As soon as the eastern sky began to lighten, Shang Xiye's biological clock woke him from his light sleep.

The soft, cuddly little bandit in his arms slept soundly, her fair, round face pressed against his chest, showing complete trust and dependence on him.

It feels so good to have this warmth in my arms.

Shang Xiye lowered his head and kissed her forehead, softly calling, "Yaoyao, wake up. You promised to come to the palace with me today."

Disturbed from her sweet dream, Ji Fengyao rubbed her little head against the prince's chest in dissatisfaction and covered her ears with her chubby little hands.

"Yaoyao, if you don't wake up, I'll kiss you again," the prince whispered in the little bandit's ear, threatening her, but it sounded more like a coaxing.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, the little bandit girl raised her head slightly, half-opened her sleepy eyes, glanced at him, stretched her neck to kiss him on the face, patted his cheek with her chubby little hands, and murmured like she was coaxing a puppy, "Your Highness, be good, I'll sleep a little longer, okay?"

Then, the little bandit retreated back to her original spot and snuggled up to the prince, falling fast asleep.

Shang Xiye felt a flutter in his heart from her soft kiss and voice, feeling both sweet and helpless.

This little thing.

That really hit his weak spot!

With gentle movements, Shang Xiye got up and personally chose clothes for the little bandit girl to change into. After tidying himself up, he carried the little bandit girl out of bed and called Lin Shuang in to help her with her hair and makeup.

This was the first time Lin Shuang had ever done the princess's makeup in this way.

To ensure the hair could be styled perfectly in one go, the prince carried the princess on one arm the entire time. The posture looked tiring, but the prince didn't shake at all.

Sometimes when she combed too hard, the princess would frown slightly, and the prince would quietly tell her to "be gentle." Such a gentle prince would move even a stone!

When they left, Ji Fengyao was still fast asleep in Shang Xiye's arms.

Lin Shuang couldn't help but sigh to the magpie beside her, "The prince is so good to our princess."

"Of course, otherwise how could he be our son-in-law?" Xi Que proudly straightened her back.

Lin Shuang: "..."

Shadowless: "..."

What's with this talk about his prince? It seems like he's not very capable and just relies on coaxing children.

The carriage was almost at the palace gate when Ji Fengyao groggily woke up from the prince's arms.

Feeling her body swaying, the little bandit girl sprang up reflexively: "Earthquake?!"

She was embraced by a pair of strong arms. She opened her eyes and was suddenly met with Shang Xiye's smiling eyes. She smiled subconsciously and was about to say, "Master, you've come to save your disciple?"

"The Princess Consort has woken up?" Shang Xiye asked before she could finish.

That moment of joy froze on Ji Fengyao's pretty face, as if time and sweetness had stood still.

Shang Xiye's heart skipped a beat as he watched the smile that had moved and delighted him gradually disappear from her face.

This was the first time he had ever clearly "seen" the fact that she didn't love him.

It felt like she had pricked my heart with a silver needle, but then she forgot to remove it.

It's a shallow, throbbing sensation; it doesn't hurt too much, but you can't ignore it.

Ji Fengyao looked around, her voice still soft and sweet from just waking up: "A carriage? Are we on our way to the palace?"

"Yes," Shang Xiye answered softly, concealing the disappointment in his eyes.

Noticing her current posture, Ji Fengyao felt a little embarrassed and tried to get up. She reached out and hooked her arm around the prince's neck. Just as she straightened up, the carriage suddenly jolted violently.