She had already been exhausted the day before, and then she had been woken up in the middle of the night. As a result, Lin Jiayan slept until the sun was high in the sky.
Chahar had been up early. He tidied the tent, fed the warhorses, and even brushed them down.
Judging by the time, that delicate princess should have been awake by now.
Feigning nonchalance, he strolled over to her tent with his long strides.
To his surprise, Lianxin was waiting outside instead of going in. The tent flap remained closed, and there wasn’t a sound from inside.
“She’s still not awake?”
Chahar could hardly believe it. How could someone sleep this much?
Startled, Lianxin quickly lowered her head and explained.
“The princess helped the princess consort with a massage yesterday. She must have tired herself out and is sleeping deeply. I’ll wake her now.”
“A massage?”
Chahar snorted.
With those skinny little arms and tiny hands? Calling that a massage would be generous. It would barely count as scratching an itch.
He waved a dismissive hand.
“Forget it. If she wants to sleep, let her sleep.”
After sleeping so long, Lin Jiayan felt groggy and disoriented.
Hearing voices outside, she lazily opened her eyes and yawned.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she saw that it was already broad daylight.
She sat up and leaned against the bed, trying to wake herself fully.
Her left hand rested on the blanket when her fingers suddenly brushed against something.
A cold, smooth sensation slid across her fingertips.
Frozen, Lin Jiayan slowly lifted the blanket.
“Ahhh!”
Just as Chahar was about to leave, he heard a terrified scream from inside.
Reacting instantly, he rushed to the entrance in two strides, ready to kick the door open.
Before he could, the flap flew open from the inside, and Lin Jiayan threw herself into his arms.
“Sn-snake! Th-there’s a snake!”
She was trembling violently, barely able to speak.
Burying her face against his chest, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
Chahar supported her with one hand beneath her hips while the other patted her back.
She was barefoot, dressed only in a thin white sleeping robe, still carrying the warmth of her bed.
Having spent the morning working, Chahar wore only a light brocade robe himself.
Separated by just two thin layers of fabric, their bodies pressed together.
Only one thought echoed through Chahar’s mind:
How is she so soft?
Laughter broke out around them.
Only then did Chahar realize her bare feet were pressed against him.
He wrapped the edge of his robe around her and carried her back into the tent.
“Where is it?”
Supporting the trembling woman with one arm, he scanned the room.
“Over there—on the bed.”
Peeking out from his embrace with one eye, Lin Jiayan pointed shakily.
Chahar walked over and threw back the blankets.
Sure enough, a slender white snake lay coiled inside.
Lin Jiayan took one look, shrieked again, and clung to him even more tightly.
She refused to look a second time.
“Relax. It’s not venomous.”
Is that really the point?
Whimpering, Lin Jiayan buried her face deeper against his chest.
Seeing how frightened she was, Chahar couldn’t resist teasing her.
“Your bed must be so warm that even the snakes want to crawl in and share it.”
“Stop talking! Just stop!”
Her scalp tingled in horror.
Angrily, she pounded her fist against his chest.
His chest vibrated with a low laugh.
“You’re laughing?”
Lin Jiayan lifted her head to glare at him, only to catch sight of the snake moving on the bed from the corner of her eye.
“Ahhh!”
Still chuckling, Chahar pulled her closer.
Using his free hand, he grabbed the blanket, tied the four corners into a bundle around the snake, and tossed it near the entrance.
“All done.”
Cautiously, Lin Jiayan raised her head and looked around the tent, worried there might be another snake hiding somewhere.
Chahar cleared his throat.
Only then did she realize she was still clinging to him like an octopus.
Her face flushed bright red.
She hurriedly struggled out of his arms.
“Sorry—I mean—thank you…”
Standing barefoot on the felt carpet, she looked utterly embarrassed.
When she noticed Chahar silently staring at her chest, she looked down and realized that in all the commotion, the collar of her robe had loosened.
She immediately covered it with both hands and glared at him.
“Pervert!”
While Lianxin helped her get dressed inside the tent, Chahar leaned against the entrance with his arms crossed.
He recalled the way Lin Jiayan had trembled in fear, hiding in his arms.
Soft. Warm. Fragrant.
The feeling lingered pleasantly in his mind.
It was surprisingly difficult to forget.
The flap opened.
Lin Jiayan stepped out, fully dressed and composed once more, the picture of elegance and dignity.
Only the lingering redness behind her ears betrayed her inner turmoil.
“Thank you for your help just now, Taiji. Did your recent campaign go smoothly? I wasn’t feeling well last night and couldn’t welcome you back. Please forgive my discourtesy.”
Apparently, she had spent her dressing time preparing a whole speech of polite formalities.
Chahar raised an eyebrow.
“No matter. Princess, your health is so delicate. You should get plenty of rest.”
He deliberately emphasized the word delicate.
Lin Jiayan glared at him with wide eyes, speechless with irritation.
Seeing that he had teased her enough, Chahar finally became serious and pointed behind the tent.
“There’s a hole in the corner where mice chewed through the wall. The snake probably got in that way. Winter is coming, and the snakes are looking for warm places to hibernate.”
Walking around to the back, Lin Jiayan found a fist-sized hole exactly where he indicated.
Cold wind whistled through it.
She had noticed it when she first moved in, but had simply blocked it with luggage, thinking that would be enough.
She hadn’t considered that it might serve as an open invitation for snakes.
“How about—”
“It’s fine—”
They spoke at the same time, then both stopped.
“It’s only a small hole,” Lin Jiayan said. “We can just sew it up.”
Now it was Chahar’s turn to fall silent.
He had been about to suggest that the tent had been empty for a long time and was too run-down to keep out snakes and vermin.
He wanted to tell her to move back in with him.
But she had cut him off first.
“What were you going to say, Taiji?”
“Nothing.” Chahar rubbed his nose awkwardly.
“I was just asking whether you wanted help patching the hole.”
“You know how to sew?”
Lin Jiayan looked genuinely surprised.
She hadn’t expected a man of the grasslands—someone who led armies into battle—to know how to handle a needle and thread.
“A little.”
Unwilling to lose face, Chahar casually waved a hand and crouched down to inspect the hole.
“It’s just a small patch. Easy.”
Lianxin brought over a needle and thread and watched as the two of them awkwardly fumbled with the repair.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
Lin Jiayan couldn’t help asking after watching him struggle with the needle for quite some time.
How could Chahar admit to such humiliation?
A man could never admit he wasn’t capable.
“Move aside. I’ll have it fixed in a second.”
Skeptical, Lin Jiayan stepped back.
After a long while, Chahar snapped the thread and let out a breath.
“There. Done.”
A crooked, lopsided patch now covered the hole.
There were still gaps around the edges, and only a few loose stitches held it in place.
“This…”
Lin Jiayan wasn’t sure what to say.
“It may be ugly, but it’s sturdy,” Chahar insisted, desperately defending his masculine pride. “No snake is getting through that.”
“All right. Thanks for your hard work.”
She patted his arm the way one might comfort a child.
Chahar glared at her, feeling as though she were looking down on him.
Annoyed, he threw down the needle and thread and stormed off.
What a childish temper, Lin Jiayan thought as she watched him leave.
Then again, considering his age, in modern society he would only be a college student.
To her, he was basically just a younger guy—a little brother.
Sure, he looked intimidating, but underneath it all, he was surprisingly easy to handle.