Volume 1, Chapter 19: Tender Fragrance and Soft Jade

Li Lan had been in a coma for three full days due to severe oxygen deprivation before she finally struggled back to consciousness.

Beneath her skin, there was a searing, burning pain, yet on the surface, a faint, soothing coolness was seeping in bit by bit.

It felt comforting.

A rough texture brushed against her lower leg, moving steadily upward, sending a shiver through her. Finally, a warm, large palm rested upon her bare thigh.

Li Lan woke instantly.

Struggling to sit up, she retreated into the corner as if fleeing a predator, watching the man before her with vigilant eyes, her face flushed with an unnatural crimson.

"You—you—you degenerate!" she managed to stammer.

To think he would commit such beastly acts while she was unconscious!

Kedas seemed taken aback by her sudden awakening, his hand freezing in place as he held the medicine bottle.

"The moment you wake up, you pin such a grave accusation on me?" he remarked, looking at her with a playful glint in his eyes.

Only then did Li Lan notice the bottle in his hand.

So, he had been applying medicine for her.

Her face turned beet-red in an instant. She snatched the bottle from him, stuttering, "I—I’ll do it myself."

Kedas, relying on his height advantage, held it high out of her reach.

Ignoring the pain in her body, Li Lan reached up, fuming.

The man, clearly enjoying the game, waved the bottle back and forth before her eyes, refusing to yield.

"If you want it, come and get it. If you can't reach it, then I’ll have to do the honors myself." As he spoke, his mischievous hand reached toward her once more.

Having just woken up, Li Lan was already sweating from his teasing, her face growing even redder.

Her eyes brimmed with tears, her breathing coming in shallow, delicate gasps.

Kedas, unable to bear teasing her further, raised his hand to return the medicine, but suddenly caught sight of a breathtaking view.

Her neckline had loosened.

A vast expanse of snow-white skin unexpectedly entered his line of sight.

His eyes darkened, and his breathing grew heavy and ragged.

Roughly pulling her collar back into place, he gazed at her with burning intensity. "Good thing my favorite parts weren't burned."

Li Lan followed his gaze and her face flushed deep crimson.

"You... beast!" she cursed.

The man, however, showed no anger at all. Instead, he smiled and pulled her into his arms, his stubble-covered jaw rubbing against her smooth forehead in a gesture both gentle and lingering.

"From now on, you are not allowed to leave my sight for even a single step, do you hear me?"

Her brush with death this time had terrified him.

Li Lan recoiled from his touch. "You’re scratching me... stay further away."

The man instantly flared up. "You dare to shun me?"

Li Lan hurriedly tried to soothe the temperamental giant. "I'm not shunning you, it's just..." She sighed. "The villains are in the shadows while I am in the light. Even with the Great King protecting me, there will always be those who find a way to strike."

"You were really frightened this time, weren't you?" The man pulled her onto his lap. "Rest assured, such things will never happen again. With those two as an example to the others, no one will dare bully you again."

Li Lan stared at him in stunned silence. She hadn't even voiced her suspicions yet—had this man already taken revenge for her?

With the two of them so close, Li Lan felt for the first time that this barbarian was actually quite handsome, perhaps even more so than the nobles and aristocrats of the capital.

His features were deep-set, his bone structure rugged; every detail seemed crafted with masterful precision.

"Hurry and recover your strength. I’ve acquired many fine items from that Central Plains merchant, waiting for you to teach me how to use them."

The romantic atmosphere was instantly shattered by his words.

Li Lan glared at him but said nothing.

The spacious tent that had once been hers was now nothing but ruins from the fire, so Kedas had settled her in his own council tent.

Outside, dozens of barbarian soldiers stood guard in shifts, securing the tent like a fortress of steel.

Originally used for entertaining guests and discussing state affairs, it had now become Li Lan’s private quarters.

For several days, Kedas had been incessantly busy, seemingly facing joint condemnation from several old chieftains of the steppe.

Li Lan didn't need to guess to know it was surely because of her.

He was preoccupied and overwhelmed, which at least granted her some peace and quiet for a few days.

Gesa had said the Crown Prince was no longer in life-threatening danger, though he remained in a coma, with no telling when he might wake.

Li Lan was overjoyed. She searched diligently for the Imperial Seal; once the Crown Prince awoke, they could escape the grasslands together.

They would never have to endure the humiliation of the barbarians again.

However, the Crown Prince’s words before he lost consciousness had been unclear. He had only mentioned the seal was under a table in a tent, without specifying which tent or which table.

There were thousands of tents on these grasslands. If she had to search them one by one, she would likely die before finishing.

With the Prince incapacitated, she could only try to find clues from the barbarian himself, but he was so busy that he was barely visible, appearing only once every few days, always in such a rush that she never had the chance to ask.

At night, Li Lan tossed and turned, tormented by the matter. Just as a hint of sleep finally began to take hold, a cold body pressed against her from behind.

"That dog of an Emperor has sent someone to demand you back."

Li Lan woke instantly.

Someone from the palace had finally come to rescue the Crown Prince.

"And what are your terms?" she asked instinctively.

Kedas held her and gave her a fierce kiss, chuckling softly. "Truly, you are my woman—so clever. Yet that dog of an Emperor doesn't even understand such a simple principle."

Li Lan looked up at him.

Kedas lay down, still fully clothed. "That whelp broke into my territory to steal things first. I caught him, and it was an act of mercy that I didn't kill him. Now that they want him back, they haven't shown a shred of sincerity."

Li Lan’s heart skipped a beat. She didn't understand why this barbarian insisted the Crown Prince had broken in to steal.

It was clearly to save her that the Prince had ventured alone into this devil's den.

After a long moment, she realized the truth.

He wasn't technically wrong. In his eyes, she was nothing more than an object.

Rescuing her in secret—was that not "stealing"?

Li Lan gave a bitter smile, her heart aching faintly. She kept her expression neutral, her voice remaining soft and gentle.

"And what does the Great King intend to do?"

"I won't release him. If it comes to it, we fight. I have a hostage—what do I have to fear?" He pulled the small woman into his arms, his burning kisses raining down upon her.

A hot-blooded man who hadn't held such fragrant, soft warmth in his arms for a long time, he was desperate for her.

But the woman beneath him remained stiff and listless.

Li Lan was lost in thought, her mind a chaotic mess.

"You're still pining for that little husband of yours, aren't you?" He pinched her small face, forcing her to look at him. "I told you long ago, he is no good man, nor did he treat you with true sincerity. Why do you insist on sacrificing yourself for him? What are you hoping for?"

Li Lan regained her focus, a smile playing on her lips. "I am not pining for him, just lamenting that things are no longer what they used to be."

"If you dare think of him again, I will not spare you." He thrust into her forcefully.

A broken cry escaped Li Lan’s red lips.

"I heard the Great King’s treasury holds many rare treasures of the world. My previous clothes and jewelry were all consumed by the fire. Would the Great King be willing to pick a few pieces from the treasury for me?"

Kedas froze for a moment, his dark eyes fixed on the beautiful woman beneath him. Yet, beneath that exquisite face, something seemed to be hidden.

After a long silence, he rasped:

"We shall see how you behave first."