Though speaking of the little fox as pitiful, Mu Nian, the young county princess, showed no leniency in her actions.
She directly lifted the little fox and dangled it, all the while making eye contact and carefully examining its wounds.
Its blood continued to seep out.
The blood soon soaked the ground.
Lin Mu Nian rummaged through her dressing table, finding a box of wound medicine hidden away at the very back. She then meticulously applied it to the fox.
After thinking for a moment, she had initially intended to toss the little fox carelessly into a corner. However, after much hesitation, she abandoned that decision.
After all, the little fox looked too pathetic, too pitiful.
Thus, Lin Mu Nian placed the little fox by her bedside, so she could tend to its wounds in the middle of the night.
Then, she herself climbed into bed and fell asleep!
...
In the middle of the night, Lin Mu Nian turned over and felt a surge of hot air.
She slowly opened her eyes, a flicker of surprise crossing them.
For right beside her, a man was reaching out to embrace her.
In his eyes, there was only boundless adoration. He reached around her back, his gaze as gentle as water. The moment his hand grasped her body, it was as if he possessed the entire world.
However, his chest bore a multitude of scars, looking shocking and forming a stark contrast with his exceedingly handsome face. The mottled scars, deep and shallow, marked his chest. Lin Mu Nian silently gazed at his wounds.
"Does it hurt a lot?"
The man opposite her shook his head and told her directly.
"It doesn't hurt."
"Scars are a man's medals."
Hearing him say this, Lin Mu Nian reached out, intending to touch his wounds again. But he clasped her fingers, brought her hand to his lips, and then Lin Mu Nian heard the man speak.
"If... if I were to ascend the throne, would you be willing to be my Empress?"
Lin Mu Nian was stunned.
She had never imagined that this man would speak so directly. For a moment, she fell into a state of silence. After a while, Lin Mu Nian finally told him in a low voice.
"I..."
"Do you really want to kill the Crown Prince?"
She looked up at him, a hint of fear now in her eyes.
"Father and my brothers refuse to tell me what happened, but I can see Father is troubled."
"Did you... do something to the Crown Prince?"
"But... even if you killed the Crown Prince, wouldn't you have to die too? Don't risk your life for such a thing, and certainly don't pay such a terrible price."
"We are destined to be together but never truly meet..."
"Even if I were to bear your child, it would have nothing to do with you..."
She was about to continue her rambling when the man opposite her firmly grabbed her wrist. She heard him tell her in a harsh tone.
"Who says it has nothing to do with me?"
"You and the baby, I will not give up either of you."
"And, the Crown Prince will not live past tonight. He has been struck by my half-demon blood curse. It's a fight to the death, either he dies or I die."
He narrowed his eyes, his voice suddenly becoming countless times colder!
"From the very beginning, I never intended to let the Crown Prince live."
"Someone like him, despicable and shameless, how could he be fit to inherit the throne?"
"For a long time now, I've planned to kill him one day."
"What, I want to kill your Crown Prince brother, and you're feeling heartbroken, aren't you? He grew up with you, your feelings for him are naturally different."
"Hmph, it's a pity your Crown Prince brother will die suddenly tonight!"
His words were cold, yet tinged with a hint of sourness. When he looked up at Lin Mu Nian, his eyes were filled with icy ferocity, a coldness that almost threatened to freeze into ice in an instant.
He looked at her, his tone conveying both grievance and icy jealousy.
"You say I don't love you, but I clearly love you to the point of madness. You torment me so much that I'm constantly dying and coming back to life."
"But you, you have your childhood sweetheart, the Crown Prince."
"Are you looking down on being my Princess of Yan, wanting to be the Crown Princess instead?"
"Fine, if that's the case, I'll make you Empress directly, then you should be satisfied, right? I'll make you the most honored woman in the world, and then you can't leave me anymore!"
His tone was aggrieved and pitiful.
Hearing him say this, Lin Mu Nian sighed. She glanced at the man before her with a touch of helplessness, seeing his expression, as if he wished to pounce and confirm her feelings. She spoke.
"I'm not speaking up for the Crown Prince, but if something were to happen to Crown Prince Gege..."
"Empress Auntie might go mad."
"Do you think your situation will be any safer? Once people discover you're hiding here with me, I won't be able to protect you either."
"I'm afraid others will harm you, and even more afraid that others will force me to choose between my family and you!"
She believed her words were reasonable and well-articulated.
The man opposite her gazed deeply at her cheek, then asked.
"If you truly had to choose between me and your family, who would you choose?"
The young girl opposite him widened her eyes.
"Are you crazy?"
"I was doted on and raised by my father and brothers... How could I betray them?"
The man opposite her looked at her, his face full of hurt, a bitter smile playing on his lips.
That bitter smile slowly spread across his lips, and then he shook his head, his voice filled with pain.
"So that's how it is... I understand."
He forced a smile, but the pain in his eyes was irrepressible!
Then he took a deep breath, shook his head, his voice deepening.
"My position in your heart is nothing more than this."
Princess Mu Nian looked at him as if he had been struck a heavy blow. She hesitated, then quietly comforted him.
"You are still different."
"After all, you are the husband I married... But my father and my brothers have been with me for much longer, so I feel they are more important. But that doesn't mean you aren't important."
"Don't be like this."
"Does your wound still hurt? I'll apply medicine for you."
But the Prince of Yan opposite her no longer cared about his dignity. He looked up pitifully, a shimmering wave in his eyes, his grievance ceaseless.
"My heart hurts more than the wounds."
"You have no idea..."
"How much I care about you!"
"How much I like you, you have no idea..."
It seemed as if fine tears were about to well up in Prince Yan's eyes, but he forcefully swallowed them back.
"I only like you!"
Even the little system couldn't help but exclaim in Lin Mu Nian's mind.
"Host, he truly loves you to the point of madness!"