Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

His unabashed intimacy left Ling Xi bewildered. Her hands, hanging by her sides, clenched and unclenched repeatedly before she slowly reached out to touch his collar.

She moved with extreme gentleness, afraid that the slightest force would hurt him. Layer by layer, his clothes were removed, revealing him covered in tightly bound cotton bandages. Holding her breath, she slowly unwrapped the bandages, revealing dense, purplish-blue bruises even more pronounced than the night before, and a gruesome open wound in the center, covered with dark scabs, starkly grotesque.

Ling Xi took the ointment, but held it above his back, hesitating to put it down.

"I'm fine."

As if sensing her hesitation, he relaxed his back slightly and spoke softly.

She pursed her lips and gently applied the ointment along the edge of the wound.

The faint scent of medicine wafted through the air. With a patient heart, she carefully applied medicine to all the wounds, then took a clean cotton cloth and re-wrapped him. She then dressed him in his clothes one by one, completely unaware that her actions had become so natural.

He lowered his eyes slightly, his deep gaze falling on her face, his eyes filled with tenderness, and suddenly he gently grasped her hand.

Ling Xi's heart tightened, and she subconsciously tried to pull her hand back, but he gripped it tightly with even greater force, making it impossible for her to move.

"Wha...what's wrong?"

He looked down at her, her figure clearly reflected in his dark eyes.

"Why...did you come back?"

"I……"

"It's because of me, isn't it?"

His tone was extremely soft, with a hint of caution, as if he were afraid of hearing even a single negative answer from her.

Ling Xi's mind was in turmoil again. She admitted that she had returned in a moment of impulse yesterday because of him, but she was only wavering. She hadn't figured out what to do next.

Answer me.

He tightened his grip slightly, his words carrying a suppressed anxiety, as if he couldn't wait for a result.

Ling Xi's eyes darted away, and she pursed her lips, finally avoiding his burning gaze.

"I came back only because you were injured because of me. I can't just leave like this."

"Is that all?"

His grip loosened slightly, and the expectation in his eyes faded little by little, replaced by a gloomy loneliness.

"Besides, you're about to go to Qizhou, and your mother's old illness has relapsed. I am still nominally the heir apparent of the Prince Rui's mansion. It's not really appropriate for me to go to Yecheng with my brother like this."

She frowned slightly, looked up and met his deep eyes. His jaw was taut, and his Adam's apple bobbed very slowly, as if hiding extreme repression.

"So... that's all you think?"

He stared intently into her evasive eyes, a look of profound loss in them. Ling Xi felt a chill run down her spine, and nodded stiffly, her eyelashes trembling slightly, not daring to look up again.

"After my brother returns from Night City, I will..."

Before she could finish speaking, her hand suddenly tightened. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

"You're still leaving!?"

His voice was extremely low, trembling with a deep melancholy.

Ling Xi struggled to lift her head, but he held her firmly down, pressing her face against his shoulder with an obsessive and compelling force.

"There's always been some degree of concern you have for me, isn't there?"

She gave up struggling, suddenly feeling powerless; she couldn't answer his questions.

She returned to Prince Rui's mansion on a whim, but she knew clearly that she could not stand between him and Mu Wanning. So she could only tell herself that she stayed only because he was injured for her sake.

"Your Highness, the Princess and Consort Mu have arrived and are waiting in the outer hall."

Lu Ming's voice came from outside the door, and Ling Xi's heart tightened suddenly. It was just as she had wished for.

She pushed him away forcefully, the force small but sudden, causing him to stumble back half a step. His arms, which were holding her, suddenly lost their grip. His brows furrowed, and the stubbornness and longing that had not yet faded in his eyes instantly turned into a look of pain.

Seeing his wounded expression, Ling Xi suddenly felt a pang of sympathy, but she didn't know what to do.

"Let's... go outside first."

Xiao Ce didn't say anything more, only glanced at her wistfully, let out a barely perceptible sigh, and stepped out the door first.

The two entered the outer hall one after the other, their auras completely different. Xiao Ce's face was cold and gloomy, his displeasure still lingering, while Ling Xi lowered her eyes, her whole body exuding an uncomfortable embarrassment.

Princess Rui sat upright in the main seat of the outer hall of Chuixing Courtyard, her fingertips holding a white porcelain teacup. She slowly and deliberately skimmed the tea foam. When she glanced at the two of them, a complex scrutiny flashed in her eyes, and it was clear that she was not as energetic as usual.

Mu Wanning sat quietly, his expression indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger.

She deliberately avoided Mu Wanning's gaze, a strange sense of guilt suddenly welling up inside her. She was clearly the rightful Crown Princess, yet at this moment she felt as if she had stolen someone else's husband, her conscience bothering her.

"Ce'er, I heard you were injured on Fengyang Street on the Lantern Festival?"

She gently put down her teacup, her expression becoming more serious.

"Thank you for your concern, Mother. I only suffered some minor injuries and am fine."

Xiao Ce was in low spirits, and his response was clearly somewhat perfunctory.

Ling Xi glanced at him, and the hideous scars on his back instantly flashed into her mind. In his eyes, those scars were only minor injuries.

"As the heir and princess of the Prince Rui's mansion, you should avoid going to crowded and noisy places in the future."

Her gaze turned directly to Ling Xi, her tone both admonishing and reproachful.

Ling Xi was pouring herself tea with a teaspoon when she was suddenly called out. Feeling guilty, she flinched and spilled a few drops of tea onto the table.

"Yes, Mother."

Xiao Ce had already informed everyone that he had been injured while saving her the night before, so the people in the Prince Rui's residence were unaware of the specifics. However, she still felt guilty and dared not raise her eyes. If the Princess Rui knew that Xiao Ce's injury was because of her, she would probably give her a hard time again.

"Is Mother feeling any better?"

Xiao Ce suddenly changed the subject. These past few days, he had been leaving early and returning late, not only deliberately avoiding Ling Xi, but also his mother, fearing that seeing him would upset her.

"If you don't go to Qizhou, my illness will be completely cured by tomorrow."

Princess Rui glanced at him, deliberately lowered her face and said some angry words. Although her words were reproachful, there was no real anger in her eyes, only worry for her son.

"It is my fault that I have caused Mother so much worry."

"Enough, enough. No matter what your mother says, she can't keep you here. Your mother only hopes that when you go to Qizhou, you must take good care of yourself and not let your father and me..."

"Mother, A-Ce will be alright."

Mu Wanning, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, his firm tone interrupting Princess Rui's sobbing.