Chapter 21: Guarding the Bath, Did You Feel It Just Now?

"Your Highness can come in directly."

As the knock on the door sounded, Ji Xun's low voice came from the bedroom, and Yun Xi pushed the door open and walked in.

He was leaning on a small pillow at the moment, wearing only a thin black double-breasted shirt, which made his skin look even more sickly and pale. His dark pupils slightly raised, and his gaze shifted from the book in his hand to the door, staring at Yun Xi from a distance.

Ji Xun put down the book, and when he bent his five fingers, clear blue veins were visible between his wrist bones. His finger bones were slender and beautiful, pleasing to the eye.

"Your Highness has lost weight."

After not seeing each other for five days, Yun Xi looked much worse. Perhaps because she hadn't slept well recently, there was a faint dark circles under her eyes.

"Really?" Yun Xi walked over with a smile, "Now you can say nice things to make me happy."

I used to say she was heavy and straight as hell.

Ji Xun looked at her quietly, as if he wanted to examine her from head to toe, focused and serious.

He didn't think this was a good thing.

Yun Xi hasn't come to the bedroom these days. Ji Xun thought she didn't want to see him, so she stayed here honestly and never went out. He didn't know how she was doing outside.

"Your Highness should have a good rest."

"I can't sleep. You occupied my bedroom and I'm not used to sleeping in the side hall." Yun Xi said.

Ji Xun said without hesitation: "I will move back to the east wing tomorrow."

"I don't mean to chase you away." Yun Xi sat down beside the bed. "You should heal your wound first. Besides, aren't you comfortable sleeping in my bedroom? Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Hearing this, Ji Xun lowered his eyes and whispered, "No...it's just that I'm not used to it either."

The bed in His Highness's bedroom was too soft. Although comfortable, it didn't make him sleep soundly. He was used to a rough and casual life, and this softness made him uncomfortable.

For example, lying on this bed, he would always think of His Highness from time to time. The changed bedding was her own, faintly emitting a unique girl's fragrance, which made him unable to calm down and think about other things in the dead of night.

"You'll get used to it after a few more days of sleep. You'll have a better life in the future. You'll get used to it sooner or later." Yun Xi coughed lightly twice. "How are your injuries healing?"

In fact, she didn't come these days because she felt a little embarrassed. After all, people in the mansion were saying that she favored Ji Xun, and she even asked her servants to "inadvertently" mention it in front of Ji Xun.

The more times like this happened, the more Yun Xi felt that she couldn't face him. She had set up the trap herself, trying to inspire his absolute loyalty.

The reason why she couldn't sleep was, on the one hand, because she was worried about Ji Xun, and on the other hand, because she was used to sleeping in the same bed.

"It's time to move." Ji Xun said, "Who does Your Highness want to deal with today?"

Yun Xi: “…Not really.”

His deep, bottomless eyes remained calm. "So, Your Highness, what you mean is...?"

"I need you to help me guard the door. I want to take a shower." Yun Xi asked directly, looking at him nervously.

He paused for a moment, his expression calm, as if he were lost in thought. After a moment, he said, "Oh."

Yun Xi was surprised: "You agreed?"

He nodded.

Just guarding the door.

Ji Xun thought it was a big deal.

Yun Xi smiled happily, she knew that Ji Xun would not reject her. Only with him around could she feel at ease.

"You are working with an injury. Do you want any reward?" Yun Xi said with a smile. The girl's eyes were bright and her cheeks were as pink as peach blossoms, attracting attention.

Because the joy came so suddenly, she unconsciously moved closer to Ji Xun, with half of her body almost touching his arm, and the unique girlish scent on her body also came with it.

Unlike the bedding, the fragrance on her body seemed to carry a warm and lingering scent.

After waking up from a coma, the trauma of that day restored some of his emotional perception, but he could not express any joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness.

From then on, Ji Xun always observed her expression. Whether she was laughing or crying, she was more lively than him.

"Your Highness, there are differences between men and women." Ji Xun silently moved back, turned his face sideways, and said coldly.

Yun Xi was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing: "You still know the difference between men and women? I haven't seen you for a few days, and I've learned new words."

But she no longer regarded him as a normal man.

Ji Xun remained calm and pushed the book under the pillow with his hands behind his back. It was the storybook that Yun Xi had placed on the table. He picked it up and read it when he was bored.

He didn't know if he used the new words he learned from the storybook correctly, but judging from Yun Xi's reaction, he might have used them incorrectly.

"Tell me, how much money do you want?" Yun Xi said, "I have plenty of money."

"No money." Ji Xun said coldly, "Article 7 of the 'Guardian Rules'..."

"stop!"

Yun Xi didn't want him to chant, so she turned her eyes and saw that the oil paper package on the small table next to her was empty. He had eaten all the honey apricots in just five days.

It seems that he really likes sweet food.

Yun Xi smiled and said, "I'll ask the kitchen to buy some honey apricots tomorrow. If you like, eat as much as you like."

This is considered a reward.

After the bathing location was changed, the cleansing room moved the bathtub to Yun Xi's bedroom. Ji Xun put on his guard uniform and stood outside the door.

It was a windy night. He stood outside in thin clothes, holding a scimitar in his hand. His lips were blown pale, but he remained calm, like a tall stone statue.

"Guard Ji, His Highness has instructed you that if there is any movement in the room later, you must go in and protect His Highness immediately." Yuan He instructed.

"Um."

He responded calmly.

Yuan He excused herself and walked away. Before leaving, she stole a glance at the lighted bedroom: "..."

In fact, many times, she couldn't understand His Highness's thoughts. He could have bathed in the side hall, but he suddenly moved to where Guard Youji was and then kicked him out to guard the door.

She knew that His Highness treated Guard Ji differently; anyone with a discerning eye could see it. If it were any other royal princess, Guard Ji would have been bathing with her in the bedroom.

But what does it mean to ask him to go in halfway when he hears the noise?

She remembered that she had read a word in a book, maybe this was called interest.

It’s a pity that although Guard Ji is loyal to the princess, his status is low. At most, he can be a concubine, and he will definitely not be able to become a prince consort.

Yuanhe sighed, and finally shook her head and left.

In the bedroom, Yun Xi had already taken off her clothes and climbed into the bathtub. Ever since she regained her memory, she wasn't used to having someone by her side while bathing, and now she was alone.

"Ji Xun, are you still outside?" she asked.

Ji Xun's response came from outside the door: "Your Highness, I'm here."

He had excellent hearing and vision, and could clearly hear the sounds inside even through a door.

The soft voice of a young girl came from the hall, and the clear sound of flowing water was also heard by him.

Listening to the subtle sound of water, Ji Xun's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly, and then he looked up at the moon in the courtyard.

"Ji Xun, are you still there?"

After a while, the sound of water stopped and Yun Xi asked again.

"……exist."

When he spoke again, his voice became extremely low and a little hoarse.

After looking for too long, Ji Xun slowly closed his eyes and frowned slightly.

The moon is too bright tonight.

At this moment, Yun Xi in the bedroom was almost finished. When she was about to get up and dress, she suddenly heard a noise coming from the roof, as if something was moving on it.

Then, a wisp of dust fell down and landed on the edge of the bathtub. With a slight sound, it seemed as if a tile was turned over.

Yun Xi was startled and subconsciously sat back in the tub, covering herself with flower petals. She wanted to reach out and pull off her clothes, but they were too far away and she could only get them after getting out of the tub.

Immediately afterwards, another tile was turned over, and a black shadow suddenly jumped down and landed on the beam. Because of the position of the lights in the hall, the black shadow appeared particularly large, and it seemed to be aware of its exposure, and immediately fled to a place where Yun Xi could not see it.

"ah!"

Yun Xi screamed in surprise. Thinking of the system's previous prompt, she didn't have time to think and immediately shouted:

"Ji Xun, save me!"

This time, Ji Xun, who heard the sound, broke into the room directly. His eyes quickly swept around the room and finally stopped on Yun Xi in the bathtub.

He was stunned for a moment, then immediately closed the door.

But Yun Xi didn't have time to think about it. She raised her arm and pointed in the direction where the shadow disappeared: "Ji Xun, over there! It seems like someone sneaked in over there!"

The handsome young man came to his senses, immediately drew his sword and walked towards that direction. The next moment, he disappeared from Yun Xi's sight.

He climbed up to the rafters to search.

"Ji Xun, be careful..."

Yun Xi stared nervously at the direction where he disappeared, not forgetting that he was still injured.

After a while, Ji Xun jumped down from the beam, as agile and light as a black panther, but there was something extra in his hand - a black cat.

Yun Xi was stunned: "This is..."

"No one. It's this." Ji Xun held the black cat by the scruff of its neck and showed it to Yun Xi, while with his other hand he put the scimitar back into its sheath.

This black cat, which had slipped in from nowhere, had a pair of turquoise green eyes. It stared at Ji Xun with wide eyes. It seemed unconvinced and tried to twist its body and scratch with its front paws, but it had no killing power on the silver wristband. Instead, it looked particularly funny.

“It turned out to be a cat.”

Yun Xi breathed a sigh of relief, but less than a breath later, her eyes suddenly widened and she looked down at the water in front of her. The petals were about to disperse, and her figure was looming in the water.

Yun Xi raised her eyes and met Ji Xun's direct gaze, who looked at her indifferently.

She quickly covered her front and bent her legs to block out her beauty: "You...why are you still staring..."

Ji Xun reacted immediately and they both turned around almost at the same time. Yun Xi was in the bathtub with her back to him, her face red from the heat.

“…”

His Adam's apple rolled uncontrollably, Ji Xun didn't say anything, and the air suddenly fell into deathly silence.

A touch of heat appeared on her normally calm face, and her ears turned red. Yun Xi's ears were also scarlet.

The temperature in the room gradually rose, and it became very hot and stuffy. After the intense struggle just now, the hair of both of them was soaked with sweat and stuck to their skin in a messy manner.

After a long while, Yun Xi, who had been silent all the time, hesitated and asked softly:

"Did you... feel anything just now?"