Lianxiang was startled.
Instinctively, she tried to pull her hand away, but Yun Suiwu only held it more tightly.
The warmth of his palm was burning against her slightly cold hand.
“Y-Your Highness… T-this servant did not do it on purpose,” Lianxiang said nervously.
She tried again to pull her hand from his grasp.
“That character was very difficult to write. This servant wrote it wrong and wanted to erase it… and write it again.”
Yun Suiwu turned his head.
His gaze fell on her small, delicate earlobe.
Under the moonlight, it glowed softly like polished jade, rosy and smooth, so fresh and attractive that he could not help wanting to touch it.
As she continued struggling to free herself, her little face slowly turned red.
At that moment, Aunt Pei knocked on the door from outside.
“Don’t do that again.”
Yun Suiwu finally released her hand.
Aunt Pei entered carrying a bowl of freshly prepared bamboo sap drink and a plate of fragrant pears.
Her eyes were sharp enough to immediately notice that one side of Lianxiang’s face was red.
This young wet nurse was terrible at hiding her emotions.
The moment she saw Aunt Pei enter, she clearly became flustered and hurriedly picked up the book in her hands.
One of her hands was dry, but the back of the other was wet.
It did not look like it had gotten wet while caring for the Little Prince.
Instead, it seemed more like…
Aunt Pei looked toward the Prince sitting in the hot spring with the Little Prince in his arms.
His eyes were half-closed, his posture calm and relaxed.
“Your Highness, the fresh bamboo sap drink is ready,” Aunt Pei said.
“It was made by roasting fresh bamboo. It is perfect for quenching thirst while soaking in the hot spring.”
This was also the reason she had returned so late.
She presented the bowl of bamboo-scented drink to him.
Before Yun Suiwu could react, the Little Prince had already lifted his head, stretched out his hand, and tried to grab it.
The drink had taken considerable effort to prepare, so Aunt Pei naturally could not let him reach it.
“Nanny Shen, please bring the Little Prince a cup of water.”
“Yes.”
Lianxiang nodded and answered softly.
The Little Prince had indeed become thirsty after soaking in the hot spring for so long.
However, his eyes remained fixed on his older brother.
He wanted to know what his brother was drinking.
Yun Suiwu indulged him.
He accepted the bamboo sap drink from Aunt Pei and held it where the Little Prince could see it.
Then he lowered his head and prepared to drink.
Apparently, Yun Suiwu, who had never been a father before, had no idea just how fast a child could move.
The moment he was about to drink, the Little Prince immediately reached out and firmly grabbed the bowl, not caring whether it was hot or not.
He grunted at Yun Suiwu insistently.
Clearly, he wanted to drink it himself.
“Little Prince, this servant will give you water. Let’s drink this instead.”
Lianxiang walked over carrying a cup of water.
But the Little Prince had already opened his mouth, drooling as he tried to drink the bamboo sap drink.
Yun Suiwu did not stop him and simply allowed him to hold the edge of the bowl.
“Your Highness, the Little Prince is still too young. He cannot drink bamboo sap yet,” Aunt Pei quickly said after understanding the Prince’s intention.
She immediately lifted the Little Prince from Yun Suiwu’s arms and handed him to Lianxiang.
The Little Prince was actually very obedient.
Although he still wanted the fragrant bamboo drink his brother was holding, he willingly drank the water Lianxiang fed him.
Soon he finished the entire cup.
“Your Highness, the Little Prince is still young and should not stay in the hot spring too long. Shall this servant have Nanny Shen take him back to rest? ”
After all, they were outdoors.
Once he left the warm spring water, the Little Prince could easily catch a chill.
So Lianxiang took him back inside first.
After Yun Suiwu finished the sweet bamboo drink, Aunt Pei peeled a fragrant pear for him.
She noticed that the qilin jade pendant around his neck had been pulled completely crooked by the Little Prince.
It was probably still covered with plenty of the child’s drool.
Carefully bending down, she straightened the pendant and used a small ladle to pour warm spring water over it, washing away the saliva.
“You may leave.”
Yun Suiwu frowned slightly and submerged his entire body beneath the hot spring water.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Aunt Pei lowered her eyes and looked at her own hands.
She was three years older than the Prince.
Naturally, her hands could not compare with those of young girls.
However, as the Prince’s personal attendant who managed his daily life and had maids serving her, her hands were not rough at all.
In fact, they were very well cared for.
Yet just now, while cleaning the jade pendant, her fingers had accidentally touched the Prince.
Immediately afterward, he told her to leave.
The Prince’s thoughts had always been difficult to understand.
After drying her hands with a clean handkerchief and lowering her rolled-up sleeves, she left.
Inside the warm room, Xiyu and Xixue were helping the Little Prince get dressed.
The Little Prince held an empty cup in one hand and a banana in the other, making himself extremely uncooperative.
Meanwhile, Lianxiang stood nearby drinking cup after cup of water.
She had clearly become very thirsty after spending so much time in the hot spring room.
“Just now, Nanny Shen, were you reading storybooks to the Little Prince?” Aunt Pei asked gently as she approached, holding an apple.
“Yes.”
Lianxiang had not noticed Aunt Pei entering and nearly choked on her water.
“Did you study before? Can you read all the words in those books?” Aunt Pei asked warmly.
Lianxiang had no idea that Aunt Pei was actually trying to gather information.
She answered honestly.
“This servant knows some simple characters, but there are also many words I have never seen before.”
“Those… were explained by Your Highness…”
Perhaps because she felt guilty, her voice grew quieter and quieter.
She did not even dare look at Aunt Pei.
It was as though she feared being punished.
After all, she had actually dared to scribble on the Prince’s palm.
Even now, thinking about it made her feel she had been far too bold.
The Prince was someone of the highest noble status.
She had made many mistakes before, yet he had never said anything.
This time, however, he had reprimanded her.
Clearly, her actions had displeased him.
When the Prince grabbed her hand, she had truly been afraid he might break it.
She did not know what kind of luck she had.
Every single time she met the Prince, she somehow ended up making a mistake.
Aunt Pei looked at Lianxiang’s right hand.
A bold guess had already formed in her mind.
Yet she still found it difficult to believe.
To confirm her suspicion, she glanced toward Xiyu and Xixue, who were still helping the Little Prince dress behind them.
Then she said softly,
“When I entered just now, it seemed that His Highness was somewhat unhappy.”
The moment Lianxiang heard this, she immediately became nervous.
Being such a timid and straightforward person with no talent for hiding things, she spilled everything that had happened inside as if pouring beans from a basket.
Aunt Pei stared at her.
Her eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.
Not only had the Prince taught Lianxiang how to read unfamiliar characters, but he had even allowed her to write those characters on his palm.
And in the end, when Lianxiang wrote a character incorrectly on his hand, the Prince had actually taken the initiative to hold her hand.