The punishment had been announced, and Xiaoxi puffed her cheeks proudly in front of the entire family.
"Hmph! I'll show you, Froggy Prince! Being a maid is easy. I'll shine so bright you'll regret making me one!"
Haoran crossed his arms, calm and majestic as ever, though his eye twitched.
"I highly doubt that."
The sister, Lianhua, leaned toward her grandmother and whispered with amusement,
"Just wait, brother is going to regret this for the rest of his life. She'll destroy this palace within a day."
The grandmother chuckled softly but said nothing.
---
Scene 1 – Laundry Duty
The next morning, Xiaoxi marched to the laundry courtyard with sleeves rolled up like she was about to fight a war. "Today, I, Princess Xiaoxi, shall conquer laundry!"
The maids tried to teach her:
"Gently scrub here, rinse there, don't use too much soap—"
But Xiaoxi, in all her enthusiasm, poured the entire soap bucket in. Within minutes, the courtyard transformed into a sea of bubbles. Sparkling foam floated into the air, covering the ground like snow.
Xiaoxi twirled in the middle, arms wide. "Look! I created a fairyland! Bubbles everywhere! Am I a genius or what?"
The maids stared in horror. "You… you're going to flood the palace with bubbles!"
Just then, Haoran entered to inspect. He stepped inside confidently—until his boot landed on a rogue soap bar.
Whoosh—Slip—Crash!
The Crown Prince of the kingdom fell flat on his back, a cloud of bubbles raining gracefully onto his head like confetti.
Everyone gasped.
Xiaoxi rushed over, arms flailing. "Froggy! Are you okay?! Don't die! I'll save you!"
But as she hurried forward, she too slipped—THUMP!—falling directly on top of him. Their faces stopped only a breath apart, bubbles floating romantically in the air.
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Scene 2 – Awkward Close Encounter
Haoran froze, eyes widening as he stared at her ridiculously close face. Her wet lashes sparkled, and soap foam rested on her nose. She blinked innocently.
"…Why do you always fall on me? Do you think I'm a mattress?" he muttered, flustered.
Xiaoxi tilted her head. "Maybe the heavens want me to protect you with my body!"
Haoran turned red and immediately shoved her off.
From the doorway, the empress and grandmother had been watching silently.
The grandmother whispered: "Are they… having a public bath?"
The empress sighed, covering her face: "No, mother. They're drowning in idiocy."
Haoran stood, dripping wet, bubbles sticking to his hair. He growled, "You brainless puffer fish! Do you want to assassinate me with soap?!"
Xiaoxi pouted with crossed arms. "Not my fault! You slipped because you're clumsy! Soap just likes you more than me!"
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