Ye Yiheng took a long stride with his legs, quickly catching up to her.
"Last night’s bath nearly froze me to death, Yanyan. May I take a bath in your room today?"
Upon hearing this, Leng Yu Yan came to a halt, "What happened with last night’s bath?"
"Coming back to the residence last night, your brother and I were covered in the blood of some villains and urgently needed a bath. Perhaps because your brother is used to cold water, the servants in his courtyard brought water that wasn’t hot at all."
Fortunately, the cold disease inside him was not as severe as before; otherwise, a bath like last night’s would have surely triggered it.
"My brother is brimming with vigor; naturally, he doesn’t need water that’s too hot." Leng Yu Yan gave him a glance, her heart softening, "Then, soak well tonight."
With that, she turned her head to instruct, "Miao Zhu, hurry to the small kitchen and order them to boil water, plenty of it."
"Alright, Commandery Princess." Miao Zhu nodded and hurried off.
She better run fast. This Crown Prince’s face was growing increasingly thick-skinned, to save herself from cursing out loud and causing trouble for her Commandery Princess.
On the way, only Ye Yiheng and Leng Yu Yan were left. He stepped forward, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.
How small a woman’s hand could be, surprisingly soft beyond imagination, as if even the bones inside were tender.
"Yanyan cares, and that comforts my heart immensely."
Seeing her hand being played with like a toy, Leng Yu Yan retracted her hand, "Stop squeezing."
He suddenly leaned close to her ear, "Then may I squeeze your feet later?"
Leng Yu Yan was stunned. What kind of bizarre fetish was this?
However, his voice was unduly charming, and she opened her mouth, not knowing how to decline more tactfully.
He called her, murmuring almost like a whisper between lovers.
In that moment, Leng Yu Yan felt an illusion that the two of them were like lovers who had known each other for a long time.
The man before her was like a captivating male demon, his charm particularly alluring on this snowy night, invisibly enticing, tightly grasping her heart.
She tapped her fingertips against her forehead, snapping herself out of it, "Squeeze what feet, I don’t need a massage."
Ye Yiheng chuckled softly, "Let’s go, I won’t tease you anymore."
How foolish he was. She was eager to keep her distance from him. How would such a demure woman agree?
They returned to the room.
A quarter of an hour later, the hot water was ready, and Leng Yu Yan led Ye Yiheng to the bathroom inside her room.
"Your clothes are here." Leng Yu Yan pointed to the neatly folded men’s clothes on a small table, "Shall I call Song Guo to attend to you?"
Ye Yiheng began to undo the buttons on his clothes, "Song Guo has gone back to the Eastern Palace."
"He’s gone back to the Eastern Palace?"
"Mhm, he said he wanted to check the cleaning progress and status there." Ye Yiheng removed his robe, casually draping it over a rack.
Leng Yu Yan turned around, "Then I’ll call Xiaoshan to serve you."
He strode over, grasping her wrist, "There’s no need; I just want you to keep me company."
"Me?" She pointed at herself.
He stared at her calmly, "What if something happens to me in the water?"
She tugged at the corner of her mouth, "Nothing will happen. I’ll be waiting outside. If you really have trouble, just call for me."
"That’s fine then." He released her hand at last.
After a short while, Miao Zhu saw her Commandery Princess coming out of the bathroom and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Commandery Princess, it’s a cold night. You should go to bed early."
Leng Yu Yan glanced at the bathroom door and nodded in agreement, "That sounds good."
Getting into the covers to warm up sounded good indeed.
Miao Zhu attended to Leng Yu Yan as she got into bed, then thoughtfully brought her a storybook and moved the luminous lamp closer to the head of the bed.
Having done this, Miao Zhu said in a worried whisper, "If His Highness bullies the Commandery Princess, just scream, and this maid will go fetch the Princely Heir."
"Alright," Leng Yu Yan responded.
Miao Zhu reached out to tuck in the blanket, "This maid still feels uneasy."
Leng Yu Yan patted her on the shoulder, "It’s fine; you should go rest. You’ve expended a lot of energy rushing to the capital city recently. Get some good rest."
"Should this maid take her leave?"
Leng Yu Yan waved her hand, thinking to herself, could Ye Yiheng really eat her up?
She didn’t believe it!
They had shared a bed several times recently, and he had held her to sleep for a few nights. If he were a normal man...
At those moments when they were so close, she should have noticed something.
But there was no movement, which meant that guy really couldn’t do it.
So naturally, she wasn’t afraid.
In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a voice came from the bathroom calling her, "Yanyan, could you come here for a minute?"
Though she had just reflected for a long time, Leng Yu Yan still decided to be cautious.
She did not push the door open, but asked from outside, "What happened?"
"My back wound itches. Can you check to see if there’s a problem?"
Hearing about the wound, Leng Yu Yan felt a sudden urgency and rushed into the bathroom, "How could it be itching?"
The man sitting lazily in the bathtub, trails of water meandering over his chest, his pale skin under the candlelight took on a warm glow, appearing even more wickedly enticing.
He slowly turned in the water, showing her his back.
His wound, due to the heat of the hot water, looked enchantingly pink, which distressed her and made her nose tingle and her eyes water, "Haven’t you applied the scar removal ointment these days?"
If three scars were left on such a perfect back, Leng Yu Yan felt her breath catch.
"Who has time to apply it during a forced march?" he slightly turned his head, "From tonight onwards, could you help me apply it every night?"
"Mhm." Leng Yu Yan nodded, and her slender, delicate fingers reached out to lift a strand of hair on his wound, "It’s the hair scratching the wound that’s making it itch."
Unexpectedly, her hand was caught by him.
Before she knew what strength he was using, she was suddenly pulled into the bath with a splash.
Even more shocking was that he held her waist and pressed her down to sit on his strong thighs.
"What are you doing?" she panicked, moving the strand of hair in front of his eyes, "Did you do this on purpose?"
"I am not a good man, I’ve told you before," he smirked, "Yanyan, I really want to get married sooner."
Leng Yu Yan dared not move, her hands clinging to the edge of the bathtub, trying to keep her body as far away from his as possible, however, the man’s grip grew stronger.
Then, she heard him say, "I’ve ordered Jian Lecheng to Beilan City. Once your family arrives, we will marry immediately."
"Oh," Leng Yu Yan thought, he was quick to send someone.
But she was still in someone’s arms, and she wasn’t sure if he was wearing underwear, Leng Yu Yan nervously swallowed, asking softly, "Did you pull me in here to pinch my feet?"
He had many other places he wanted to touch. How could this little woman be so naive?
Yet, even with such thoughts, he didn’t move his hands randomly.
In his opinion, at the very least, she deserved respect. If he frightened her too much, she might just call off the wedding.
With that in mind, he refrained again and again, but seeing her lips grow increasingly reddened from the rising heat of the water, he gently pecked them.
Unsure if it was the steam or his action, Leng Yu Yan’s mind seemed to be captivated, and her hands gripping the edge of the bathtub suddenly tightened.