However, the ordeal was far from over. Just as everyone was recovering from their shock, several huge boulders suddenly tumbled down from the cliff above due to the earlier tremors, crashing down on their resting place with the force of thunder!

"Protect the princess and the general!" the guard commander shouted sternly.

Chaos erupted as horses neighed in fright, carriages were struck, and rubble flew everywhere! In the midst of the chaos, Shen Wensong grabbed the still somewhat dazed Xiao Mingyu and decisively said, "Come with me!" Protecting her, he used his keen sense of the terrain to quickly dodge the rolling rocks and rush towards the entrance of a dark cave hidden by vines below the cliff.

As soon as the two entered the cave, a huge boulder crashed down on the spot where they had just been standing, raising a cloud of dust that completely blocked the entrance and shut out the screams and chaos outside.

The cave was plunged into darkness instantly, with only a few faint rays of light filtering through the gaps in the vines at the entrance. The air was filled with the damp smell of earth and moss.

"Princess? Are you injured?" Shen Wensong's voice rang out in the darkness, tinged with tension. He groped around, carefully shielding Xiao Mingyu behind him, and listened warily to the sounds outside the cave.

Xiao Mingyu leaned against the cold, damp stone wall, still shaken, her heart pounding. In the darkness, Shen Wensong's presence, so close yet so far, intertwined with the image of his desperate rescue, overwhelming her senses. The fear of surviving the ordeal, the panic of being alone, and the long-suppressed emotions now amplified like a flood bursting its banks, instantly overwhelmed all her reason and composure.

"Shen Wensong!" She suddenly grabbed his arm, which was blocking her way, her voice trembling with relief and a desperate resolve. "Why did you save me? Why... why do you always look at me like that? Do you know... do you know I..." The darkness gave her courage, and tears welled up unexpectedly, a mixture of grievance, fear, and long-suppressed admiration. "I love you! Shen Wensong! From the moment you saved me in Jiangnan, I fell in love with you! I followed you to the capital, I followed you down to Jiangnan, I abandoned my princess-like airs, and shamelessly approached you... Do you know that?!"

Her confession was like a thunderbolt, echoing in the narrow cave.

Shen Wensong froze instantly! In the darkness, he clearly felt the trembling, burning heat of those small hands on his arm, and heard that tearful yet crystal-clear confession. A surge of unprecedented, utterly unfamiliar heat rushed to his head; his heart felt as if it had been clenched tightly by an invisible hand, then suddenly released, pounding wildly as if it would burst from his chest. She likes him? Her Highness… likes him? This… how could this be?!

The immense shock left his mind blank, with only the words "I like you" echoing in his ears. He instinctively tried to pull his arm away, but Xiao Mingyu held it tightly.

"Your Highness!" His voice was terribly hoarse, tinged with an unprecedented panic as he tried to maintain his composure. "Your Highness... Your Highness is still shaken, and what you said may not be what you truly meant. This humble general... This humble general's duty is to protect Your Highness's safety! Any general would have done the same thing just now..."

"Duty? Duty?" Xiao Mingyu interrupted him, her voice suddenly rising, filled with the sharp pain and disappointment of being rejected. "Shen Wensong! Look at me! Look into my eyes and say it! You saved me just because of duty?! When you rushed over and grabbed me just now, was the fear and tension in your eyes also duty?! When you smiled at Kang Kang, when you smiled at Chun Tao, why weren't you bound by duty?! Why is it that only cold, hard duty is applied to me?!"

Her questions, like a barrage of bullets, laced with sobs, pounded into Shen Wensong's ears in the darkness. Shen Wensong was rendered speechless. In the darkness, he seemed to see those tear-filled eyes, shimmering with stubbornness and pain. Duty? Yes, protecting the royal family was his duty. But in that instant, his mind went blank, with only one thought—grab her! He couldn't let her fall! That almost instinctive reaction had long since transcended the realm of duty…

But...love? Romantic love? He had never thought about it. His life plan consisted only of the military, the frontier, and guarding the land. What was romantic love? He felt his mind was in turmoil, a strange, unprecedented thrill and immense fear intertwined, leaving him completely lost.

"Your Highness..." He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. His voice regained its usual composure, but carried a hint of barely perceptible hardness. "Your Highness is of noble birth and noble status. This humble general... is merely a soldier, only knowing to be loyal to his duty and guard the frontier. As for personal feelings... I have never considered them, nor would I dare to presume upon them. My offense today is truly unavoidable. Your Highness's kindness is something this humble general... is unworthy of." In the end, he chose the safest and most distant way, using his duty and status to build a solid wall, shutting out both the unfamiliar stirrings in his heart and the princess's burning affection.

"I dare not accept such praise... Ha..." Xiao Mingyu's hand, which had been gripping his arm, slipped limply. In the darkness, her suppressed, broken sobs echoed. She stopped questioning him, stopped looking at him, and simply leaned against the cold stone wall, slowly sliding down to the ground, burying her face deeply in her knees. Her shoulders heaved violently; that silent weeping was more suffocating to Shen Wensong than any accusation.

Only her suppressed sobs remained in the cave, along with the faint sounds of the guards' anxious calls and the movement of stones outside. Shen Wensong stood frozen in the darkness, listening to the heartbreaking cries. His hands, hanging at his sides, unconsciously clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. The phrase "Never considered it, nor dared I aspire to it," was like a cold chain, not only binding the princess's heart but also seemingly freezing something nascent within him, something he himself hadn't even clearly seen.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!