CHAPTER 97 — WHEN HIS HIGNESS DISPLAYED HIS CLAIM
Did he truly have no ulterior motive?
No hidden scheme?
Why, then, did she feel a faint prickle of unease?
Was it already too late to regret agreeing to this?
The Third Prince gave her no opportunity to reconsider.
He had already lifted her from the carriage and set her upon the ground, one arm still firmly around her waist as he looked down at her with unreadable eyes.
Tang Ke Xin recalled the sight of his reddened, swollen lips and felt a sudden warmth creep across her cheeks. She had planned this, yes—but seeing him so openly marked by her handiwork, in front of guards and the Crown Prince no less, made her feel strangely self‑conscious.
Ming Xun, hearing movement, turned—and nearly choked.
His master's lips were unmistakably bitten.
Miss Tang's lips were equally flushed.
He pressed his own lips together in disbelief.
His Highness was formidable indeed… but Miss Tang, gentle and quiet as she appeared, had clearly shown her teeth.
---
Ye Lan Jue stepped forward, still holding Tang Ke Xin close.
"What a coincidence," he said mildly, "I did not expect to meet the Crown Prince here."
His voice was low, smooth, and—because he was in an excellent mood—devoid of its usual icy edge. His natural dominance, however, remained entirely intact.
The Crown Prince's gaze flicked to Tang Ke Xin's lips.
Then to Ye Lan Jue's.
The meaning was unmistakable.
His expression darkened.
She had once recoiled from his touch, had gone to great lengths to avoid him, had even plotted to leave the capital to escape him.
Yet now she dared to do this with Ye Lan Jue?
His eyes grew colder, sharper, tinged with something ruthless.
---
"The Crown Prince has been waiting for his younger brother," Ye Lan Jue said, his tone polite but his smile anything but. "May I know what matter requires such urgency?"
In the past, he might have tolerated the Crown Prince's presence.
But now?
The Crown Prince had dared to covet his woman.
Courtesy was no longer necessary.
"I did not expect," the Crown Prince said slowly, "that Kexin would be in Third Brother's carriage."
He did not look at Ye Lan Jue.
His gaze was fixed entirely on Tang Ke Xin.
Why him?
Why choose Ye Lan Jue over me?
He was the Crown Prince—the future Emperor.
What did Ye Lan Jue have that he did not?
Unless…
Unless she had discovered the truth of that night.
But that was impossible.
He had told her first.
She should have believed him.
Why, then, was she standing beside Ye Lan Jue?
---
"Yes," Ye Lan Jue replied lazily, "my heart has just returned. She missed this king, so she came to see him."
He leaned closer, his lips brushing her hair as he murmured,
"This king missed her too."
Tang Ke Xin's entire body prickled with goosebumps.
His tone, his tenderness, his intimate posture—
If she had not known this was an act, she might have been fooled herself.
The Third Prince was frighteningly good at this.
Still, she endured it.
This performance was for the Crown Prince's benefit.
If it made him retreat, then it was worth it.
---
The Crown Prince's face darkened further.
"Is that so?" he said coldly. "From what I know, the Third Prince met Kexin by chance."
He had clearly come armed with information.
Ye Lan Jue did not blink.
"This king arranged to meet her at Tai Lake."
He lied with the ease of breathing—calm, unhurried, utterly convincing.
"Is that not so, my heart?" he asked, turning to her with a gentle smile.
"Yes," Tang Ke Xin replied without hesitation.
She had already committed to this act.
There was no point wavering now.
She knew the Crown Prince would misunderstand.
She hoped he would.
If this performance spared her from future trouble, then so be it.
Ming Xun watched silently, impressed.
His master had subdued Miss Tang completely in the span of a single journey from the lake.
Fate indeed.
---
"So obedient," Ye Lan Jue murmured, his voice low and intimate.
He leaned in and kissed her cheek.
Right in front of the Crown Prince.
Ming Xun nearly fainted.
His Highness had not even married Miss Tang—yet he kissed her openly before the heir to the throne.
But this was deliberate.
A declaration.
A warning.
Tang Ke Xin stiffened.
She had never kissed anyone in public before—not even in her modern life.
Her face warmed with discomfort.
"What is it?" Ye Lan Jue whispered, amused. "Is my heart shy?"
Her reaction delighted him.
Her shy expression was unexpectedly beautiful.
The Crown Prince's eyes grew murderous.
---
"Crown Prince," Ye Lan Jue said smoothly, "my heart has just returned and is tired. This king must take her back to rest. I shall not waste your time further."
He did not wait for a reply.
He simply lifted Tang Ke Xin into his arms and stepped back into the carriage.
Tang Ke Xin did not resist.
She allowed him to carry her inside.
The Crown Prince's eyes narrowed to slits.
His hands clenched beneath his sleeves, nails digging into flesh.
Tang Ke Xin.
He had decided to marry her.
She would not escape him.
Not even Ye Lan Jue could change that.
---
Inside the carriage, Ye Lan Jue did not release her.
Instead, he drew her closer, his lips descending toward hers once more.
"Your Highness," Tang Ke Xin said quickly, pushing him away and slipping to the opposite seat, "we are already in the carriage. The Crown Prince cannot see us. There is no need to continue acting."
He stared at her.
This woman…
Was she truly this quick to abandon the act?
"Tang Ke Xin," he said slowly, "your speed at burning bridges is impressive. We have not even crossed the river, yet you are already tearing it down."
His brows furrowed, a hint of irritation flickering across his face.
Was his charm truly so ineffective?
Why did it have no effect on her?
Perhaps…
he needed a different approach.