Su Qingyue had been married to the Second Prince for many years and understood his character thoroughly. When he was displeased, his lips would unconsciously purse tightly, and his brows would furrow slightly.
Did he think she was ungrateful and had wasted Empress Lu’s kind intentions?
Su Qingyue sneered inwardly. In the past, the Second Prince had seemed perfect in her eyes, perhaps because of the saying that love makes the lover beautiful.
She had loved him wholeheartedly, her entire world revolving around him. That was why she saw him as flawless.
But later events, though Su Qingyue knew the Second Prince was not the instigator, revealed a side of his character she had never seen before in how he handled the situation.
He was weak and selfish.
If the Second Prince had let her leave back then, she would have at least retained some good memories of him.
Alas, he would rather have her become a concubine than let her go.
He had even promised to protect her well.
And now? She had only been back for a few days, and from small matters, she constantly discovered that he at least had feelings for Lu Ruoyun.
Furthermore, no matter how excessive Empress Lu’s actions were, as long as she made amends, the Second Prince would feel that nothing was a big deal.
Tears slowly welled up in Su Qingyue’s eyes. “Your Highness, I know that by not accepting the tonic from Her Majesty the Empress, I appear ungrateful. But…”
Su Qingyue choked back a sob. “When I was pregnant, I was truly terrified. I ran away, and before I could settle down, I heard that people were searching for me everywhere, looking like fierce bandits. They said the order from above was that neither I nor the child were to survive. I was genuinely afraid!”
Seeing Su Qingyue’s vulnerable and helpless appearance, the Second Prince immediately felt a pang of concern.
Indeed, his mother had gone too far before, and it happened that Qingyue overheard it. That was why Qingyue was so wary of his mother now.
She had already suffered enough, going from the main wife to a concubine.
Women’s hearts were always sensitive. Now that Ruoyun was his official consort, Qingyue couldn’t help but overthink things.
Just now, he had comforted Ruoyun. In reality, Qingyue was the one who needed comfort the most. After such a major incident, she didn’t even have someone to confide in.
Ruoyun, on the other hand, had his mother and the Lu family behind her.
Therefore, no matter what happened, Ruoyun would not suffer too much injustice.
“Alright, alright, if you don’t want to eat it, then don’t. We have plenty of tonics in our residence,” the Second Prince comforted her. “It was my oversight. I apologize to you.”
“Will this put Your Highness in a difficult position?” Su Qingyue asked.
“Not at all. I will consume those gifted by my mother. From now on, your side will have two portions of tonic stewed every day. One for you, and one for me. This way, no one can say anything,” the Second Prince said.
Su Qingyue looked at him with gratitude. “Your Highness, you are truly too good to me.”
“Silly girl, if I’m not good to you, who else would I be good to?” The Second Prince playfully flicked Su Qingyue’s nose. “My only wish is for you and the child to be well. I have already spoken to Ruoyun. Don’t worry, she’s not like my mother. She’s always been a kind-hearted girl since childhood. Moreover, she feels guilty towards you, and to make amends, she will treat you well. So, don’t be polite with her.”
Su Qingyue let out a soft hum, but inwardly she couldn’t suppress a cold laugh. How could there be such a foolish and naive man?
Lu Ruoyun was kind-hearted?
Let’s wait and see!
Empress Lu’s schemes were overt. As for her? Her methods were insidious, yet she insisted on projecting an image of weakness and harmlessness.
Such people were impossible to guard against.