Chapter 46. He watched her turn her head to face another...

Yan Jiarou arrived at the Agarwood Pavilion at the agreed time, where Xiao Jue was already waiting.

Xiao Jue, dressed in a moon-white robe, stood under the swing set. Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned around.

Upon seeing her, he couldn't help but smile slightly, a smile that felt like a gentle breeze.

She still has the same gentle and refined appearance I remember.

Yan Jiarou smiled at him, lifted her skirt and ran to him, tilted her head up and asked, "Crown Prince, why are you here so early?"

Xiao Jue smiled and ruffled her hair: "Because I can't keep my little Jia Rou waiting for me."

“What’s wrong with waiting a little longer? I’ve already waited so many years.” He glanced at her thoughtfully and smiled, “Jiarou, I wonder if you still mean what you said when we were children—that you would definitely marry me when we grew up and that I should wait for you forever? Will you go back on your word?” “I…”

Although Yan Jiarou is not a saint, she has a saintly father who taught her many principles from a young age. The most important one is that integrity is the foundation of one's life.

Once a promise is made, it must be kept. She had never broken her promise in her life, and she was most ashamed to be such a person. So when she heard Xiao Jue ask her this, she subconsciously went along with him and said, "Of course I won't go back on my word!"

Xiao Jue smiled and said, "That's good."

He looked at her intently, his Adam's apple bobbing: "Jiarou, I will remember your words. You must not disappoint me."

Hearing him say that, Yan Jiarou felt a heaviness in her heart, as if something was pressing down on her. Her sweet hopes from the past now felt like a burden... No, how could she think like that?

Her guilt towards Xiao Jue surged up again in an instant. As if to admonish herself and to strengthen her resolve, she looked up at Xiao Jue and said firmly, "I will not forget. I have wanted to marry you, my Crown Prince brother, since I was a child."

Xiao Jue smiled and lowered his head to kiss her forehead: "I trust you."

She had kissed Xiao Jue before, and she had never rejected it. But perhaps it was because she had been spending too much time with Xiao Che lately, and he would always kiss and hug her whenever he saw her. She had long been used to kisses that carried his scent, and now that it was suddenly someone else, she subconsciously wanted to dodge.

Fortunately, reason prevailed over her body's instincts, and she forced herself to endure the kiss.

The lingering dampness on my forehead, for some reason, felt sticky and somewhat uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Xiao Jue only gave her a light kiss and quickly let her go.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He took her hand and led her to the swing set, where a wreath woven from jasmine flowers was placed.

The pure white jasmine blossoms are neatly and tightly strung together to form a wreath, one next to the other, making them extremely beautiful and lovely.

It suits her very well.

Xiao Jue picked up the flower wreath and gently helped her put it on. It fit her head perfectly, as if it had been made for her. This showed how much care she had put into it: "I made it while I was waiting for you and had nothing else to do."

The jasmine wreath had a unique fragrance, and the faint scent lingered around the nose, masking Xiao Jue's own scent.

She really liked the taste.

Just like in the sweltering heat of midsummer, when the sun is scorching and makes one feel dizzy, a refreshing fragrance can instantly soothe the soul.

Yan Jiarou loved jasmine flowers, so naturally she also loved the wreaths woven from them. After putting it on, she immediately began to caress it with affection, saying sweetly, "Thank you, Crown Prince Brother, I like it very much."

Xiao Jue looked at her, his gaze softening unconsciously: "Between you and me, there is no need for thanks."

Being young and with a lively, active nature, she wanted to touch the flower wreath, but accidentally wore it askew. The wreath drooped down, hanging precariously on her head, even partially obscuring her eyes: "Um, Crown Prince..."

Xiao Jue shook his head helplessly but affectionately, and reached out to tidy up the flower wreath for her.

As he looked down, his gaze inadvertently fell upon a faint red mark on her jade-white earlobe.

The mark was very faint, but her skin was so fair that it was impossible to hide even the slightest trace.

The shape of that red mark looked like it had been deliberately bitten.

Even her jade-white earlobes were a little swollen.

He's been doing this for a long time, hasn't he? He deliberately left these traces to arrogantly assert his dominance and tell him—Yan Jiarou is his property.

A surge of ferocity flashed in Xiao Jue's eyes, and he unconsciously increased the force in his hands.

"Ouch, Crown Prince, you're hurting me..."

This sound brought him back to his senses, and the ferocity in his eyes subsided slightly. He said restrainedly, "Jiarou, I'm sorry."

He closed his eyes tightly and took a long breath.

He realized he was being paranoid.

Yan Jiarou was not one of those reckless and unrestrained women. She was always shy, so how could she do such an outrageous thing with someone else?

Such marks could actually be mosquito bites.

Perhaps he's just overthinking it.

However, the mark on her earlobe finally reminded him of something else.

"Jiarou," he looked at her and asked tentatively, "A few days ago, the Empress Dowager was admiring the lotus flowers at Taiye Pond and invited several princes and princesses to a banquet. I was not in the palace at the time, so I did not go. I heard that you and your third brother went, and that the Empress Dowager found a red mark on your third brother's neck during the banquet. Is this true?"

Although he later heard that Xiao Che explained that he was bitten by a rabbit, he still felt something was strange.

A rabbit will only bite when cornered; why would it bite someone for no reason?

He had never heard of Xiao Che keeping any rabbits.

Besides, if he remembered correctly, Yan Jiarou was born in the Year of the Rabbit. She was fair-skinned and delicate, and timid, just like a little rabbit. He had once heard Xiao Che call her "little rabbit" in private.

Rumors were rampant in the palace, all saying that he had been having intimate relations with women in private. But he knew perfectly well that Xiao Che was completely uninterested in women. If he had a close female friend, it would only be Yan Jiarou.

Even though the two often bickered and argued, Xiao Che's attitude towards Yan Jiarou was much better than his cold attitude towards others. Isn't this another form of "closeness"?

Therefore, if the mark on Xiao Che's neck was indeed left by a woman, his first suspect would be Yan Jiarou.

That's why I asked this question.

After asking the question, he observed Yan Jiarou's expression and, sure enough, she paused, becoming extremely unnatural. She stammered, "Okay...it seems that's true, but...but I heard it was just a rabbit bite! It wasn't...it wasn't left by any woman..."

"Xiao Che is like that. Rumors about his romantic affairs always spread incredibly fast. The slightest disturbance can cause a huge commotion. Crown Prince, you mustn't believe the rumors!"

Xiao Jue squinted at her, his expression gradually darkening.

Being so young, everything was written on her face. She never lied, and when she did, her face was full of guilt and nervousness.

The second half of the sentence, in particular, only serves to make matters worse.

Whether Xiao Che believes those scandalous rumors or not, what does it matter? Why should she go to such lengths to explain them to him?

He suddenly let out a cold laugh, a surge of hostility rising within him.

"Jiarou, are you hiding something from me?"

"When you're nervous and guilty, your fingers will unconsciously fidget—you're lying, aren't you?"

"Didn't you say that your father taught you to treat others with honesty from a young age? How come you've learned this? How can you face him?"

As he spoke, he gripped her shoulders tightly with both hands, his deep-seated rage finally unable to be suppressed, and he questioned her with an almost sinister gaze: "I trusted you so much, how could you lie to me!"

"If you can lie to me about this, then when you say you want to marry me, aren't you also lying to me? If you don't want to marry me, then who do you want to marry?"

"Have you forgotten who saved you? You owe a debt of gratitude to someone who saved your life, and you must keep your promise. If you fail to repay their kindness and break your word, how will you face your father in the afterlife? Will he still acknowledge you as his daughter?"

Having grown accustomed to Xiao Jue's gentle and refined demeanor, Yan Jiarou was terrified to see him like this. She burst into tears, crying, "No, no... Crown Prince, please don't say that about me... I didn't, I'm not that kind of person... I haven't forgotten Father's teachings..."

Xiao Jue looked at her darkly: "Then tell me the truth."

Yan Jiarou sobbed, wiping away her tears, and choked out, "Xiao Che... the mark on Xiao Che's neck was... I did it... but it's not what you think!"

Yan Jiarou was terrified of Xiao Jue's current state. In order to quickly restore his usual gentle demeanor, she immediately explained, "Crown Prince, no... it's not what you think about him! Really, the way I treated him was definitely not because I liked him!"

She swallowed nervously, raised three fingers, and swore as usual, "If I am lying, may my love life be full of twists and turns."

Every time she made a vow, her expression was extremely sincere.

This is because the Yan family has always been extremely averse to prophecies, fearing that a single word might come true.

Therefore, they rarely make oaths, and once they do, they would never dare to lie.

Then a thought slowly rose from the bottom of his heart, like a soft hand, soothing all his anger—his Jia Rou had not lied, had not transferred her affections, and had not betrayed him.

Perhaps he was overthinking it. The two of them have always been at odds, so why would they do something so intimate?

Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Perhaps Xiao Che did something to completely enrage her. Normally, Xiao Che would never fight back, and he always indulged her. It's not impossible that she bit his neck during their playful fight.

Xiao Jue closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, he had returned to his usual gentle and refined demeanor: "How could I not believe Jia Rou?"

Yan Jiarou finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Che took Yan Jiarou's hand and pressed her down onto the swing set: "Alright, let's not talk about these unhappy things anymore. It just so happens that there are many clouds in the sky today, and the sun is not too strong. Let me push you to swing for a while."

After saying that, he grabbed the ropes of the swing set and gently pushed it.

Yan Jiarou held onto the rope and instantly felt her body rise into the air, only to fall back down the next moment.

The feeling of weightlessness was like she could actually fly; it was so much fun.

A gentle breeze blew quickly past her ears, the faint scent of jasmine lingered around her nose, and behind her stood her elder brother, the prince, who had grown up with her since childhood. Everything around her was so beautiful, and her mood became cheerful.

Yan Jiarou quickly forgot her earlier displeasure, gently swinging her legs and smiling at Xiao Jue behind her, saying, "Crown Prince, higher..."

Xiao Jue smiled indulgently, and then increased the pressure on his hand: "Okay."

The girl swayed happily in the air, her laughter clear and bright.

After all, they are young and playful, and if they only care about playing, they may lose their sense of proportion.

Xiao Jue stood behind her, protecting her intimately and keeping a close eye on her every move.

Satisfaction is an expression of love.

They are truly a perfect couple.

Xiao Che witnessed this scene from a distance.

Unlike Yan Jiarou, who knew nothing about his preferences, he knew everything about her, including her favorite flower, jasmine.

The white jasmine in the palace is in full bloom these days. He originally picked some near Hanguang Hall, intending to make a wreath for her. Later, he heard that the white jasmine in Chenxiang Pavilion was in the best bloom, so he came here specially.

Little did he know that he would stumble upon his beloved younger sister being intimate with her other elder brother.

Ah, what bad timing!

It was rare that she spent all her time with him, and even in her busy schedule, she still managed to find time to see Xiao Jue.

Such time management and skillful multitasking are truly admirable.

It seems he didn't kiss her hard enough, leaving her with extra energy to deal with other men.

He watched her turn and smile at another man, and for the first time in his life, he found her smile extremely irritating.

"Ha," he suddenly let out a cold laugh, and with a slight force of his thumb, snapped the stem of the jasmine flower in his hand.

The flower fell limply to the ground.

He looked at the two people not far away, a coldness spreading across his light brown eyes.