Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

Xiao Ce closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, only a faint sense of suppressed emotion remained in his eyes.

"How long has the Crown Princess been gone?"

"Your Highness, the Princess Consort went to Yuehua Courtyard after having dinner, about... an hour ago."

The frustration in his heart, intertwined with the headache caused by drinking, surged even more fiercely. Xiao Ce supported his forehead with one hand, his elbow heavily resting on the sandalwood table beside the couch.

"Go and make a bowl of hangover soup for the young master."

Seeing that the prince's face was getting worse, Lu Ming quickly turned to Qiu Yue beside him and gave her instructions.

"Yes."

"A hangover cure?"

Just as Qiuyue was about to turn around and leave, a soft and gentle voice suddenly came from outside the door.

Ling Xi entered the room, lifting her skirt. She immediately took off her cloak and handed it to Pei Lan, who was following behind her. She looked up and saw Xiao Ce leaning crookedly against the couch.

He leaned casually against the soft couch, his usually cold and sharp features now showing signs of being slightly tipsy. His deep eyes were slightly hazy, his brows were furrowed, and even his jawline had lost some of its usual sharpness, replaced by a relaxed weariness.

"Your Highness, are you...drunk?"

Ling Xi walked slowly closer, her voice even softer, tinged with a hint of subconscious concern.

Xiao Ce slowly raised his eyes, his hazy gaze falling on her. Looking at her face so close to his, he suddenly felt a little relieved.

He leaned against the soft couch, and she stood in front of it. The room was silent, and no one made a sound for a long time.

Ling Xi finally couldn't help but turn her head slightly, wanting to see more clearly whether he was really drunk.

Suddenly, her hand was grabbed by him unexpectedly. Ling Xi was so startled that her scalp tingled. She looked up and met his deep eyes. His eyes were bloodshot. It seemed that he was really drunk.

"Perrin, you all go out first."

Pei Lan's gaze fell on her princess's wrist, which was being tightly held by the prince. She was somewhat worried, but she still quietly retreated and closed the door.

"Xiao Ce, let go of my hand, you're drunk."

She felt he was out of his mind and spoke very casually.

He remained silent, but his eyes, burning with an increasingly intense fire, were fixed on her, as if trying to set her on fire.

Seeing his appearance, Ling Xi assumed he was just very drunk and didn't bother to reason with him anymore. She simply raised her hand and tried to pry him off, but even though she didn't feel him using much force, she couldn't budge him at all.

"Xiao Ce, why are you grabbing me like that?"

Ling Xi felt a surge of anger rising within her, her delicate brows furrowed, and she was about to erupt in anger when she suddenly moved.

Xiao Ce braced himself against the edge of the couch, swaying slightly, and stood up unsteadily. Even sitting, he was already almost at her eye level, but now, looking down at her from above, the oppressive feeling was overwhelming.

"You... intend to leave Prince Rui's residence and return to the State of Chu with your brother?"

Xiao Ce spoke each word clearly, his voice hoarse from the alcohol, yet it resonated distinctly in her ears.

Ling Xi froze, then suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with astonishment.

How did he know?

She subconsciously avoided his gaze. Although their marriage was a union between two countries, if they were to divorce, it would ultimately damage the reputation of the Prince Rui's Mansion and Xiao Ce.

What if he won't let me leave?

But for him, her departure was clearly more beneficial than harmful. With her gone, the position of Crown Princess would become vacant, and it would naturally fall to Mu Wanning, thus fulfilling his wish.

She was still deep in thought when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her hand. Xiao Ce didn't get a response, so he secretly increased the pressure on her hand.

Ling Xi raised her eyes and met those sharp phoenix eyes again. A strange sense of guilt arose in her heart, as if she had really done something wrong.

She took a deep breath, pursed her lips, and nodded slightly. In that instant, she clearly felt the pressure on her wrist increase.

"pain--"

Ling Xi struggled to pull his hand back, but couldn't break free at all. The next moment, he suddenly let go.

Ling Xi subconsciously looked down and saw that her fair wrists had been pinched with red marks of varying depths.

She looked up angrily, about to question him about his poor drinking manners, when he staggered towards her.

Ling Xi couldn't dodge in time, and Xiao Ce's heavy body pressed down on her shoulders, completely using her as a support.

Ling Xi was forced to lean back, her neck stiff and aching, feeling as if a thousand pounds were pressing down on her. And his hands, restless, gripped her waist, imprisoning her completely.

"Xiao Ce! Cough cough..."

Ling Xi's neck was being pressed so hard she couldn't breathe, so she could only raise her hand and pat his back haphazardly.

"Help me...to take a bath."

He buried his face in the back of her neck, his breath carrying a faint smell of alcohol, his voice muffled yet still commanding.

Ling Xi's heart skipped a beat, and she almost rolled her eyes. A bath? Was he so drunk he was mistaking her for a servant?

The burning pain in her wrist hadn't subsided, and her anger flared up again. But she held back, about to explode. Why argue with a drunkard? Fine, she'd go along with him for now.

"Okay, put your hands down for now, I'll go and call the servants in to help you take a bath."

She deliberately softened her voice, trying to coax her, but the person on her shoulder didn't move an inch, the warm smell of alcohol wafting all over her neck.

"I'm not used to having other people around, please help me over there."

Not used to other people? Isn't she another person?

"Okay! I'll help you over there, but you need to loosen your grip first."

His words seemed to have an effect; the grip on her waist loosened instantly, and Xiao Ce slowly lifted his head from her shoulder, his eyes hazy with drunkenness. He turned slightly to the side, casually draping his long arm over her shoulder, using her strength to support his swaying body.

Ling Xi pouted, feeling helpless. Xiao Ce was tall and heavy, so she could only grit her teeth and half-support, half-carry him, moving step by step towards the bathroom next door.

With each step she took, she cursed silently in her heart, and it took her a lot of effort to finally move to the edge of the bath.

She stopped and helped him to his feet, already panting heavily from exhaustion.

"We're here. You can take a shower yourself. I'll go first..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Ce had already released her and reached for the sash around his waist, showing no intention of avoiding suspicion. Ling Xi panicked instantly and quickly stopped him.

"Hey! What are you doing?! Wait until I get out of here before you take your clothes off!"

His movements were uninterrupted, as if he hadn't heard anything. Ling Xi didn't dare to linger any longer, and hurriedly turned around, slipping back to the bedroom through the inner door of the bathroom.

Still shaken, she sat on the edge of the bed and drank two glasses of water before finally calming down. Once she calmed down, she suddenly realized that something was wrong.

Was Xiao Ce drunk or not? Just a moment ago he was questioning her about whether he had left the Prince Rui's residence, and now he was suddenly so drunk he couldn't stand. He complained about being served by servants, but he got used to being served by her, a princess? Clearly, they weren't even that close.