The God of War Played Helpless, but His Assassin Wouldn't Let Go - Chapter 3

He didn’t answer. He only watched me until my mouth went dry and heat flooded my whole body.

I licked my lips. So dry. I wanted a taste…

I leaned forward to embrace him, but the moment I met his eyes, I came to my senses. Panic jolted through me. I tightened my hold on his fingers, carefully keeping my touch light so I wouldn’t upset him.

“A-are you shy? It’s all right. You don’t have to answer. I’ve got a thick skin, and I know how you feel. I’ll… I’ll go outside for now…”

I fled the room. I needed to find a river and jump in to cool off.

Over the next few days, I tried ever more carefully to please him. Every morning I rose before dawn to brew his medicine, blew on it until it was just warm enough, then secretly mixed in crushed candied fruit so no bitterness remained.

Every time he finished his medicine, the corner of his mouth curved. Every time, my heart missed a beat.

He was seducing me on purpose. He liked me, but was too shy to say so. This was the only way he could tempt me. He was trying so hard. How could he be so good to me?

If he coughed twice in the night, I got up at once to add another layer to his clothes and light the brazier. I kept watch by his bed all night, afraid to close my eyes.

Most importantly, whenever he bathed, I made sure to stand nearby and watch. His injuries hadn’t healed; what if he grew dizzy and fell?

The world outside was on edge, but I kept every problem from reaching him.

He still played the weakling every day, still frowned and pretended he was in pain. One soft look from him was enough to make me walk through fire or water. Rules, my own life—I forgot them all.

Yet I could clearly sense his presence growing colder and sharper by the day.

More than half a month passed. One morning I hurried home with the finest osmanthus candies I’d just bought, thinking only of how to make him smile.

The moment I entered, I found him standing by the window. He wore ordinary clothes, his back straight and his shoulders strong. Nothing about him suggested a frail, wounded man.

The red-rimmed, wounded eyes I knew were cold and keen now. He stared into the distance, an unmistakable air of violence about him. This was the iron-blooded God of War, a man who could slaughter a pack of wolves alone: distant and unfeeling.

My heart lurched. A fine, spreading ache swept through me, tangled with panic.

I had the awful feeling my wife was going to leave me.

What should I do?

He heard my footsteps and slowly turned. There was no apology or guilt in his face, only frank, cool indifference.

“Had your fill of staring?”

My throat tightened. I clutched the warm packet of candies to my chest until my fingers went white. “Your wounds… they’re healed, aren’t they?”

“Yes.” His voice held no emotion. “Since yesterday.”

It felt as though a blunt knife were sawing through my chest. I could barely breathe.

Shen Du took two steps toward me and looked down his nose at me. Every word was brutally clear.

“You know I’ve been using you, don’t you? I used you to keep Noble Consort Zhao’s Night Tower in check and stabilize the court. That was all. Xiao Huai, there has never been anything personal between us.”

Nothing personal.

Those words struck my heart and shattered all the joy and devotion I’d poured into him these past days.

My ears burned; my nose stung. Blood and killing had never brought tears to my eyes, but now I could barely hold them back.

All the tenderness had been calculated. All the closeness had been feigned. I alone had been fool enough to fall in love and stake my life on a lie.

But he was beautiful. He had the face of the man I wanted for my wife. I was happy to be deceived by him.

He hadn’t fooled anyone else. Only me. Surely that meant he liked me.

I was desperately trying to work out how to comfort him, how to tell him I didn’t mind the deception. Before I could speak, the wind outside suddenly rose. Black-clad figures poured over the wall.

Night Tower assassins. Killing intent filled the courtyard.

The deputy tower master’s icy voice cut through the wind, thick with menace. “Xiao Huai! You betrayed the Tower to protect our enemy, you fool! Today we’ll cut both you and the Fourth Prince to pieces!”

More than twenty elite assassins closed off the doors and windows, blades glinting as they advanced.

I pushed my hurt aside and buried every grievance. I stepped directly in front of Shen Du, standing straight to shield him from every blade.

Behind me, Shen Du spoke in a low voice, an unfamiliar complexity in his tone. “You know I lied to you, and you’re still going to protect me?”

I gripped my short blade. My throat ached, but my voice was firm. “You lied to me and no one else. You must like me that much. Of course I’ll protect you.”

The Fourth Prince gave a short, displeased huff.

That was all right. I could soothe my wife later. First, I had to kill this pack of bastards.