The next morning, the sun slowly rose from the east, a sliver of gentle light piercing through the carved wooden window lattice to illuminate the room. A faint, lingering trace of intimacy still seemed to hang heavy in the air.
Nanzhi’s eyelids fluttered slightly. Enduring an overwhelming wave of soreness across her entire body, she forced her eyes open, feeling as battered and bruised as if her bones had been taken apart and reassembled.
The moment she tried to stir, she realized she was locked tightly within someone’s embrace, unable to move an inch.
The physical aftermath of the night and the arms wrapped securely around her served as a brutal reminder of everything that had transpired.
She felt as though she had been struck by lightning, absolute despair welling up in the depths of her eyes—she hadn’t managed to escape after all.
The Crown Prince hadn’t let her go.
Nanzhi’s once bright and limpid eyes turned dull and lifeless, resembling a stagnant pool of dead water.
Staring blankly and hollowly up at the canopy above, she didn’t even have the luxury of time to grieve before a puff of warm breath brushed against her ear, followed by the Crown Prince’s low, lazy voice sounding right beside her:
“Miss Nan, you’re awake?”
He caught her chin between his fingers, turning her face toward him and forcing her to meet his gaze. Seeing her expressionless face, his tone dropped a few degrees colder: “Does being with Us truly grieve you so much?”
“To share a night of intimacy with Your Highness is this subject’s honor.” Nanzhi forced the corners of her mouth upward, pulling off a thoroughly perfunctory smile.
She truly had no desire whatsoever for such an honor. In just three months, she was supposed to be married, but now those plans had entirely vanished into smoke.
In the span of a single night, her once-peaceful life had been completely shattered.
She quickly buried the turbulent emotions raging in her eyes, forcing herself to calm down and regain her rationality.
The man before her was the Crown Prince; no matter how deep her resentment, what could she possibly do about it?
If she had the power, she would have loved nothing more than to kick him out of bed and slap him across the face to vent her fury.
Yet, given the Crown Prince’s lofty and noble status, she lacked the sheer audacity to provoke him like that. A single casual word from his lips would be more than enough to cost her her life.
Since matters had already reached this point, she could only treat it as having been bitten by a stray dog.
“Your Highness, the hour is getting late. Please permit this subject’s daughter to return. If my mother discovers I am missing this morning, she will grow terribly worried.” Nanzhi’s voice remained even and composed as she forced herself to accept the harsh reality.
Shen Huaixu made no move to release her. Resting his chin against her forehead, he tightened his grip around her slender waist just a fraction: “Accompany Us a little longer.”
His soft, low voice was laced with a raspy undertone, his eyes shifting as an undisguised wave of desire practically burned in his gaze.
As his hand drifted upward along her delicate, willow-like waist, Nanzhi couldn’t stop a soft gasp from escaping her lips.
All the shameful, burning memories of the previous night flooded back into her mind, painting her face a brilliant shade of crimson.
The night before, she had been entirely at the mercy of the drug, but today she was wide awake and completely sober. The Crown Prince’s deliberate teasing made her feel intensely humiliated.
Nanzhi bit down hard on her lower lip, fighting back any sound and cursing silently in her heart: Scumbag.
As if sensing her thoughts, Shen Huaixu magnified his movements, deliberately provoking her: “Zhi-zhi, relax your lips. We want to hear you cry out.”
Her voice from the previous night had been nothing short of music to his ears.
Nanzhi’s spine stiffened. Battling the crushing humiliation churning in her chest, she offered a soft, desperate plea for mercy: “Your Highness, I beg you to let me go.”
“That wasn’t what Zhi-zhi was saying last night. Last night, you were blazing with passion, begging Us to take you.”
Shen Huaixu let out a soft laugh. As if punishing her for her resistance, his hands moved with slow, deliberate torment. Nanzhi could no longer hold back, a string of broken, delicate whimpers escaping her lips as her face flushed a deep, bleeding crimson.
“Your Highness, I beg you, stop—” Before Nanzhi could finish her plea, her lips were sealed by another deep kiss, swallowing the rest of her words whole.
The more she resisted, the more relentlessly the Crown Prince put her through her paces.
Enduring the crushing humiliation, she was forced to yield once more, left entirely at his mercy.
Nanzhi’s body was delicate, and with her limbs already aching fiercely, being tossed about like this by the Crown Prince drew another involuntary cry from her lips: “Your Highness, it hurts.”
Hearing this, Shen Huaixu lowered his gaze to find her jade-white waist mottled with dark, purplish bruises from his grip. A flicker of something crossed his expression, and he finally eased up—though only slightly.
Bending down close to her ear, his eyes dark and deep, his voice remained clear, soft, and gentle: “Zhi-zhi, try to relax.”
Nanzhi’s body stiffened, locking up completely. She turned her face away to avoid looking at him, leaving herself entirely at the mercy of his warm hands as they wandered over her skin.
Beneath the brand-new brocade quilt, wave after wave of overwhelming sensation crashed over her.
Long moments later, Nanzhi closed her eyes, her body trembling uncontrollably. A look of supreme, satiated satisfaction settled over Shen Huaixu’s handsome, refined features.
“Your Highness, may this subject’s daughter take her leave now?” Nanzhi asked in a soft, shimmering whisper.
Regretfully lingering over her picturesque, flawless face, Shen Huaixu rested a hand on her waist, giving it a light pinch as he let out a low, teasing laugh: “Why is Zhi-zhi in such a rush to leave? Could it be that Us is some sort of ferocious flood or beast?”
To her, the Crown Prince was nothing short of a raging flood and a wild beast combined—beneath that noble, refined skin of his likely beat the heart of a pure demon.
She could only pray that, after experiencing this, the Crown Prince would let her go.
All she wanted was to live the life of an ordinary person, yet even this simple wish had somehow become an unreachable luxury.
The hand resting on her waist made Nanzhi tense up, too terrified to make a sudden move. Turning her head away to hide his expression, she asked in a soft, hoarse, and trembling voice: “Your Highness, can you please let me go?”
“We naturally—”
“Your Highness, this subordinate has urgent news to report!”
Before Shen Huaixu could finish his sentence, Wei Feng’s anxious voice rang out from outside the bedchamber.
Hearing this, Shen Huaixu withdrew from the embrace of warmth and fragrance. Lingeringly gazing down at her, he gave Nanzhi’s cheek a gentle pat, his tone turning surprisingly tender: “We have matters to attend to. Someone will be sent to escort you back shortly.”
With that, he quickly donned his outer garments and strode out the door without a hint of hesitation. The clear, calm look back in his eyes bore no trace of lingering attachment whatsoever.
Creak—
The chamber door was pushed open, followed immediately by a heavy bang as it was pulled shut again.
Hearing the commotion, Nanzhi finally let out the breath she was holding, her tightly wound body and mind relaxing at last. But the moment she remembered that the Crown Prince had left his sentence unfinished, her intuition screamed that he had no intention of letting her off the hook so easily. The relief she had just felt instantly vanished, replaced by a fresh wave of panic. Her slender brows knitted together in a deep frown, her gorgeous phoenix eyes clouded with an impenetrable haze of sorrow.
Nanzhi closed her eyes, taking a long, deep breath before slowly opening them again. Enduring the full-body ache and discomfort, she forced herself to climb out of bed. Her eyes happened to land upon the smear of crimson staining the sheets, looking starkly and bitterly ironic.
Remaining entirely calm, she climbed down from the bed and began searching for her clothes.
When her gaze landed upon the pile of scattered, torn rags lying on the floor—glaringly conspicuous and eyesore-inducing—they served as a brutal reminder of just how wild and chaotic the previous night had been.
Nanzhi let out a cold, self-deprecating scoff and randomly grabbed an outer robe to throw over her shoulders.
Creak—
The door pushed open once more. A tall woman in her early twenties, clad in dark-green attire, stepped into the room. Her neat, streamlined clothing differed markedly from ordinary maidservants, making it immediately obvious that she was no common attendant.
Pushing the door open, Qingyu took in the slightly chaotic scene before her. A flicker of subtle surprise crossed her eyes, though she quickly reined it in and walked toward the bed.
Her gaze dropped onto Nanzhi’s exquisitely beautiful face, leaving her inwardly astounded. Never in this world had she imagined a woman could grow to be so breathtakingly gorgeous; even the capital’s number one beauty would pale by several degrees standing beside her, nearly causing the maid to freeze in a daze.