As soon as they approached the city, Lianxin swiftly tidied Lin Jiayan’s hair and makeup. She painted a decorative floral mark on her forehead with gold leaf, draped a bright red brocade wedding robe over her shoulders, and carefully arranged her bridal attire before helping her down from the carriage.
The moment Lin Jiayan appeared, thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd. Horns blared, drums thundered, and stringed instruments rang out so loudly that they shook her ears.
Her legs instantly turned to jelly.
Trembling, she could barely take a step.
Chahar came forward and took her hand, leading her onward.
The moment she tried to walk, her knees buckled. She stumbled forward and crashed straight into Chahar’s solid chest.
Another burst of laughter exploded from the crowd.
“The bride can’t wait anymore! Hahaha!”
“Already throwing herself into his arms!”
“The bride is so beautiful—Chahar’s going to have a hard time sleeping tonight!”
…
They were speaking Mongolian. Lin Jiayan couldn’t understand the words, but she could easily hear the teasing in their voices.
Her face flushed bright red.
She secretly punched her useless legs before steadying herself. Then Chahar took her hand once more and continued leading her forward.
Surrounded by the crowd, they performed one ceremony after another—offering tea, bowing, kneeling, and paying respects.
Someone brought out a cooked sheep’s head with an ornate dagger placed beside it. An elder spoke a string of words neither of them understood.
Chahar picked up the dagger, sliced off a piece of meat from the sheep’s head, and handed it to Lin Jiayan.
She accepted it blankly, having no idea what she was supposed to do.
Chahar then cut a piece for himself and gestured for her to eat.
The sheep’s head had simply been boiled in water, without any seasoning whatsoever.
After days of exhausting travel, Lin Jiayan already had no appetite. She could only mechanically chew the meat in her mouth.
Seeing her struggle, Chahar frowned.
Then he gave a heavy cough.
Startled, Lin Jiayan nearly dropped the meat. She hurriedly stuffed the entire piece into her mouth and swallowed it whole.
“Chahar, you should be gentler with your wife.”
A woman seated in a place of honor spoke with a light laugh—in Chinese.
Lin Jiayan looked up.
The woman wore a warm smile and had a kind, pleasant face.
“I am Chahar’s sister-in-law. My name is Dulan.”
She took Lin Jiayan’s hand warmly.
“We’re family now.”
Not knowing what to say, Lin Jiayan simply lowered her head.
After that, she sat beside Chahar while wave after wave of people came forward to bow and pay their respects.
The lamb she had forced down churned painfully in her stomach.
All around her, people spoke in unfamiliar languages. The endless buzzing of voices made her complexion grow even paler.
By the time the ceremony finally ended, she felt completely drained.
She was escorted to a tent and left there alone.
The heavy ornaments weighed on her neck until it felt numb. Every inch of her body ached.
She desperately wanted to remove the elaborate headdress and wash off the makeup before resting, but she was afraid of angering the fierce-looking prince. So she simply propped her head up with one hand and sighed silently.
“Your Highness.”
Lianxin lifted the tent flap and entered.
“I’m here to help you with your hair.”
“More hairdressing?”
Lin Jiayan nearly jumped out of her seat.
Over the past few days, the hours-long grooming sessions had already traumatized her. She thought there must be another ceremony waiting for her and that she would have to change outfits all over again.
“No, no.”
Lianxin laughed.
“I’m here to help you remove your makeup and prepare for bed.”
“You mean I can sleep?”
Lin Jiayan looked stunned.
Wasn’t the bride usually supposed to sit in the bridal chamber waiting for the groom to return?
How could she just wash up and go to sleep?
“Yes. The Great Princess Consort said Your Highness should rest first.”
“Oh…”
That suited her perfectly.
She was already so exhausted that she probably wouldn’t be able to stay awake much longer even if she kept all the makeup on.
She allowed Lianxin to dismantle her hairstyle piece by piece. In a haze, her outer garments were removed, and she was guided onto the bed.
The moment her head touched the pillow, she passed out.
By the time Chahar left the banquet tent, he had been forced to drink quite a lot of alcohol.
Yet his eyes remained clear, and his steps steady.
There wasn’t a trace of drunkenness about him.
He flexed his fingers unconsciously, recalling the sensation lingering in his palm.
He had held her hand throughout the ceremony.
Such a small hand.
Cool and smooth, soft as if boneless.
He lifted his fingers to his nose.
A faint fragrance seemed to linger there still.
When he returned to his tent, the wedding candles on the low table were nearly burned out.
A jug of wine still sat there.
They hadn’t even drunk the ceremonial wedding wine together.
Chahar walked to the bedside and looked at the small mound beneath the blankets.
Lifting one corner of the quilt, he revealed Lin Jiayan’s arm.
Her hand was delicate and fair, her wrist pale as frost.
He wrapped his fingers around her hand, then lightly squeezed her slender fingers.
The woman remained fast asleep.
Completely unaware.
How could her hands still be so cold after being tucked beneath the blankets for so long?
Unable to resist, Chahar leaned closer to study her face.
Without makeup, she appeared far more fragile and pale than before.
Her eyelashes were long and thick.
Her nose was small and elegant.
Her slightly parted lips looked soft and delicate.
A faint crease rested between her brows, as though even in sleep she wasn’t resting peacefully.
In her dream, Lin Jiayan was running desperately through a dense forest.
Heavy footsteps thundered behind her in relentless pursuit.
She ran until she could barely breathe.
Then she tripped over a stone and fell.
Turning around, she saw a snarling black bear charging straight at her.
Its sharp teeth loomed before her eyes.
Terrified, she squeezed her eyes shut.
She could almost feel its coarse fur brushing against her neck—
With a violent gasp, she woke up.
Breathing hard, she suddenly realized there really was a dark head buried near her neck.
She screamed.
Jerking upright, she scrambled backward.
Unfortunately, the solid wooden bedframe was directly behind her.
Her head slammed into it with a loud thud.
“Ow…”
Pain shot through her skull, bringing tears to her eyes.
Chahar had only leaned closer to figure out what fragrance she carried.
He hadn’t expected such a dramatic reaction.
Seeing her clutching her head in the corner with tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, irritation rose within him.
Lifting his robe, he sat heavily on the bed and extended a large hand toward her.
“Come here.”
Lin Jiayan shrank back, pulling her feet even closer to herself.
When she made no move, Chahar’s expression darkened.
Without another word, he reached out with one long arm and effortlessly hauled her out of the corner.
She cried out in alarm.
“We’re husband and wife now. Why are you so afraid of me?”
His face was stern and clearly displeased.
The size difference between them was overwhelming.
He could control her movements with ease.
Chahar had one hand wrapped around her ankle.
Lin Jiayan trembled uncontrollably.
It wasn’t that she wanted to react this way.
In her previous life, she hadn’t even had the chance to date anyone, much less suddenly find herself in such intimate contact with a complete stranger.
“Y-you… let go of me first.”
Chahar raised an eyebrow.
“What if I don’t?”
Lin Jiayan struggled repeatedly, but the iron grip around her ankle didn’t budge.
Furious, she kicked his arm several times with her free leg.
The man didn’t move an inch.
Instead, her own leg ended up red and sore.
Watching her struggle so desperately, Chahar quickly lost interest.
He released her.
Truthfully, he wasn’t happy about this marriage in the first place. He had merely gone through the motions.
Yet this princess looked as though she had been forced into marriage against her will and was prepared to resist to the death.
He wasn’t the type to seize women by force.
He had no desire to compel someone unwilling.
The moment she regained her freedom, Lin Jiayan hugged her knees and retreated to the corner again, staring at him warily.
Chahar flopped onto the bed and mocked her.
“Her Highness won’t even let me touch her. Then why come all the way here? Why don’t I send someone to take you back tomorrow so you won’t have to live in fear?”
“Really?”
Lin Jiayan’s eyes lit up immediately.
For a moment, Chahar was speechless.
Was this princess mentally damaged?
The emperor of the Southern Kingdom had clearly abandoned her like a disposable pawn.
If she were truly sent back, how could she possibly survive?
“Of course not.”
Rolling his eyes, he sat upright.
Lin Jiayan instantly deflated.
Realizing he had been deliberately mocking her, she glared angrily at the back of his head.
As if sensing her gaze, Chahar suddenly turned around.
Their eyes met.
Startled, she quickly looked away.
“If Your Highness dislikes me so much, why are you still staying in my tent?”
“Huh?”
Was he driving her out?
Being thrown out by a man in the middle of the night?
Lin Jiayan had never suffered such humiliation in either of her lives.
Grinding her teeth, she climbed off the bed.
Her outer robe had been put away by Lianxin somewhere. She was dressed only in a white undergarment.
Standing barefoot on the felt carpet, she searched for her shoes and socks.
Finding none, she gave up.
Under Chahar’s amused gaze, she ignored propriety completely and strode toward the tent entrance barefoot.
“Hey.”
Chahar reached out to stop her.
He hadn’t expected her temper to be so fierce.
If she actually stormed out dressed like that and someone saw her, what would people think?
He grabbed her arm.
Lin Jiayan had been holding herself together purely through stubborn determination.
The moment he pulled her—
Her vision went black.
And she fainted on the spot.