Chapter 47: Warming More Than His Hands (2)
Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly every time she blew another warm breath onto his fingers. A few loose strands of hair slipped over her shoulder, gently brushing against the back of his hand.
It tickled and for some reason, his heartbeat became a little uneven.
Rong Shuyan had fought on countless battlefields before. He had faced blades, arrows, and enemies without fear.
Yet now, he found himself strangely at a loss because of one woman gently holding his hands.
"Xueyi," he called softly.
"Hm?" She looked up, her bright eyes meeting his.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. Then Lin Xueyi blinked in confusion. "Does it still feel cold?"
Rong Shuyan hesitated before quietly answering, "A little."
"Oh." Without thinking much of it, Lin Xueyi scooted even closer. She lifted both of his hands and wrapped them more tightly in the thick scarf before cupping them between her palms again. "This should help."
She rubbed his hands gently, then blew another warm breath over his fingers. "Just bear with it for a little longer. Once your medicine is ready, you’ll feel much better."
After saying that, she took the medicine powder that Physician Liu had prepared earlier. Then she began brewing it over the small stove that was specially used for making medicine.
Fortunately, Physician Liu had taught her the proper way to brew medicine, so even though they were the only two people in the tent, she was still able to prepare Rong Shuyan’s medicine without any trouble.
"Xueyi," Rong Shuyan called again.
"Yes?" Lin Xueyi replied without looking back.
[Why does he keep calling my name like that?] she wondered. [Still... it actually feels nice that someone is finally calling me by my name in this world. If only I could call him by his name too.]
Unfortunately, even as a Princess Consort, it would be inappropriate for her to call her husband by his name, especially since their marriage hadn’t been built on love from the very beginning.
[That sucks, but what can I do? It’s hard being a woman in this world. I have to be careful, or I’ll end up in a coffin again.]
Rong Shuyan felt a little awkward after hearing her serious thoughts. He cleared his throat before saying, "Thank you for everything you did today."
Lin Xueyi finally turned around and looked at him in confusion. "Everything? What do you mean?"
[Other than warming his hands, I haven’t even done anything.]
The only things she had done since arriving at the military camp were drinking warm soup and sitting outside the tent while waiting for Rong Shuyan.
But in his eyes, she had done something truly meaningful.
"Thanks to your suggestion, we were able to find the hidden trail used by the Southern Wolf Tribe," Rong Shuyan said. "I haven’t had the chance to thank you until now, but you’ve helped us more than you know."
Lin Xueyi smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of her head.
[I only knew because I read the book.]
[If this world weren’t a novel I had already read, I would’ve never been able to help these soldiers.]
"I... I just got lucky with my guess," she said with an embarrassed laugh. "I don’t know anything about war."
Rong Shuyan shook his head. "Whether it was just a guess or because you have a deep understanding of warfare, you still helped us. And that’s the only thing that matters."
[This feels... strange.] Lin Xueyi lightly bit the inside of her cheek. [It’s been a long time since someone praised me like this.]
Back in her previous life, she had received far more criticism than compliments. Even when she did a good job, her boss rarely acknowledged her efforts.
[But... it feels really nice to be praised.]
She couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. She even rocked lightly on her feet, unable to hide how flustered and happy she felt.
"It’s nothing, Your Highness," she replied, her voice sounding a little brighter than usual. "I’m just happy that I could help you."
Rong Shuyan looked at her, wanting to say something more. But before he could speak, the medicine suddenly came to a boil.
"Oh!" Lin Xueyi quickly turned back to the stove before it could boil over.
She quickly lowered the fire and stirred the medicine with a small wooden spoon. After checking that it had brewed properly, she carefully poured the dark liquid into a porcelain bowl.
"It’s still too hot," Lin Xueyi murmured. She gently blew across the surface before carrying the bowl over to Rong Shuyan.
"Your medicine, Your Highness."
Rong Shuyan reached out to take it, but the moment his fingers touched the bowl, they trembled slightly.
His hand was still too numb to hold it steadily.
Lin Xueyi immediately pulled the bowl back. "No, no. Don’t force yourself."
Before Rong Shuyan could say anything, she sat down on the small stool beside him. "I’ll help you."
She scooped up a spoonful of medicine, blew on it several times, then held it in front of his lips. "Open your mouth."
Rong Shuyan froze for a moment. He had taken medicine by himself for years. Ever since he had become disabled, he had hated relying on other people. But looking at Lin Xueyi’s bright, serious expression, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
He slowly opened his mouth and Lin Xueyi carefully fed him the medicine, making sure it wasn’t too hot before giving him another spoonful.
The bitter smell quickly filled the tent. She frowned harder than he did. "It’s so bitter..." she muttered.
Rong Shuyan couldn’t help the faint smile that appeared on his face. "The one drinking it is me."
"I know." She looked at him with sympathy. "That’s why I feel sorry for you, Your Highness."
For some reason, those simple words made the bitterness in his mouth seem much lighter.
After several more spoonfuls, the bowl was finally empty.
"There." Lin Xueyi let out a small sigh of relief. "All finished."
She smiled proudly, as if she had just completed an important mission.
Rong Shuyan watched her in silence before speaking. "Xueyi."
"Yes, Your Highness?"
He was silent for a moment, carefully choosing his words. "If... one day..." he began slowly, "you wished to call me by my name instead... you may do so."