When there was no other soul inside the study, he walked back to sit behind the table. He picked up a book and opened it to look, but the line after line of letters couldn't enter his eyes.
He still hadn't thought of a way to mention it to her.
He closed the book and smiled bitterly. Since when did he start to worry about other people's feelings?
Only Xiao Xu never thought that in this world, there wasn't a wall that couldn't leak the news. Things that ought to be known will be known. It was merely a question of sooner or later and nothing more.
Inside the main courtyard.
Chu Qing-Yan's heart was incomparably cheerful. Big Block of Ice returned safe and sound, the large stone in her heart dropped to the ground just like that.
Her parents had already returned to Chu Manor. She with cheerful steps, wanted to go to the study to find Big Block of Ice. But on second thought, it was already dinner time, maybe he'll return to the courtyard in a short while. As a result, she craftily flew up a tree, the dense leaves of the tree hiding her figure. And under the tree was the route to return to the courtyard. Don't know at that time when she suddenly appears in front of Big Block of Ice, maybe he would jump from being scared!
She was excited just thinking about it!
Although she subconsciously felt that the longer she lived, the more backward she was growing, become more and more like a child, but wasn't it the most important thing to be happy?
She consoled herself.
Very quickly, people walked over. She immediately controlled her breathing. Earth Spirit had taught her how to hide her breathing so someone wouldn't discover her existence. At this moment, it just so happened to come in handy.
But when Chu Qing-Yan saw the people that came, she was somewhat regretful. So it turned out to be Earth Spirit and Fire Spirit ah. Just when she hesitated whether to call out to them or not, the two people seemed to have a disagreement. So they simply stopped under her tree.
Chu Qing-Yan listened with some curiousity.
"Earth Spirit, just now, why did you stop me?" Fire Spirit said somewhat angrily.
Earth Spirit disdainfully disputed this with him. "Master had already told you. The fate of royalty is difficult and you were still trying to urge master not to go. You ought to do less of this kind of useless work!"
Going where?
Chu Qing-Yan was somewhat mystified from listening.
"Earth Spirit, you tell me why master doesn't want the little consort to know of this matter?" Fire Spirit had his back leaning against the tree, no longer arguing with Earth Spirit, his tone was somewhat deflated. Only his face had doubts that couldn't be concealed.
Earth Spirit slanted him a glance. "It's not that master doesn't want the little consort to know. Rather, he is thinking of how to tell her in an appropriate manner."
Fire Spirit nodded in approval. "That's right. If little consort was to hear that Master wanted to leave her in the manor, I reckon she'd flip this manor upside down!"
"Possible." Earth Spirit shook his head and laughed in spite of himself.
The two people smiled, only after smiling did a kind of sorrow rush up to the tip of their hearts unrestrained.
Why would his Majesty send master away at this moment? Fourth Prince was still young, was he planning to cultivate Fourth Prince's influence during these several years? Afterwards when master returns, then contend against him?
Just when the two were silent, a figure suddenly dropped from the sky.
"What were you guys talking about just now? What leaving? What leave me in the manor?" Chu Qing-Yan frowned with a calm expresssion that wasn't suitable for her age.
Earth Spirit and Fire Spirit glanced at each other and didn't speak.
Chu Qing-Yan bit her lips. "Do you guys think just because you won't say it, I won't find out? At worst, I'll just go ask his Highness!"
Seeing the little consort turn around wanting to leave, the two people compromised. They had no choice but to tell her everything in great detail.
The more Chu Qing-Yan heard, the darker her face became. At the end when she heard that Big Block of Ice asked people to conceal it from her, then had people already prepare his baggage, her face became thoroughly black.
It was rare for Fire Spirit to see little consort having such an ugly expression. He softly coughed as he wrapped it up. "The matter is just like this."
"I'm going to go find his Highness!" Finished listening, Chu Qing-Yan dropped this sentence, turned around and with quick steps rushed towards the study.
Fire Spirit poked the person by his side. "You tell me, us doing this, would master——？"
Just now when he leaned against the tree, he sensed a person was hidden above his head. Moreover, that person's breathing became disordered after listening to their dialogue, so he was able to guess who it was. As a result, he sent a meaningful glance to Earth Spirit, and the two each pretended not to notice her and continued their conversation.
"We already did it, what's the point of worrying about it?" Earth Spirit rolled his eyes at him.
"That's true, at worst it's to go to the Punishment room and receive our penalty. I only ask at that time not to be hit too hard, else how am I going to ride the horse!" Fire Spirit laughed as if he didn't care.
Earth Spirit heard this and also laughed.
Why would they want the little consort to know about this matter? In fact, they themselves weren't clear, only that they felt maybe with little consort present, at least Master will live a bit more like himself!
Chu Qing-Yan directly went towards the study. Her mood went from angry in the beginning about being kept in the dark to feeling a sense of loss at this moment from being abandoned.
Listening to Earth Spirit and Fire Spirit's words, the task Big Block of Ice needed to carry out this time was very difficult. The road to this place was very far, so he won't return within two to three years. But it seemed that Big Block of Ice didn't want to bring her along, wanting instead to leave her behind in the Prince's Manor. Otherwise he would have already told her about this.
By the time she walked to the door of the study, her rage had slowly burned out already. Only sadness and sorrow remained.
Was it because Big Block of Ice thought she would hold him back, was that why he didn't want to bring her?
Both hands were lifted up, but before she got near to the door of the room, she hesitated and stopped.
Did she view herself as too important? He gave her a taste of power, was she the type that was given an inch and wanted a mile? Did she overestimate her abilities so that she felt she had the right to question him?
But her heart just felt it was difficult to bear. If she didn't get a reason, she wouldn't be resigned.
She exerted strength using her hand and the study door was pushed open by her.
The sound wasn't small, so it disturbed the person inside.
Xiao Xu lifted up his head. Seeing it was her, he was just about to instruct her that she needed to knock before entering when he saw her pursed lips and her face full of resentment.
He frowned. "What happened?"
She stood in the doorway but couldn't take a step. She was afraid once she moved, the courage in her heart would disappear.
She lifted up her eyes and looked toward him, stressing each word to say. "Big Block of Ice, are you going to Fu Li mountain ranges? Why won't you tell me?"
"You found out? He look at her distractedly.
"Yes I found out. If I didn't accidentally hear this news, will you still be concealing this from me? Then leave furtively?" The more she said, the more stirred up she became, so she didn't discover the tenderness that flitted by in his eyes.
"This king didn't plan on leaving furtively. When the opportunity came, I would have naturally told you." Xiao Xu lightly sighed, he didn't expect she still found out. This time, it would be hard to wrap it up. In accordance with her temperament, if she didn't turn everything upside down, he was afraid it would be unlikely for her to stop.
"Opportunity? Is it to wait until the minute you are about to leave the manor?" She furiously blurted out in haste.
Very rare to see her being so forceful, Xiao Xu controlled his eyes and solemnly said. "Qing-Yan!"
Being lightly reprimanded by the person in front of her, the last bit of courage in her heart gradually faded away.
Dense tears dropped down.
"Big Block of Ice, is it because you don't want me anymore?"
Deep grief, a sense of loss, loneliness and fear.
The person in front that had become a teary eyed little guy seemed to have let him see the him from a long time ago. Large fire reached the sky, the people by his side fell down one by one. He looked toward the horizon in despair, was it that they all didn't want him anymore?
When he returned to his senses, he had already hugged the little guy who was hiccuping from crying. He lowered his head to see her tightly clenching his sleeves, as if he would leave her just like this. A burst of tenderness came from his heart, he was just about to say something when he saw her lift her head, her eyes hazy from the tears as she said to him.
"I'm sorry, I don't want to cause trouble for you, only unwilling to have you leave me behind by myself."