The Crown Prince felt his blood boiling, nearly overwhelmed with fury: "You've been pondering all this time, and this is the conclusion you've reached?"
He would never understand what absurd ideas might pop out of this girl's mouth next.
Yun Kui had spoken without thinking earlier, but even now, she didn’t see anything wrong with her words.
"I’m happy to treat Your Highness’s ailments, and I’m grateful for this ability that earns your trust. Your Highness is tall, mighty, and peerlessly handsome, and I can get what I want too—so I thought we could work together."
The Crown Prince sneered. "Trust? You think my kindness toward you is merely about trust?"
Well, what else? You’ve never given me a clear answer.
A vein pulsed at the Crown Prince’s temple.
Hadn’t he made his feelings clear before? Yet every time he did, he was forced to face reality—
She was heartless, always deflecting with jokes, never taking him seriously. No matter how much he indulged or protected her, she would simply walk away after getting what she wanted, never once considering staying by his side forever.
He had even revealed his mind-reading ability to her—a secret he had guarded closely, never shared with anyone else—without a second thought for the consequences.
And yet, even after all that, he still couldn’t satisfy her. Instead, she infuriated him to the point of triggering his headache, making him think she might finally understand—only for her to propose a purely transactional arrangement, devoid of any real affection.
Only she could come up with something like this.
Did she expect him to humiliate himself further, begging her to stay?
His head throbbed violently, his chest tight with unspent frustration.
After a moment of silence, Yun Kui suddenly looked at him seriously. "Since Your Highness can’t do without me, protect me from now on."
The Crown Prince’s furrowed brow relaxed slightly.
Yun Kui sighed. "All I want is a place to belong. Whether Your Highness has feelings for me or not, at least I have my skills to rely on. That’s enough. If the imperial consorts ever try to punish me, just declare me as your personal physician or strategist—anyone who harms me would be harming Your Highness."
The Crown Prince: "..."
Seeing that he no longer refused her, Yun Kui changed his bandages, helped him into bed, then gently shifted closer, placing his injured hand around her waist as she nestled into his arms.
Looking up at his bloodshot eyes, her chest tightened with guilt. "I was wrong today, making Your Highness so angry that your headache flared up. As punishment, let me stay close and treat your headache all night, alright?"
The Crown Prince nearly laughed in exasperation. "Who exactly is taking advantage of whom here?"
Yun Kui answered matter-of-factly, "Naturally, it’s Your Highness benefiting. Being with me not only eases your headache but also brings you physical pleasure. I only get the latter, while you enjoy both—aren’t you satisfied?"
The Crown Prince was momentarily speechless.
"But there’s one thing you got wrong," Yun Kui murmured, her gaze tracing the sharp lines of his face. "I don’t fantasize about every handsome, well-built man. Do you think someone who’s tasted delicacies would ever settle for slop?"
The Crown Prince smirked coldly. "Now you’re flattering me?"
"I’m just being honest," Yun Kui pursed her lips. "Your Highness should maintain your figure so I’ll always be obsessed with you, never able to leave."
"Insolent." He scoffed. "Are you saying I, the Crown Prince, must strive to keep a mere woman like you?"
After a pause, Yun Kui whispered, "Or you could take it as me wishing for Your Highness to remain strong and live a long, healthy life."
She held him tightly, her cheek pressed against his chest as if trying to transfer all her warmth and scent to him.
If he didn’t know how heartless she was, he might have mistaken it for genuine affection.
In the darkness, the Crown Prince closed his eyes, his lips curling into a faint, self-mocking smile.
Once her breathing steadied in sleep, he leaned down and nipped her delicate earlobe—not too gently, not too lightly.
Hearing her let out a soft, spoiled whimper, he gritted his teeth and bit her plush lips next.
——
Exhausted from the night, Yun Kui didn’t wake until well past mid-morning.
Still half-asleep, she nuzzled against a firm, warm pillow—only to jolt awake when her groping hand registered what it was. Her eyes met a pair of dark, ink-like ones.
"Your Highness, you—"
Then she remembered—this wasn’t the palace, and he didn’t have court today. The "pillow" she’d been sleeping on was his solid, well-defined chest.
So muscular…
The thought surfaced instinctively. But as their eyes locked, his gaze burning, she froze—
He could read minds!!
Yun Kui clutched her head, shaking it before scrambling to put distance between them. But as she lifted her knee, it accidentally brushed against something—
Like a beast roused from slumber, it strained fiercely against its confines.
So… so big.
Another involuntary thought.
Back when she didn’t know about his ability, she’d mentally praised him like clockwork, almost out of habit. Now, before her brain could catch up, those indecent thoughts spilled out unchecked.
Her cheeks burned. Desperate to change the subject, she stammered, "H-how’s your headache?"
The Crown Prince replied evenly, "Not fully recovered."
Yun Kui panicked. "Then… what should we do?"
His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. "He Bailing said my condition stems from excessive yang heat and pent-up frustration—I need release."
She didn’t understand the first part, but "release" was clear enough.
"So…?"
His gaze smoldered, his breath hot against her face. "Didn’t you promise last night to be my remedy?"
Yun Kui: "..."
After a pause, she ventured, "Your Highness has a headache, not an aphrodisiac’s effects, right? Does a headache really require… that kind of relief?"
The Crown Prince said coolly, "The military physician once mentioned that skin-to-skin contact, shared breath, and intimate union could all alleviate headaches."
When she hesitated, he mocked, "Last night, you were so eager to ‘cooperate.’"
…This is way too sudden, Your Highness!
Yun Kui hedged, "I just woke up…"
The Crown Prince countered, "Is this your sincerity? Last night, you provoked my condition, made my head split with pain, injured my hand—"
"Fine, fine!!"
With a resigned sigh, she reached for him. The man’s breath hitched instantly. After a long moment, he asked hoarsely, "Just this?"
Yun Kui: "What else? Your hand is still hurt!"
Though it was just a cut from broken porcelain, he’d bled plenty last night. The Crown Prince’s body was precious—how could he disregard his injury for mere lust? Besides, his headache and wound were both her fault. If he didn’t recover soon, her guilt would only grow worse each time she saw him.
Yet the Crown Prince said, "You’ve read extensively, memorized every technique—surely you know how to serve me properly?"
A few positions requiring little effort from him flashed through Yun Kui’s mind. That wasn’t the issue, but…
She furrowed her brows tightly: "That was all just... theoretical knowledge."
The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow, leisurely reminding her, "Didn’t you say that with that prized treasure in the shop, you’d surely master the craft and lead me to greatness?"
Yun Kui: "..."
"Can you stop voicing my inner thoughts out loud? It’s so embarrassing!"
The Crown Prince said, "You dare think it, yet fear me saying it?"
Yun Kui was on the verge of tears, but in the end, she had no choice but to surrender. "Then... does Your Highness prefer to lie down or sit?"
The Crown Prince’s gaze darkened. "Lie down first."
"Then I can use the backstroke butterfly or the aerial flip butterfly."
Yun Kui racked her brain for knowledge: "Do you want me facing you or facing away?"
The Crown Prince’s eyes trailed down from her neck, his Adam’s apple bobbing. "Facing me."
And so, Yun Kui dragged her exhausted body into action.
As it turned out, it was better to believe in ghosts than to trust a man’s words.
Those hands that should have stayed idle ended up reopening their wounds.
And then... she looked down at the bloodstains on her chest and nearly cursed aloud.
"If your wound reopened, why push yourself?!"
"And! If you’re bleeding, can you not dirty my clothes?!"
The Crown Prince’s expression darkened. "... I heard that."
Yun Kui flung the torn undergarment at him. "So what if you heard?!"
After her outburst, she resignedly bandaged his wound again. Her back ached, her legs trembled so much she could barely stand, and just as she was about to get up to wash, he pinned her down once more.
The Crown Prince: "Turn around and sit. I won’t touch you."
Yun Kui: "..."
"I swear, I’ll fight you people with boundless stamina to the death!"
The Crown Prince stared at the snow-white, mesmerizing butterfly-like curve of her back, restraining himself repeatedly—until he finally lost control and pulled her against him.
......
The previous night, Qin Ge had summoned a renowned physician from Pingzhou, dragging the old man out of bed in the dead of night. But when they arrived at Song Garden, Cao Yuanlu said his services weren’t needed yet, so the physician was asked to stay. They had planned to examine the Crown Prince first thing in the morning, but the wait stretched from dawn to mid-morning, then from mid-morning to noon—yet the Crown Prince still hadn’t emerged.
Hearing the commotion inside, Cao Yuanlu mused that if His Highness was still this vigorous, his headache must have improved. He had no choice but to pay the physician and send him on his way.
The old doctor left, his eyes bloodshot and ringed with dark circles.
Yun Kui didn’t wake until dusk.
Every limb ached, her knees so weak she could barely lift them.
She’d already been exhausted from last night’s stroll, then everything that followed had drained her further. After barely two hours of sleep, she’d been subjected to his relentless energy all day. If not for her growling stomach, she wouldn’t have moved at all.
When Huai Zhu brought her dinner and saw her thoroughly ravaged state, even she pitied her.
After all, the young mistress wasn’t like them—raised in martial training, strong and resilient. Though Huai Zhu had never experienced that herself, she’d often visited brothels and pleasure quarters during missions and seen plenty.
Ordinary young men could last, at most, the time it took to burn a stick of incense. As for those pot-bellied officials and merchants who could barely move, even with all their silver tools and sheepskin tricks, they’d give up after a cup of tea.
But for His Highness to be this... ferocious—it was unheard of.
Ah, the poor young mistress.
Yun Kui devoured two full bowls of rice before recovering even a fraction of her spent energy.
Huai Zhu said, "Don’t worry, young mistress. His Highness went out tonight to investigate a case—he likely won’t return."
Yun Kui nearly wept with joy.
What wonderful news!
But his stamina was truly inhuman. He had done most of the work today—she’d barely moved before collapsing in exhaustion—yet he could still go out to investigate all night? It was... awe-inspiring.
After dinner, Yun Kui skimmed through some bedtime reading to replenish her knowledge, but her aching back soon forced her back to bed. She didn’t rise until noon the next day, finally able to walk—barely.
The Crown Prince and his men still hadn’t returned, but Huai Qing came by to remind her: "The armor you prepared for His Highness should be finished by now."
At the mention of armor, Yun Kui blanked for a moment before slapping her forehead in realization—oh, that golden chain.
Huai Qing was convinced that had the armor been delivered sooner, the Crown Prince and Yun Kui would never have quarreled. So the moment the two-day deadline arrived, she rushed to remind her.
Huai Zhu agreed—if they didn’t deliver it soon, the young mistress might not survive His Highness’s... enthusiasm.
Yun Kui herself was curious about how the chain had turned out.
Despite her sore body, she forced herself to visit the jeweler.
But when the shopkeeper proudly unveiled the finished product, Yun Kui nearly gaped.
"Did you... perhaps misunderstand the phrase ‘protect vital areas’?"
The jeweler grinned slyly. "This collar protects the neck, the gem-studded plates shield the chest, and the waist chain guards the abdomen—all without hindering movement..."
As Yun Kui imagined the Crown Prince’s powerful frame adorned with this golden chain, she felt her breath hitch—then warmth gushed from her nose.
