Love In The Palace

Special Chapter - Yan Leon and Moon Leon; Cloudy and Waxing

I am honestly in need of inspiration and motivation to write.... I want to give up but I know I can't. -big sigh-

This is a special chapter for Third Prince and Seventh Princess. Please enjoy!

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"Third Prince! Please slow down! Be careful! Third Prince!" The shrieking screams of two servants can be heard in the middle of the gigantic garden of the palace. From the small stony path that one rarely passes by, out comes a boy of around the age of eight running and laughing at the same time, finding amusement in making his servants and eunuchs panicking.

The running-and-chasing continues for quite some while before Third Prince himself halts in his tracks and collapses on the grounds, huffing and puffing, sucking in his breath deeply for air. Today is just like any other day, where he usually would study and play afterwards.

But perhaps today may not just be like any other day. From where he is casually resting and leaning against a big tree trunk, he can hear faint sounds of something being thrown into the water, again and again. His curiosity pushes him up from the grasses on the grounds as he slowly creeps further into the garden, lowering his body into a defensive stance while peeking from the bushes.

He sees a young girl who is throwing stones into the big pond, her pale pink dresses are slightly browned as she bends down to pick several more pebbles and throw them into the green pond. But what amuses him most, is how that little girl finds amusement in simply throwing pebbles into the pond, even carefully at that. So he jumps out of the bushes and quickens his steps eagerly to the little girl's side.

"What are you doing?" The servant accompanying the little girl gasps and immediately lowers her body into a deep curtsy, without saying anything. That little girl, however, stares at Third Prince with a weird look on her eyes.

"Who are you?" She asks as she slowly straightens her body.

"I am Third Prince."

"Third Prince? I have never heard of you."

"Who are you then?"

"I am Seventh Princess."

"What are you doing?"

"I am throwing pebbles." Seventh Princess takes another small piece of pebble in her palm and throws it as far as possible into the pond, and it hits the thin leaf of the lotus flowers before sinking into the pond.

"Is it fun?"

"You can try."

Both of them proceed to compete in who can throw the pebbles furthest. Needless to say, it is the older Third Prince who wins in the end, leaving a pouting Seventh Princess in her ruined playtime.

"This is not fun. I do not want to play with Third Prince anymore."

"You should call me Third Brother."

"Why?"

"Because I am older than you."

"How old are you?"

"I am eight years old. You?"

"I am five years old."

"See? That is why you must call me Third Brother, and I will call you Seventh Sister."

"You are also my brother? I thought only Crown Prince is my brother."

"You know Crown Prince?"

"Yes. We used to live together. But when my Mother Consort passed away, Brother Crown Prince returned to live with his Mother Empress."