Feeling the mattress sink beside her, Lin Jiayan instinctively scooted farther toward the inside of the bed.
“The Domineering Prince Dotes on His Beloved Wife…”
Chahar flipped through the book in his hand and read the title aloud.
Lin Jiayan’s scalp tingled with alarm.
She had been so focused on hiding the truly “adults-only” book that she’d forgotten about the pile of storybooks still scattered on the table.
She immediately sprang up and threw herself onto Chahar, pinning the book beneath her body.
“Stop reading. It’s not suitable for children.”
“Children?” Chahar narrowed his eyes, a low chuckle escaping from deep in his throat. “You’re eighteen and I’m twenty. Which one of us is the child?”
“Anyway… it’s not appropriate for you.”
Snatching the book away, Lin Jiayan stuffed it beneath her pillow, pressed it down with her head, and turned her back to him.
“Oh? Then what about this one?” Chahar asked leisurely. “The Eighteen Secret Arts of the Bridal Chamber. Is that suitable for me?”
?!
Lin Jiayan spun around so fast that the top of her head slammed directly into Chahar’s chin.
“Ugh—”
“Ow!”
Clutching her head in pain, she still didn’t forget to lunge for the book.
Chahar hid it behind his back while rubbing his aching chin.
“Are you trying to murder your husband?”
Tears welled in Lin Jiayan’s eyes from the pain, but she ignored everything else and stretched desperately toward the book. Unfortunately, Chahar’s broad shoulders and long arms gave him a significant advantage. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t even touch the corner of it.
“Give it back!”
“Then tell me where you got all these books.”
“You give it back first.”
Half sprawled across Chahar’s body, Lin Jiayan stretched toward the edge of the bed.
“Hey, careful.”
Suddenly losing her balance, she tipped toward the floor. Chahar quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back into his embrace.
The woman in his arms suddenly froze, clutching her head.
Chahar immediately grew worried.
“What happened? Does it hurt?”
He gently rubbed the spot she’d hit.
Seizing the opportunity, Lin Jiayan shot out a hand, snatched the book from him, flipped up her side of the mattress, and shoved the book underneath.
Only after successfully hiding it did she finally groan in pain.
“It hurts so much… Is your chin made of stone?”
Watching her complain first despite being the culprit, Chahar couldn’t help laughing.
“My princess is so shy. Isn’t it perfectly normal to do a little studying before consummating a marriage?”
“Study your head.”
Lin Jiayan glared at him through watery eyes.
“Let me see.”
Chahar turned her head toward him and examined the injury. Sure enough, a sizable bump had already formed.
“I should put a compress on it. Otherwise it’ll bruise.”
Soon, he returned with a damp towel.
Pulling her into his lap, he gently pressed the cool cloth against the bump.
Chahar loved holding her in his arms. It was a posture that gave him a sense of complete control.
However, there was one drawback.
Now that they were curled up together on the bed, with Lin Jiayan sitting on his lap, she could clearly feel the changes in his body.
“Ahem…”
This was perfectly normal.
Chahar looked away and cleared his throat.
Feeling the firmness and unmistakable presence beneath her, Lin Jiayan shifted uneasily.
“Don’t move…”
If she moved any more, he really would lose control.
After so many cold baths every day, even a man made of iron had his limits.
Suppressing his growing restlessness, Chahar deliberately changed the subject.
“Father says he’s planning to hold a banquet in the next few days. It’ll be a celebration in your honor. The New Year festival is approaching anyway, so everyone can start celebrating early.”
“A celebration? After all this time?”
Lin Jiayan hadn’t expected Bule Humu to still remember the matter.
“You saved so many people. Everyone wants to thank you properly. You’ve been recovering indoors for so long that many people still haven’t met you. They’re all hoping to finally catch a glimpse of the princess.”
“With my body falling apart and skin hanging off my bones, what’s there to look at?”
Lin Jiayan lowered her head dejectedly.
The body had always been frail to begin with. After her injuries and illness, she seemed even thinner and more delicate, as though a strong gust of wind might blow her away.
“My princess possesses beauty that could sink fish and eclipse flowers. Everyone who sees you says you’re like an immortal descended from heaven. Why say such discouraging things?”
Chahar lovingly stroked the long scar along her neck.
Though it had healed, leaving only a faint white mark, the memory of her slashing her own throat with such determination still tore at his heart.
“Then you’ll have to protect me properly from now on. Don’t let me get hurt again.”
Sensing his sadness, Lin Jiayan quietly tightened her arms around him.
The grand tent blazed with light.
Members of the royal family and noble clans sat in a circle around lavish tables laden with delicacies and fine wine. Laughter and conversation filled the air.
At the center of the tent, several blonde, blue-eyed dancers performed gracefully.
Their faces were veiled with jeweled chains, and their flowing skirts swayed elegantly as they moved.
Lin Jiayan stared openly.
She had never expected to see exotic beauties in the middle of the grasslands.
Those long legs.
Those slender waists.
Those impressive curves…
Every gesture the dancers made was full of irresistible charm.
Meanwhile, Chahar kept avoiding looking directly at them.
His gaze wandered uncertainly until it accidentally met Zhana’s from across the room.
The two men immediately looked away at the same time and raised their wine cups to conceal the awkwardness.
Terrified that even a single glance at the dancers might upset the woman beside him, Chahar carefully observed Lin Jiayan from the corner of his eye.
To his surprise, she was completely engrossed in admiring the dancers’ figures.
There was even a dreamy smile on her face.
“Hey.”
Chahar squeezed her hand beneath the table.
“Are they really that attractive?”
“They are. Who doesn’t enjoy looking at beautiful women?”
Without even turning her head, Lin Jiayan continued staring at the dancers.
Chahar found himself utterly speechless and could only sulk while drinking his wine.
“Princess, after all this time recovering, are you feeling better?”
Bule Humu looked at his two sons seated beside their beloved companions and smiled with satisfaction.
“Khan, please just call me Jiayan. Thank you for your concern. I’ve fully recovered.”
Lin Jiayan rose and offered a respectful salute.
“Excellent, excellent. When you were gravely ill, it wasn’t just Chahar who worried. We old folks were worried as well.”
“Indeed. I missed the prince’s wedding, so this is my first time meeting the princess. She’s truly breathtaking. The two of them are a match made in heaven!”
“Hahaha! The prince is already over twenty. He should hurry up and give us a few little princes and princesses to liven things up!”
“Our prince is wise and heroic, and the princess possesses unmatched beauty. Their future children will surely be extraordinary!”
…
Listening as the crowd enthusiastically discussed her future descendants as though they already existed, Lin Jiayan blushed furiously.
She secretly pinched the large hand holding hers.
Chahar glanced at her over the rim of his wine cup but wisely laughed along and steered the conversation elsewhere.
Once the dancers left, guests began moving around the tent, toasting one another.
Chahar was quickly dragged away by soldiers from the military camp and forced into round after round of drinking.
Many people also came to toast Lin Jiayan, thanking her for saving them during the epidemic.
Since she had only recently recovered, Chahar had forbidden her from drinking alcohol.
However, she couldn’t refuse the enthusiastic herdsmen.
By the end of the evening, she had finished more than half the fruit wine on her table.
When Chahar finally escaped the crowd and returned to her side, Lin Jiayan was already slightly tipsy.
Her cheeks were flushed red, her eyes hazy as she rested her chin in one hand, watching people dance around the bonfire.
“Drunk?”
Chahar sat beside her and let her lean against him.
“No.”
Lin Jiayan narrowed her eyes and smiled.
“Just a little.”
The dancing flames illuminated the faces around them.
People gathered around the bonfire, their laughter and songs rising and falling through the night.
The air was filled with the smoky fragrance of roasted meat and the fresh scent of the endless grasslands.
“We should head home.”
Seeing her exhaustion, Chahar lifted her into his arms.
The surrounding crowd immediately erupted into cheers and teasing whistles.
Laughing, Chahar kicked away a few playful troublemakers blocking his path and strode out of the banquet with her in his arms.