At this moment, Hua Miao Miao, already drunk, was fast asleep, completely unaware that her secret was about to be uncovered.
Xiao Jinyan looked at her sprawled, carefree posture and momentarily didn’t know what to say.
She must trust him deeply to be able to sleep so completely relaxed.
Taking advantage of her deep sleep, he carefully observed her appearance. Setting aside her face for a moment, he examined her hair, neck, body, skin, and limbs—everything was flawless.
It was precisely because of this perfection that her face now seemed so incongruous, almost out of place. And just now, when she had been taking off her clothes, why had she worn so many layers? Was it another attempt to disguise herself?
This full-body disguise from head to toe left him puzzled.
The more he looked, the more he wanted to know what the Hua family’s legitimate daughter truly looked like.
As he reached to touch the back of her neck again, Hua Miao Miao suddenly raised a hand and pushed him aside.
Mumbling, she said, “Don’t… move… I’m… sleeping… my head feels so dizzy…”
Hearing her voice, Xiao Jinyan almost laughed. His new princess was certainly interesting. But more than anything, his curiosity burned—what kind of face was hiding beneath that “ugly” exterior?
With that thought, Xiao Jinyan lay down beside her and spent the night quietly watching over her until morning.
Outside, Old Maid Li, hearing no noise, went to report to the Empress. She had now confirmed without doubt that the Third Prince was indeed blind.
Even when the bride lifted her veil earlier, she had been shocked by the sight. Yet the prince had shown no reaction whatsoever. His eyes, on closer inspection, were completely devoid of light.
Moreover, the poison the Empress had administered was irremediable—no one in the world could counteract it. The Third Prince was, in all practical terms, completely incapacitated.
The next morning, Xiao Jinyan awoke first. Lying on the inner side of the bed, it was inconvenient to get up, so he remained beside Hua Miao Miao.
Overnight, her collar had slipped open, revealing a tempting view, yet she still slept soundly.
Carefully, he reached over and adjusted her collar back into place.
Though his movements were gentle, his heart pounded. Thinking of the “sight” he had just glimpsed, Xiao Jinyan felt a rare flush of shyness.
After a while, Hua Miao Miao finally woke.
According to Mingyue Kingdom’s etiquette, he should have accompanied his princess to meet the Emperor, but because he was blind, many formalities were waived.
More importantly, he was now effectively a “discarded royal child,” so nearly all ceremonial duties were unnecessary.
Even the residence he lived in was the worst among all the princes—not only secluded in location, but also the smallest in scale.
Groggily waking, Hua Miao Miao struggled to orient herself. It took her a while before her vision focused.
Looking around, she confirmed that she was still in this dynasty—returning home was clearly impossible.
Turning to see Xiao Jinyan now sitting up, she grinned and cheerfully said, “Good morning, husband!”
Taking advantage of the fact that he could see nothing, Hua Miao Miao didn’t care how she looked. Her clothes were already loose, so she casually adjusted them and got out of bed.
Her unrestrained, bold demeanor left Xiao Jinyan momentarily stunned. But he quickly adjusted—after all, she was a daughter of a military family. Such confident, spirited behavior was probably her norm.
Watching her rummage through the wardrobe in a disheveled state, he noted that although the prince’s residence had already prepared plenty of clothing for her, he hadn’t really given much thought to women’s garments before.
“Your Highness, were all these clothes prepared for me?” Hua Miaomiao asked without even looking back.
“Yes,” Xiao Jinyan replied, watching her back. “Everything inside was prepared for you. If you don’t like them, I can have more made.”
After a bit of searching, Hua Miaomiao finally picked out a set of pale purple clothing. But as a former special forces operative, she had no idea how to handle such delicate garments.
Turning to Xiao Jinyan, she asked, “Your Highness, how do you wear these?”
Spreading out the outfit in front of him, she looked troubled. “Can I have my maid help me? Back home, my clothes were completely different from these.
My old outfits were designed for martial arts and horseback riding. What you’ve prepared is… too complicated. I don’t know how to put it on!”
She felt her excuse was flawless, unlikely to raise any suspicion, and waited confidently for his response.
“That’s fine,” Xiao Jinyan said, getting off the bed. “Do as you see fit.”
Already accustomed to pretending to be blind, he moved about his chambers with ease.
Hua Miaomiao watched him reach out and touch things as he moved. Though he seemed completely familiar with the room, she couldn’t help feeling a pang of sympathy.
Such a perfect person, forced into this situation, even made to marry someone as “ugly” as her—it was almost too cruel.
Setting down the clothes, she approached him and softly said, “If you need anything, just tell me. I’ll get it for you. From now on, I’ll be your eyes.”
Hearing her words, Xiao Jinyan struggled to maintain his composure.
But deep inside, he was profoundly moved. The promise she had made last night wasn’t idle words—she was genuinely following through.
To maintain his own pretense, he continued to act as if he needed assistance. “Thank you, Princess. I’ll trouble you to bring me a set of clothes.”
As for Hua Miaomiao, she only remembered the start of what happened after she unintentionally got drunk the previous night. Everything afterward was a blur.
Luckily, she had apparently protected her “ugly” disguise. But because the Third Prince was blind, she had inadvertently let her guard down.
Back in her previous life, as the squad’s top sniper, even after days in the jungle, her nerves would have been taut and never relaxed.
If not for those drug traffickers indiscriminately firing into the mountains, she might have been killed instead of transmigrating here. Thinking of this, she felt that in a way, she had been reborn.
After rummaging through the wardrobe, she pulled out a simple outfit and handed it to him. “Do you want me to help you put it on?”
Xiao Jinyan hesitated only a second before happily agreeing.