Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

At noon, Ling Xi sat alone at the dining table, listlessly picking up a tender bamboo shoot with her chopsticks, but didn't put it in her mouth for a long time.

Princess Rui's words from that morning kept replaying in her mind. Xiao Ce clearly already had a child, so why would Princess Rui lower herself to beg her to have another child for him? She pondered this for half a day, still completely baffled.

"What are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought."

A deep, clear voice suddenly rang out from behind him. Ling Xi was startled and loosened her grip, causing the tender bamboo shoot she was holding to slip away and fall gently onto the table.

She hurriedly gathered her thoughts, straightened her back, raised her hand to tuck a stray hair behind her ear, and pretended to be calm.

"No...it's nothing."

She dared not tell him that his mother had come to beg her to have a child for him. Suddenly, she remembered their intimate entanglement the night before; she had almost ended up having his child.

"Why didn't you wait for me to have lunch together?"

Ling Xi tightened her grip on the chopsticks, her gaze instinctively shifting away.

"I...I thought you would have eaten at Yunqi Courtyard before coming back. Qiuyue! Go and fetch the young master's bowl and chopsticks!"

"Yes, Princess Consort."

She tried to appear calm, but her heart was pounding with fear. Once she caught her breath, she wondered to herself, "Neither of us has ever waited for the other before, so why should we wait now?"

Xiao Ce sat down, his dark eyes fixed on her.

Why did your mother leave you behind alone? What did she say to you?

Sigh! Just what I feared most has come to pass.

"He didn't say anything, just told me to take good care of your injury, saying that you're going to Qizhou soon and you can't go with the injury."

Ling Xi made up an excuse and used her chopsticks to pick up a few grains of rice and put them in her mouth to ease the awkwardness.

Xiao Ce stared at her silently for a moment, then reached out and placed his hand over hers.

He knew, of course, that she was lying; his mother would never keep her behind alone for such a trivial matter.

"If Mother makes things difficult for you..."

"She really didn't make things difficult for me..."

She moved her hand, trying to pull it away. As soon as Qiuyue entered with the bowls and chopsticks, she saw the prince holding the princess's hand tightly, so she quickly put down the bowls and chopsticks and left.

Ling Xi felt even more uncomfortable upon seeing this. Why were they suddenly getting physical and verbally abusive?

"Ling Xi, don't avoid me."

He reached out and held her shoulder, preventing her from turning away even an inch, his eyes filled with deep affection.

"I've said it before, I will never let you leave again. I want you to become my true Crown Princess, the only one for me in this life. Are you... willing?"

He stared at her intently, his gaze sincere and burning, quietly awaiting her reply.

She stared blankly at the sincerity in his eyes, wanting to say yes, but he already had Mu Wanning, so how could he only have her?

"What exactly are you worried about?"

Ling Xi silently turned her body to the side, deliberately avoiding his burning gaze.

"You keep saying that I'm the only one for you in this life, but what about Mu Wanning? What is she? If you're such a fickle person, how can I believe your promises to me today?"

"Is your concern only about Wan Ning?"

"Isn't that enough?"

Xiao Ce felt a sudden sense of relief, and a faint smile appeared between his brows.

"I have never had any affection for Wan Ning. I married her because of the circumstances, and I had no choice in the matter."

Ling Xi felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this. She gently pushed him away, her eyes filled with undisguised loneliness.

"But didn't you also give birth to An'er?"

Ling Xi couldn't understand how a man and a woman could have a child if there were truly no feelings between them. And An'er's features were becoming more and more like Xiao Ce's, so it was inevitable that she would be his child.

Xiao Ce frowned, a deep pain flashing in his eyes, his jaw clenched as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

After a long while, he sighed deeply and slowly raised his hand to firmly grasp her slightly cool hand.

"An'er... I will explain An'er to you later. Ling Xi, believe me, there is no connection between Wan Ning and me except for An'er."

Her eyes were full of doubt and confusion. How could they have a child without any connection?

Seeing the hesitation and lingering doubt in her eyes, Xiao Ce's expression gradually darkened, his brows furrowed with melancholy, yet his palm remained firmly in his hand, staring at her intently, awaiting her response.

"I...I haven't thought it through yet. Can you give me some more time?"

She bit her lower lip lightly, feeling her mind was in complete chaos. She wasn't even sure how much she cared about him, and what right did she have to make demands of him?

"You can have as much time as you want, but I... won't let you go."

He held her hand tightly, his words firm and resolute, his phoenix eyes filled with obsession, as if he could not accept any other outcome.

"Let's eat first."

Ling Xi turned to the side and slowly withdrew her hand, feeling that Xiao Ce in front of her was even more unpredictable than before.

She subconsciously looked up, only to find a hint of bitterness and disappointment in his dark eyes.

She had always thought that he cared deeply for Mu Wanning and that they were childhood sweethearts who wouldn't allow anyone to interfere, but according to him, her perception was completely wrong.

Could it be that Xiao Ce was lying to her? The next moment, she quickly dismissed the thought; he wasn't that kind of person.

"Your Highness, an imperial edict has arrived from the palace; the Emperor urgently summons you."

Just as an awkward silence fell between them, Lu Ming quickly entered, his expression serious. Xiao Ce slowly turned his head, his deep gaze fixed on her.

"Wait for me to come back."

Before Ling Xi could react, he got up and hurriedly left. By the time she came to her senses, he was already gone from outside the door. Why had he made her wait for him?

For the entire afternoon, Ling Xi pondered Xiao Ce's words. He had no feelings for Mu Wanning, yet they had a child. Judging from Xiao Ce's expression, he clearly had something he couldn't say, but the more he didn't explain, the more she wanted to know.

When it was time for dinner, Xiao Ce had not returned yet. She thought that he had asked her to wait for him when he left so that they could have dinner together. So she obediently waited from sunset until night fell, until she was so hungry that she ate dinner alone.

As the night grew quiet, she thought that perhaps she should wait to finish what she hadn't said at noon. So she forced herself to stay awake and leaned against the edge of the bed to wait. Just after 7 p.m., her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and she finally succumbed to sleep.

When Xiao Ce stepped into the bedroom, his body slightly chilly from the night, the first thing he saw was a slender figure curled up on the bed.

She leaned lazily against his soft couch, fast asleep, wearing only a cloak that had fallen down to her shoulders.

The earth dragon in Chuixing Courtyard wasn't burning very well. He frowned slightly, took a few steps forward, bent down slightly, and gently placed his broad palm on her hand. His fingertips touched her slightly cool hand, and his gaze suddenly darkened, the lines between his brows deepening instantly.

Without further hesitation, he carefully bent down and pulled the person into his arms, then turned and went into the inner room.