What to Do After Being Transported into a Mature-Themed Novel and Caught in a Storm of Passion - Chapter 127

But Pu Feide was afraid—not of accidents that might befall him, nor of schemes woven by rivals, nor even of the uncertain future heavy with hardship. That path had been set from the moment he was born into his family, unchangeable until his last breath. What truly frightened him was the thought of those he cared for suffering because of him.

Keeping Xue Zhixiao at arm’s length was the only way to shield her. She was his escape, his fleeting reprieve from the weight of the world.

“I’ll take you for a ride,” Pu Feide said suddenly, swinging onto the horse behind her. One arm circled her waist, the other covering her hands on the reins. “Hold tight. Let’s wield swords across the world and forget everything else.”

The horse surged forward, their laughter scattering like leaves in the wind. By the time the sun hung low, painting the trees and grass in crimson, they had dismounted—the horse now tethered nearby, swishing its tail as it grazed. Side by side under a tree, Pu Feide laced his fingers through Xue Zhixiao’s, watching the sky shift through hues of gold and lavender, dotted with the occasional bird. A breeze carried the mingled scents of wildflowers and earth, while butterflies flickered around them like living jewels.

“It’s so peaceful here,” Xue Zhixiao murmured, stretching out on the grass, her head propped on her hands. The sunset bled through her closed eyelids, staining her vision red. “The air is fresh, the world feels soft. It’s like all my worries dissolve.”

“Shall we come back often, then?”

Her lips curved, though the light behind her eyelids darkened as she spoke. “You’re always so busy. How could you spare time to idle here with me?” The words barely left her mouth when she felt Pu Feide’s breath warm against her ear, his voice a velvet murmur.

“For you, Zhixiao, I always have time.”

A whisper of touch grazed her lips—gone before she could react. But Xue Zhixiao never missed an opportunity, not with the sunset pooling around them and the air thick with possibility. She opened her eyes to find Pu Feide’s gaze locked onto hers, tender yet shadowed with conflict.

“Feide…” Her hands slid around his neck, pulling him down as she rose to meet him, her lips parting eagerly. Her tongue ventured into his mouth, bold and sweet.

Pu Feide froze for half a heartbeat, her floral scent flooding his senses, dissolving his resistance. Eyes drifting shut, he leaned into the kiss, his lips sealing over hers with a reverence that made her throat tighten. He kissed her slowly, savoring each touch, each soft suck, as if she were something fragile and precious. Xue Zhixiao’s lashes grew damp. This was their first kiss, and he gave it to her like a vow—a promise that, though she might never stand beside him in the eyes of the world, she would always be his princess, cherished above all else.

Lost in her taste, Pu Feide deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring the honeyed warmth of her mouth, reluctant to let her go. When they finally parted, Xue Zhixiao’s eyes were no longer clear but shimmering with want, her cheeks flushed, lips slightly swollen. Her breaths came uneven, her body thrumming with the echo of his touch.

“Zhixiao,” he panted, his voice rough with longing, “will you be my little princess forever?”

Princess, not queen or consort.

He could give her that title, that devotion. But the weight of a crown, the duty to nation and family—that burden belonged to another. Let someone else bear the cold brilliance of a throne. Xue Zhixiao needed only to be his: a secret treasure, an eternal respite, his little princess to cherish in the stolen moments between duty and destiny.