Chapter 12 — Retired on the same day, I turned around and married the Regent

He walked next to me and stopped. His tall body carried a strong sense of oppression, completely enveloping me within the scope of his breath. He didn't look at me. His eyes were still locked on Luc Thanh Nhuong's face distorted by fear.

“Ninh Vien Hau.”

Ta Vo Cuu's voice was very calm. So calm that it makes other people's hair stand on end.

"This king remembers correctly, the retirement book was written by you, and read by you in front of everyone. The words 'we don't have anything to do with the marriage price', I'm afraid the ink hasn't dried yet, right?"

Luc Thanh Nhuong trembled more intensely. His teeth chattered together.

“There are incompatible things…”

Ta Vo Cuu bent down slightly, looking down from above at the man shaking like a leaf on the ground. The voice suddenly became cold. It was like the sound of thunder.

"Who gave you the courage to dare to manipulate my king's princess?!"

Luc Thanh Nhuong was completely overwhelmed by that thunderous momentum. His whole body went limp and fell to the ground. Like a puddle of mud. I can't even kneel. Only my body trembled. And desperate wheezing sounds came from the throat.

“Vuong Duc Phuc!”

Ta Vo Cuu stood up straight, his voice cold as ice. The Duke, who had always been quietly following behind, immediately stepped forward like a shadow.

“The old slave is present!”

"Ninh Vien Marquis was drunk and rude, insulting the Princess. Pull him down, let him sober up. Take him to the Marquis' Palace and be detained for review."

Ta Vo Cuu's voice had no ripples. But directly announced Luc Thanh Nhuong's final outcome. Detention and criticism? At the exact moment the Marquis was about to be stripped of his title and searched. It's like locking him on a broken boat that's about to sink. Waiting to die.

“Obey!”

The Duke waved his hand. Two fierce, wolf-like guards immediately advanced. They dragged the limp Luc Thanh Nhuong like a dead dog.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, spare your life! Your Royal Highness! Tinh Dan! Save me..."

Luc Thanh Nhuong let out a pitiful scream like a pig being pricked. That desperate sound echoed throughout the quiet hallway. Then quickly pulled away. Disappeared in the darkness. The hallway regained dead silence. Only me and Ta Vo Cuu remain. The air still seemed to smell of alcohol and Luc Thanh Nhuong's despair. I stood still in place. Hands and feet are cold. The place where the skirt he had just touched seemed to still leave a dirty feeling. Causing waves of nausea to constantly rise. Ta Vo Cuu turned around and looked at me. The cold, terrifying murderous aura on his face had subsided, but his eyes were still as deep as cold phlegm. He reached out, not to touch me, but just used his fingertips, extremely disgusted, and very carefully picked up the part of the skirt that Luc Thanh Nhuong had just hugged. Then, he pulled out a snow-white silk handkerchief from his sleeve and slowly, meticulously wiped each of his fingertips clean, as if what he had just touched was an extremely filthy object. After wiping, he conveniently threw the towel on the ground.

He said a simple sentence, his voice did not sound happy or angry. I looked at that series of his movements, looked at the white towel thrown on the ground, my heart felt like it was being squeezed by something. It's a bit heavy, a bit bitter, and a bit... an emotion that can't be named.

“Let's go back to the banquet.”

He didn't look at me again Again, turn around and walk forward towards the main hall with bright lights. The tall shadow in the dim hallway appeared even more lonely and cold. I quietly followed, stepping across the white towel left on the ground. The hem of the skirt slid gently past, leaving no trace. The second half of the banquet, I was still absent-minded. Ta Vo Cuu was still sitting next to me, occasionally chatting a few words with the ministers who came to pay respects, his expression calm, as if the drama in the hallway had never happened. But I can still feel that there is always a cold aura around him that keeps living people from getting close. Until the banquet ended, the two returned to the Royal Palace on a horse-drawn carriage. The car was completely silent. There was only the steady sound of wheels grinding on the paved road. I leaned against the side of the car, tiredly closing my eyes. Luc Thanh Nhuong's face full of tears and runny nose, desperate begging, and his cold and arrogant appearance when he read the pension book in the past, are constantly intertwined in my mind, like a nightmare that is both fantastic and disgusting. A slightly cold hand suddenly gently covered the back of my hand. I immediately opened my eyes. Ta Vo Cuu did not know when he sat next to him. He tilted his face to look at the rapidly passing street outside the window, the profile of his face under the dim light became even more ambiguous. The hand that covered the back of my hand didn't use any force, just gently pressed it, carrying a strange comforting feeling.

“Threatened?”

He spoke, his voice low, with no emotion heard. I shook my head, about to withdraw my hand, but he grabbed it again. His palm was not warm at all, even a little cold, but dry and strong.

“The place where he touched you,” Ta Vo Cuu's voice was very calm, as if he was just telling a truth, “this king felt dirty.”