Chapter 14: Sharing the Frame
True to her word, Shizhu kept silent, but she also kept a closer watch over Wangmei Pavilion. Any servant attempting to enter or leave was stopped at the door.
Even the food delivered was now tasted by Shizhu first before being presented to Xiao Luohan.
Xiao Luohan wasn’t worried. As a princess from a defeated nation, she had little to offer. Associating with her could even jeopardize one’s future – the Daying Crown Prince clearly despised her.
She was simply curious about Shizhu’s motives.
Shizhu, always of few words, merely lowered her gaze when asked. “Think of it as me accumulating merit for my deceased daughter.”
Xiao Luohan understood.
When her elder sister was alive, she hadn’t truly grasped the concept of life and death. After her sister’s death, every object in her room that reminded her of her sister brought a fresh wave of grief.
So, she murmured, “You loved your daughter very much.”
If she hadn’t cherished her daughter, how could her daughter’s death affect her so deeply?
This shared grief brought them closer. Shizhu knew her place, attending only to her duties. Whatever the princess did in her free time, if she wasn’t asked for assistance, she pretended not to notice.
Xiao Luohan planned to tell Jiang Xue about this later.
Not only Jiang Xue, but she herself was curious about the cause of those dreams. She had a theory, but it would take time and effort to confirm it.
For her, life after losing her sister and being separated from her mother had felt stagnant, each day a repetition of the last. Only after meeting Jiang Xue had she found something new to focus on.
But Jiang Xue was always busy, even on weekends, though she would find time to tell her what she was doing.
【I’ve adjusted the sword dance choreography. I think I can actually use my sister’s sword for the performance!】
【I have a friend named Xie Xitong. She likes to come over on weekends and study with me. You’re the only person outside my family I’ve told about you, and she’s always giving me advice.】
【I tried making brown sugar tapioca pearls, but A-Xi and I both thought they weren’t very good, so I won’t make you try them ＿（：з」∠）＿】
【I’m going out for Western food, so I’ll be home late. Don’t wait for me. I’ll show you the menu later!】
Xiao Luohan, as always, went to bed early. The next morning, she found something tucked inside the closed book beside her pillow. Opening it, she found… a stuffed dog in a clear plastic bag?
Jiang Xue explained: 【I saw it at the mall and thought it was cute, so I bought one.】
【This is the original color Shiba Inu. There’s also a different color version, with pink leaves and blue paw pads. If you like it, I can send you one next time!】
“Original color Shiba Inu?” she murmured, holding the adorable stuffed dog, reading each word carefully and examining the toy. She couldn’t help but giggle.
The small green dog, shaped like a cabbage, now resided on her bedside table.
Xiao Luohan had already received so many gifts from Jiang Xue. Even if she was curious about the other Shiba Inu, she wouldn’t mention it. Stroking the stuffed dog, she considered what she could give Jiang Xue in return.
She wasn’t skilled at needlework, only capable of embroidering simple flowers and plants. She had some knowledge of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
After some thought, she decided her first gift should be a painting.
But the book was so small. Folding a painting to fit inside would create creases and ruin it.
This troubled her. While Jiang Xue was busy with her studies, Xiao Luohan pondered what to paint and how to make it small enough.
The more she thought, the more confused she became. She decided to look through the books Jiang Xue had sent.
Some of the books contained illustrations, some of them strangely proportioned “little people.” Initially, she had been so engrossed in the stories that she’d ignored the drawings. Now, she flipped through the pages, looking for the “little people.” Suddenly, inspiration struck.
She immediately found some xuan paper, cut it into squares smaller than the book, and carefully selected her finest brush. Imitating the style of the “little people,” she sketched the scenes from her dreams.
One depicted a young woman walking down a street, her cheeks puffed out as she ate a sticky rice ball.
The other depicted the dream from a few days ago, but she only drew the two sisters, omitting herself.
—She was superfluous. The sisters were happy as they were.
Jiang Xue was surprised to receive the chibi-style drawings.
“The Third Princess can draw like this?!” She excitedly showed the drawings to her sister. “They’re so cute! And it’s us!”
Jiang Mei examined the drawings carefully. “She probably copied the style from the illustrations you gave her. This style is practically non-existent in ancient art.”
This reminded Jiang Xue that several of the books she’d sent contained illustrations. She immediately added another item to her gift list: “I need to send the Third Princess some art books!”
She had so many things she wanted to give the Third Princess, but both her sister and Xie Xitong had cautioned her against being overbearing. The Third Princess seemed to have a sincere and unassuming nature. Constantly receiving gifts would likely make her uncomfortable. Giving too much would only add to her burdens.
Jiang Xue agreed. She jotted down her gift ideas, deciding to wait a few days and find suitable occasions to send them.
She loved the drawings so much that she immediately scanned them and saved them on her computer.
But as she looked at them, she frowned.
“There should be three people in both drawings. Why didn’t she include herself?” Jiang Xue wondered. “Does she see herself as just an observer? But we interacted in the second dream!”
Jiang Mei didn’t reply.
Having more life experience, and knowing some friends who were overly sensitive, she tended to read deeper into such situations.
She had considered this when she’d refused to let her sister send a knife, and she considered it again now.
“Why don’t you add her in?” Seeing her sister’s continued speculation, she suggested. “Don’t you like drawing on your tablet?”
Jiang Xue didn’t quite understand her sister’s meaning, but it seemed like a good idea. She retrieved her drawing tablet and pen, opened her drawing software, and created a new canvas.
“Would it be rude to draw the same things as the Third Princess?” She stared at the screen, thinking. “Why don’t I draw the Third Princess from my perspective?”
She drew two “reverse” images, but in realistic proportions, not chibi-style, as she wasn’t good at that.
Xiao Luohan hadn’t expected to receive a gift from Jiang Xue so soon, especially not two drawings.
Jiang Xue’s drawings resembled the book illustrations in their printing style, but her brushstrokes were clearly visible – she hadn’t erased all the pencil lines.
【Your Highness, think of these as the scenes from my perspective.】
【But I really wanted to share the frame with Your Highness… You’re so beautiful! And your aura is captivating.】
Xiao Luohan now understood what “sharing the frame” meant. She stared at the drawings, her heart pounding as warmth spread through her.
She didn’t understand this feeling. She sat there for a long time, feeling she should do something in return. She cut two pieces of xuan paper and drew the same “little people” as before.
But this time, she carefully drew her own “little person” beside the two sisters.
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