Chapter 7 Unexpected Embrace
I returned to the courtyard still dazed.
I cried that I wanted to find my husband. It was nothing like the calm indifference from our first meeting in the woods. I cried until my voice went hoarse. I even got the name wrong. It was ridiculous.
It looked like the thought of my devotion to that sickly waste left a sour twist in Xie Ning's chest. When he spoke, a teasing edge slipped out.
Then I saw him and froze. My nose was red, tears still clinging to the corners of my eyes. I stared at him blankly, as if he had said something outrageous.
It seemed he expected me to come to my senses and scold him for being shameless. Maybe even slap him. It would not matter. My slaps were soft and could not kill him.
Instead I moved straight toward him and threw my arms around his waist. I buried my face against his chest and mumbled, "Xie Ning..."
Something soft crashed into him. A faint sweet scent reached his nose. Even Xie Ning went rigid for a moment.
It seemed hearing his own name from my mouth carried a soft, lingering warmth.
"Young Valley Lord, do not overthink it," Xuan Ming said at once, reading his expression. "She simply mistook you for someone else. She used you as a stand-in."
Xie Ning gave him a half-smile. "Have I been treating you as mute these past few days?"
Xuan Ming shut his mouth.
Xie Ning lounged on the couch, one leg bent, half his face hidden in shadow.
Xuan Ming tried again. "I overheard them mention Cang Wu Mountain's temporary palace and kept it in mind.
If she really is the escaped Imperial Princess, and Rong Che comes looking, do we hand her over?
Rong Che has been hoping Ling Yun Valley would serve him.
The terms he offered would keep everyone comfortable for a while. "
Xie Ning rested his chin on one hand and idly played with the red tassel at his waist, saying nothing.
Xuan Ming pressed on. "Besides, once he takes the throne we cannot afford to offend him."
It seemed Xie Ning had never placed Rong Che in his eyes. The man was nothing but a bird.
"Who said he would be the only one to inherit? The Imperial Princess could become Demon Emperor just as well."
Even as he spoke, irritation stirred. Staying in Ling Yun Valley would clearly be trouble for him. These bothersome thoughts gave him a headache. Tomorrow he would seize more money and send this noble lady away as soon as possible.
"She said she was going to find her husband, did she not?" The words left a strange discomfort in his chest. He looked away. "Whoever's person it is, they can take her. I am not keeping anyone here."