She no longer loves him in her heart, even feels disgusted and despises him.

Yet now she nods, saying she’s willing to marry him again.

Such pleasant words come with the premise he least wants to hear.

Lu Ziyuan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and restrained the questioning words at the tip of his tongue.

Does she love that old man so much that she is willing to endure disgust and marry him, just to let him go?

The eyes of the man opposite began to redden for some reason, those emotionless eyes deeply focused on her, with many flickers of light and shade, he slowly nodded, "Alright, I promise you."

Xie Wanqing visibly relaxed, but looked at him with some suspicion, surprised he agreed so quickly.

Lu Ziyuan smiled slightly, reached out and patted her little head, coaxing, "Let’s eat, it’s getting cold."

He was clearly only two years older than her, and used to be a cold and aloof person, but recently, he’s becoming more skilled at coaxing her.

Xie Wanqing awkwardly lowered her head, concentrating on eating.

......

That night, after resting for a day, Xie Wanqing, already able to move freely, came out of the bath to find Lu Ziyuan had entered her room at some point and was sitting on her bed.

Hearing her footsteps approaching, he looked up, speaking before she could ask him to leave, "I’ll just sleep holding you tonight, I promise I won’t touch you."

Her hand paused in drying her hair, and Xie Wanqing pursed her lips, saying, "I don’t believe you."

To her, he’s like a hungry wolf never satisfied, the reason she spent the day lying in the carriage.

Her accusatory tone heavy, Lu Ziyuan touched his nose, without guilt, saying, "I know my limits. Even if you wanted it, I wouldn’t give in."

"I wanted it?" Xie Wanqing was so angered by his shamelessness she almost laughed, blurting out, "When did I ever want you?"

As soon as she said it, she inwardly thought, oops.

Given his current sensitivity...

Sure enough, the previously cheeky Lu Ziyuan fell silent, quietly watching her.

Under his gaze, Xie Wanqing dryly said, "Don’t speak nonsense from now on."

Lu Ziyuan said nothing, stood up and grabbed her wrist, sitting her on his lap, his hand moving to her wet hair.

The weather in the Northern Land was incredibly cold, conditions on the road were poor, no underfloor heating in the room, and no maid to help dry her hair; in such cold weather, wet long hair could easily lead to colds and headaches, she’d had a high fever just a few days ago...

A burst of steam rose among her strands of hair, the dripping wet hair dried quickly.

Pulling back the covers, Lu Ziyuan held her and lay down, his lips close to her ear asking softly, "Still swollen?"

Xie Wanqing blinked, finally realizing what he meant, her face flushed red as she pinched his arm, "Keep talking nonsense, and you’re out."

His arm was hard and muscular, her strength barely enough to itch.

Lu Ziyuan chuckled, kissing her neck, "Smells nice."

Even though they were hurriedly traveling under harsh conditions, she hadn’t used perfume or hair cream, yet she still had a captivating scent that went straight to his heart.

"Don’t get carried away," Xie Wanqing was somewhat afraid, her knee lifted to kick him away, but he took the chance to squeeze in.

Her leg was again on his waist, and Xie Wanqing drew a sharp breath, "No, really no!"

"...I understand," Lu Ziyuan was speechless for a while, then suddenly laughed, "Why are you so scared, even if I’m a beast, I’m not in a hurry this time."

...If he wasn’t pressed against her leg, those words might be more convincing.

Xie Wanqing gritted her teeth, "My leg is sore, get down!"

Yesterday he kept a position until dawn.

Her leg was wrapped around his waist until dawn...

Lu Ziyuan wanted to laugh again, but he held back this time, instead bending down to give her a hard kiss, obediently turning over and getting down.

"It’s my fault for not being considerate, not noticing Wanwan’s discomfort," he said, his hand kneading her thigh, "Should’ve given you a massage earlier." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Such a pampered girl, opting for a carriage even on outings, using a sedan at home with just a few steps to go, her legs rarely strained so much.

Despite Eldest Prince Lu never having served anyone, he valued restraint, his hands respectful, no signs of overstepping.