Nianzu was playing the zither in his private music room. His eyes were closed while his fingers were plucking the strings at an expeditious rate. The words of Lei Wanxi were ringing like a bell in his head. Suddenly, a string broke and a sharp noise echoed in the room. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Your highness," Chuntao called him gracefully, who was standing near the door of the room. Nianzu lifted his eyes to look at her. "What are you doing here? No one is allowed here without my permission." Nianzu never let anyone enter his music room. Seeing Chuntao did not annoy him, but surprised him.

"Earlier I saw his highness leaving the feast in the middle. His highness did not even take his meals so…" she stopped speaking as she heard the voice of the Crown Prince. Nianzu stood up from his seat and walked past Chuntao. He heard Lei Wanxi and Sheng Li's voices talking with Eunuch Chung.

"Go tell them that I want to be alone," Nianzu commanded Chuntao, who did not understand that the Prince was commanding her. He tilted his head and glanced at her.

"Ahh, yes. Yes, your highness," Chuntao bowed and immediately followed the command. Nianzu went back to his seat and looked at the zither and its broken strings. He stroked his hand above it. "I pulled it hard," he heaved a sigh. The Zither was gifted to him by a singer in the capital when he heard him playing the zither.

Chuntao came back there. "Your highness, I informed the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince." Nianzu nodded his head. Chuntao was still standing beside the door, not wanting to enter until the Prince would allow her.

"Do you know someone in the market who repairs Zither?" Nianzu questioned her. He lifted his eyes and found the young woman was standing beside the door. "Come inside and close the door," Nianzu softly said. He again focussed his gaze on the zither.

Chuntao walked in and closed the door behind her, who had seen earlier the fingers of the Prince which were bleeding after playing the zither so intensely. She again opened the door quietly and walked out. She returned with a first-aid box in her hand.

She closed the door and went closer to the Prince, who was sitting on the mattress. "Your highness, your fingers are bleeding. Let me treat those else the pain will increase," proclaimed Chuntao. Nianzu looked at his fingers.

"Do it," Nianzu forwarded his hands towards her. Chuntao sat on the mattress in front of him. She placed the wooden first-aid box beside her and opened it. "It is strange that his highness treats his wounds himself whenever he gets injured. When Eunuch Chung told me this, it stunned me." Chuntao took a white-colored powder and caught the sleeve of Nianzu, not touching him because the servants were not supposed to.

"I love living like a commoner. I love doing my work myself," stated Nianzu, who was amused to see the way Chuntao was holding his hand. She was sprinkling the powder over his fingers while blowing air over them.

"What is this?" Nianzu asked, looking at his sleeve which Chuntao was holding.

"I needed to put his highness hand at a level, so I grasped his highness sleeve," Chuntao replied.

"You can hold my hand. Isn't that be more convenient?" Nianzu queried.

Chuntao lowered her eyes. "How could I grab his highness hand?" Nianzu chuckled at her reaction.

"I will not bite you," Nianzu replied. "It's fine. Continue whatever you were doing."

"May I ask why was his highness playing zither with such a force? I have never seen his highness annoyed until today," Chuntao pronounced.

Nianzu grimaced as he again recalled why he was annoyed. He was annoyed because of two reasons: one was the decision about marrying the Princess of Huan and the other was because of his mother. "A marriage proposal has come for me," Nianzu finally spoke, monotonously.

"So, is this not good news?" Chuntao lifted her head as she was done applying the powder over Nianzu's fingers.

"I do not love that woman. Though I shall not talk this way because as a Prince I am destined to marry a Princess," Nianzu pronounced. Around Chuntao, Nianzu used to be comfortable and even used to speak his heart out, which he had not done in front of the others.

"Does his highness want to marry a commoner, then?" Chuntao jokingly asked, which bewildered Nianzu. "Indeed, as a Prince, his highness will marry a Princess," Chuntao then affirmed.

"Why do you think so?" Nianzu was now curious to know Chuntao's view on that.

"Umm...I have heard that a Prince cannot marry a commoner. He can only take her as his Concubine," Chuntao answered to him. Nianzu admitted that. "But, your highness, don't you think it will bring trouble? What I mean is marrying a commoner is not accepted to the upper-class society," Chuntao opinionated.

"You are right," Nianzu acknowledged her answer.

"Your highness, love can happen after the marriage too. Usually, it happens! His highness shall not take stress over this," Chuntao smiled brightly just to enlighten the mood of the Fourth Prince. She looked at the zither and recalled the question which was previously asked by the Prince.

"There is a shop of instruments. I will call the owner here then his highness can ask him to repair this zither," Chuntao asked for Nianzu's permission.

"Take me to that shop. No need to bring him here," Nianzu asserted. Chuntao nodded her head and closed the first-aid box. She stood up when a small portion of her long skirt came under her foot and she fell directly towards Nianzu. The first-aid box in her hand hit the floor while her whole body hit against Nianzu's, whose back touched the wooden floor with a loud thud sound. The hand which was on the zither moved down, producing the sound, not pleasant for the ears.

~~~~

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