The Courtyard Full of Fragrance - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

By the time I returned to the estate, Fu Rongjing was already there.

Naturally, it was not the real Fu Rongjing.

It was Prince Jing, Xie Tinglan, in disguise.

His temperament was cold.

So cold that even with a mask on, I could tell at a glance how different he was from Fu Rongjing and Shen Weichu.

He was reading as well.

But it was obvious his mind was not on the book.

When he saw me enter, he glanced at me and asked flatly, “Where did you go?”

He was a prince, after all.

Every movement, every word, carried the unconscious bearing of someone used to standing above others.

I did not feel afraid.

My gaze swept over the book in his hand, his long, well-defined fingers, and his firm, powerful waist.

In an instant, my mind flashed back to the last time we had been in bed-his sharply defined abs and the tireless strength of that waist.

How could an honest woman like me withstand such blatant temptation?

My mouth went dry at once, and I hurriedly looked away.

With my most honest expression, I answered, “I went to Qingfeng Tower.”

The eyes fixed on me darkened.

Just then, a maid came in carrying a bowl of chicken soup.

“Madam, the Old Madam instructed that you have today’s chicken soup.”

There was something added to the soup.

Last time, I had already used that excuse.

Today, of course, I could not drink it again.

I gave Xie Tinglan a regretful glance.

With a soft sigh, I ordered, “Take it away. I won’t drink it today.”

But he called the maid back.

“Bring it here. It is Mother’s kind intention. How can we waste it?”

He stared straight at me.

Even as he drank the soup, his gaze never shifted away.

Only after he set down the empty bowl did he rise and say calmly, “Rest, Madam. I will sleep in the study tonight.”

My heart ached terribly.

Not for him.

For myself.

I quickly grabbed his sleeve.

“Husband, you know perfectly well Mother put something in the soup. How could I let you go sleep in the study alone?”

“Or… have you grown tired of me? Are you going to summon someone else to serve you in bed?”

I looked at him pitifully.

His eyes lowered.

When he saw the red marks on my neck, pain flickered through his gaze, and his tone abruptly turned cold and hard. “Are you like this with…”

He probably wanted to ask whether I seduced other people like this too.

But how would I dare answer that?

Before he could finish, I rose onto my toes and kissed him.

His nature was so cold.

Yet his lips were unexpectedly soft.

Fortunately, the rest of him was not.

Just as my hand began to wander restlessly downward, he finally could not endure it anymore. With a low, heated groan, he lifted me into his arms and carried me toward the bed.

He was a man of action.

Compared to his awkwardness last time, he was clearly much more skilled this time.

But he still did not say much.

I, on the other hand, spoke in broken gasps, unable to resist teasing him.

“Husband, did you read the book I gave you last time?”

“Shut up.”

“Husband, do you still remember what was drawn on page fifteen?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Husband…”

My lips were sealed by his kiss.

At last, I shut up.