Chu Qianli didn't want to overthink his words.
Some things, if she thought too much about them, would they just be her own wishful thinking?
She had promised herself not to fall for him again, yet his simple words had stirred her tranquil heart.
This was truly not good, but why could she never control herself?
Suddenly, her wrist was held tightly. She looked up to see Feng Yexuan pulling her into his embrace.
"You do..."
"Let's make up."
There were some words he had kept bottled up in his heart for a very, very long time.
Let's make up, stop quarreling, stop suspecting each other.
Let's stay together, be good, don't be so proud, don't be so pretentious anymore.
"I admit it, you're the only one in my heart, I admit it all."
Chu Qianli's heart trembled violently, and her slender body shivered slightly.
Admit what? No one forced him to admit it, and she... she didn't need it.
But Feng Yexuan's words still made her eyes moisten.
"I promise I'll never be so proud again, never deny my feelings for you, okay?"
His personality was like this; sometimes he even felt he was too awkward.
Clearly, he cared to death, but he had to say hurtful things to the other person, as if only then would he not be hurt.
But this was not his intention at all.
How could he bear to hurt her?
"Li'er, I kept many things from you in the past. It was my fault."
"I just wanted to tell you everything truthfully after I had handled all my affairs and was free of any burdens."
"But I realized that the less honest I was, the farther you drifted away from me. It seemed like... you had already decided to abandon me."
Chu Qianli remained silent, just listening quietly.
Perhaps for Prince Xuan, these were the only words he would ever have the courage to say clearly to her in his lifetime.
In fact, she cherished every word he said now, and treasured them deeply in her heart, hiding them in the deepest part of her soul!
Feng Yexuan held her tighter, with more force.
He also fell silent.
Perhaps there were still some words he wanted to say, but he was still a bit hesitant.
Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety were difficult to reconcile. If he spoke, he would be letting down his mother, and letting down everyone who had sacrificed for him and his mother over the years.
If he didn't speak, he would be letting down the one he loved most in his heart, letting down her, and letting down his own heart.
He closed his eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, the girl in his arms spoke softly, "If you find it difficult, you don't have to. Actually, I can understand..."
"I am not my father's son."
"..." Chu Qianli's heart suddenly jolted!
She hadn't not guessed, but she hadn't dared to think about it! Even less dared to speculate wildly.
But she never expected that one day, Feng Yexuan would actually tell her.
Tell her himself!
Feng Yexuan took a deep breath before slowly exhaling.
The arms holding her continued to tighten.
He held her so tightly that Chu Qianli almost felt breathless.
But he didn't let go, and she didn't struggle.
"Back then, Feng Bufan was merely the second prince of the former emperor. In terms of strategy and winning people's hearts, he was far inferior to the eldest prince, Feng Hongye."
"Feng Hongye was the most favored among all the princes. Not only was he well-versed in various military strategies, but he was also a highly skilled general himself."
"Although the former emperor had not bestowed the title of God of War at that time, all the people of Beiming knew that the eldest prince was their God of War!"