Volumе 1 Сhaptеr 13: No Neеd tо Вrеаk Wings, Just Кeер Неr in a Cаge
In the room.
Yun Jiао sat bеfоrе thе brоnze mirrоr, sоmеwhat puzzlеd аs she lоoked at thе pеrson standing behind hеr in the rеfleсtiоn.
“Princе, aren’t we suрроsеd to entеr thе раlacе?”
“Hmm.” Yаn Shi respоnded lightly, рicking up а comb from thе sidе аnd beginning tо brush Yun Jiаo’s hair.
Hеr smoоth, lоng hair slipрed through his fingеrs. “What hаirstуlе do уou like?”
“Тhe Lingyun bun? Оr thе Сhaoyun bun?”
“No good.” Yan Shi said tо himsеlf. “Better to lеаve half of it dоwn аnd tie it into a cute bun.”
“Sit still and don’t move.” As he spoke, his slender fingers gathered strands of hair and began to twist them. Yun Jiao was baffled—why was he suddenly dressing her up?
She turned her head, wanting to look back and speak to him.
With a soft smack.
Yan Shi had quietly leaned down beside her neck, and as Yun Jiao turned, her lips accidentally kissed his cheek.
“!!”
She immediately turned back, sitting upright, her heart pounding. For some reason, she felt as though she had been teased by him.
Her hands clenched into small fists on her lap, her back straight, like an obedient child.
The corners of Yan Shi’s lips lifted. “Why do you always sneak kisses on This Prince?”
“I didn’t! It was clearly the Prince who—”
“It was clearly the Prince who was shameless.” Yan Shi seemed to guess her words, mimicking her tone, then naturally continued, “Yes, yes, This Prince is the most shameless.”
Even when scolding someone, she only knew the word “shameless.” She was becoming more and more like a kitten—looking fierce but not even showing her claws.
For some reason, Yun Jiao should have been angry, but she suddenly remembered his words—”If This Prince dies, wouldn’t that be a joyous occasion?”
Spoken in the same light, indifferent tone, yet it inexplicably made her heart ache with sorrow.
She felt a pang of pity.
Yun Jiao twisted her fingers, about to speak, when a jewelry box suddenly appeared before her.
“Take a look. Which one do you like?”
Inside the exquisitely carved box were various ornaments arranged neatly: delicate pearls, gilded silver, hollowed-out sandalwood… hairpins, earrings, golden hair clasps… most of them were exquisite, luxurious, and stunningly beautiful.
“Wow, so pretty.” Yun Jiao’s eyes sparkled, as if dotted with shimmering pearls.
Yan Shi glanced at the jewelry in the box, then lifted his gaze to look at his own reflection in the mirror.
“Jiao Jiao, which do you think is prettier—them or me?”
Them?
Yun Jiao looked up at him, only to find his eyes fixed on the jewelry.
“Pfft!” Yun Jiao couldn’t help but laugh. Who compares themselves to jewelry?
She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on him as she looked up, coaxing him playfully. “Of course the Prince is the prettiest! How could mere jewelry compare to you?”
Yan Shi raised his hand to stroke her face, gazing intently into her eyes, trying to detect something else—deception or flattery.
But her eyes were too pure; all he could see was his own reflection.
Bright and radiant, yet filled entirely with him.
Filled entirely with his darkness.
Rather than letting her run toward the light, he wanted to stain her with the same darkness, to fall together, to sink together, to descend into hell together.
The desire to possess her grew wildly, like bamboo shoots after rain.
A dark, damp thought quietly surfaced in his mind. Yan Shi blinked, hiding his emotions.
He pinched her lips. “Has this mouth always been so good at sweet talk?””Not at all.” Yun Jiao pouted as he pinched her cheek, mumbling, “I only talk like this with the Prince. Besides, I was just telling the truth.”
Hmph.
How clumsy. Who are you trying to fool?
Yan Shi released his grip, a clear curve forming at the corner of his mouth as he began selecting items from the box. Only then did Yun Jiao notice that her hair had already been styled into an elegant updo.
In the mirror, her face appeared delicate, bright, and pure. She had been pretty before her hair was styled, but now she was stunning—even she herself thought she looked exceptionally beautiful.
Unable to resist, she reached up to touch it, exclaiming in admiration, “It’s beautiful.”
Yan Shi, who had been bent over selecting jewelry, paused, glanced up, and swallowed his words after a slight movement of his lips.
He had originally wanted to ask whether she looked better or he did.
After all, she had said she liked beautiful things. But… even if she were more beautiful than him, it wouldn’t matter, would it?
She should love herself first, and then love him.
Yan Shi suddenly froze, his eyes widening in disbelief, startled by his own thoughts.
He should make her completely submit to him—better yet, clip her wings and keep her locked in a cage forever, forbidding her to fly. She should look up to him alone, with only him in her eyes and heart. That was who he truly was.
“Prince, this one is beautiful.” Her soft, delicate voice brought him back.
Yun Jiao held a crystal hairpin carved with water-blue floral patterns. Before she could insert it, she picked up another openwork beaded hairpin. “But this one is also beautiful.”
The young girl gazed longingly at both hands, seemingly hesitant, her small mouth puckering into a pout.
Yan Shi glanced briefly, took the crystal hairpin from her hand, and inserted it into her hair, tossing the beaded hairpin back into the box.
Yun Jiao stared at him with pleading eyes, like a child begging for candy, wanting both.
Yan Shi’s heart trembled, as if something inside him had melted into a soft, warm mass.
Well, it wouldn’t matter if her wings weren’t clipped. He could simply use more beautiful things to keep her trapped in the cage.
“Why the sad face? They’re all yours.”
Yun Jiao was taken aback, even retracting the tears she had deliberately welled up in her eyes. “All of these are for me?”
Yan Shi raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you liked beautiful things? And told This Prince to treat you like a treasure?”
Yun Jiao was speechless.
So, just because she said she liked beautiful things, he was giving her everything he thought was beautiful?
Her nose tingled with a wave of sorrow, and the tears she had struggled to hold back now easily welled up in her eyes.
With a clatter, Yun Jiao tossed the jewelry box onto the table.
She turned around and silently wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face against his chest without a word.
The sudden embrace left Yan Shi bewildered. He gently patted her back, soothing her.
Perplexed, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Silence was his answer. The person in his arms remained quiet, utterly still.
When he tried to pull her away, Yun Jiao only held him tighter, refusing to lift her face.
Yan Shi frowned and softly scolded, “Are you trying to suffocate yourself?”
As soon as the words left his lips, his spine stiffened, and he froze in place.
A drop of moisture, cool and damp, seeped through the fabric where her face was pressed against his waist, spreading like ink dropped into water.
She was crying.
For a moment, something seemed to clog Yan Shi’s heart, making his breath catch painfully.
“Those two hairpins don’t match in color,” Yan Shi said, his brow furrowed.After speaking, his brows furrowed even deeper. He pursed his lips and hesitated for a moment before stiffly explaining, “This Prince is not afraid that you would embarrass me. It’s just that the two hairpins don’t look good together when worn, and you happen to be someone who loves beauty.”
The person in his arms remained silent.
“If you like them, then wear them both. They’re just hairpins—why are you crying?”
His response was met with increasingly damp warmth spreading across his chest.
Yan Shi grew somewhat impatient. “If you don’t like either of them, I’ll find others for you.”
Yun Jiao sniffled hard, her voice muffled and choked with sobs as she whispered, “I like them.”
Only then did Yan Shi release an almost imperceptible sigh of relief, though the furrow in his brow remained. His tone softened. “If you like them, then why are you crying?”
Yun Jiao shook her head, tears smearing onto his clothes, her voice tinged with weeping. “It’s not the jewelry I like—it’s the Prince I like.”