Early morning, quiet and cool.

Ziqing and Jun Beiyue walked along the corridor toward their bedroom. After a night of chaos and commotion, everything had finally settled into stillness.

Perhaps because, from the very first time they’d met, he had simply taken her hand and led her silently back to Prince Yao’s estate, Ziqing had come to treasure moments like this most of all. Held by his warm, steady hand, needing to say nothing, needing to think of nothing more than simply following where he led.

“Had quite a bit of fun back there, didn’t you,” he teased, having clearly noticed how uncharacteristically talkative she’d been.

“What are you going to do with them?” Ziqing asked.

“Whatever you like—your happiness is what matters,” Jun Beiyue said, tilting his head to look at her—he stood a full head taller than her—gazing down at her with that lofty, amused expression, unconsciously reaching out to pinch the tip of her nose, grinning mischievously.

Ziqing froze. Couldn’t this cold, aloof man stop smiling so suddenly, and so devastatingly handsomely, that she couldn’t even react in time?

Seeing her stunned expression, Jun Beiyue laughed again, pinching her nose once more. “What are you staring at?”

Ziqing immediately looked away, secretly amused. “Nothing… I was just thinking… family matters really shouldn’t be handled out there anyway. Let’s deal with it once we’re back at Liuxian Mountain—let them stew in it a while first.”

Given the ambiguous, unresolved state they’d left things in, judging by how terrified Jiang Chen had looked, he was practically scared half to death already!

Rather than spelling out the whole truth and giving them a chance to defend themselves, it was far more effective to leave everything unsaid, let them stew in their own suspicions—perhaps they’d even turn on each other, confessing everything on their own.

Ambiguity was, after all, the most terrifying thing of all, wasn’t it?

“Whatever makes you happy,” Jun Beiyue said, as doting as ever, switching hands to hold hers while his other arm slowly wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her naturally into his embrace.

He seemed to have grown quite accustomed to having her by his side now. But she still found herself getting nervous—not nearly as used to it yet.

Not being used to suddenly having someone beside her to lean on, someone who doted on her so completely—perhaps this was what people meant by feeling overwhelmed by unexpected favor.

“Zoning out again?” Jun Beiyue asked, sounding helpless. This woman always seemed to drift off somewhere in her thoughts whenever she was with him, her mind wandering off to who knew where.

He didn’t particularly care for it.

“I wasn’t!” Ziqing hurried to explain.

“Weren’t you?” Jun Beiyue raised an eyebrow.

“I really wasn’t—just a bit tired, that’s all,” Ziqing said, quite seriously.

Without warning, Jun Beiyue simply scooped her up into his arms. “If you’re tired, then sleep. I’ll carry you back.”

“No, wait! Put me down, I can walk on my own!” Ziqing said at once, flustered. Couldn’t this man tone down the domineering act just a little, out here in broad daylight, no less?

Wasn’t he supposed to be from ancient times? Weren’t people back then supposed to be conservative?

Seeing her fluster, Jun Beiyue laughed heartily. “You can walk on your own, sure, but this prince would still rather carry you.”

With that, he cradled her head against his chest and strode off toward their bedroom.

Ziqing didn’t bother struggling—what else could she do but let him have his way?

Was this how couples—no, how husbands and wives—were supposed to be together?

Did every man, every husband, dote on his wife this much?

She didn’t understand it, only felt like she couldn’t quite handle so much affection all at once. It was too much—she didn’t need this much.

Just having him hold her hand as they walked was already more than enough to satisfy her.

And yet, buried against his broad, solid chest, there was some indescribable feeling stirring in her—for the first time, she felt as though the whole world wasn’t just herself alone anymore, but that the entire world was, somehow, him.

Jun Beiyue, meanwhile, simply thought that this woman became an entirely different person whenever she was with him—nothing at all like the sharp, decisive Han Ziqing everyone else knew!

Just a little white rabbit, through and through.

Ziqing, for her part, hadn’t even noticed the change in herself, too busy marveling instead at this cold, aloof man—so it turned out he had a playful side too!

She’d removed her outer robe and was just about to slip into bed when Jun Beiyue suddenly turned serious. “Let me check your wounds.”

Ziqing startled slightly. “They’re all healed. I already looked yesterday.”

“Let me have a look, be good.” But Jun Beiyue wasn’t joking now, nor was he trying to tease her—his tone was earnest, gentle.

With that, he simply pulled her into his arms with ease, holding her from behind, and in an instant, his distinctly masculine presence enveloped her completely.

Ziqing lowered her head, watching his large hand slowly loosening the ties of her robe in front of her, her heart racing uncontrollably despite herself.

That single word “be good” had left her without a single thought of resisting.

If it was his domineering side, she could still refuse him—but his gentle side, she had absolutely no defense against at all.

Against her jade-white, flawless skin, the wounds on her back and shoulders stood out starkly—fortunately, they had mostly scabbed over and healed well by now.

His fingertips traced gently over the wounds, and then, without warning, he pressed a soft kiss right onto her shoulder. But that kiss lingered only a moment before he pulled away.

This man really was quite the gentleman, after all—when he’d said he wanted to check her wounds, that was exactly what he’d done. He gently helped her back into her undergarment, then pulled her close and lay down with her.

He said nothing, and it was she, instead, who spoke up. “I told you, they’re all healed.”

“Mm, just a little unsightly,” he teased.

“No one’s looking anyway,” she said, pouting slightly, feeling much more at ease now that he was joking around.

“I can see them, can’t I?” Jun Beiyue said with a smile, pulling her close to face him.

Ziqing found herself at a loss for words, lowering her lashes, not meeting his eyes.

“Though, I suppose I don’t get to look every single day,” Jun Beiyue mused aloud, as if to himself.

Ziqing’s head snapped up at once, brow furrowed, eyes wide.

“Or should I look every day, then?” Jun Beiyue teased again.

“You—!” Ziqing, both flustered and irritated, tried to turn away at once, but Jun Beiyue wrapped an arm around her waist, refusing to let her, his deep-set eyes glinting with amusement.

Ziqing pouted, finally just burying herself against his chest instead—better than looking at him, at least.

“Ha ha! Alright, alright, Qing’er. Sleep now, go on and sleep.” Jun Beiyue laughed, helpless.

If he could, he genuinely wanted to devour this woman whole, right then and there.

Though Ziqing was conservative by nature, she wasn’t naive either. Pressed so closely together like this, she couldn’t help but notice the heat radiating from him, that unmistakable masculine presence stirring beneath him.

Her heart couldn’t help but race faster and faster. She was afraid, she was nervous—and yet, she couldn’t stop herself from wondering, now that the Enchanting Incense had been cured, exactly how this man might… take advantage of her.