Chapter 7 — Through the Air Room According to the Script

That day, while he was absent, I and the maid went to the river bank to admire the lotus. Stepping on a mossy rock, I slipped and fell down. The moment my body fell, a famous quote suddenly appeared in my mind: If you don't do it, you won't die. I was carried into the delivery room, the midwife was busy, but the baby never came out. When my mind was vague as if I was about to faint, I suddenly heard Co Tu's hoarse voice as if it had been sandpapered:

"Protect the adults! No matter what, you must protect the Crown Princess!"

The three words "protect adults" entered my ears, my tears immediately flowed, mixed with the cold sweat on my forehead, and I gained a little more courage to resist. When I woke up again, it was already dark outside. Co Tu was still sitting on the edge of the bed keeping watch. The dark brocade shirt is wrinkled, the chin is stubbled, the dark circles around the eyes, and fatigue is clearly visible on the face. Seeing me open my eyes, he quickly grabbed my hand, his voice was so gentle that it couldn't be gentler:

“Miss, are you awake?”

“We have a daughter, her facial features are exactly like hers.”

My heart finally lowered, I curled my lips and smiled, then fell back into a deep dream. Another year of loss, under the grape arbor in the yard are filled with five-colored lanterns. The little girl was now able to walk. When she saw Co Tu coming back from outside, she trotted over, raised her small face and shouted:

"Father! Hold~!"

Co Tu quickly walked over, bent down, hugged her child, and gently kissed her forehead. Then he turned his head to look at me, at the bottom of his eyes was a sky of sparkling stars:

"My lady, the moon is so beautiful tonight, why don't we take A Man out to the hospital to see the moon?"

I smiled, leaning lightly on his shoulder. The days continued like that, leisurely passing in such simplicity and warmth. 9. Side story – Co Tu Lately, I always feel like something is wrong. I don't understand why strange emotions and ideas often appear in my head. For example, towards my ex-fiancee - now Noble Concubine Tieu Ninh Nhi, I clearly have no feelings at all, just that my parents decided and made a matchmaker to get married. But there is always a voice whispering in my heart:

"She is your true love in this life, worth protecting for the rest of your life."

Like every time she shed tears in front of her, recounted her deep love, talked about the suffering in the harem, I felt vaguely heartbroken, couldn't bear to refuse, and even confusedly agreed to countless requests. But that feeling of sadness was completely unreasonable - because I knew she was lying, how could the calculation in the bottom of her eyes be hidden from my gaze! The wake-up call finally rang out at the dinner party of Old Lady Tieu. Following the guidance of the "voice in my head", I would have been moved as soon as I saw Tieu Ninh Nhi again, ignoring her status as a concubine, recklessly embracing her in my arms. Sure enough, everything was as scripted. Tieu Ninh Nhi walked past me, "accidentally" slipped and fell on me. I reflexively caught her, in my arms was a soft body. She raised her head, revealing a pitiful, weak face, her eyes filled with mist, and weakly called out:

“A Tu…”

His voice is soft and gentle, easily touching people's hearts. However, my heart at that time was extremely cold. Her slumped posture, her pitiful eyes, even the dust stains on her sleeves—all were so perfect that they were fake. The whole thing was like a silent, carefully planned seduction. I almost gave up I follow that play. My face at that time was filled with pity, but inside my heart was a wave of terror. At that moment, a young girl suddenly flashed into view. As soon as she saw me, she panicked like a rabbit and turned around and ran away. At that moment, it was as if I was freed from my trance and immediately pushed Tieu Ninh Nhi away. At the banquet, in the most hidden corner, I found her. In front of her was a small plate of green bean cakes. She carefully broke each piece and slowly ate it, her eyes curled like a sneaky little cat, her face satisfied as if she had just stolen a treasure. That moment — my head felt like lightning struck me. On one side is a carefully arranged "random encounter". One side is sincere and rustic without any need for embellishment. The girl who was quietly eating the cake was ten thousand times more pleasing to the eye than Tieu Ninh Nhi. I'm certain - I don't love Tieu Ninh Nhi! I, Co Tu, Crown Prince of Tran Quoc Palace, glorious victory, power over the court... yet have become a puppet in my own life and emotions? For the first time, I realized clearly - I want to choose the person I love myself. From then on, I started to pay attention to her. It turned out that she was the second lady of the Giang family. On the outside, she was naive, but behind her back, she was cunning and clever. It turns out she views money as life. It turns out she is so adorable. With her by my side, I won't be controlled by that invisible voice. I personally presented it to the king, asking for his hand in marriage. After we got married, I discovered - she seemed to know something. She always avoids me. Every time Tieu Ninh Nhi was mentioned, she was not jealous, did not try to probe, but truly wanted me to leave. She wants to run away from me. That realization... was like a needle piercing straight into the heart. We can't let her misunderstand anymore. Because to be with her, I worked so hard to escape "that voice", how could I let her leave me? Little by little, I was like spring rain soaking the ground, creeping into her life, making her gradually get used to my presence. One day, she began to reveal her true self in front of me - At that time, I knew, the wall between us... was collapsing. When she spoke and said she wanted to live a good life with me - I understood, I could wait. She finally fell into the gentle dream that I carefully woven. And I, vow to use this whole life... to protect her in peace. (Full text)