Ye Yun, observing Mo Qingchen’s current reaction, laughed without restraint. “Your Highness, is this the first time you’ve been kissed by a girl?”
Mo Qingchen instinctively retorted without thinking, “And you—isn’t this your first time too?”
“It is, but it seems I handled it better than Your Highness,” Ye Yun said with complete composure.
This girl spoke such words with utter audacity. Mo Qingchen fixed his gaze on the person before him and said in a deep voice, “Little girl, since you are to become the Consort of the Prince of Imperial Order, you may act as you please in my presence. But if I ever find out you dare behave this way in front of another man, I will—”
“What will Your Highness do?” Ye Yun asked deliberately.
At this moment, Mo Qingchen’s arm around Ye Yun’s waist did not loosen. With a slight exertion, the two, already close, became even more intimately pressed together. “I will have that man chopped to pieces!”
“So ruthless—but I like it,” Ye Yun said, a faint smile gracing her lips. Since Mo Qingchen was already holding her by the waist, she took the opportunity to sit directly on his lap. “As you said, I can do as I please. I’ve been through quite a lot in the imperial garden today, and then had to walk all the way from there to the palace gate. I’ve always been frail, and now I’m utterly exhausted—I can’t take another step. Your Highness wouldn’t mind personally carrying me into the residence, would you?”
Mo Qingchen looked at the little girl sitting on his lap, soft and clinging to him, and without a word, he scooped her up into his arms and stepped out of the carriage.
Outside the carriage, Feng Ying and Lingzhi were waiting. Lingzhi was utterly astonished—why was Prince Chen carrying her young mistress into the residence again? Feng Ying, however, found it unremarkable. Anyone else would never receive such treatment, but Miss Ye was different.
As Mo Qingchen carried her, Ye Yun instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and said in a very soft voice, “When I said before that you’re quite remarkable, that I like you and want to be with you, I meant every word. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t bother. But since I can be this way with you, what about you, Your Highness?”
“From what you know of me, do you think I can?”
“You can’t phrase it like that, Your Highness. Perhaps you just never understood before. Men are all greedy cats—once they get a taste of it, they might start wanting three wives and four concubines—”
Mo Qingchen cut her off immediately. “I have no such intentions.”
“Really?” Ye Yun eyed him skeptically.
“Really!” Mo Qingchen affirmed. Indeed, men were greedy cats, but what he craved was the little girl in his arms. She filled him with curiosity, constantly drawing him in. Just as she had said, “If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t bother,” he felt the same. Perhaps from the day she had seen through his injury, offered him a prescription, and revealed a side of herself he had never seen before, he had been captivated.
Or perhaps it was from the moment this delicate girl resolutely severed her engagement with Mo Heng that she had drawn him in.
Being with her, even when her words were bold and unrestrained, he found it amusing. It was as if, when it came to her, all restrictions became irrelevant.
They soon arrived at Ye Yun’s courtyard within the Protectorate Duke’s Residence.
Mo Qingchen gently set Ye Yun down on a nearby seat. “You’ve been staring at me the entire way. Is there really a need to keep your eyes fixed on me like that?”
“A handsome guy, of course, is never tiresome to look at.” Ye Yun spoke without reservation, and as her words fell, she reached out to grasp Mo Qingchen’s hand, her fingertip precisely landing on his pulse. “It seems that Your Highness has been taking the medicine according to the prescription I gave, and the effect is even better than expected.”
“The two additional medicines you need, I will send people to search for them. Once—”
Before Mo Qingchen could finish, Ye Yun’s voice chimed in, “Father, Mother, Second Brother, Third Brother.” He turned to look and saw four people standing neatly at the doorway.
Ye Heng, Qin Yao, Ye Yang, and Ye Fan stared at the scene before them—the two of them still holding hands. This…
Noticing the identical expressions on all four faces, Ye Yun instantly realized she was still holding Mo Qingchen’s hand. She quickly let go, withdrew her hand, and stood up from the chair, smiling. “Father, Mother, what brings you here?”
Ye Heng spoke firmly, “Has Yun’er been causing any trouble for Your Highness?”
“Father, I haven’t been causing him any trouble.”
Seeing this, Ye Fan immediately stepped over to Ye Yun, pulling his younger sister aside and whispering in a very low voice, “Little sister, why did you ride back in Prince Chen’s carriage again today? And you even let him carry you again? Even if you like him, you can’t just let him carry you so casually.”
Ye Yun glanced at Ye Fan. “Third Brother, is there a problem with that?”
“Isn’t there?” Ye Fan looked utterly bewildered.
Qin Yao stepped forward and said softly, “Yun’er has been spoiled by us since she was a child. If she has caused any trouble for Your Highness, please be patient with her.”
“Duke, Duchess, you are too kind.” Mo Qingchen’s gaze shifted to Ye Yun, who had been pulled aside by Ye Fan. “Moreover, my future Princess Consort could never be considered trouble.”
“Princess Consort!” Ye Heng and Qin Yao exclaimed in unison.
Never mind her parents and brothers’ reactions—even Ye Yun herself was stunned by Mo Qingchen’s direct words. Was he really this bold?
Ye Yun leaned slightly closer to Mo Qingchen and whispered, “Aren’t you being a bit too fierce?”
Mo Qingchen cooperated with Ye Yun, replying just as quietly, “Little girl, you were the one who said we must keep our word.”
Ye Heng had already recovered from his shock. “Future Princess Consort? What does Your Highness mean by that? It’s a bit hard to understand.”
“The little girl said she likes me. Coincidentally, I like her too. That’s all there is to it.”
Mo Qingchen remained perfectly calm. “Or does the Duke think there is a problem with the Protectorate Duke’s Residence forming a marriage alliance with Prince Chen’s Mansion?”
“Of course not.” Ye Heng then asked, “Is Your Highness serious about this?”
“Does the Duke think I am someone who speaks carelessly?”
“Certainly not.”
“Duke, rest assured, I will handle all the specifics of this matter properly. I have already brought her back. There are still matters to attend to at Prince Chen’s Mansion, so I shall take my leave now.”
Just as Ye Heng was about to personally escort him out, Mo Qingchen stopped him.
After Mo Qingchen left, Ye Fan asked bluntly, “Little sister, what method did you use? That unapproachable ice block—you actually managed to win him over!”
“He’s not that hard to handle,” Ye Yun replied.
Qin Yao walked over and gently stroked Ye Yun’s cheek. “Yun’er, are you sure?”
“Father, Mother, rest assured. What happened before won’t occur again. He’s different from Mo Heng. I’ll be perfectly safe, truly,” Ye Yun repeatedly assured her parents with conviction.
Ye Yang appeared quite relaxed as he remarked, “Father, Mother, there’s no need for excessive worry. Though Prince Chen is profoundly unfathomable, he’s a man of his word. If I may say so, our younger sister was never well-matched with the Crown Prince to begin with. Being paired with Prince Chen now is actually an excellent arrangement.”
Ye Heng let out a sigh of relief. “Good. As long as our Yun’er is genuinely happy, that’s all that matters.”