“Woo, woo…” the pup was obviously starving, and it started scuttling once it was put in Lin Mengya’s arms.
Lin Mengya felt her heart melted when she touched the soft fur of the pup.
“Baizhi, will you bring me some milk? This little guy must be starving.”
The pup was only slightly larger than her palm and it had watery eyes. It obviously did not understand what was happening.
“Can we keep it and raise it, Your Highness?”
Somehow, Lin Mengya was moved with sympathy.
This little guy was so pitiful to have lost its parents when it was still so tiny. Moreover, it was so adorable that Lin Mengya could not bear to put it down.
“It is, however, a wolf after all. What if it attacks you one day?”
Long Tianhao had his reservations about giving the wolf to Lin Mengya to keep.
Wolves were not loyal like dogs, especially this species of wolf, the snow wolf, was one of the most intelligent creatures.
If it ever were to attack Lin Mengya, he would not be able to stop it in time.
“Rest assured, I’ll be very cautious. Moreover, I can see that this little guy is very intelligent. I’m sure it would be able to tell who treats it well.”
Lin Mengya refused to let go of the pup, so soft in her hands.
It was indeed an intelligent little creature. It was holding on to Lin Mengya’s hand with a tiny fleshy paw and continually licking it.
In a moment, it brought out Lin Mengya’s maternal instinct and the delicate heart of a young girl.
It was such an adorable little creature, so adorable that Lin Mengya was unable to bring herself to put it down.
“Alright, l guess you could keep it.”
Long Tianhao had expected that Lin Mengya would like it very much. The pup was so intelligent that it could sense that Lin Mengya would be the one to sustain its life, and immediately started whimpering to Lin Mengya.
“So cute! Where did this puppy come from, Miss?”
Lin Mengya carried the pup as she sat back down on her seat when her four maidservants crowded around her.
Their little hands took turns to stroke the fur of the wolf pup.
“This is not a puppy, but a wolf pup.”
Strangely, after being in Lin Mengya’s hand for a little while, the pup appeared so docile, staring innocently with a pair of big round eyes.
Lin Mengya’s words did not deter others to shrink back from the pup.
This little wolf pup was very adorable after all. Although it was a wolf, it looked so docile and lovable.
“Let’s give it a name.”
After they brought the pup back to their tent, it started feeding quietly on the dish of milk.
Lin Mengya pondered for a while and thought the Snow would be an apt name for this little guy.
“What about ‘Snow’？Let’s keep it in our courtyard and raise it there.”
Lin Mengya’s decision shocked the four maidservants so much so that their eyes almost popped out of their sockets. She must be kidding to even think about rearing a wolf in their courtyard.
“What？Who rears a wolf in the house? Aren’t you afraid that it would attack you when it grows up?”
Baizhi looked at the cub with fear in her eyes. At this moment, it may still be harmless, but once it grew up, what if it hurt someone in Liuxin courtyard?
She did not know any martial arts and would be unable to defend herself if the wolf bit her.
“What are you afraid of? Rest assured that this little guy would be raised by us since young and would know who sincerely treats it well. It is a very intelligent creature, why would it harm any of us?”
Baisu agreed with Lin Mengya.
Baisu had always been the quiet one, but she spoke sense when she opened her mouth occasionally.
“I feel that what Miss says is right. I’ve heard of some people living beyond the world who live with the wolves. Even some children who were abandoned grew up with wolf packs.”
Lin Mengya nodded. She had heard about wolf children even in modern times, so she was confident that this little pup would grow up to be a tamed wolf.
“The noble families in the western vassal state also practice raising wolves, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
Hu Tianbei was the one who spoke. Long Tianhao had come into the tent bringing Hu Tianbei with him.
When Baizhi saw the dashing Hu Tianbei, she blushed and instinctively hide behind Lin Mengya.
“Welcome, the crown prince! Please have a seat.”
Lin Mengya acted with confidence and ease towards Hu Tianbei, while she spied the girly bashfulness in Baizhi.
Hu Tianbei was, in fact, a rather pleasant candidate for a husband, unfortunately, the royal family of the Western vassal state was not as simple as it appeared to be on the surface.
“This pup is very intelligent. If you put your heart into training the wild beast, even if it were a wild beast, it can turn out tamed and obedient. The heart of a wild beast is purer than that of other animals. To the people in the western vassal state, we treat the snow wolves as angels sent from heaven.”
Hu Tianbei seemed to have an affinity to Snow, however, the pup did not respond to him with friendliness.
Once it had been satisfied by the milk, it went to lie down by Lin Mengya’s feet.
Leaning its head on Lin Mengya’s foot, the pup soon fell asleep.
“This pup is still too young. Look at how it fell asleep straight away after being filled. It’s nothing like an alpha wolf.”
Hu Tianbei had grown up in the western vassal state all his life and he had a keen sense towards wild beasts, and his judgments concerning these beasts were usually much accurate than the others.
Lin Mengya did not expect the pup to be an alpha wolf, and thought she was really lucky.
“Brother Tianbei, have you come all this way to see this little snow pup?”
When Long Tianhao saw Lin Mengya talking cheerfully with Hu Tianbei, he felt a faint feeling of jealousy in that instant.
By speaking up, Hu Tianbei’s attention was pulled back and Lin Mengya got the chance to pick up Snow and cuddle it in her arms.
“I’ve come to discuss the matter regarding marriage for convenience. My father, the king, had been rushing me to pick my own bride, if not, he would decide on my behalf.”
Hu Tianbei was more troubled over the matter of marriage for convenience than Lin Mengya.
Although the ladies from the royal families and nobles families were all beautiful and gentle-looking, none of them was his ideal candidate.
The candidate was going to be his queen, so she should be outstanding and should love everything about the western vassal state.
For this reason, he was not looking at the daughters of the royals and nobles.
“My maidservant is not suitable for you. I’m sure there are many nice girls in Dajin which the crown prince can choose from. Your Highness, the crown prince, should look around.”
Since they had come to this, Lin Mengya decided to be upfront with her opinion.
Baizhi was not merely her maidservant, all the more, she was her good sister.
There was no way Lin Mengya would allow Baizhi to go on this dangerous one-way trip.
“I’ve thought over this. If I were given a choice to choose from the daughters of the royals or nobles, I would much rather pick your maidservant.”
Hu Tianbei had his reasons for his persistence. The royals of the western vassal state were made up of several powerful families. In fact, a few of the families were already eyeing the position of the consort of the crown prince.
Hu Tianbei did not want to be told what to do all his life, which was why he insisted on picking Lin Mengya’s maidservant as his consort.
“I understand your concerns, but I won’t allow my maidservant to just be your tool.”
Hu Tianbei did not expect Lin Mengya to be so protective of Baizhi.
Even if it were in the western vassal state, women were merely a tool. All the more now that the lady in question was just a maidservant.
“In that case, I think I’d have to think of other solutions, but I still thankful to you.”
Hu Tianbei considered Long Tianhao as a friend. In the western vassal state, people treated friends with sincerity and respect, therefore, when Lin Mengya refused to give her maidservant’s hand to him, he did not make things difficult for her by forcing his way.
“Running away from the problem is not going to solve the problem, Your Highness. I’m sure there would be suitable girls in the western vassal state royal family who are of marriageable age. Why don’t you look for one among them and settle this matter altogether.”
Hu Tianbei shook his head and forced a smile when he heard Lin Mengya’s suggestion.
“No one can persuade my father once he makes up his mind. If I could do what you’re suggesting, I wouldn’t have to pick your maidservant.”
Every household had its own problems and within the royal family, there was no lack of power struggles.
After Lin Mengya pondered for a while, she decided to keep silent.
She did not need to be a busybody to meddle with other people’s business.
Long Tianhao continued chatting with Hu Tianbei for a while more before he sent him on his way.
Immediately the four maidservants quietly left the tent so Lin Mengya and Long Tianhao could have their private time and space.
“Do you think Hu Tianbei is going to give up?”
Lin Mengya was still worried because she found the princes of the western vassal state hard to deal with, although Hu Tianbei appeared to be the most straightforward and upright of them and might not be up to any tricks.
However, what if he insisted on marrying Baizhi? It would only spell trouble.
“I have a feeling that he won’t give up. Nobody likes being told what to do. Tianbei is an ambitious man. Do you think he will let go of this opportunity?”
Lin Mengya who was sitting on the chair was fiddling with the pup in her arms.
She had obviously been worrying a lot about this matter regarding Baizhi.
“But rest assured that I will try my best to dissuade him regarding Baizhi.”
Long Tianhao spoke with a low steady voice that brought much comfort to a distressed Lin Mengya.
In fact, she had been contemplating a plan in her mind.
If ever a day came when Baizhi was forced to marry Hu Tianbei,
She would not mind secretly swapping the bride.
Wasn’t Lin Mengwu the supposed candidate for the marriage for convenience? She would fulfill Lin Mengwu wishes for her.
“Are you really going to join in the shooting of the tiger two days from now, Your Highness?”
It was Lin Mengya’s suggestion to save the tiger. However, after she pondered over this matter for a while, she thought she had been too impulsive to suggest the idea.
Tigers were unable to tell if a person was good or not. What if it hurt Long Tianhao when it panicked?
“Are you anxious over my safety?”
As Long Tianhao asked Lin Mengya in response, he revealed a rare smile on his face.
Recently, it seemed that he was beginning to smile more in before Lin Mengya.
This expression, which rarely appeared on his face, was becoming more familiar.
His lips curled up at the corners into a subtle smile was enough to melt the hearts of people.
This was Long Tianhao’s charm. Even Lin Mengya couldn’t help feeling captivated by it.
“Why are you in a daze?”
Long Tianhao looked at the girl before him, as he smothered a laugh. After they grew more familiar with each other, he was beginning to see the side of her which was different from the past.
Be it being lively, adorable, muddle-headed, everything about Lin Mengya held a place in his heart.
Perhaps living with her his entire life did not sound as bad as he imagined.
“Me? Nothing, nothing…”