Yan Yunning looked down at the little girl in her arms gnawing on her fingers, and her brow gave a subtle twitch. If Xuan Yanyu ever dared show such disgust toward their own baby in the future, she would absolutely beat him!

The man glanced sideways at her, lowering his gaze to the girl who had shifted over to his side, and pressed his lips faintly together. “Ningning, shall we head back?”

Yan Yunning’s eyes rolled once, and she smiled at him. “Crown Prince, first make the little princess laugh — then we’ll head back. How does that sound?”

Xuan Yanyu: “…?”

“Think of it as practice.” Yan Yunning glanced at his expression.

Before the baby was born, she had to make Xuan Yanyu grow fond of children. That way, once the baby arrived, whether she was still around or not, he would love the child all on his own.

The two of them would both be perfectly alright.

The man’s throat shifted faintly. He tried opening his mouth.

He stared down at the little girl blowing bubbles, and thought of his and Yan Yunning’s child. For the first time since Ningning had become pregnant, he felt that being a father might actually be quite wonderful.

Before, a child had meant nothing more to him than an heir to the throne. But now, he found that the idea of a dear little creature hovering around him and Ningning seemed rather nice as well.

His and Ningning’s daughter would surely be very adorable. It would be even better if she took after Ningning in looks.

Yan Yunning noticed Xuan Yanyu had grown distant in thought, his expression suffused with a gentle warmth. She spoke up. “Crown Prince, have you grown fond of the little girl? Do you find her adorable?”

Xuan Yanyu came back to himself. He looked at the drool on the back of the little princess’s hand, drew in a deep breath, and said, “No.”

He might be fond of someone — but only of the little girl Ningning would give him.

“…” Yan Yunning passed the little princess back to Noble Consort Lin’s arms. If she let Xuan Yanyu keep speaking, Noble Consort Lin would start feeling deeply aggrieved.

After bidding Noble Consort Lin farewell, Yan Yunning dismissed all the attendants and guards, took Xuan Yanyu’s arm, and the two of them strolled back leisurely.

“Xuan Yanyu.” Yan Yunning’s lips curved with a soft smile.

“Hmm?” The man turned his head to look at her.

“You must protect our baby well.” Yan Yunning’s expression became slightly distant, her voice growing slower and quieter. “Don’t let him suffer. Not even the smallest grievance.”

Just a few days prior she had inexplicably had a nosebleed again. The imperial physician had taken her pulse and found nothing amiss. But she didn’t believe these random, recurring nosebleeds were without cause — it felt like a sign, like something reminding her that it was nearly time to go home.

She used to worry about leaving Xuan Yanyu behind. Now she was also worried that the baby would be made to suffer.

“Foolish girl, who would dare to bully this Highness’s child? Who would dare let this Highness’s child suffer a single grievance?”

Yan Yunning leaned her head against his shoulder and murmured softly, “Crown Prince, as long as you love him, he won’t suffer. So you absolutely must love him well. Do you hear me?”

After she was gone, Xuan Yanyu would grieve for a period of time. But once he ascended the throne, the position of the Xuanwang Queen could not remain vacant forever.

Five years, eight years, ten years — perhaps even sooner than that — and Xuan Yanyu would gradually let her fade with time. There would be new consorts…

And other children…

In the Xuanwang Palace, without a father’s love, and without a mother — how could the child possibly escape being bullied?

Yan Yunning rubbed her belly. Her only hope now was that she could stay a few more years — long enough for Xuan Yanyu to cherish this child the way the Emperor of Xuan cherished his own.

“Whether this Highness loves him or not, he will not suffer any grievance. With you here, what grievance could he suffer? This Highness would not dare let him suffer any grievance at all.” Xuan Yanyu sighed with helpless resignation.

Yan Yunning: “…”

Seeing Yan Yunning standing motionless, the man smiled, lazy and unhurried. “What is it?”

“I’m tired. I don’t want to walk anymore. Crown Prince, could you help me — carry me on your back?” Yan Yunning’s voice was soft and coaxing, her smile full of sweet pleading.

The man laughed softly, held up one finger, and said in a languid drawl, “No.”

Yan Yunning pursed her lips and planted her fists on her hips, issuing her threat. “Xuan Yanyu, will you carry me or not?”

Xuan Yanyu raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone unbearably smug. “This Highness said no, and no it is. Crown Princess, raise your voice all you like — threatening this Highness still won’t change it to yes.”

“Xuan Yanyu!” Yan Yunning narrowed her eyes and threw a punch at him, then said primly, “Go away then.”

The man laughed, low and muffled. “Not going.”

Yan Yunning flashed a strained smile. She kicked him in the leg with her embroidered shoe and muttered softly, “Honestly — before, when a certain someone wouldn’t let people carry them, that certain someone was rushing to volunteer. And now that they’ve gotten what they wanted, they’ve started saying no~ absolutely not~”

The girl dragged out the final syllable of “no,” pursing her lips and shaking her little head as she said it.

Xuan Yanyu threw his head back and laughed. “And what is one to do when a certain someone is like that?” he said, his voice full of doting indulgence.

“Beat them,” Yan Yunning said, and hooked her fingers around the jade pendant hanging at his waist, drawing him a few steps closer to her.

Xuan Yanyu laughed and raised an eyebrow, then circled his arms around her.

“Oh, Crown Prince, the little princess’s drool is on my robes. Now it’s gotten all over you too.” Yan Yunning said with barely concealed glee.

“It matters not.”

Yan Yunning was startled. She looked at him with suspicion. “Weren’t you just finding it terribly disgusting?”

“Tsk.” The man pressed a kiss to the side of her face, teasing her just enough to make her flustered. “And what is one to do? This Highness can’t very well refuse you over a little thing like that.”

Yan Yunning stomped down hard on his long boots and said with great dignity, “Now please, a certain someone should kindly step back from me. Truly insufferable.”

“No~ Absolutely not~” The man’s voice was bright with laughter.

Yan Yunning squeezed her eyes shut in exasperated mortification. She was going to lose her mind!

Why was he imitating her tone of voice?

The man’s warm breath was right beside her ear. Yan Yunning drew in a long breath, turned her head, and fixed her beautiful eyes on him in a fierce glare. “If you won’t step back, then carry me on your back.”

Xuan Yanyu bent down and lifted her into his arms, his eyes full of playful warmth. “Back to the bedchamber, then. Is that alright, Crown Princess?”

“No.” Yan Yunning tugged at the ink-black strands of hair that fell before her eyes, and said willfully, “I want you to carry me on your back.”

Xuan Yanyu set her down and said, by way of preface, “Just for a little while.”

“Why?” Yan Yunning asked, puzzled.

The man’s throat moved in a helpless roll. “Foolish girl — carry you too long and it might put pressure on your belly.”

“Then forget it.” Yan Yunning shook her head without a moment’s hesitation.

Xuan Yanyu crouched down halfway. “It’s fine. Just a short while — it won’t cause any trouble.”

Yan Yunning’s lashes trembled lightly. A warm breeze brushed over her, and every last bit of the man’s doting tenderness seeped straight into the depths of her heart.

“Xuan Yanyu.” Yan Yunning stepped forward and draped herself over his back, then whispered close to his ear, “I will always, always… love you.”

“And who was it, just a moment ago, who said a certain someone should kindly step back from her?” the man murmured with a soft laugh, carrying Yan Yunning forward.

The setting sun spilled its light over them. Palace lanterns lit one after another in a continuous row.

The evening breeze lifted Yan Yunning’s hair. Her bright yellow imperial dress and soft blue ruqun robes intertwined, their shadows stretching longer and longer against the palace walls…

This was a tenderness found nowhere else in the Xuanwang Palace.

And it was the one and only time, since the founding of Xuanzhao, that a ruler had carried his Crown Princess on his back — walking, slowly and unhurriedly, through the Xuanwang Palace.

Yan Yunning tilted her head and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, her voice warm and gentle. “I don’t know — surely it wasn’t me, was it? Isn’t that right, Crown Prince?”

The man’s steps faltered for a moment. He turned to look at her sidelong — with just the smallest trace of helpless exasperation.