The fire in the stove was still burning; she just needed to add some firewood.

The high flame quickly brought the pot of water to a boil.

Rongrong put the noodles in, then started preparing the condiments.

There was fresh chicken broth available at home, so she scooped a bowl of chicken broth, added some salt, and once the noodles were cooked, she put them into the chicken broth.

She then chopped the meat from the chicken frame and some mushrooms into small pieces and placed them on top of the noodles, finishing with a sprinkle of chopped green onions.

Rongrong took a pair of chopsticks and quietly went outside with the bowl of noodles.

The Crown Prince was waiting at the entrance of the alley. Rongrong approached him with the bowl of noodles.

“There isn’t much to eat at home, so I made a bowl of noodles. You…” Rongrong wanted to ask if he wanted to eat, but there was nothing around the alley, and he couldn’t very well stand there eating the noodles.

Before she could finish her sentence, the Crown Prince reached out and took the bowl from her and started eating.

Strangely enough, eating while standing was usually considered quite uncouth, but the Crown Prince did it without any sense of vulgarity or embarrassment.

It was already evening, and the alley was empty.

In such a quiet moment, Rongrong couldn’t even hear the sound of him slurping the noodles.

In her daze, the Crown Prince quickly finished the noodles.

“It’s quite good, better than the Yangchun noodles from that shop,” the Crown Prince said, holding the bowl with one hand and wiping his mouth with a handkerchief with the other.

Rongrong felt a bit uneasy, “If Your Highness has no other business, I’ll head back now.”

The Crown Prince’s eyes were deep as he took a step closer and said, “I do have something.”

Something again!

Last time he said he had something, Rongrong almost lost her purity.

He was so close that his warm breath almost reached Rongrong’s ear.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly took a step back, “If Your Highness has business, please allow me to take the bowl back first.”

“I’ll take it,” the Crown Prince said, taking the bowl and heading toward the house.

Rongrong quickly stepped forward to block him, “But there are people in my house.”

The Crown Prince looked down at Rongrong from his elevated position and said：“Your home hasn’t been without male guests.”

Male guests?

Rongrong was taken aback, trying to recall who the male guests might be.

After some thought, she could only come up with Yang Tong.

How did the Crown Prince know about Yang Tong?

It must be that Fei Cui reported every detail about the household to him.

Fei Cui had claimed she wasn’t there to monitor her, but Rongrong had believed her.

While she was distracted, the Crown Prince had already pushed the door and entered the courtyard.

She hurried after him.

Fortunately, the courtyard was empty at the moment.

Xue Xiaoshan seemed to still be with Grandmother Xue, Chunxing was likely bathing, and Fei Cui, knowing he was there, must have stayed away.

The Crown Prince held a bowl, glanced around, and casually walked into the kitchen, setting the bowl down.

Rongrong was about to urge him to leave quickly when she heard some noise from Grandmother Xue’s room.

It seemed Xue Xiaoshan was coming out.

Rongrong was anxious to avoid having her family meet the Crown Prince and, in her haste, pulled him into the inner courtyard.

In the afternoon, she had given the key to Grandmother Xue, telling them to prepare to move into the inner courtyard.

By the afternoon, Chunxing and Fei Cui had unlocked the door and swept the courtyard.

As she pulled the Crown Prince into the inner courtyard, she realized that this inner courtyard was much larger than the outer one.

The main building had three rooms, with two additional rooms on either side.

In her moment of panic, she had pulled the Crown Prince in, and now, wanting to let go, she found that he was holding on tightly and wouldn’t let go.

Rongrong’s face flushed a little.

“Your Highness, Yuanbao has already returned to the Eastern Palace. If you don’t go back, he may not be able to sleep on time.”

“Mm.”

“Mm!” How annoying.

Even though she was speaking to him, his only response was a vague “mm.”

Of course, Rongrong soon understood that his “mm” meant he wasn’t going to respond further.

“Have you thought about what I said last time?”

What had he said? Rongrong was puzzled.

Seeing her confusion, he reminded her with an impatient expression, “That day in the East Palace, after I came back from the palace and you helped me change the bandage. I said that you don’t need to worry about other things while staying in the East Palace, and that I would protect you.” His sword-like brows slightly arched, seeming displeased with her forgetfulness.

That day…

Rongrong remembered that he had stubbornly wrapped the bandage too tightly, spending half a day flaunting it in front of the Emperor and officials, and when the bandage was finally removed, the wound had been torn open.

She remembered he said: from now on, while staying in the East Palace, she didn’t need to worry about anything else, and he would protect her.

At the time, she had thought it was just a temporary feeling of gratitude because she had taken care of him for a day and night at the farm.

She hadn’t expected him to bring it up again today.

In her past life, she had never heard these words, and hearing them in this life, it was impossible not to be moved.

Yet, thinking of the vast difference in their statuses, the momentary touch of emotion quickly turned into bitterness.

“Thank you… Thank you, Your Highness, for letting me stay in the Eastern Palace.”

The Crown Prince, seeing her vague response, gently pushed her against the pillar behind her.

His arms, like a cage, formed a small prison with the pillar, trapping Rongrong inside.

Trapped with no way to escape, Rongrong forced herself to explain, “I promised Yuanbao that I would stay by his side until he grows up and then leave.”

“Is it just for Yuanbao?” he asked, his usually deep gaze turning even colder.

Rongrong took a deep breath and smiled, “Yuanbao has been kind to me. He has saved me several times, and I can think of no other way to repay him except by staying with him, cooking for him, and telling him stories.”

“You’re pretending not to understand,” the Crown Prince said with a cold laugh.

“I truly don’t understand Your Highness’s meaning,” Rongrong turned her face away, trying not to meet his gaze.

But the next moment, a hand grasped her chin, pulling her forcefully towards his lips.

The Crown Prince, like a beast losing patience, invaded her lips as if claiming territory.

Only after thoroughly ravaging her did he release her.

“Do you understand what I mean now?”

Rongrong struggled to breathe, coughing several times before she could regain her composure.

Having learned today that Yuanbao’s biological mother was herself, Rongrong had already reconciled with him in her heart.

She wasn’t one to hold grudges.

Liu Zhen had wronged Jingrong in the past, failing to protect her, but after she died, he called off the wedding and didn’t keep any women around him, treating Yuanbao so well.

As a mere maid, she was already satisfied with how he treated her.

But now… Why, why did this man always have to be so unreasonable and overbearing?

“I understand, I understand. No matter when, no matter who I am, I am always just a tool for you to vent your frustrations. You take me when you want and ignore me when you don’t,” Rongrong could no longer hold back and shouted at him, “Liu Zhen, when will you ever see me as a person?”

The Crown Prince looked slightly surprised, but instead of becoming more unruly from Rongrong’s outburst, his previously unsettled gaze quickly calmed. “Always?”

Rongrong froze, momentarily caught off guard by his question.

Luckily, she quickly regained her composure and bit her lip, “You, you’ve touched me more than once.”

The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes, his gaze roaming over Rongrong’s body.

No, he felt that Rongrong’s previous words did not mean this: no matter when… no matter who I am…

He seemed to have touched on something but had not yet grasped it firmly.

Rongrong realized it was a bad situation, almost losing her composure.

She was even more afraid to look at him and tried to push away his restraining hand to distance herself, but he remained unmoved.

Just as she was about to curse him again, the voice of Xue Xiaoshan came from outside.

“Who’s in there?”

Is my second brother coming in?

Not wanting her family to see her and the Crown Prince in this state, Rongrong panicked.

The Crown Prince quickly wrapped his arm around her and whisked her into the nearest room.

When Xue Xiaoshan opened the door, he found only the empty courtyard.

“Young Master, what are you looking at? Is there a thief in the house?” It was Fei Cui’s voice.

“I’m not sure. I heard someone talking inside. It sounded like Rongrong.”

Fei Cui said, “Miss Rongrong has been inside for a while. How could she be talking out here? You must have heard wrong.”

“Perhaps I did hear wrong.” Xue Xiaoshan looked around the courtyard and saw nothing unusual. “Go back inside and make sure the doors and windows are tightly closed.”

“Alright.” Fei Cui slammed the door to the inner courtyard shut.

Rongrong heard the door closing and breathed a sigh of relief.

She suddenly realized she was tightly held in the Crown Prince’s embrace.

“Let go of me,” she whispered sharply.

To her surprise, the Crown Prince obediently released her.

“Are you not going back to the East Palace tomorrow?” he asked.

“I… I need to go back.”

“Just for Yuanbao?”

“Just for Yuanbao.” She had lost everything, even her life, and all that remained was Yuanbao.

She had no other desires, only to stay by Yuanbao’s side.

“What about me?” In the darkness, the Crown Prince suddenly asked softly.