He had barely uttered a word when the little one interjected.
"Huangfu Jue!" The little one’s voice suddenly became stern, small hands bracing his shoulders, a serious expression on his face, "Let me tell you, a man should not stoop to a woman’s level. If you dare to bully my mommy, I will never let you off!"
"Xiaotang!" Will was startled, "Quickly apologize to the Duke!"
Hardly anyone dared to address the Duke by just his title, let alone by such a small creature.
"Don’t scare the child!" Huangfu Jue frowned and glared at him, causing Will to quickly step aside and then he resumed smiling at the little one, wrapping his arms around him, his right hand raised to shoulder height, "I promise!"
The little one’s smile returned, "That’s more like it."
"Sir." The maid approached with a bow, most respectfully, "Breakfast is ready."
"Good." Huangfu Jue bent down to set the little one back down, "I’ll get something for your mommy to eat first, and then we’ll come down quickly. Rest for a while, and you’ll fly back to the country with uncle in a bit."
The little one’s bright eyes shone with excitement, "Mommy agreed?"
The little one became excited, "Then can we go see your guns and fighter jets?"
He smiled indulgently.
"Awesome!" The little one immediately turned and ran upstairs, "I’m going to pack."
The little one scampered up the stairs, followed swiftly by a maid.
The man then turned around and reminded with a smile, "Run slowly, be careful not to fall."
Will stood by, utterly amazed.
Huangfu Jue had smiled more times this morning than he probably had in the entire previous year.
Will’s pupils contracted slightly as he watched Huangfu Jue carry the breakfast tray upstairs.
Could it be... they had made up?
On the stairs, the man stopped, turned his face towards Will who was lost in thought at the bottom of the stairs.
"What are you waiting for?!"
Will snapped back to the present.
"I... I’ll go right now!"
Turning, he hurriedly took out his phone to help arrange the plane.
Huangfu Jue muttered under his breath, then turned to continue upstairs.
Approaching the master bedroom door, he carefully turned the doorknob, gently pushing the door open. He had presumed the woman would still be sleeping, but to his surprise, upon entering, he saw her gathering his shirt around her body.
He walked over, set the tray aside, and reached out to help her remove the hair trapped under her shirt collar.
"It’s still early, you can rest a bit longer."
She gave him a small smile in return.
"It’s okay, I’ll go take a shower."
The man caught her wrist.
Her wounds had not yet healed, and she spoke with a languid tone; he could not let his guard down.
"No need, I can manage."
The man gazed at her indulgently, "I promise, just a shower."
She laughed, "I’m not..."
He arched an eyebrow, "Now, are you still afraid of me seeing you?"
They were already so intimate; he thought helping her shower was no big deal.
It wasn’t shyness that held her back at this point; she just didn’t want him to see, didn’t want him to see the things she wanted to keep hidden.
"I’ve told you I can do it myself." She tiptoed to plant a soft kiss on his cheek, withdrawing her hand from his, "I’ll be out quickly."
Thinking she was just shy, Huangfu Jue didn’t insist any further, only reminding her as she walked away.
"Don’t lock the door, call me if you need anything."