Chapter 14

She sat forward in his lap. Her head planted against the horse's mane. She was too afraid to talk, but her body trembled.

'He won't make me do something weird, will he? Not like this, with all these people watching. He won't.' She repeated these words to herself over and over, hoping that she was right.

He gently kicked the horse, and the vanguard continued. He stared at her small figure; it was just inches from his own body. She scooted as far from him as she could, practically lying on the horse's neck. He pulled her back so that the horse wouldn't have to carry so much weight there. She gripped the mane, scared for her life.

"Let go, or I'll toss you off and let the soldiers walk over your body."

She slowly let go of the hair and allowed him to scoot her back. She was sure he wasn't lying.

She maintained a posture that was still leaning forward, making her back completely visible to the Prince. They rode in silence for a while. She even began to feel tired. He wasn't trying to hurt her, and her body was still recovering. The smell of the horse was also comforting to her. The earthy scent made her feel like she was back in the forest.

Before she fell asleep, she felt a gentle touch on her back. The feeling sent her into another panic.

"Sit still," he ordered without patience. He lifted his hand and gently touched her back, rubbing his fingers over the soft fabric. Every time his fingers grazed over one of the wounds, he would notice and slowly trail his finger around it, causing a painful but soothing sensation. She lay still, unmoving, afraid to even breathe too heavily. He leaned forward, pressing his chest against her back-sending pain reeling through her body. She bit down on the palm of her hand to keep from crying out.

"I wondered if I'd ever see you again," he murmured near her ear. Every jerk of the horse caused his chest to push into her back again.

"I pledged my life to you long ago, there was never a question of if I would ever see you again, only when." She ground out.

Her words seemed to appease him, he pulled back, the force of the pain eased a little. He started his ruminations again, gently rubbing her back. He had a serene expression on his face leaving anyone who saw it to believe that he had found a rare treasure. She would never think so, however, because occasionally, he would dig his fingertip into the edges of the wounds before gently soothing the pain away again with the same finger.

'This guy's a freaking psycho!' She could only bear it. Clenching her teeth together and squinting her eyes every time he dug his fingers in.

After that day, Liang Lia Jiao kept her head in the carriage, afraid to peek out. She knew that what happened yesterday was a warning to her. She heard him call for the hawk to be killed but interfered anyways. She easily caught on that this person wouldn't tolerate disobedience.

The trip ended after eight days. She only left the carriage twice after that first time, and that was to use the restroom while the others ate their meals. She did her best to avoid being noticed by Prince Yi Feng wanting to allow her body to heal without hindrance, she still had to live after all.

When the carriage stopped, they were roughly a day's journey from the Capital Lidonhang in the city of Runyang. She stared out the carriage window. It had been a long time since she was in a city. The small mountain town Qinhuageng, was more of an army encampment than a real city.

The soldiers were left outside the city walls while Prince Yi Feng went inside. She was left with the soldiers and stayed in relative peace for two days. At that time, Prince Yi Feng rode a horse out and called for her.

She kneeled before him, "This servant greats his Second Highness."

"Come here," he said softly, almost gently. The sound made her feel strange. She lifted her gaze and stood up, moving a little closer to him. He lifted her onto the horse and, without notice, kicked it, causing them to quickly sprint off. She could only cling to the horse's neck. This was only her second time on a horse.

Prince Yi Feng watched her with mild interest. He spent the last two days in the city speaking with a few of his advisors. Some of the prospects were starting to come together, and he was in a good mood. He reached his hand out and gently pulled her into his embrace. It was as if the two were lovers, and this was nothing more than a joy ride. Liang Lia Jiao sat stiffly in his arms, thankful that he wasn't hurting her like last time, but both angry and terrified that he held her like this. She felt him lower his chin on her neck and slowly nuzzle against it. It was a very intimate action that made her heart scream in fear.

"Don't be scared, little rabbit," he breathed out. "I won't hurt you today." He said those words so seriously that Liang Lia Jiao felt that it was more of a promise that he would hurt her on another day rather than an assurance for Today.

After about an hour's ride, they slowed down. They were at the edge of the forest. The same one that she had been brought to on that night. He jumped off, holding her in his arms and steadily helped her stand. She followed him into the forest. It wasn't long before they reached a clearance. She knew what it was before he even spoke.

She ran forward and stared at the many places that markers were set. Beneath them, she knew that her family was buried. She fell to the floor and cried. There was an overwhelming feeling of sadness and gratefulness mingled together. She turned her eyes towards Prince Yi Feng and kowtowed respectfully.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. If he never brought her here, she would have never known for sure if he had kept his promise. This was a gift, one of the best she had ever received. Even if she hated him, she knew how to be grateful. She also knew that he was letting her know that he kept his promise. She was even more certain that she could only keep hers.