A Crown for a Tail

Trials 2

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4 days later.

Ye Hua kept to the agreement as did Mei.  They spent their days together talking, taking short walks, sharing meals, and enjoying quality time.  He was respectful, treated her well, and even allowed her short periods to sit with him while he caught up with some of his duties which he had neglected for far too long, but never once was Bai Qian far from his mind.  Several times he had accidentally called her Qian Qian, but Mei was gracious enough to let it pass, while she too kept to the agreement.

Sleeping alone in her own chamber, she didn't once try to repeat what she did at the East Seas Palace, and nor did she berate his maid Nai Nai when the girl dropped the tea pot on the first day of her return to Ye Huas Palace.

Seeing the Princess sittin at the low table with Ye Hua was quite a shock for the young maid, but apologizing profusely for her ineptitude, she quickly cleaned up the mess before rushing away to fetch a fresh pot of tea.  Then returning she served them both before leaving them alone, but not once did her eyes move from Ye Hua, her searching gaze was felt by both of them as she worked quickly

"Nai Nai, Princess Mei will be staying for week, please ensure the Lotus Chamber is prepared for her, you will also attend to her needs personally." he informed her, while ignoring the short gasp as she rushed away to follow his instructions.

Then looking at the Princess, he explained his close relationship to that particular maid and his desire for her to understand how very important she was to him, leaving her in no doubt, that the maid was to be treated kindly at all times, which Mei finally understood and assured him she would be treated well under her care.

It was why he chose Nai Nai for her maid, it would give the Princess the opportunity to correct her mistakes against the girl, and for Nai Nai to take a little revenge should she so choose, which of course she didn't, it wasn't in her nature to act so childishly by seeking revenge, but she did understand why Ye Hua sent her to the Princess personally, and for that, she was grateful.

Now sitting at a table enjoying the fresh air by the lotus pond, Ye Hua and Mei talked of their childhood and the dreams they had as children and what if any had actually eventuated since reaching adulthood.  It was a pleasant chat filled with laughter from Mei, and polite small smiles from Ye Hua.

The past four days had been the hardest for him but he did everything he could to make the time as pleasant for himself as he could, while filling the days with as much activity as he could find to ensure the days went by quickly.  He filled every second with something to do, so there was no time for thinking or idle time to lose his thoughts to the predicament he was in.  Though not once did Bai Qian leave his thoughts, she was always at the back of his mind during every activity and every conversation, which he was sure Mei knew about, but he didn't care, as long as he kept to the agreement, there was nothing she could do about it.  She did not rule his head.

Day 7

It was the final day of their agreement, and as with the initial days, the last couple of days were spent doing exactly what they did on their initial days.  So having agreed to meet at the Grand Hall after lunch, Ye Hua quickly made his way to the Grand Hall to oversee the final arrangements with Di Jun, his Grandfather, Mo Yuan and Meis parents.

"Was the agreement completed to your liking?" Di Jun asked her straight faced, showing no emotion.

Bowing politely Mei kept her head down. "Yes, it was." she replied softly.

"Then there is no more to do but to annul the marriage arrangement." The Skylord said smiling, which was taken care of very quickly.

Once all signatures were recorded and the smaller details regarding some of the conditions that had already been met agreed upon, it was over!

Both sides would keep what they had already gained in the way of lands and wealth, and Princess Mei would leave with her pride and Ye Hua was free to collect Bai Qian.

But not before he personally saw Princess Mei from the Palace.  Bowing to each other politely, she left with her family and he left for Qing Qiu.

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He wasted no time, arriving at the Den, he raced inside to find the Fox family in disarray, something he was becoming used to, only this time it seemed different somehow.

"Qian Qian?" he asked as he rushed into the main den, looking about the room while also noticing the downcast eyes.

"Ye Hua, I'm afraid we can't find her.  After you left, she disappeared. We searched for her everywhere, but as yet we don't know where she went." Bai Zhen said softly as the excitement in Ye Hua turned to panic.