Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

Countless chaotic and intense thoughts collided and surged in Chu Shiyu's mind:

Furious! How dare she! How dare she throw herself at death right before his eyes with such determination! That reckless cruelty, that look of despair, burned his heart like a red-hot iron!

How could she give up her life so easily? Did she know that at that moment, his world almost collapsed!

Fear... The image of the cold blade against her neck and the moment when the dagger cut through her clothes flashed before his eyes again and again, and each time it made him feel as if he had fallen into an icy cave and his whole body was cold.

What if? What if he was a step slower? What if the dagger went even a little deeper? He couldn't bear any of those "what ifs" coming true! The fear of watching her go to destruction, feeling powerless to stop it, was more suffocating to him than any torture!

He would never let this happen again! Never! No matter the cost! He would rather lock her in the safest golden cage, guarding her day and night, even if... that cage would make her resentful, make her lose her smile, and make her heart drift away...

Liu Rusi felt the gaze that threatened to burn through her. She suppressed the stinging pain from the wound on her neck and the lingering nausea of licking the enemy's blood, then picked up the curved needle threaded with catgut. The cold tip touched the edge of the twitching flesh.

"Bear with it." Her voice was still calm, but a little deeper than before.

The needle tip penetrated the flesh, passing through with traction.

Chu Shiyu's body tensed up slightly, and beads of sweat oozed out of his forehead, but he remained silent. Only his gaze staring at her became deeper and sharper, as if he wanted to capture every subtle fluctuation in the depths of her soul.

He saw her slightly furrowed brows, the lines of her lips tightened due to exertion, and also saw... the almost cold calmness deep in her eyes, which was in stark contrast to the turbulent waves in his heart at the moment.

The stillness stung him.

Wasn't she... afraid? Wasn't she afraid of the consequences? Or was that kind of reckless ruthlessness her true nature?

"Liu Rusi." He finally spoke, his voice was very hoarse, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from the depths of his throat with difficulty, carrying a heavy weight.

"Hmm?" Liu Rusi's movements didn't pause for a moment. The needle and thread moved deftly between her fingers, slowly closing and sewing up the nasty wound. She only made a very soft sound as a response, still not looking up at him.

"Why..." Chu Shiyu's Adam's apple rolled violently, his eyes filled with pain and confusion, "Why do you have to do that? Why risk your life? Why... can't you wait for me?"

He couldn't understand why she chose the most dangerous and terrifying path at the moment when he had already shouted "I promise you", at the moment when he had decided to give up all his principles and dignity in exchange for her safety?

Liu Rusi finally stopped what she was doing.

She slowly raised her head.

Half of her face looked particularly glaring in the candlelight. The madness and cruelty in her almond-shaped eyes had faded away, but she had not regained her former gentleness and peace. Instead, there was an unfathomable fatigue and a calmness that was almost as solid as a rock.

Her eyes met his anxious and painful ones. Her voice was not loud, but every word was clear and full of decisiveness: "Because, my life is the only one I can decide. I have the final say on how much it is worth and how to use it. No one can use it to blackmail you in exchange for anything."

Her eyes were as sharp as a knife, as if they could penetrate his turbulent emotions and reach the newly formed and burning thought deep in his heart - the thought about taking back freedom and imprisonment.

"Chu Shiyu," her voice suddenly turned colder, with a knowing look in her voice, "What do you want to do?"

The air solidified instantly.

Chu Shiyu's heart felt like it was being gripped by an icy hand. He saw the wariness rising in her eyes and the subtle solemnity that seemed to be on the verge of a life-and-death struggle.

He had no doubt that if he expressed the idea of "locking her up," "locking her up," and "never leaving her side" at this moment, even in its infancy, it would immediately ignite her anger that had just subsided, and instantly tear apart the bond between them that had been built with great difficulty and had just withstood the test of life and death!

He opened his mouth, his throat dry and tight, the words "I can't let you out of my sight again" almost slipped out. But looking at the glaring red mark on the side of her neck, the untouchable determination in her eyes, a huge contradiction tore at him.

The instinct to protect her clashed violently with the struggle to respect her will.

In the end, he just stared at her, his teeth clenched, his jawline stretched into a cold, hard line, his eyes filled with near-desperate pain and struggle. He swallowed back the words that would have pushed her further away, turning them into a suppressed, heavy gasp in his throat.

Inside the big tent, the only sounds were the subtle crackling of the burning candlelight and the silent, surging confrontation between the two men.

Fear and the desire to protect burned in Chu Shiyu's eyes, while in Liu Rusi's eyes was an absolute defense of her right to control her own destiny without giving up an inch of ground.

After an unknown amount of time of stalemate, Liu Rusi lowered her head again. In silence, the needle and thread continued to move, as if stitching up a crack that was deeper than the skin and more difficult to heal.

After the wound was stitched, Liu Rusi raised her head and smiled softly, not disguising her fatigue. She said with a bit of a complaint, "I'm too tired today. I want to wash up and go to bed early."

Inside the big tent, there was mist and a faint scent of soap in the air, but it could not dispel the cold, lingering fear in Chu Shiyu's heart.

Liu Rusi was bathing behind a screen, the sound of water making a gentle rustle. Chu Shiyu stood quietly outside the heavy screen, like a frozen statue.

On ordinary days, this faint sound and the graceful outline that can be outlined through the screen are enough to easily ignite his suppressed desire and bring him sweet and painful torment.

But at this moment, there was no romance in his heart.

He was like a wild animal that had been completely frightened, seeing only the slightest sign of danger. Even though he was in the heart of the heavily guarded military camp, surrounded by soldiers, even though he was in a tent with three layers of guards inside and outside, the overwhelming fear still lingered like a leech.

He always felt that a deadly cold light would emerge at any time from the shadow of the screen, behind the mist, or even from the corner of the tent ceiling!

The feeling of the cold blade against her neck and the moment the dagger cut through her clothes replayed in his mind over and over again, and each time it made his heart stop and his blood run cold.

All his senses were in a state of extreme, morbid alertness. His ears caught any unusual sounds outside the tent, his eyes vigilantly scanning every corner of the tent, his body tense, ready to pounce behind the screen at any moment.

Protect her, bring her under the wings of absolute safety, and isolate her from all possible threats - this thought has never been as clear and violent as it is now, almost devouring all his sanity.

"Okay, you can come in." Liu Rusi's voice came through the screen, with a slight hoarseness after bathing and a hint of imperceptible fatigue.

Chu Shiyu responded almost immediately, without any hesitation, and strode around the screen.

Behind the screen, the steam had not yet completely dissipated. Liu Rusi was wearing only a thin, plain nightgown, her long hair casually draped over her shoulders, a few strands sticking to her slightly pale cheeks.

The glaring red mark on the side of her neck had been carefully treated and covered with clean gauze, but it still looked shocking against her fair skin. She still had a warm, moist air about her, but she exuded a deep sense of weariness, the kind that comes from having experienced a tremendous shock. She raised her eyes and looked at Chu Shiyu, her gaze calm, yet filled with an unquestionable invitation.

"Tonight..." She paused, her voice was very soft, but it fell clearly into Chu Shiyu's ears, "Sleep with me."

Chu Shiyu's breathing suddenly stopped.

He remembered the two embarrassing nosebleeds. The embarrassment and shame made him want to find a hole to crawl into.

In order to "reduce heat", he even deliberately became a vegetarian for a long time.

At this moment, the "worry" seemed to have finally vanished—the beloved woman was right before him, her warm body radiating a delicate fragrance after a bath, her curves undulating beneath her thin nightgown... But Chu Shiyu's heart was heavy, without a trace of sweet joy. Only a heavy exhaustion, almost like surviving a catastrophe, and a lingering fear.

He didn't say anything, but walked over silently, his eyes subconsciously sweeping over the copper basin that Liu Rusi had just used, which was still slightly steaming. He needed some cold water to calm himself down completely, and he also needed a moment to confirm that she was within his sight.

"You can use this basin, it's clean." Liu Rusi's voice sounded, calmly pointing to the other side beyond his gaze.

Chu Shiyu was startled. He looked in the direction she pointed and saw another clean copper basin filled with water, with a clean cloth draped beside it. It turned out that she had anticipated his unwillingness to leave even for a moment and had made preparations.

An indescribable complex emotion surged in my heart - gratitude for her thoughtfulness and consideration, but also a sense of powerlessness towards my own uncontrollable tension and dependence.

He walked silently to the basin of clear water and just as he stretched out his hand, Liu Rusi walked forward naturally.

"Be careful with your injured hand and don't let it touch water." Her voice was unquestionably gentle. As she spoke, she raised her hand and began to help him untie the belt of his robe.

Chu Shiyu's body stiffened and he stood still. The huge fear and confused thoughts made him react a little slowly. Then he obediently let her do it, took off his outer robe and inner clothes, revealing his muscular upper body.

But then, Liu Rusi wrung out the cloth and reached out to wipe him!

"I... can do it myself..." Chu Shiyu finally managed to break free from the panic that was swirling in his mind. His voice was a little dry as he tried to stop her. His body and mind were too fragile at the moment, and he couldn't withstand her close touch, even if it was just a simple wipe.

Liu Rusi looked at his tense face with a teasing smile: "What? Have you forgotten? I have already 'appreciated' your full appearance..."

She spoke in a relaxed tone, as if she was talking about a trivial matter.

Chu Shiyu was speechless for a moment, his ears turned red uncontrollably as he recalled the beautiful times before.

Just as he was feeling awkward, Liu Rusi's wet cloth landed on his broad shoulders. The cool touch made him shiver slightly. Her movements were not gentle, but rather, with the sharpness and efficiency of a doctor. She avoided his injured right hand and quickly and carefully wiped his tense back, chest, and arms.

"You have to heal the wound on your hand," she added as she wiped it, her voice calm and undeniably serious. "I don't want to feel guilty about this for the rest of my life."

Chu Shiyu stood stiffly, letting her do whatever she wanted. This "wiping bath" experience was different from any previous one, bringing a strange kind of torment.

There were no romantic fantasies, only a complex feeling of being thoroughly exposed and meticulously cared for. Her fingertips occasionally brushed across his skin, bringing not a throbbing sensation, but a sourness that made his heart tremble slightly.

Her words were like an invisible thread, pulling his frantic heart back to reality little by little - she cared, cared about his injury, and cared about his feelings.

Finally, this silent "torture" ended. Liu Rusi helped him put on clean underwear, her movements still natural and smooth.

After doing all this, she turned around as if she had completed something very ordinary. She climbed onto the bed comfortably and got into the warm quilt, leaving him with only a peaceful back.

Chu Shiyu remained standing there, silent for a long time.

The heavy feeling of fatigue seemed to be dispelled a little, replaced by a deeper, indescribable throbbing and fear. She told him in her own way: she was here, she was fine, she cared about him, but he didn't need to treat her like a fragile porcelain and imprison her.

He walked slowly, with an almost reverent solemnity, to the bedside, carefully lifted the covers, as if afraid to disturb anything, and then lay down on his side.

Almost the moment she lay down, Chu Shiyu's arms tightened like the toughest vines, holding her with an unbreakable force! He held her tightly in his arms, greedily absorbing her warm and real breath as if he was suffocating!

The force was so strong that it seemed to crush her and embed her into his bones and blood. Liu Rusi groaned and her ribs ached. But she did not struggle, just quietly savoring this embrace, feeling the heavy and rapid beating of his heart in his chest, and the uncontrollable subtle tremors of his body.

There was no lust in this embrace, only the desperate attachment of a drowning man grabbing onto driftwood, and the huge panic of being afraid of losing it again after losing it and regaining it.

The two people's long hair was entangled on the pillow, just like their inseparable posture at the moment.

The faint smell of medicine coming from under the gauze on Liu Rusi's neck, mixed with the freshness of the clean soap on her body, lingered in Chu Shiyu's nose.

This familiar and comforting breath, like the sweetest fragrance, gradually soothed his extremely tense nerves. The surging fear and panic finally found an outlet in this close embrace and slowly settled down.

Fatigue washed over their tense nerves like a tide. Liu Rusi closed her eyes, the dull pain in her neck and the immense mental exhaustion quickly causing her to sink into darkness.

Chu Shiyu, however, could not fall asleep for a long time. He just stubbornly locked her in his arms, feeling her warm breath brushing against his collarbone. Until the sound of her steady breathing became the most reassuring rhythm in the darkness, he finally couldn't resist the invasion of fatigue, and his consciousness gradually became blurred...