The man's voice was clear and crisp.
Like a jar of wine on a winter night, its mellow fragrance mingled with a cool, moist sensation that made one's ears tingle irresistibly.
Kan'er was accustomed to his voice.
It didn't affect her much.
But she couldn't help that her current body was still young and tender!
As soon as the Crown Prince's voice reached her ears, Kan'er's earlobes began to itch uncontrollably, and her body tensed up.
She had no choice but to suppress these instinctive reactions, curtsy in response, and then walk briskly toward the Crown Prince as if nothing were amiss.
When she reached him, she gracefully knelt and bowed.
"This humble maid greets Your Highness. May Your Highness live a thousand years in golden peace."
Kan'er's voice was soft, carrying the gentle sweetness unique to a young maiden and an indescribable charm.
Hai Shun shuddered upon hearing it.
He immediately averted his gaze.
At that moment, he noticed something unusual about the side of the little palace maid's lowered face.
"Your Highness, look at this…"
The Crown Prince, also known as Luo Xun.
Luo Xun followed Hai Shun's line of sight.
But from his angle, he could only see the top of the little palace maid's head.
He subtly furrowed his handsome brows.
"Raise your head."
After a pause, he added, "Look at this solitary one."
His tone was cold, and even with just a few simple words, it exuded an overwhelming sense of pressure.
"Yes."
Kan'er dared not delay.
Her gaze first fell upon the hem of his jade-colored robe embroidered with dragons soaring across the seas, then moved to his slender waist, broad chest, and finally settled on his handsome face after passing over his prominent Adam's apple.
He was truly handsome.
His temples were sharply defined as if cut by a blade, his eyebrows like ink paintings.
His fair complexion resembled the finest mutton-fat jade, with superior contours and distinct edges. A pair of phoenix eyes were deep and narrow.
Those pitch-black pupils were like ink that could never dissolve.
Cold as frost, deep as an abyssal pool.
As their eyes met, Kan'er heard the sound of her own heartbeat.
Thump, thump.
In her previous life, Kan'er had been too intimidated by his imposing presence, almost never daring to look at him so intently.
By the time she finally mustered the courage to truly see him, the Crown Prince had already become Emperor Qingzhao, and she had risen from a Liangdi (Imperial Concubine of the Second Rank) of the Crown Prince to become Consort Shu.
At this very moment.
Gazing at the man's youthful face, Kan'er suddenly felt a sense of bewilderment and an indescribable bitterness in her heart.
Luo Xun, of course, had no idea what this little palace maid was thinking. Seeing her beautiful eyes glistening with moisture,
Her eye rims red, and her cherry-like lips trembling slightly,
He was momentarily taken aback.
Thinking to himself how timid she truly was.
Yet for the past three nights in his dreams, she had seduced him so, causing him to…
Noticing the finger marks on Kan'er's right cheek,
Luo Xun narrowed his dark eyes and glanced at Hai Shun.
The latter understood immediately and swiftly exited.
Kan'er knew what Hai Shun was going to do.
The slaps she had given herself served two purposes: first, to cause trouble for Lady Zheng, and second, to secretly declare her stance to the Crown Prince.
To better handle what was to come.
But Kan'er had little mind to think about that now.
Because—
Only she and the Crown Prince remained in the room.
Perhaps influenced by this young body, or perhaps because the room was too quiet, amplifying the Crown Prince's already imposing majesty,
It actually made Kan'er feel genuinely nervous.
Thus, Luo Xun saw.
Tears gathered in the little palace maid's misty eyes, crystal clear, making her honey-colored irises resemble gems immersed in spring water.
Yet the corners of her eyes were narrow and upturned, with a captivating charm that seemed entirely natural.
Like a spirit that had just taken human form.
Innocent and naive, enchanting without even realizing it.
The cold, harsh words on Luo Xun's lips came to an abrupt halt.
She also thought about how bold she was in her dreams, daring to try all sorts of tricks on him and say all kinds of nonsense to him.
But now, she looked as if she were afraid he might devour her.
"Get up."
Kan'er had just begun to calm herself inwardly when she heard the man's icy voice and saw a large hand appear before her eyes.
She looked up in surprise.
In her previous life, the Crown Prince hadn't offered her his hand at this moment. Before telling her to rise, he had asked her something else first. Why was this lifetime different…
Kan'er was puzzled in her heart but didn't dare delay outwardly.
She raised her hand and gently placed it on that large palm. "Thank you, Your Highness."
The man's hand was large, and the warmth of his palm was intense.
The moment their skin touched.
Kan'er's fingertips felt as if they had been scalded, while a familiar tingling sensation rapidly spread from her fingertips.
Kan'er felt her heart tremble.
Her legs, which had been standing for too long, suddenly went weak.
The next moment, she found herself sitting on the Crown Prince's sturdy lap.
Luo Xun felt a wave of fragrance assail his senses.
A soft, fragrant body was now in his arms, and a sudden, gentle pressure on his left leg caused his muscles to tense involuntarily.
"Your Highness!"
Kan'er instinctively gasped softly, her face flushed with embarrassment as she tried to stand up.
Who would have thought her legs were truly numb!
As soon as she moved, pain and numbness shot through her.
Kan'er drew in a sharp breath, her body tilting once more, her head bumping against the man's firm, broad shoulder.
And this made her sit even more deeply and firmly.
It was mid-April, the beginning of summer.
Their clothing was already light, and the fabric thin.
With Kan'er sitting like this, there was no gap between them.
The thin fabric could hardly block their body heat or the contours of their forms.
One was hard and solid.
The other was soft and supple.
"Your Highness, please forgive me, this servant, this servant…"
Kan'er's face flushed crimson, and she was genuinely panicked now.
She was just a lowly palace maid, not yet favored, and the Crown Prince valued propriety above all, tolerating no one's audacity.
In her previous life, although he had been greedy for that when they were together, once he left the bed, he would revert to his usual cold and aloof demeanor.
The dignity and majesty of the Crown Prince were not to be violated.
If he misunderstood her actions as a deliberate attempt to seduce him, that would be disastrous!
With this thought, Kan'er wished she could stand up immediately.
But the problem was, could leg numbness be resolved in just a moment?
On the contrary, the more Kan'er tried to stand, the stronger the waves of pain in her legs became. As a result, she failed to rise three times in a row, only pressing herself even tighter against the Crown Prince.
Luo Xun's temple throbbed faintly.
The increasingly snug fit of the delicate body in his arms and the pressure and friction on his left leg made his body stiffen repeatedly. A strange yet familiar restlessness surged fiercely within him.
He restrained himself again and again but could no longer hold back.
He seized the small hand pressed against his chest and gripped her slender waist tightly.
"Sit still!"
Hai Shun entered just in time to hear this.
Seeing the little palace maid sitting in the Crown Prince's lap, Hai Shun instinctively assumed she had been improper and angered the Crown Prince.
His heart tightened, and he was about to step forward to reprimand her.
But as soon as he lifted his foot, the Crown Prince's icy gaze fell upon him.
"Get out!"
Alright then!
Hai Shun didn't even pause his steps.
Kan'er's face was as red as dripping blood, and she didn't dare move a muscle.
"Your Highness…"
Luo Xun's gaze swept over her flushed face, pausing briefly at the two faint, blood-streaked marks before meeting her beautiful, timid eyes.
"Afraid of me?" he asked coldly.