Body Like Butterflies

Yu Mei threw her entire body onto the bed the moment they finished checking into an inn. It had taken them the whole day to arrive in Nanjing. The long walk had literally almost killed her feet.

She quickly threw her shoes on the ground. Being herself, she put her hands behind her head and stared at the ceiling. [Ahhh~ I've missed you city life. I miss the cool air and the comfy beds.] She smirked to herself.

Then a soft bang came from her door.

She frowned.

"Go away! I'm not here." She murmured under her breath.

But it didn't go away. Instead it became louder.

"Darn it." She huffed before dashing towards the door. It was probably almost close to 9pm. So who in the world could possibly be knocking at this hour?

When the door swung open, she did not expect to be face to face with his highness. "Your highness…what are you doing here so late at night?" Then she looked at him skeptically. "People will get the wrong idea if they see this." She reprimanded him. And then she proceeded to shut the door on him. Thankful Pei Nan could read her mind. With one swift move, he used the side of his body to push the door and make his way in.

Yu Mei watched as he did as he pleased. "You…you…" she speechlessly pointed at him. He was on a whole other level of shameless. Her little feet quickly rushed to him. She watched as he set a small little porcelain bottle and a mini bamboo steamer on the table. "What is it?" She asked curiously.

He didn't reply to her immediately. Instead he pulled the seat next to her out. "Sit." He patted the seat.

Yu Mei crossed her hands. "Why should I?"

"If you want to know what's in it, you have to sit."

Good point, she admitted. And then her bottom sat snuggly on the stool. Pei Nan proceeded to take the seat next to her after grabbing the steamer. "It's for you." Then he nipped the lid open. Four pork buns were set before her eyes. Yu Mei couldn't help but look him in the eye. Her eyes were full of praise. [Your highness, you shouldn't have. You're too kind.] She secretly sighed full of appreciation and affection for the man in front of her. And then she remembered she was not on good terms with him.

*Ahem* She coughed and looked away.

"I'm not hungry. Your highness should eat it for yourself." Her heart was secretly crying but her mouth said a different thing.

Then she heard the soft shuffle of the steamer being pushed her way. "I intended to buy you these. Whether you eat them or not is up to you."

"I am not…"

*Grumble*

Yu Mei closed her eyes tightly, held her stomach and cursed silently. [Stupid tummy! Why now?] Why did her tummy have to act up now? How was she going to face him now, she thought.

"Oh? But I think your stomach might be thinking differently." He added his little snarky comment.

Still with an embarrassed expression, she picked up a bun. "On second thought, since you bought it already, I shouldn't waste it. My shifu always said to never waste food." Then she took a big bite.

She didn't know just how mesmerized she was with the food that the moment he grabbed her foot, she choked.

*hack* *hack* *hack*

She aggressively placed the bun on the table and hit her chest a few times so the food could go down her throat. Then she took a swig of water next to her. When in the world did he get down there, she thought.

Prince Nan was sitting crossed legged on the ground holding her feet. Earlier while she was choking to death, she tried to pull her leg from his grasp but failed to. "Your highness the pervert, what are you doing? This is inappropriate." She softly scolded him in case anyone heard them. The last thing she wanted was to be the talk of the town.

"Shhh…" He then pulled off her sock.

She gasped in horror.

"If you scream, I'll really take advantage of you." He looked at her with a warning.

With her hands on her waist, she talked back to him. "If your highness doesn't want me to scream, then tell me what in the world you are doing; taking advantage of a cute little girl like me." She questioned him. This got her a stunned look from him. "Taking advantage? Pan Yu Mei, you should speak nicely unless you really want me to…" His words trailed off as his eyes creepily headed to her chest. Yu Mei immediately covered her chest.

"PERVERT!" She once again quietly called him out.

This time he ignored her accusation. "I saw that you were limping earlier. I assume your feet must have swelled from the long walk." His hand softly trailed along the swelling of her sole. Then he lightly massaged her feet.

"Your highness…" She wanted to tell him not too because she hadn't washed her feet from the long journey yet. She felt bad but he once again hushed her before she could squeeze in another word.

"Be a good girl and eat your buns."

As if she was hypnotized, she continued to eat the buns on the table while her eyes concentrated on him. "How could a girl like you who has never had to go through such a struggle not complain about your feet. Next time you are this hurt, I'll carry you."

After a while he went to massage the other feet.

She didn't know how long he had massaged her feet for. All she knew was that she had finished all four of the buns and he had just now finished. After what seemed like hours, he finally looked up at her. "Yu Mei, hand me the bottle on the table."

"What is it?" She asked while handing it to him.

"Plum flower ointment. It's good for swelling. We'll be doing more walking tomorrow. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable walking tomorrow."

"Ohhh…" She pursed her lips. Then they curved into a little smile of appreciation. [So you do have a nice bone in your body.] She bit her lip when she thought about what he had just done for her. This was the first time anyone has ever done anything this touching for her. She was really touched, even if it came from him. A strange feeling overcame her body. A light and soft tingle, almost like butterflies.

[Eyes…so dark and mysterious. Not bad on you. Sharp nose, it suits you. And why are your lips not in the shape of a frown. Stop grinning you foolish highness.] Yu Mei couldn't help but stare and evaluate the man in front of her. She was appreciating his looks for the first time in a long time.

Pei Nan got up from the ground and set the bottle back on the table. "Before you put your shoes on tomorrow, make sure to put some ointment on." Then he closed the lid of the steamer and held it with one hand. "It's been a long day. Take an early rest and have a good night." He bid her goodnight.

She slowly waved at him. "Bye."

Then the door closed and she let out a deep breath. Pan Yu Mei put her palm to her heart and her eyes widened. Her heart was beating rapidly.