lowered his gaze immediately, he'd seen something change in them.

Perhaps their fate wouldn't end in disaster after all.

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"Let the hunt begin!" Jiang Zhilan raised his glass high, the liquor sloshing slightly on his hand from the movement. A resounding cheer rose up from the crowd below as the participants returned the toast. Jiang Zhilan watched the eager nobles disperse, turned to Liu Qingyuan and smiled brightly from the excitement coursing through his veins.. "Let's go hunt!"

The side of Liu Qingyuan's mouth quivered and he followed the king to their mounts. His innk black horse stood proudly, it's muscles large and powerful.