The snow had stopped.
The ground was lightly frosted, and the cold wind stung one’s delicate skin.
Lan Murou stood beneath the eaves, gazing up at the sky, her mind involuntarily drifting back to the events of the past year.
Truth be told, A Luan’s actions had truly shocked her; she wouldn’t have dared to be so reckless in her wildest dreams.
If she ever harbored a thought of leaving, Tantai Ye would truly be ruthless enough to kill her family.
The last time she had tried to escape while he was at war, she was caught and almost had her feet chopped off. Not only was she shackled daily, but she was also confined to a dark room and subjected to his oppression for an entire month.
She truly feared those dark, sunless days.
He would use inhumane methods to torment her heart, making her dependent on him and eradicating any thought of escape. She suddenly envied A Luan’s decisiveness; perhaps death was truly the best release.
Demons like them were inherently terrifying.
The sounds of raging fury from within came in waves. Lan Murou bit her lip, backing further away.
Having stood in the cold sea all night, her body was stiff and cold, her palms chilled. She rubbed her hands together unconsciously, exhaling a breath.
A moment later, she remembered Xiao Chi Zhan, who was still unconscious. Pausing, she went to the other room to check on him.
He was still fast asleep.
His bloodshot eyes, tainted with poison, were slightly closed, his entire face radiating a sickly pallor.
She watched in silence, recalling the scene of A Luan’s resolute leap into the ice hole that day, the bitterness in her heart spreading uncontrollably.
She suddenly dared not imagine how terrifying it would be if the man on the bed were to awaken.
Such a possessive man, if he learned that A Luan was dead, would the world once again be thrown into turmoil? How would this terrifying, god-like man erupt in fury?
She clutched her handkerchief slightly, glancing up at the sky. The dawn was gradually receding, and in the slightly brightening northwest sky, several strange, crimson lights flickered.
She looked closely and saw a hint of bloodlust in those lights, instilling a bad premonition deep within her heart.
How strange!
“Rou’er.”
Sharp, cold eyes fixed on her back. Lan Murou’s body trembled, and she immediately turned around, “General.”
Tantai Ye strode over and grabbed her hand, “It’s so cold, where were you?” Before she could answer, he continued, “Were you at the ice hole?”
“I just wanted to see if A Luan could be found.”
She knew he was angry again.
To prevent him from placing spies around her, Lan Murou coughed lightly and promised in a low voice, “I won’t do it again.”
Tantai Ye was currently overwhelmed with his work and didn’t pay much attention to her words. He directly pulled her into another room.
“Come and rest for a while.”
Although Lan Murou was tired, she found it hard to sleep. As soon as she closed her eyes, the image of A Luan jumping into the ice hole appeared. At the bottom of such a deep hole, would she have already been shattered to pieces?
Waves of bitterness surged in her heart, and she clutched her chest, a pang of heartache evident.
“What’s wrong?”
He took off his outer robe, got onto the bed, and pulled her into his embrace.
Lan Murou lowered her eyelids slightly. Before she could make any move, her chin was lifted by him, and she was directly drawn into his deep, dark pupils.
His facial features were deep-set, his chiseled contours sharp as if carved by a knife. His thin lips were pressed tightly together, rigid and indifferent. Perhaps due to his recent busyness, his eyes were tinged with red bloodshot veins.
But the gaze he fixed upon her was exceptionally sharp, like that of a predator guarding its territory, refusing to let the prey escape, exuding overwhelming possessiveness.
“It hurts.”
“All you do is cry out in pain all day.”
Choked by his retort, Lan Murou dared not speak further.
Seeing her fall silent again, Tantai Ye leaned closer impatiently, “Weren’t you swift and decisive when you dealt with Sister Liu Rongruo? Why didn’t you cry out in pain then?”
A chill ran through Lan Murou’s heart, and her back trembled slightly.
She hadn’t wanted to; it was Liu Yueyue who wanted to harm her. That woman couldn’t tolerate anyone by Tantai Ye’s side and wanted to kill her. She had merely been defending herself.
“Hmm? Why aren’t you speaking?”
“Doesn’t Prime Minister Liu dislike this sister? I was merely helping him out.”
Upon hearing this, Tantai Ye let out a hearty laugh, suddenly pressing down on her. He playfully pinched her chin, “Did he need your help? Tell me the truth, were you jealous?”
“I remember my place and will not do anything that would trouble the General.”
She lowered her eyebrows and eyes, her emotions indiscernible.
Tantai Ye’s gaze deepened abruptly, and he curled his lips coldly.
This woman was always like this, as if nothing could elicit a change in her.
“Oh, then when I marry, I will definitely find someone gentle and generous, someone who can tolerate you.”
As he spoke, he stared intently at her face, but the woman beneath him showed no change in expression.
“Thank you, General.”
Tantai Ye smiled, and as he smiled, he gripped her chin, leaving red marks.
Having been with him for so long, Lan Murou knew that he was angry in this manner.
She frowned slightly, wondering what was wrong with him, getting angry every day.
Given his status, he was bound to marry a woman from a noble family, and his family would not allow him to remain unmarried indefinitely.
If one Liu Yueyue were removed, another would appear. By then, how would she protect herself, and what about her younger brother?
The noble ladies in the capital were cruel and cunning. There would be times when she couldn’t guard against them. What should she do?
“Well then, after I marry, I’ll take you as a concubine, how about that?”
Lan Murou’s face paled, and her hands, hidden beneath the quilt, trembled slightly.
He wanted to take her as a concubine?!
Tantai Ye looked at the change in her expression with excitement, a grin spreading across his face, “You’ve been with me for so long, you can’t possibly get nothing, can you?”
She, a pure and innocent girl, how could she be willing to be a concubine? If she died, how could she face her parents in the afterlife?
He knew it perfectly well, knew that she hated being a concubine the most. She would rather he tire of her and let her go than be a concubine to someone else.
He was doing it deliberately, deliberately watching the show, laughing at her.
She couldn’t help but feel heartache and a chill deep within.
“Rou’er, why aren’t you speaking? Don’t you want to marry me?”
He leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers, his dark eyes harboring a teasing smile.
Lan Murou suppressed her fear and anger, her hands trembling as she pushed him away. She pulled at the corner of her lips, “General, when you marry, can you let me go?”
Let her go?!
Heh! She was just waiting for him to marry so she could leave him!
Tantai Ye curled his lips coldly, and the suppressed anger in his heart surged. He forcefully gripped her chin, his voice icy.
“It’s impossible to let you go. Since you’re so unwilling to be a concubine, why not be an outside mistress?”
After saying that, he suddenly captured her delicate lips and bit and nibbled them forcefully. His calloused hand also reached in to caress her.
Lan Murou felt pain from his bite but dared not resist. Tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes.
An outside mistress?!
He was deliberately humiliating her!
He always knew how to inflict pain in her heart.