Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Fifth Prince refused to give in to me. He wouldn’t touch me at all.

But the bathtub was only so big. Even if his hands didn’t touch me, our bodies were still pressed together.

Whenever he moved, he brushed against my skin.

In the end, the Fifth Prince simply gave up struggling.

I was very curious what it felt like when someone’s leg was crippled, so I slipped my hand under the hem of his robe and felt around.

Huh?

It didn’t feel any different.

Seeing that the Fifth Prince was about to curse at me again, I quickly pulled my hand back.

Before he could speak, I beat him to it. “All right, all right, I know. If I touch you again, you’ll kill me.”

Cut off by me, the Fifth Prince raised his hand and pinched my cheek hard.

After he finished pinching me, he stared at his fingers and rubbed them together, his brows drawing tighter and tighter.

After all that fuss, I was getting sleepy too.

I advised him, “Your Highness, let’s hurry up and have a baby. Once we’re done, we can sleep.”

The Fifth Prince asked through gritted teeth, “Shen Yufu, your elder sister is dignified and virtuous. How did she end up with a shameless younger sister like you?!”

Alas. I knew it. He was still thinking about my legitimate elder sister.

Out of kindness, I said, “Then just pretend I’m my sister, and let’s get it over with.”

I couldn’t help looking over his face again.

In my heart, I secretly thought, I can pretend he’s the Crown Prince too. Heehee.

The Fifth Prince instantly bristled. Narrowing his eyes, he asked me, “You admire the Crown Prince?”

Guiltily, I thought, Ah, was it that obvious?

The Fifth Prince sneered. “That little thought of yours might as well be written all over your face.”

I answered honestly, “Then we can both treat each other as substitutes. That’s quite nice too.”

After I said that, the Fifth Prince’s eyes turned as cold as winter ice.

I didn’t dare make trouble anymore and obediently climbed out of the bathtub.

Behind me, I heard the Fifth Prince slap the water in irritation.

I went to change, but he took ages to come out.

I didn’t dare provoke him again, so I could only let his personal attendant come in.

I secretly glanced behind the screen.

I saw the Fifth Prince changing clothes.

His attendant was dealing with the bathtub.

A layer of dirty stuff was floating on the surface of the bathwater.

I thought to myself, How long has the Fifth Prince gone without bathing? He’s truly filthy!

Just then,

the Fifth Prince, with his back to me, suddenly said in a faint, eerie voice, “Once, someone peeked at me while I was bathing. I gouged out their eyes.”

Terrified, I covered my eyes and cried out, “It wasn’t me! I didn’t peek!”

I hurried back to the bedroom, shut my eyes, and pretended to sleep.

Before long, the Fifth Prince lay down beside me.

After hearing him talk about gouging out eyes, I felt frightened deep down.

Mother said the Fifth Prince had fallen from the clouds, so there was bound to be hostility in his heart.

She warned me that no matter what happened, I had to keep it inside.

If I was happy, I should laugh secretly.

If I was sad, I should cry quietly.

In short, I must not provoke the Fifth Prince.

Half an hour later,

the Fifth Prince could no longer bear it and dug me out from under the covers.

When he saw my face covered in tear tracks, he swallowed back his bellyful of anger.

Like a little kitten, I shrank my neck and choked out aggrievedly, “I… I didn’t make any sound while crying.”

The Fifth Prince tugged up my sleeve and wiped my face with it, saying irritably, “Then why were you crying against my stomach?!”

But when I was at home, I used to cry against Mother’s stomach.

I thought the Fifth Prince had fallen asleep, so I secretly burrowed under the blanket and cried against him.

Was even that not allowed?

This Fifth Prince was far too domineering.

The more I thought about it, the more wronged I felt. With tears streaming down my face, I said, “I haven’t even scolded you yet! Hiding a dagger on your body in the middle of the night-it even knocked against my face.”

Princes really were precious and noble. Even when sleeping, they had to hide a dagger for self-defense.

The Fifth Prince’s face shifted from green to red and back again.

He pushed me farther inside and said, “Go to sleep.”

I sniffled and said quietly, “I can’t sleep. I miss Mother. When I used to sleep, Mother would pat my back and hum a little tune to coax me.”

The Fifth Prince pressed his fingers to his brow, sat up, and was about to call out, “Zi Xiao, come sleep with her!”

Before long, a beautiful maid dressed in purple walked in.

The Fifth Prince moved aside.

Zi Xiao sat on the bed. I consciously went over, wrapped my arms around her, and nuzzled in her embrace.

Zi Xiao’s face flushed bright red with a whoosh.

I looked up at her and wheedled, “Sister Zi Xiao, hug me.”

The Fifth Prince witnessed all of this, and his head practically buzzed.

With a cold face, he chased Zi Xiao out.

I stared at him blankly.

The Fifth Prince clenched his teeth and got back onto the bed.

He pressed me into his arms and gently patted my back.

I rested my face against his neck and gradually grew a little sleepy.

The Fifth Prince softly hummed some unknown lullaby.

In a daze, I murmured softly, “Fifth Prince, you’re so nice.”

In my dreams,

I seemed to hear the Fifth Prince curse me under his breath, “Nice, my foot! Tomorrow, I’ll divorce you!”