Chapter 3 — As soon as I left, he immediately closed the entire city

Ly Triet's eyes wavered slightly. He reached out and held my hand, respectfully and solemnly said:

"To Le is the bride who was married to me in a dignified manner. Besides her, I have no one else."

The person the Queen Mother called an outsider was the Tieu family's daughter, the daughter of Minister Tieu - Tieu Tinh Nhu. That year, she and Ly Triet separated because of anger. To annoy him, Tieu Tinh Nhu quietly got married and married a district commander. Everything turned out exactly as she wanted. Because of that, Ly Triet fell into a serious illness. When the Crown Prince was critically ill, the Queen Mother was restless day and night. Later, Tieu Tinh Nhu lost her husband and became a widow. The two of them were once again entangled endlessly. The Queen Mother could not bear to see him continue to be confused, so in anger she decreed the Crown Prince's marriage. Ly Triet's words finally reluctantly calmed the Queen Mother's anger. Before returning to the palace, her cold phoenix eyes swept over him:

“Princess, I left you a mother.”

My and Ly Triet's faces changed at the same time. The Queen Mother... was determined to put her eyes and ears in the Eastern Palace. When the Queen Mother returned to the palace, Ly Triet and I saw her out of the palace together. Snow has started to fall. Suddenly, a warm cloak gently covered my shoulders. A man's gentle voice rang out in his ear:

“A Le, don't get cold.”

If there wasn't a mother behind me who was quietly writing down every word and every gesture in a small notebook, I'm afraid even I would have a glimpse that there really is some sincerity between us. He is very good at acting. But we are not inferior either. I blushed a little, tiptoed closer, pretended to be shy and shy, then gently kissed him on the cheek.

“Prince, A Le is not cold.”

His body stiffened slightly. In just a blink of an eye, the hand tightened on my wrist, eyes filled with caution and alertness.

“Keep the rules.”

Those movements took place very discreetly. But in the eyes of outsiders, it looked like an intimate teasing scene between a husband and wife who were passionately in love. Until returning to the palace. Ly Triet's face darkened:

“To Le, you have gone beyond propriety.”

“Doesn't Your Highness want the Queen Mother to see?” I lowered my eyes and spoke calmly. “Only allowing your highness to start a fire, but not allowing me to light a lamp?”

Ly Triet's anger was like a block of ice thrown into a brazier, instantly disintegrating. He couldn't find any words to refute, so in the end he just remained silent. For the next few days, my mother always followed me closely, never leaving my side. Ly Triet and I almost always appear together, appearing to outsiders as a harmonious couple. He sits and eats with me every day, and sometimes brings back cakes from Vong Xuan Lau, which I used to like very much when I was in the dormitory. The maid said, His Highness had been waiting in the cold wind for half an hour to buy it. Ly Triet looked at me and asked:

“Is there anything else you want to eat?”

His voice was so gentle that it gave me the illusion that I was truly appreciated. I know it's all just an act. But my heart still felt like someone had hit me hard. Not understanding why, I spoke again:

“Your Highness, can you fly a kite with me?”

His eyes immediately cooled down:

“Right now?”

Outside the door It's snowing non-stop, it's the cold weather.

"Right." I looked at him, my eyes determined. “I will go prepare the kite.”

The winter wind is bitter and cold to the bone. Ly Triet slipped and fell several times on the snowy ground. Finally he gritted his teeth and lowered his voice:

“To Le, you intentionally took revenge on me.”

I arched my eyebrows and smiled harmlessly:

“Your Highness, quickly, help me pick up the kite.”

He felt like he threw a punch but hit soft cotton, with no place to exert his force. But because Mom was still standing next to me, smiling gently and looking at me, Ly Triet could only grit her teeth and continue to play with me. He refused to give in to anyone:

"This kite is truly special. Outsiders looking in, I'm afraid they would think the Crown Princess is a child."

It's a kite shaped like a gourd. I sadly raised my hand and gently stroked it, saying softly:

“It's a kite given to me by an old friend seven or eight years ago.”

“Old friend?” Ly Triet's eyes darkened, bottomless. He took the kite, played with it a few times, then suddenly, the kite's frame opened.