Gu Ying finally felt a bit more relaxed, and let out a dry laugh as she held out her hand. “Did His Highness see it all?”
Zhao Changdu took her slender, tender, fair hand in his own. His gaze lingered on her pinkish-white fingers for a moment before he took out the medicinal cream and applied it to her wound. “Mm.”
“...”
Gu Ying was at a loss for words for a time.
This was not the first time that Zhao Changdu had seen her more “vicious” side.
She did not care what others thought of her, but at this moment, watching him lower his head to carefully tend to her wounds, her heart inexplicably felt stifled, as if a light mist had gathered over it.
On such a late night, the only sound was that of the falling snow.
Yet her heart was far from tranquil.
“Does His Highness have nothing he wants to ask me?”
“Ask what?”
“Jiang Yin.”
Zhao Changdu raised his head. His large hand enveloped her cold little one. His overly refined phoenix eyes looked at her as he said, “You can tell me about it if you wish. If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.”
Stared at so earnestly by such a pair of deep and brooding eyes, Gu Ying did not know what to feel. But hearing his words, it was as if something warm had touched the cold, hard place in her chest.
She gave a small smile, the corners of her eyes faintly red. “There’s not much to it. His Highness has probably heard those rumors about me and him before, right?”
Zhao Changdu did not speak. Of course he had heard about it. From the moment he decided he wanted to marry her, he had investigated Jiang Yin’s family background and ancestry down to the last detail.
He already knew most of what there was to know about Jiang Yin.
But since the young miss wanted to tell him about it voluntarily, that suited him even better.
Gu Ying pulled up the corners of her lips in a awkward smile. “I used to like him before. And under my elder sister’s goading, I did many shameful things.”
“Mm.”
“But I don’t like him at all anymore.”
“Mm.”
“He and I are sworn enemies, so His Highness doesn’t need to worry that I’ll cuckold him after marrying into the royal family.”
Zhao Changdu did not speak, only raising the sexy, sculpted corner of his mouth. He was very clear on what kind of person she was. She would never commit infidelity.
Gu Ying parted her lips, her eyes growing misty. She had never received such unreserved trust from anyone before. Even when she had loved Jiang Yin her whole life, he had never said he would trust her like this.
Her heart felt warm. She was somewhat moved to tears, and also rather happy.
She could not help but bare her heart to the man before her. “Your Highness, I hate him.”
Zhao Changdu’s dark gaze attentively watched her sad little face. He asked the question that had always weighed on his chest, “Because of what?”
Gu Ying hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, “I suppose it’s because I confessed my feelings to him once, and he slapped me in response. From that moment on, I began to hate him. He hit me, so I want to make him suffer a fate worse than death.”
With just a light sentence, she conveyed a hatred heavier than a mountain.
Zhao Changdu’s thin lips pressed into a line, and his sword-like brows drew together slightly. His eyes gradually grew colder.
He was no fool. The real reason was surely not so simple.
Since she did not want to tell the truth, he did not continue to question her. “You hold grudges over such small matters at your young age. If you no longer like him, you could try liking me instead.”
Gu Ying was stunned.
Like him? How could that be possible... Her heart was barren. She would never love someone again.
Zhao Changdu gave a self-deprecating quirk of his sexy, sculpted lips. He also felt that what he had said was too rushed and thoughtless, and likely frightened her.
Someone like him, brimming with fierce energy, did not have a single lovable trait on his entire body. If Gu Ying was willing to be his wife and not despise him, that was satisfaction enough.
He got up and embraced the dazed young girl before him, saying, “Sleep. In the future, I will retaliate on your behalf and hit him back for you.”
The hot, hard planes of the man’s chest enveloped her. The familiar aquatic fragrance assaulted her senses. Gu Ying leaned her cheek against his shoulder. Her head felt muddled. Her hand unconsciously clasped his slender neck as she stared hazily at his smooth, cold profile.
Talking perfectly normally just a moment ago, and now he was embracing her again?
Her cheeks swiftly grew red. She quickly pressed her hands against his sturdy shoulders, fearing he would continue with his advances. “Don’t do this... we can’t... we’re not married yet...”
The man lowered his head until his lips brushed her ear. His rich, low voice was hoarse and dark. “It’s fine after we’re married?”
Gu Ying swiftly buried herself beneath the quilt, her complexion flushed crimson. “I didn’t mean it that way... We agreed you wouldn’t touch me. Don’t go back on your word.”
Zhao Changdu gave a soft laugh, forcefully suppressing the heat that had suddenly risen in his loins.
“Can I hold you for a while longer before leaving?”
Gu Ying looked at him in puzzlement. Hold her?
He had an utterly proper expression. His dark pupils were clear and pure, black as the endless night, yet devoid of any indecent or offensive intention.
Faced with such unfairly handsome features, who could refuse?
“Alright...” Gu Ying reluctantly conceded with a purse of her lips, her heart quickening. “But remember, just for a little while...
“Mm.”
“You must leave after half a stick of incense.”
“Mm.”
After saying so, she was pulled into his embrace. Her heart thumped uncontrollably against her chest.
He was tall and sturdy, his body all hard muscle, yet with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, sexy as hell.
Blushing, she was wrapped up by his much larger body, her chin propped on his shoulder. In a daze, she thought that just hugging like this without doing anything else felt exceptionally warm and satisfying...
What a novel experience.
But she could not stop her mind from wandering to some inappropriate thoughts...
After all, he had already taken her twice. It was normal for a regular person to think of such things.
...
She did not know when she had fallen asleep. When Gu Ying opened her eyes, it was early morning the next day.
She only wore a single under-shirt, while her outer garments were neatly hung on the rosewood clothes stand. But the bedding still held his scent—a deep, faint fragrance that brought a sense of tranquility.
Her cheeks grew hot. She did not know when she had fallen asleep last night either, only that she seemed to have been carried and cuddled by Zhao Changdu like a doll. At first she had still been awake, but afterward she remembered nothing.
It seemed that every time he held her, she would completely relax her vigilance...
Could he have slipped her some kind of drug?
Unease rose in her heart. Though unwilling to suspect him groundlessly, she still carefully lifted the quilt to check underneath.
