A Slave of Love

Chapter 12:

"You're eight seconds late," Syaoran said tersely.

Sakura snorted. "I apologize for taking time to catch my breath."

The prince narrowed his eyes at her. "Your punishment for making me wait will be to organize my library."

"But-" Sakura began.

"My study as well."

Taken aback, Sakura furrowed her brows. "What? Why-"

"Washroom," he added, crossing his arms.

"I will not-"

"Bedchamber."

Sakura opened her mouth to argue again but shut it quickly when Syaoran lifted a brow, daring her to make her case. Clenching her teeth tightly, she looked away in grudging defeat.

"So you do learn," the prince remarked.

"What do you want?" Sakura asked, irritation underlining her tone.

Syaoran held up three fingers. "I need you to locate three scrolls titled Historia of Quell, Dynasties and Lineages and Unification of the Li Clan. I need them immediately. Report to my study when you have found them."

Sakura sighed as she watched him stand to leave. She turned to go as well, heading in the direction of the Main Library. Once there, she ambled passed the wide selection of poems and songs, the fictional literatures, the zone for scientific knowledge and the various other branches of study over to the hierarchical section strictly for history. Categorized alphabetically by title, Sakura quickly scanned for the three titles. When she could find none of them, she reexamined the texts carefully. After being unable to locate even one of the three, Sakura thoroughly pulled out each and every scroll, book, and manuscript. Her painstaking efforts produced zero results.

Replacing the last tome to its original spot, Sakura stood and stretched. She decided to check the other sections of the library. Twice she meticulously inspected every nook and cranny and twice her endeavors developed a negative outcome. Sakura sat back with a defeated sigh. A sudden yawn overcame her and she looked around for a clock. She sighed again when the time device told her that four hours had passed since she began her search.

Sakura heard a yelp followed by a tumbling of books. She went to investigate the noise. Five aisles later, she found the prince lazily leaning against the bookshelves while the culprit who created the noise, an awkward looking young man, sat under a pile of books and scrolls.

"Hmph," Syaoran snorted. "Did I not tell you that it was quite dangerous?"

The young man dipped his head silently. Pushing a few books aside, he attempted to get up but winced when he tried to use his right arm.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked, rushing past Syaoran to help the injured. She reached out a hand to help the young man but was yanked back unexpectedly.

The prince crushed her to him and gazed down at her. "I told you already. I forbid you to touch other men."

Sakura tried to push free, but her struggle only caused Syaoran to tighten his hold around her waist. She stopped and huffed at him, but before she could say anything, he let go of her suddenly. Sakura awkwardly tripped and knocked down more books as she tried to balance herself.

"Clumsy," Syaoran tsked, causing her to blush. He stepped around her to help the young man on the floor.

"Next time, do not be so intent on helping those above your station that you lose your reasoning," the prince reproached once the young man was on his feet. Taking the young man's wrist in his hands, Syaoran gently examined the injury. "Tis nothing but a slight sprain. Go to the infirmary. I will report to the Head Librarian that you will be excused for two days to heal."

The young man nodded in shame and Syaoran dismissed him. Turning to face Sakura, the prince arched a brow. "Have you found the three scrolls I asked for earlier today?"

Sakura shook her head in response.

"I suggest you clean this before returning to your hunt," Syaoran said, waving a hand to indicate the fallen books. He turned to go, but stopped and faced her again. He pursed his lips and scrutinized her from head to toe, arms crossed. "I should have mentioned this earlier. Those three scrolls will not be found in the Main Library or Archive." Syaoran finally informed her, shrugging. "Well, better late than never." Without a backward glance, he left.

When it finally dawned on Sakura that the prince had purposely withheld that particular information from her, knowing she would be searching everywhere, she gritted her teeth in aggravation. She fisted her hand and breathed deeply, trying to calm her raging emotions. She was afraid that if she didn't, she would attack the arrogant man and quite possibly cripple him. If that were to happen, she could forget about going home.

Sakura bent and picked up three of the books. Stacking them absentmindedly on the shelf, she sighed her frustration. If the scrolls weren't in the Main Library or Archive, how was she supposed to track them down? The scrolls could be anywhere in the palace. She might never find the scrolls. A sudden thought struck Sakura and she went in search of the Archivist, leaving the pile of books unattended and forgotten.

Entering the Archive room, she crossed the aisles searching for the person in charge. Anything taken from the Archive would have to be recorded and filled away. If Sakura could find when the scrolls were taken and by whom, she might be able to find the manuscripts. The sound of shuffling paper caught her attention and she followed the noise. Sakura turned a corner and an abundance of red hair came into view. It vanished behind three large piles of miscellaneous documents for a few seconds then came back into view.

"I beg your pardon," Sakura called out.

The redhead divulged herself from behind the mounds. "What can I do for you?" the woman inquired politely.

"I was requested to retrieve the Historia of Quell, Dynasties and Lineages and Unification of the Li Clan. I was informed that these three particular scrolls are no longer located in the Archive. Is this true?" Sakura asked her.

"Yes, I do believe those three particular scrolls have not been returned since His Highness, Prince Li Syaoran, removed them from the Archive five days ago to study their contents," the redhead informed her, removing her wire rimmed eyeglasses. "Although I do have a copy of Unification of the Li Clan that I can lend you. The most likely place you will find the other two is in the prince's study or personal library."

Sakura forced a polite smile to grace her features and said her thanks. Angrily she marched to the south wing of the palace, one of the scrolls in hand. Entering the prince's receiving chamber, she crossed the room to the study intent on giving him a piece of her mind for tricking her. There she found Syaoran bent over his desk, fixedly scribbling. Smudges of ink marked the sides of his palm as he dipped his quill and continued his ferocious writing. Sakura's anger dissipated when she saw him so deeply absorbed in his work. She quietly watched him for a few more seconds, not wanting to disturb his concentration.

Her heart began to pound a little faster than normal as her eyes roamed over the prince's handsome features. She felt her heart skip a beat when Syaoran unconsciously licked his lips. She had been kissed by those soft lips. Forcing her fast pumping organ to calm, she gazed away from his mouth and distractedly caught sight of his messy yet elegant mass of chocolate brown mop. A lock of hair longer than the rest of his mane fell over his forehead. Syaoran swiped at it impatiently but the strands always fell back down to obstruct his view. Sakura felt an itch to twirl it around her fingers and tame that particular lock.

Sakura shook her head at her strange feelings and inspected the prince's hands instead. They were big and Sakura didn't doubt their strength, having been a captive of them before. His nails were well-groomed, cut short and smoothed. Various scars also lined the skin of his hands. Sakura didn't have to feel his hands to know they were rough from hard work. Her own hands sported similar scars and calluses. Sakura wondered what it would feel like to be held as gently as the imprisoned quill between his long lean fingers, caressed by such hands. She blushed at the thought and dismissed it from her mind.

After watching him, Sakura frowned at his style of writing. His writing wasn't consistent. It was strange and didn't start from the right and progress to the left. The prince stopped and stared at the paper for a long moment, then continued his scribbling. Sakura inched closer to the desk, trying to get a visual of what he was actually doing. Syaoran dipped his pen again and made one last scratch on his paper. Setting the quill down, he smiled gleefully and held up his finished work. Sakura widened her eyes as she finally realized why his style of writing was so strange. The prince wasn't writing at all! He was drawing.

Syaoran looked up at her intake of breath. Waving her to come closer, he turned his paper over and held it up for her inspection. "What do you think of this?"

Sakura angrily threw the scroll, hitting him squarely on the chest. "You took those three scrolls from the Archive five days ago. You were the last to see them."

"Ah," the prince exclaimed, "now that you've mentioned it, I do recall gathering those three scrolls. Now where did I put them?"

"Are you purposely hiding scrolls so I will not find them?" Sakura asked, narrowing her eyes in accusation.

A serious look replaced his gaze. "I do not play such childish acts."

"Eh?" Sakura laughed cynically. "Then what have you been doing 'til now?"

Syaoran didn't answer. Instead, he said, "I suggest you get on with your punishments starting with my library. I want my library organized, my study tidy, my washroom spotless and my bedchamber done before dinner. If you wish to argue, then be prepared for more chores."

Sakura tightened her jaws and stalked out of the room, slamming the door of his study. She would save the study for last since she couldn't handle being in the same room with him. It was only her third day as his personal servant and already she wanted to kill him. She didn't know if she would be able to last twenty-six more days, but if she didn't last, how would she survive the rest of her life under his command?

Cutting across the receiving room, she went into his personal library. She was met with messy lopsided stacks of mismatched books, scrolls, and various other items. Bits and pieces of paper littered the floor. From where Sakura stood, she could see no visible pathway around the room. She groaned her misfortune. She would have to clean up and organize everything since disobeying him would earn her more work. Sakura rolled up her sleeves and, with a leather thong, deftly fastened her hair back into a pony tail. Collecting the paper on the floor, she began to stacked them in neat piles.

Hours later, a bell tolled not too far off informing the inhabitants living in the palace of the noon meal. Sakura tiredly dusted off the dirt and grime she had accumulated during her task. She would return to her mission after a satisfying feast. Slapping her hands together, she went in search of her meal, her stomach growling its approval.

When she had finished her food fare and swallowed the last of her drink, she was notified by a palace staff that the prince wished to eat in his rooms. Sakura nodded her understanding and handed off her utensils to the servant in charge of washing. Grabbing a clean bowl, Sakura ladled out the creamy broth, spooned two servings of rice, dished up several other entrees and filled a decanter with hot tea. Placing them all on a tray, Sakura gingerly carried the full platter up the steps and over to the south wing.

Entering the prince's rooms, Sakura went into the study and deliberately placed the tray down on Syaoran's opened books and papers, ignoring his startled look and angry protests. Placing her hand on her hips, she smiled at him. "Your Highness, your lunch is served."

"Take this away at once! It is ruining my papers!" Syaoran exclaimed. "The ink has yet to dry!"

"Oh, I'm sure the heat of the tea will help the ink on the paper dry immediately," Sakura replied. Resting a delicate finger on her chin, she said, "It will greatly improve your drawings as well."

"Get out," the prince told her.

Sakura smiled. "I'd love to."

"Wait," Syaoran called her back. He crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair, relaxingly crossing his legs. "I need you to find two more books. People of Blood and Magics of the West."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "Is there anything else I should know about these two books? Perhaps they, too, cannot be found in Main Library or Archive?"

The prince shrugged nonchalantly. "Perhaps, perhaps not."

Sakura waited a few more minutes. When he didn't say anything more, Sakura decided to he didn't know this time. She soon found herself in the history section of the library the second time that day. The two books were where they were meant to be. She collected them and took them back to the prince's study. Depositing them on his desk, she arched an eyebrow silently asking if he had any other requests.

"You may continue on with your chores," Syaoran said.

Dismissed Sakura went to the door. Reaching for the handle of the door, she rested her right hand on it and turned back to look at him.

"Yes?" Syaoran asked, quirking his right brow.

"Did you find the other two scrolls?"

The prince lifted the tray and set it aside. Looking down at his opened books and flipped through it. He didn't look up as he said, "No, I have yet to locate them."

Sakura stared at him for a long moment. "Do you truly not know where you put them?"

"I truly do not," he answered, his eyes still focused on his work. "Get back to your own tasks."

Sakura nodded and went to do as she was told but first headed to his personal library. During her cleaning, she had found the two scrolls. Plucking them from the well-organized pile, she handed them over to the prince.

"You found the two scrolls I requested?" the prince inquired her.

"Oh, no," Sakura shook her head sarcastically. "I just thought these two would be a reliable replacement is all."

"You…" Syaoran stopped and silently accepted the scrolls instead. "I have been busy these past three days and did not have time to outline your duties so you have been idly wasting your free time."

"Idly wasting my free time?" Sakura repeated, angry and feeling unappreciated. "Having me run around retrieving various books, scrolls, and news articles for your reference and then spending hours alphabetizing your chaotic library is idly wasting my free time? Volunteering my services and knowledge of herb lore in palace infirmary and medicinal institution is being idle? Completing endless chores you hoist on me as well as detailing the schedule for Princess ChunHua, making sure her rooms are ready for her arrival, and-"

"I care not what your schedule is or has been." Syaoran interrupted her. "From tomorrow on, this will be your daily schedule." He held out sheets of rice paper. Sakura took them and quickly riffled through the eleven pages as he read it off from memory. "You will wake me at 6 sunrise with my bath ready. While I bathe, you are to bring up my breakfast and your own for you shall dine with me."

Sakura opened her mouth to object, but he stopped her with a hand.

"Do not mistake me. I have no wish to dine with you but it is necessary for you are my personal servant and will constantly be of need so I need you to always be by my side."

Sakura squirmed uncomfortably. Strangely, her heart leapt at his words. She didn't have time to think about her bizarre reaction since the prince continued outlining her schedule.

"You are to choose my clothing and lay them out every morning, noon, and evening. Helping me prepare and groom is one of your daily tasks." He told her. "Petitioner's Court is held at 8 in the morning. In such cases that Court does not end before the noon meal, you and I shall dine in the council room along with my queen mother and the council members. If Court does end before then, you and I shall dine in my study. You will be needed to help me gather certain materials before my meetings with the council members at 3. Occasionally I will need you to be present during the meetings, understood?"

Sakura nodded.

"During times you are not required to be present, you are free to do whatever you wish as long as they are within the laws." The prince eyed her, then added, "And only within my conditions."

"I will make sure to tell injured male patients that I am restricted from touching them by your conditions," Sakura snorted, crossing her arms. "If any of the patients die from my restrictions, I will make sure to pass along to their families that I was under your orders."

"Fine. You are allowed to touch your male patients only if it is necessary and only in the infirmary," Syaoran grudgingly permitted. "But unnecessary contact will result in consequences."

Sakura almost laughed at his threat but didn't. Pulling out the sheets with lists of food, Sakura scanned them over. "What are these lists for?"

"My preferences, aversions and allergens."

"Picky," Sakura commented as she saw that the next two pages were filled with food aversions.

"What?"

Sakura shook her head innocently. "Nothing. Please continue on with your-my schedule."

The prince nodded. "I rarely ever attend the formal evening meal, therefore supper will be brought here. After supper, I will bathe again. After my bath is drawn, you are free for the rest of the night unless specified. That is your schedule. Would you like for me to clarify any uncertainties?"

Sakura racked her brain for any questions. "Will I have any personal days to myself?"

"When I get a break from being a prince," Syaoran answered, his tone sarcastic. "Now, if you have no more questions, return to your chores. I need my study tidied."

--

On her knees, Sakura scrubbed the granite floor of the washroom in a circular motion. Sakura wiped her forehead and looked around the sparkling room with satisfaction. Content the irregular coloring was gone, she dropped the sponge and sat back, cringing as her stiff muscles protested. Sakura spread her legs out and slowly leaned forward. Her legs spread to either side of her into a straight split. Just as slowly, she swung them back as she continued her descent down onto her belly. Twisting from side to side, she loosened her taut muscles. With palms flat on the floor on each side of her stomach, she pushed up from the floor to farther stretch her back. She leaned her head back and stared up at the ceiling. To her surprise, the prince looked down at her.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously, brows furrowed.

Heat crept up her neck and pooled around her cheeks. Sakura quickly scrambled up from the floor. "J-Just stretching."

A grin spread across his cheeks as he said, "Interesting positions. You'll have to show me sometime."

"You-You lecherous debaucher!" Sakura exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

Syaoran smirked and pointed behind him using a thumb. "Hurry and draw my bath, then leave. I wish to bathe before the banquet."

He left the washroom as Sakura corked the large tub and twisted the knob that drew in hot water. Picking a few of the soaps and oils available on a nearby stand, she poured in the fragrant liquids. Bubbles began to form and boil up. Before she knew it, the clear globe-shaped films began gurgling over the sides of the tub and pooling on the floor.

"Oh!" Sakura squeaked. Quickly rushing over to the spout, Sakura slipped on the wet floor. She let out a reflexive scream.

"What in the world…" the prince said, astonished with the sight laid out before him.

Sakura got on all fours and tried to stand, only to lose her footing again and collapse on the floor. She saw the prince walk over and accepted his extended hand.

"Careful or we'll both fall," he cautioned her as she slowly stood. "We have to turn off the water."

Sakura agreed. Together, they slid across the slick floor. Sakura held onto the prince for balance as he leaned into the tub to turn off the water.

"Where is that damned handle?" Syaoran rhetorically asked.

By now, the bubbles had risen well above the tub. The prince ducked back down to look for the handle again, his head disappearing into the fog of bubbles. His sudden jerk caused Sakura to trip forward. Her unexpected imbalance made her tighten her hold on his arm and she impulsively pulled onto him. Sakura let out high-pitched cry as she sprawled onto the floor. The wind was immediately knocked out of her as Syaoran landed atop her a second later.

Sakura felt the prince began to shake and looked at him worriedly. Awkwardly, she tapped his shoulder. "P-Prince?"

She yelped when he threw his head back and laughed. "Are you alright? What is so funny?"

Syaoran chuckled and shook his head. "I should have known."

"Known what?" she asked, frowning at his odd reaction.

"That your clumsiness and reckless personality would make even the easiest and simplest job into a big mess."

Sakura huffed and stuck out her chest. "I am not…" she began, then stopped as she belated realized he was still lying atop her.

"I don't know what's come over me," Syaoran confessed as he gazed into her eyes. "but…"

Sakura widened her eyes as the prince leaned his head toward her.