“Yes,” Lianxiang replied, startled.
She moved forward on her knees and stopped in front of the prince.
Carefully, she lifted one of his feet. The prince was wearing black embroidered boots, which were much harder to remove than ordinary shoes.
She had to wrap one arm around his leg and hold it close to herself while using her other hand to grip the heel and slowly pull the boot off.
The prince’s calves were long and straight. Perhaps because he practiced martial arts and rode horses year-round, even through the cloth, she could feel how firm and powerful his muscles were. His legs were perfectly shaped, without any excess fat.
They were completely different from her husband’s.
Her husband’s legs had been thick and sturdy, with hard muscles beneath the skin.
After removing the black embroidered boot, a pair of clean white silk socks appeared beneath it. There was not the slightest unpleasant smell, only a faint scent of mint.
It was probably from mint leaves he had stepped on earlier.
Lianxiang then removed the second boot the same way.
After that, Yun Suiwu climbed onto the couch and reclined lazily against it with one knee bent.
His eyes then moved to the pot of osmanthus wine on the table, and he lightly nodded toward it.
Since the prince still had not mentioned any punishment, Lianxiang stood up nervously and obediently poured him a cup of osmanthus wine before presenting it to him.
Yun Suiwu extended his long, elegant fingers and accepted it.
Just then, the little prince suddenly made a series of baby sounds.
It was obvious he wanted something from Lianxiang.
She walked over to him and followed his gaze.
The little prince was staring at the blue gemstone embedded in the prince’s belt. Under the moonlight, it shone with a soft blue glow.
Babies of his age were especially fascinated by bright and shiny objects.
However, the little prince was still unfamiliar with and somewhat afraid of his father, so he did not dare approach him.
Instead, he babbled and called Lianxiang over, looking at her with his beautiful lake-like eyes.
Clearly, he wanted to play with the blue gemstone.
When Lianxiang did not move, he began grunting impatiently and repeatedly stretched out his little hands toward her.
Yun Suiwu turned his head and looked at the troubled expression on Lianxiang’s face, silently asking what was wrong.
“Your Highness, the little prince seems to want to play with the blue gemstone on your belt,” Lianxiang said timidly.
Yun Suiwu lowered his eyes and glanced at it.
“Bring him here.”
Lianxiang picked up the little prince.
But as soon as they approached the prince, the child immediately began whining and squirming. His little arms wrapped tightly around Lianxiang’s neck, and he twisted around in her embrace, clearly frightened and resistant.
Lianxiang softly coaxed him, but he still did not dare go closer.
The prince had spent years in military camps and held a position of great authority. His presence was cold, powerful, and intimidating, like ice brushing against a sharp sword.
He truly seemed like a king of the underworld, making people instinctively fear him.
Even she was afraid of him, let alone a seven-month-old baby.
“Your Highness, perhaps the little prince has not seen you for a long time and is afraid of you…”
Actually, the little prince was already quite brave.
Most children would have burst into tears long ago.
The prince was known as the Cold-Faced Living Yama. It was only natural that Shian feared him.
“Untie it for me,” Yun Suiwu said, spreading his hands slightly.
It was obvious how much he loved and indulged the little prince.
Lianxiang froze for a moment.
When she realized the prince wanted her to remove his belt so the little prince could play with it, her face unexpectedly turned red.
Still, she obeyed.
After placing the little prince safely on the inner side of the couch, she pressed her lips together and moved closer.
Because her arms were not long enough, she had to kneel on the soft couch and bend forward to untie the prince’s belt.
To be honest, she had only ever untied the simple cloth belts her husband wore.
A finely embroidered belt decorated with gemstones like this was completely unfamiliar to her.
Lowering her head, she carefully explored the belt with her slender fingers.
Yet after feeling around for a while, she still had no idea how to remove it.
The prince said nothing.
Meanwhile, the little prince had already grown impatient. His dark eyes stared directly at her.
Lianxiang became increasingly anxious, her fair cheeks turning pink.
Finally, she timidly said,
“Your Highness… this servant is foolish. I… I don’t know how to undo it.”
Yun Suiwu lowered his gaze to look at her.
The moonlight draped over her pale blue dress, creating a soft glow around her.
Her head remained lowered as she knelt before him.
The line of her profile was graceful and gentle, like a winding stream. Combined with her bright, watery eyes, she seemed capable of stirring the purest feelings in a person’s heart.
As if she sensed his gaze upon her, her fair earlobes gradually reddened, as bright as rouge.
“There is a hidden clasp at the back,” Yun Suiwu prompted.
Lianxiang moved even closer.
Kneeling before him, she lightly wrapped her arms around his waist and turned her head to search for the hidden clasp behind him.
Her long eyelashes fluttered nervously.
Whether from tension or something else, even her breathing became slightly uneven.
Unable to find the clasp, her hand accidentally pressed against his lower back.
The touch was light, like a spring breeze brushing over water.
It sent an unexpected ticklish sensation through him.
It was strange.
Aunt Pei had served him closely for years. She handled tasks such as helping him dress and giving massages.
Yet he had never experienced this kind of gentle feeling before.
Was it because of those clear and innocent eyes?
“Your Highness… this servant is truly stupid. I… I still cannot find the clasp.”
Lianxiang was embarrassed and flustered, looking as though she might kneel and beg for forgiveness at any moment.
In truth, she had already touched it.
She simply did not realize it was the hidden clasp.
“The place you just touched,” Yun Suiwu said while lightly swirling the empty wine cup in his hand.
Lianxiang felt around at that same spot again and then timidly looked up at him.
“Mm.”
After receiving confirmation from the prince, she leaned even farther forward, slipping her head beneath his arm to look behind his waist.
She found the clasp.
But now she did not know how to open it.
Lianxiang became so anxious she nearly cried.
She felt certain the prince must be losing patience with her.
After all, she came from a humble background and had seen very little of the world.
Since entering the manor, she had focused entirely on caring for the little prince and rarely handled anything else.
“Ah!”
Just as she was struggling with worry, she had been stretching forward for too long.
Her elbow suddenly slipped.
Before she could react, she fell directly into the prince’s arms.
Lianxiang was horrified.
Her face instantly turned pale.
She hurried to get up, but the carefully arranged hair at her temple had become tangled in the golden chain hanging from the prince’s belt.
The more she struggled, the tighter the strand of hair became wrapped around it.
All the blood rushed to her head.
Her cheeks became as hot as boiling water.
“Your… Your Highness… I… I didn’t do it on purpose. My hair got tangled…” Lianxiang said pitifully.
Her soft voice trembled, and it sounded as though she were on the verge of tears.