Chapter 97: So Ashamed, So Full of Guilt

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With a bit of downcast courtesy, he said to her, “Fine, fine, I’m not in a hurry.”
Through the bronze mirror, Baili Tianshang saw Nalan Di Jiu’s face twisted with tension and found herself almost amused by it.
She was, of course, not in a hurry at all. If someone was going to fuss over a hairstyle, it certainly was not she.
She would never do such a thing. She would rather wear a ponytail for the rest of her life! With that time and energy, she would choose to study the *Compendium of All Things*.

While Nalan Di Jiu bent himself to the task of trying to create a perfect bun for her, Baili Tianshang used her spiritual sight to begin leafing through the copied volume of that book.
It was the first time she had ever read it seriously.
When she opened the first page and saw the line: “Those who come into possession of this book must remember: it passes only to one person per generation within our clan. It must be passed down through the lineage and never shared with outsiders,”
her heart lurched.
Had she misunderstood Nalan Di Jiu?
This book was forbidden to be given out; Nalan Di Jiu must have saved the Sunken-Fish Holy Maiden on purpose just to get hold of a copy of it for her!
He had done it for her.

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He had used the life-saving debt tied to the Sunken-Fish Holy Maiden as an exchange to obtain this *Compendium of All Things*.
Whatever true motive the Holy Maiden had in lending him the book, Nalan Di Jiu had, for her, truly devoted himself without reserve.
It was all thanks to Nalan Di Jiu that she had become a spatial mage.
What kind of fool was he? Why, seven days ago, when she misunderstood him, had he not explained one single thing?

A fool.
A grand fool indeed. She had never met anyone so naïve as him.

“This bun,” she said at last, “if you want it to look good, you’d really need to study for a while.”
After a long while, her thoughts were interrupted by Nalan Di Jiu’s audible sigh.
She glanced into the bronze mirror and saw that her hair still refused to be shaped into a proper bun.
Nalan Di Jiu, for his part, had gone so red with embarrassment.
A soft red glow touched his face, making him all the more handsome.
Yet within that beauty there was even a trace of shy bashfulness. It was a look that entirely overturned his usual image, and Baili Tianshang found herself wanting to tease him.

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But she pushed the thought away.
Besides, with how earnest and focused his expression was, she could not bring herself to toy with him.

In Nalan Di Jiu’s heart, misery gathered.
What on earth was he to do now?
He had volunteered to style her hair as his little fairy, and yet he could not even make one decent bun!
It was ruining his reputation, his pride.
So guilty, so ashamed.

“Enough, Nalan Di Jiu. Even as a woman, I can’t even do this bun. For a prince like you, do not force yourself.”
Baili Tianshang could not bear his disappointed face, so she spoke up.
“I am sorry, little fairy. This Prince has never actually braided a bun with his own hands before. I will make sure to learn properly from now on. This time, it is my fault.”

“And why all that apologizing? It’s only a bit of hair combing. Why do you take it so seriously? Why not just tie my hair in a ponytail?”