Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

"Is the Sixth Prince alright? I would like to apologize to His Highness for what happened in my in-laws\' house. My husband crossed the limits of his madness," Miaoran said while keeping her gaze low.

"That was a different matter, which has nothing to do with Lady Miaoran," Feng Lao said. "By tomorrow the divorce will be finalized and then Lady Miaoran can live in peace." He passed a gentle smile to her.

"Still, I feel it was because of me," Miaoran said and fiddled with her fingers.

"It must have been difficult to live with a man like Chen Xiao," Feng Lao decided to distract her. "Did Lady Miaoran ever think to run away before from that marriage? I suppose if she had gone to the ministry of justice before, she wouldn\'t have suffered so much," he opined.

Miaoran raised her head to look at him. "I tried thrice, Lord Shui. However, I had limited knowledge of such a ministry. I went to my family too, but they asked me to bear it," she stated.

"It hurts when the family doesn\'t help," Feng Lao said and looked at the bruise on her neck. He felt bad for her. "For five years, Lady Miaoran bore the torture. I admire that you have at least tried to run away," he asserted while showing empathy toward her.

"But I failed all three times. I am thankful to Lord Shui for helping me that night. I want to repay his kindness to me," Miaoran said.

"I didn\'t help Lady Miaoran to take something from her," Feng Lao replied. "I did a duty of a nobleman," he added.

"I never knew men like Lord Shui existed," Miaoran stated.

Feng Lao smiled a little. "There are a lot of men like me in the Kingdom. Prince Lóng Wei is another such man," he affirmed.

Miaoran agreed with his words. She had never thought the prince of the Kingdom would come to her rescue.

"Everyone fears Prince Lóng Wei. I have heard a bit about him before my marriage. I never knew he was such a great personality," Miaoran said.

"Where will Lady Miaoran go after separating from her husband? Will she go to her father\'s home?" Feng Lao asked.

"Father will never accept me. I will go to some other place," Miaoran stated.

"You can stay here. Xu Zifan and Jingfei also want that," Feng Lao said.

Miaoran pursed her lips together and knitted her brows. "I do not wish to trouble you all," she said.

"Then, stay here for a month at least. Your wounds must get healed by that time. I don\'t think Lady Miaoran should travel when she\'s not healthy enough," Feng Lao suggested to her.

Miaoran nodded at him and thanked him again.

"You should take some rest. I will take my leave," Feng Lao said and walked out of the room.

~~~~~~

Lin Jiao tapped her fingers on the surface of the table. She had been waiting for Mingquan since the morning, but there was no trace of him. The assistant to Mingquan was nowhere to be seen either.

Lin Jiao heard the voices and stood up to check at the door. After a minute, Mingquan entered and stopped briefly to see her.

"Did I make you wait for too long?" He asked as he resumed the walk toward her.

"No. I knew the Prince was busy," Lin Jiao said.

"How have you been?" Mingquan asked as he brushed away the hair strands from her cheek. "We could not see each other for two days," he said.

"I have been well," Lin Jiao said. "My wedding dress will soon be ready. What did the royal astrologer say about the wedding date?" she asked.

"Look at your desperation to marry me!" Mingquan remarked. "You were so against getting married," he muttered.

"I found the right person, so I should marry him," Lin Jiao replied.

Mingquan smiled at her and looked at her outfit. "You look beautiful in this dress," he complimented her.

"The color suited me well. The Fourth Prince knows in what clothes I look good," she asserted. "Ahh, I almost forgot to tell Prince Mingquan that Bai Jue has come to apologize to me," she informed him.

"To your house? When did he come?" Mingquan got worried.

"Yesterday," Lin Jiao replied. "My father and brother were home at that time. Bai Jue was released from prison a week ago. He decided to apologize to me. Everything is even between us now," she stated.

"However, I cannot forgive him," Mingquan said.

"Bai Jue seemed different," Lin Jiao stated.

"So? He tried to force his feelings on you. I hate such people," Mingquan remarked.

Lin Jiao laughed. "The Prince is head over heels for me," she mumbled.

"What about you?" He took a step closer to her.

Lin Jiao continued to smile at him but didn\'t give a response. Mingquan kissed her cheek and gazed into her eyes. "Last night, I had a thought," he whispered against her lips.

"What kind of thought?" Lin Jiao queried.

"I will soon share the bed with you," Mingquan said.

Lin Jiao arched her eyebrows, "And?"

"And I will go to sleep while embracing you. You will brighten my world with your cheerful personality. Even when you are away, you give me a reason to smile," Mingquan explained to her.

"I thought I always troubled the Fourth Prince," she said.

"You did in the beginning. My back still hurts when I go to the last shelf to pick any document from there," Mingquan said while recalling the day when the shelf fell over them.

"Is the Fourth Prince pulling my leg?" She asked.

"No. I am recalling our unique encounters," Mingquan said and caressed her cheek from the back of her palm. He kissed her softly on the lips. "We will be married next week, Lin Jiao. The royal astrologer has given two dates and I will discuss them with your father in the evening. Be ready to become my wife.," he said.