“Do not look,” Xi Linxuan warned her again.
Wei Linxia shook her head casually, “How else would I know if I’ve made a mistake? I haven’t done this in a long time.” The scars on his legs, winding from his knees down his calves, were old but still shocking—white and raised.
How terrible must the fall have been to leave such scars? How much blood was shed? How many nights did he lie awake in pain?
Wei Linxia was afraid of pain. Just thinking about these scars made her entire body ache, especially her heart, which felt like a tight knot.
Lost in thought, she suddenly felt her cheek pinched, with warm breath whispering near her ear: “Time’s up. Aren’t you removing the needles?”
“Oh, already?” she said as she carefully removed the needles and placed them in her pouch. Just as she was about to leave, she was unexpectedly trapped by two arms, gently pushed down onto the bed, with a strand of hair not her own falling across her cheek.
“Your Highness…” Wei Linxia stammered as Xi Linxuan’s increasingly close face bore a mischievous smile. Since their wedding night, which left her in pain for days, he hadn’t touched her, and she had just begun to feel at ease.
“What, Your Highness?” Xi Linxuan narrowed his eyes, playing with her hair.
“No, no…” Wei Linxia said.
“Be good; you must listen. See, I’m much gentler than you,” he replied, lowering his head to kiss her face once and then twice.
“We haven’t had dinner yet…” she said, feeling her blood rush to her head.
“I’m having my meal right now.” His cool lips grazed her lips’ edge without kissing, merely circling. “Comfortable?”
Wei Linxia dared not speak, afraid of a direct kiss, and could only glare at Xi Linxuan. He remained oblivious, pressing closer and whispering in her ear, “I’m proving my legs are healed and I can move freely.”
The bed curtains let in light, with stubborn orange-red hues casting a warm glow inside, mingling with a hint of heat.
Outside the chamber, a young palace servant approached to ask about dinner but was silenced by the head eunuch Feng Shou: “Shh, His Highness and the Princess are discussing important matters. Dinner will be served later.”
