The cloaks covering their heads were lifted.

Xiao Heye stretched out his arm and pulled her off the cushion, gently and carefully holding her in his arms, patting her thin back lightly.

His fingers moved with a gentle, jade-like grace, yet his expression was cold and aloof, his thin lips pressed into a thin line, and his eyes deep and icy, radiating an extremely terrifying and chilling aura.

Xiao Heye remained silent.

He simply held her in his arms and remained silent.

After traveling more than halfway back to the palace, Su Tiyue's emotions calmed down a little, her crying gradually subsided, and in the end, only her soft sobs could be heard occasionally.

Su Tiyue slowly raised her face, her eyes moist, her nose and the corners of her eyes red, looking at him timidly.

Xiao Heye lowered his head, his eyes meeting hers with a deep gaze.

His cool, slender fingertips wiped away the tears on her face.

"It's my fault, Your Highness was frightened." Xiao Heye frowned, his voice muffled.

He asked, "Since Your Majesty is so afraid, why did you come at all... and why did you still want to see it?"

Su Tiyue blinked, her fingers tracing his angular face, and whispered, "I want to see how many faces Master Xiao has, I also want to know how many secrets Master Xiao has... I want to know even more why Master Xiao insisted on killing all those people."

Furthermore, Su Tiyue wanted to know what had happened to Xiao Heye that had turned him into this terrifying state.

She wanted to know so much, but Xiao Heye might never tell her those secrets in his lifetime.

...

Xiao Heye lowered his eyes and carefully examined the person in his arms, saying in a light and casual tone, "Is Your Highness referring to Minister Zhang?"

Su Tiyue remained silent.

Clearly, she wanted to ask about more than just Zhang Meng.

Rather, it refers to all those who died at Xiao Heye's hands.

...

After a long silence, she realized that there were many things Xiao Heye could not tell her honestly.

Su Tiyue slowly began to speak: "We agreed before that as long as you don't touch the people around me, I shouldn't ask or interfere with what the Master Seal does. Tonight, it was my fault..."

She sniffed, reached out and pushed him away, gently breaking free from his embrace.

The journey back was long and arduous, and the two were preoccupied with their own thoughts, yet remained silent in each other's presence.

The carriage entered the palace and stopped at the entrance of Tingyulou Palace.

Xiao Heye helped her down from the carriage and was about to say something when he saw that Su Tiyue had her head down and did not intend to pay attention to him.

He walked straight in.

He opened his mouth, but then hesitated and stopped.

In an instant, his eyes dimmed and lost their light.

He stood there stunned for a long time before silently turning around and returning to Yelan Pavilion.

*

Back in her room, Su Tiyue took a hot bath and lay on the bed. Her body temperature warmed up, and her mood calmed down considerably.

My mind is blank, but my thoughts are flowing like a tide.

I thought I would break down and cry, or hide under the covers and cry quietly by myself.

But she didn't.

She has shed countless tears along the way.

Since meeting Xiao Heye, Su Tiyue has cried countless times.

She cries when she's sad and desperate, and she cries when she's scared and in pain...

What's most terrifying is the nonchalant smile on Xiao Heye's face when he kills someone.

In that birch forest, Xiao Heye thought Su Tiyue was afraid of the corpses and blood, but he didn't expect that.

What Su Tiyue truly feared was the satisfied look on his face after he killed someone.

Only demons and monsters in hell would show such smug joy and satisfaction at that moment.

If Xiao Heye is truly the embodiment of evil and the source of sin.

What should she do then?

Su Tiyue, wrapped in a thick quilt, turned over, her eyes filled with despair.

Before tonight, Su Tiyue might have still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that Xiao Heye would one day have a change of heart and set her free.

But after tonight, Su Tiyue only had one thought in her mind.

That is, if one day Xiao Heye really gets tired of her, how will he treat her?

The outcome might not be very pleasant.

Not only her, but those around her may suffer even worse fates.

When you're terrified of someone to the extreme, you might not even have the desire to run away.

If Su Tiyue really chooses to run away and angers Xiao Heye, the entire Su family will probably be wiped out in blood.

...

Su Tiyue slowly closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

I remember when Su Tiyue was very young, she would always pester her father to ask: When can I grow up? When can I look like an adult?

Back then, I always thought about growing up, and that my parents wouldn't be able to take care of me anymore once I grew up.

Now, she has entered the palace and has finally grown into an adult, but her heart is still young and innocent.

Her parents hadn't seen each other in a long time and really couldn't take care of Su Tiyue at all.

But she could no longer be happy.

When exactly do people suddenly become sensible and grow up?

Perhaps only after experiencing life-and-death ordeals, the ups and downs of life, and the joys and sorrows, can one truly understand and grow faster.

Su Tiyue was born into the Minister's mansion and was a pampered noblewoman who was cherished and raised in the palm of everyone's hand.

Upon entering the palace, she was bestowed the title of Consort Shu. The late emperor was incompetent and licentious, but fortunately, Su Tiyue preserved her purity.

Before meeting Xiao Heye, her life was ordinary but peaceful.

But later, she encountered crisis after crisis, one after another...

I experienced many terrible things and witnessed firsthand the devilish killings and destruction.

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