Chapter 250: Little Trick (1/2)

Nan Xun was still worried, but he had to make the smart decision here. With a sigh, he returned to the manor. He walked through the garden with the housekeeper at his tail. The old man sympathized with his plight. “Your Highness has been awake for a long time. You should take a break. Otherwise Gentleman Feng will be worried once he returns.”

Nan Xun looked up at him and laughed silently. “If he returns safely, I'll gladly let him scold me,” he said in a bitter tone. “However, we don't know if he's alive or not. How can I relax?”

He shook his head and sighed. “Alright, I want to stay on my own for a while. You may go now. Don't worry about me.”

The housekeeper wasn't going to argue. Seeing his master's bloodshot eyes and tired gait, he told the servants to prepare things of the soothing nature.

Nan Xun was going to go back to his room for a short rest, but he arrived outside Jun Huang's bedroom before he realized it. He frowned when he noticed that the door was open. One of the maids must have forgotten to close it when cleaning the room.

He was about to close the door when he spotted muddy footprints on the floor.

With his brows furrowed in deep thought, he walked in slowly, careful not to alert whoever it was inside, but not so slow that the person would run away.

He walked around the screen with his breath held. Someone was in the bed.

It was Jun Huang.

He slumped down with an exhale, his rattled nerves finally relaxed.

He walked up to the bed. She looked pale as a sheet and there were twigs sticking out from her hair. She was dressed in women's clothes, her face and clothes covered in mud. She was a mess, and she smelled.

Nan Xun didn't care. What mattered was she was safe. With his exhaustion catching up with him, he toed off his boots and lay down next to her, staring at her peaceful profile. He gently touched her face, his heart aching with both fear and delight.

He pulled her into his arms. She muttered something intelligible, but didn't wake from her slumber. He considered her with narrowed eyes. He wanted to take her pain away.

He fell asleep, but it was a light one. He worried that she would disappear again when he woke up. He kept part of himself conscious.

It was noon when Jun Huang woke up. The sun was bright, covering the room in a warm glow. She heard quiet breathing coming from her side. She turned and saw Nan Xun lying next to her. It wasn't the first time they shared a bed. She felt more at ease than bashful.

All the fear she'd felt the previous days vanished the moment she saw him, leaving only warmth spreading through her body and a smile tugging at her lips.

Her quiet gaze was what Nan Xun saw when he woke up suddenly. Jun Huang fell into his deep and unfocused eyes. He quickly blinked his haziness away.

“How do you feel?” Nan Xun asked nervously as he sat up. “Are you hurting?”

Jun Huang shook her head and said with a rea.s.suring smile. “I'm fine.” She lowered her head and looked awkwardly at the state she was in. Without missing a beat, Nan Xun stood up and patted her head. “Stay here for a bit. I'll have someone draw a bath for you. It'll help soothe your exhaustion. We'll talk later.”

“Alright.”

A few servants brought a barrel of hot water into the room not long after. They knew Jun Huang didn't like being served, so they left after filling the tub with hot water.

Jun Huang took off her clothes and soaked herself in the bath, her exhaustion draining away. She washed away the grime on her body and finally felt less like she was going to break out of her skin.

Just when she was getting sleepy, a knock on the door jerked her awake. She blinked and cleared her throat. “What is it?”

“Are you going to be done soon?” asked Nan Xun, his strong voice booming through the door. “Dinner is ready. You haven't eaten anything the past couple of days, have you? You must be starving.”

The moment she was reminded, she got almost painfully aware of her empty stomach. She made a sound of a.s.sent and walked out of the tub. After wiping herself dry, she put on some clean clothes.

Nan Xun was still waiting for her when she walked out of the door. His heart skipped when he saw her rosy cheeks and misty eyes. He stared at her, unable to look away.

Jun Huang frowned at her clothes and didn't notice anything unusual. “What?'

“Nothing. You look good.” Nan Xun smiled and took her hand, leading her to the dining hall like it was the most natural thing in the world. Jun Huang looked at their entwined fingers, her lips curved into a smile as she followed after him.