XH 122
"Duke Heng wants to meet Xiao Hua?" The Eighth Prince stared at Eunuch Heng in disbelief. "Why?"
Eunuch Heng sighed in self-pity. He's going to be scolded by Duke Heng again...(ಥ﹏ಥ)
"Duke Heng wishes to taste Elder Sister Hua's tea again."
Xiao Hua froze in terror. Duke Heng knew her identity! Σ(°△°|||)︴
She had naively thought that Duke Heng would not know her identity since she was not Long Lian's maid and that she had never been officially introduced to him as the Third Prince's personal maid.
Heise had been more or less been updated about Xiao Hua's tea brewing cheat, which she had gotten from the Third Prince and knew it must be kept a secret for her safety. He glowered at Eunuch Heng. "Did you tell Duke Heng about Xiao Hua's tea?"
"This servant would not dare to!" Eunuch Heng immediately kneeled down in fear. "This servant only obeys you, the Eighth Prince!"
"Wait, Heise, I did not tell you about Duke Heng and the King of Munzhu competing in tea brewing with me."
"What! Such a big thing happened and you did not tell me?"
Xiao Hua laughed guiltily. "I forgot..."
At that time Long Lian was already angry with her and when she finally got the chance to privately talk to Heise without the princess around, the topic of visiting the person that might know how to get them back was more important. The Eighth Prince only knew about Xiao Hua's tea brewing cheat skill because Long Lian was angry.
She quickly told him about that incident and the Eighth Prince's frown grew deeper.
The Eighth Prince turned to look at Eunuch Heng. "You never tell Duke Heng anything about me and Xiao Hua, right?"
Eunuch Heng shakes his head fiercely that his hat nearly flung off his head. "This servant would never do that! If Duke Heng knows about it, he would kill you! You must never tell him your secret, Your Highness!"
Staring strangely at his eunuch, the Eighth Prince asked, "Isn't Duke Heng the one that sent you to protect the original Eighth Prince?"
Eunuch Heng nodded sadly. "Yes, this servant was only sent to protect the Eighth Prince after the death of Imperial Concubine Heng. This servant had never met the Eighth Prince before his unfortunate loss of rationality and does not have as much affection as Duke Heng has towards him. Duke Heng often visits Imperial Concubine Heng whenever he could and adores the Eighth Prince."
"But...since the day I came to this world till now, I've never met Duke Heng."
With a confirmatory nod, Eunuch Heng explained, "It hurts his heart to see the previously cheerful and smart prince changed into one that does not recognize him and always asked to meet his mother. Unable to endure it, Duke Heng assigned me to protect Eighth Prince in his stead."
Xiao Hua: '...' You failed your task bro. The real Eighth Prince had died.
The Eighth Prince: '...' What a cruel person, to send a young boy into the palace as a eunuch to take care of a mentally ill prince!
"This servant felt guilty for being happy that Your Highness possesses the Eighth Prince's body, but this servant wished for Duke Heng to be happy again!"
When Eunuch Heng goes as far as kowtowed at the Eighth Prince, the said prince was shocked and jumped out of his seat to avoid accepting the gesture.
"Your Highness, please meet Duke Heng and ease his unhappiness! The Lord must felt terribly guilty for not able to protect Imperial Concubine Heng and the Eighth Prince! If...if Your Highness let Duke Heng see the current you, it would ease his bitterness and guilt!"
"Eunuch Heng," Xiao Hua interrupted grimly. "Did you talk about this with the Third Prince?"
He hesitated before shaking his head. "No."
"As someone that had met the real Eighth Prince, Duke Heng would easily look past Heise's act," Xiao Hua pointed out the possibility.
"Heng Xin, you know it would be impossible for the mentally ill Eighth Prince to be suddenly cured," The Eighth Prince added.
"I-I know. But just a little-!"
Duan XiYing pats Eunuch Heng's head as one does to a pet. "XiYing thinks this is a great idea~"
Xiao Hua, Eighth Prince, Eunuch Heng: "Eh?"
"The Eighth Prince does not need to be cured, just able to recognize Duke Heng will be fine~"
Eunuch Heng quickly nodded. "Yes, that will work! Duke Heng was mostly sad because the Eighth Prince unable to remember him!"
"No way! I don't even know him!" The Eighth Prince protested fiercely.
"XiYing knows Eunuch Heng does not know the previous Eighth Prince, so XiYing will request master to help in tutoring Eighth Prince about the previous Eighth Prince's habits and behaviour."
"Heise, you need to make Duke Heng happy," Xiao Hua encouraged with a serious expression. But there was a trace of sarcasm that caused the Eighth Prince to snap.
"You two-faced girl!"
"Shut it. I'm such a nice elder sister, helping you to find an opportunity to eat Duke Heng's tofu. He's really good looking you know~". If Xiao Hua does not have the Third Prince as her boyfriend, her second choice would be Duke Heng!
"What does good looking got to do with eating tofu?!"
Xiao Hua tsk-ed at the Eighth Prince for being simple-minded. "Come on, little kids usually hug their parents and relative. Duke Heng is your uncle now, so you will get to hug him! Even if the original Eighth Prince does not do that, right now you are mentally a kid so you can hug him as much as you want! Use that opportunity to grope him too since you are at it!"
The onlookers: '...' Elder Sister Hua seems to be possessed by a lewd demon! Σ(O_O)
"Hey, that's a great idea!" The Eighth Prince exclaimed with bright eyes.
The onlookers: '...' The Eighth Prince gotten affected too! Σ(°ロ°)
"Of course! Just act cute and smile, he won't reject your advances!" Xiao Hua continued on with her corruption. "As a doting uncle, he would never hate your hugs! In fact, he would even welcome them!"
"...No, I can't do that!" The Eighth Prince finally came back to his senses, pushing away the devil's lure. "I'm in a relationship!"
"In a relationship?" Xiao Hua stared at the Eighth Prince blankly.
"Yes! I'm dating Heng Xin!"
"Oh~" Xiao Hua stared at Eunuch Heng with a complicated expression in her eyes before cheerfully saying, "Congratulations to both of you! I will fully support your relationship and will try my best to have the Third Prince help out if the Emperor and Empress refuse to accept your relationship."
The Eighth Prince blinked rapidly so that the tears would not fall from his eyes. "Xiao Hua-"
"Why wouldn't the Emperor and Empress accept our relationship?" Eunuch Heng quickly asked with a hint of panic from his voice. "This servant is dedicated to serve and protect the Eighth Prince! Did this servant commit any wrong?"
Suddenly, Xiao Hua's bad feeling intensified.
"Eunuch Heng, are you not Eighth Prince's lover?" Duan XiYing asked the question that Xiao Hua feared to ask.
"This servant does not dare to claim so! This servant is only His Highness' servant, nothing more!"
The Eighth Prince felt as if lightning just strikes his heart! "B-But... You return my kisses!"
Eunuch Heng looked embarrassed. "As a servant and a dedicated servant, whatever my master wishes for me to do, I will do it. This servant understands about urges and since the Empress deem Your Highness as a child and had forbidden any female servant around you, this servant is willing to help-"
"No!" The Eighth Prince cried out in despair. "I did not kiss you because of these so-called urges! I love-"
"Stop!" Xiao Hua snapped just in time before Heise would say something stupid. "XiYing, can you bring Eunuch Heng to a side so I can speak to the Eighth Prince alone?"
Duan XiYing nodded and led the confused Eunuch Heng away, leaving Da Bei to guard over them silently.
Xiao Hua sighed and turned in her seat to look at the Eighth Prince, who was keeping silent as she ordered, which he was not pleased as he glared at her. But the fear and denial could not be hidden in his eyes and it was heart-breaking to see. "Heise, do you love Eunuch Heng?"
"Of course I do!"
"Let me rephrase my question. Do you love Eunuch Heng for his face or his personality?"
"What kind of question is this?!"
"Answer me, Heise. Is Eunuch Heng your ex-girlfriend's substitute?"
"No! No....no..." The Eighth Prince's eyes flickered with realization as he broke down and cried. "I still love him. I know it's wrong but I just... I just could not help but imagine him-"
"Shh... I know." Xiao Hua gathered the crying boy into her arms, patting his back to comfort him.
"You don't know anything!" The Eighth Prince snapped angrily, trying to pull away but Xiao Hua refused to.
"I know because I used to love a man that has the same face as the Third Prince." The Eighth Prince stiffened and did not interrupt, letting her continue, except for the random sobs. "But I do not force my love for that man onto the Third Prince because I know they are two different people. It helps that both of them have a completely different personality. Do your ex-girlfriend and Eunuch Heng have the same personality?"
"...They are both gentle and nice towards me."
Xiao Hua sighed sadly, able to imagine Heise's dilemma. "You cannot force people to love you."
The Eighth Prince pushed her away roughly, nearly pushing her off the chair, as he gave her his fiercest glare. Fortunately for him, Xiao Hua did not fall to the ground or else Da Bei will attack him. "You have no right to say that! Just because you get to be with your Third Prince does not mean you have the right to act haughty to me!"
"I don't," Xiao Hua countered calmly, but inwardly she was sweating like crazy with her heartbeat quicken in fear. "But I want you to be happy, with someone that genuinely loves you in the way couples love each other instead of loving you because of your position or forced to do so."
"Heng Xin loves me!"
Xiao Hua gulped, gathering her courage to throw more facts to open his eyes. "Logically, unless he's a shota-con, it's impossible for him to love a ten-year-old boy romantically. And did you not hear what Eunuch Heng said? He saw you as his master, not a lover."
"You shut up! What bullshit about your liking Danmei, you are homophobic!"
Xiao Hua clutched her hands tightly, forcing her expression to remain calm despite feeling far from it. "Then call him back and ask him again. We will know the truth then."
"Call him then!" The Eighth Prince snapped fiercely.