That afternoon, Xiao Hanjin was assassinated.
For the next three days, Di Ronghua did not see Xiao Hanjin.
At noon on the fourth day, Fan Jiang came to inform her that Xiao Hanjin was currently recuperating at the Crown Prince’s residence.
After some thought, Di Ronghua decided to leave the palace and visit him.
The moment she pushed open the door, the strong scent of medicine filled the room. Her eyes immediately fell on the pale-faced man sitting up in bed. His cold, mocking gaze was a stark contrast to the hidden indulgence she had seen in his eyes just a few days ago.
Di Ronghua lowered her gaze and slowly walked over, sitting down by the bed. “How are you?”
The man’s dark eyes stared at her for a long time before he suddenly laughed. “Is this your way of showing concern, Your Highness?”
Di Ronghua looked at the obvious mockery in his smile and remained silent for a moment. “Have you taken your medicine?”
He smirked, his deep, ink-like eyes clouded with a layer of gloom. “You must be disappointed that I’m still alive, aren’t you?”
Di Ronghua slowly raised her eyes to meet his. “I thought you had Fan Jiang tell me you were here because you wanted me to visit you.” With that, she stood up and added indifferently, “If that’s not the case, I’ll head back now.”
Xiao Hanjin’s pupils contracted slightly.
He watched her retreating figure, his heart feeling as though it had been abruptly seized by something. Even when he had been shot with an arrow, it hadn’t hurt this much. Even when he had confirmed that his father was behind the assassination attempt, it hadn’t felt this painful.
Even… when he had learned that Di Ronghua had known about the assassination plot but chose not to warn him, it hadn’t been this hard to bear.
But now, it felt as though all the numbness and pain were being repaid twofold, making even breathing difficult.
He had thought he already knew how much she despised him. He had thought that after she agreed to give him a year, they could at least have a brief period of peace. But it turned out that wasn’t the case.
Her resistance to him ran much deeper than he had imagined.
At least in the past, when he had forced her hand to stab a dagger into his chest, her eyes had been filled with panic and heartache.
But now, she could watch an assassination attempt with indifference—she had known about it all along but chose not to warn him. So, perhaps she truly wished for his death, hoping it would set her free.
She had even… waited so long before coming to see him.
“Ronghua.”
His low voice rang out, and the woman paused.
Xiao Hanjin looked at her back, which remained turned to him, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Come here.”
She hesitated but eventually turned and walked back to him.
The man’s deep, penetrating gaze fixed on her. “Stand closer. I can’t reach you from there.”
“What, are you going to hit me to vent your anger?”
As soon as she finished speaking, the man suddenly sat up and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into his arms.
Her expression changed, and she instinctively raised her hand.
But Xiao Hanjin simply held her tightly.
His handsome face pressed against her waist, his expression hidden, but his low, hoarse voice broke the silence in the room. “When my father told me you had known about the assassination attempt, I really thought I’d have to hit you to vent my anger. But after I woke up, I thought… as long as the first person I saw was you, I’d pretend I knew nothing.”
Di Ronghua’s breath hitched, and she closed her eyes.
“But it’s been four days.” The man’s faint laughter carried a tinge of self-mockery. “If Fan Jiang hadn’t gone to find you, you wouldn’t have thought to visit me, would you?”
“I didn’t know where you were.”
“You knew. You just didn’t care enough to ask.”
“…”
He spoke in a low, raspy voice, “But never mind. Your Highness, as long as you hug me now, I’ll forgive you, okay?”
