Although for Su Mo'er, in her understanding of the prince, since she had that kind of relationship with the prince, then he definitely would not be the type of person who lacked commitment.
But even with some guesses, she had never truly heard him say it in person.
Before, she had been thinking that even if the prince really had the possibility of keeping her, he might only make a decision at the last moment, and during this time, she could only try her best to please him.
But she did not expect to receive such a definite result so soon.
Perhaps because the surprise came so suddenly, she felt at a loss and a sense of confusion that made her eyes red.
Even though she firmly said those words, it seemed so empty and powerless.
As a result, when Zhao Jinghuan heard her, he couldn't help but feel a little confused. Seeing her red eyes, he glanced slightly, and her appearance was so pitiful and heartbreaking that he couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"If you're willing, then why are you crying?" he tried to speak as gently as possible, "In front of me, you don’t have to consider so much. If you're willing, you're willing, if you don't want to leave, then you don't want to. Even so, I won't force you. If you truly don't want to leave, then when the time comes, I will have someone build a manor for you here, for you to live in."
For Zhao Jinghuan, if Su Mo'er really didn’t want to follow him, it would undoubtedly be a great disappointment.
After all, no matter how you say it, the meaning of what Su Mo'er said to him is different.
She is not only the first woman he has been in a real relationship with, but also the first woman he has ever been attracted to.
Moreover, he also attaches great importance to respecting a person's own thoughts and ideas.
If she really doesn't want to, he won't force her.
He will only try to compensate her in other ways.
The poor crown prince, who is experiencing the first stirrings of love, simply doesn't understand women, let alone the art of love. It's all just a series of misunderstandings.
Su Mo'er was startled to hear this, and quickly said, "Your Highness, it's not what I meant, please don't misunderstand, I am..."
She was a little flustered as she spoke, and ended up choking on her own saliva, blushing and flustered.
Seeing her reaction, Zhao Jinghuan couldn't help but have a crooked thought, immediately thinking of the marks he had seen on her body earlier, as well as Su Mo'er's painful moans from the night before...
Suddenly, he vaguely felt that he had guessed the reason, and couldn't help but clench his fists subconsciously, his words and actions becoming unnatural, "But... because, last night, I made you suffer too much..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt incredibly awkward and embarrassed, and coughed lightly a couple of times, covering his mouth with his fist.
Upon hearing this, Su Mo'er was even more amazed, her eyes widening in surprise, and she involuntarily exclaimed, "Your Highness..."
Realizing that she had reacted too strongly, she quickly moderated her tone, "How could you think that way!"
As they talked about this, for two young people who were inexperienced in matters of the heart, it was truly an embarrassment.
The blush that had just receded from Su Mo'er's face instantly returned, making her look visibly embarrassed, and even her ears showed signs of shyness.
However, this brought the two of them out of the serious and solemn atmosphere from before, "Your Highness, please don't think too much, I was just too happy for a moment, happy that I finally got my wish and became your woman. So, I didn't mean anything else, just happiness."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jinghuan was stunned for a moment, then looked at her with some doubt, seeing that her expression did not seem to be contrived, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
He relaxed and, forgetting himself, he awkwardly and somewhat dominantly pulled her to sit in front of him, then raised his hand, gently and tenderly wiping away the tears that had spilled over.
"If you're happy, then don't cry. Crying too much is not good for your eyes."
"Okay." Su Mo'er was touched by his gentleness, and more tears flowed in her eyes, nodding with a choked voice, "Thank you for your care, Your Highness, I will definitely take good care of myself in the future."
Although she said this, she still couldn't help but shed tears.
In the end, after all the painstaking planning and effort for so long, she received the expected return.
Zhao Jinghuan, although knowing that she was not suffering, still couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.
His heart tightened, and her sweet and touching appearance stirred up an uncontrollable interest in him, but thinking of her condition last night, he knew that she would probably not be able to bear it for a while. So he could only endure it forcibly, then closed his eyes, and gently dried her tears.
Finally, he pressed his lips to her smooth, full forehead, and said, "Enough, let this be the last time you cry today. You can rest assured, now that you have decided to be by my side, to be my woman. In the future, by my side, I will take good care of you and not let you suffer any more harm. You agree, from now on, you must not cry, even if you are happy, understand?"
At this moment, Su Mo'er's emotions gradually calmed down, feeling exceptionally safe and secure in his warm and broad embrace.
She let out a muffled "En" and felt a sweet sense of reassurance in her heart, "I promise, Your Highness, I will be happy every day in the future."
"That's good." He tightened his arms, holding her tight, "Don't speak, just stay like this for a while."
Su Mo'er naturally complied, nestling in his arms.
Li Gonggong and the others had quietly left long before the two of them interacted.
The room fell silent, with only the two of them dependent on each other. Outside, the scorching sun, the rustling sound of the wind through the bamboo forest, and the noisy cicadas in the shadows lent an air of tranquility to the room, as if the whole world had been reduced to just the two of them.
After a while, Zhao Jinghuan's voice rang in her ears again, speaking calmly, "The matter of disaster relief, after today, should not take long to settle. Once everything is settled, it will be time to return to the capital."
"Now that you have made up your mind to follow me to the capital, it's time to pack up and prepare for the journey back to the capital." He said, stepping back a little, looking at Su Mo'er and asking, "In the days to come, do you want to move to Dingxi Pavilion to live with me, or continue living in Yanshui Pavilion?"
Upon hearing this, Su Mo'er couldn't help but pause.
If she were to speak from her heart, of course it would be best to move to Dingxi Pavilion to live with the crown prince. Firstly, it would enhance the relationship between the two of them, and secondly, it would make it easier to make plans for the future.
But then again, she felt it was somewhat unnecessary.
Now that she was quite sure, as long as there were no major reversals, it was almost a certainty that she would go back to the capital with the crown prince, so there was no need for her to cling to him in these few days.
Moreover, Yuan Niang had once taught her a principle – to maintain an intimate relationship, it's not necessary to be entangled with each other all the time, as it could backfire. Sometimes, a certain amount of distance, with a touch of mystery, can increase the feelings between two people.
On this point, she deeply agreed.
Having grown up in the countryside, she had seen many couples who were deeply in love before marriage, but quarreled constantly after marriage due to various reasons.
Furthermore, if she really moved over, she would have to be by the prince's side day and night, even sharing his bed at night... and that was quite normal, of course.
Although she knew that to secure favor, sharing a bed was an essential means, if it continued like this in the days to come, she wouldn't be able to stand it.
After all, the first night had left her with no impression at all.
Now thinking back, she still felt lingering fear and embarrassment at the wildness of the prince...
Thinking about all this made her feel uncomfortable, embarrassed and annoyed.
These thoughts naturally showed on her face and in her body.
Zhao Jinghuan clearly saw that after hearing this suggestion, she felt stiff and blushed.
Almost without Su Mo'er having to say anything, he already had a general idea of the reason.
His heart was a little gloomy for a moment...
Then he heard Su Mo'er say, "Your Highness... this lady would still like to stay at the Misty Pavilion? After all, it has only been a few days. Spending time with the sisters of the Misty Pavilion during this period has been quite pleasant, and there have been some feelings between each other. This time apart, we do not know if we will have the chance to meet again in the future. In that case, I thought it would be better to take this opportunity to say a proper farewell to the sisters."
Zhao Jinghuan knew that her words were half-truths, but he could only suppress the feeling and calmly replied, "Well, that's fine. Since you have made a decision, then it shall be so."
Su Mo'er instinctively breathed a sigh of relief, "This lady thanks Your Highness for your leniency."
...
Soon after, the two exchanged a few more words, and Su Mo'er took her leave.
It was only after she left that Su Mo'er's tense body finally relaxed a bit.
She couldn't help but look back and sigh inwardly: Although her decision was a bit inappropriate, at present she really didn't know how to face the possible future situations. Perhaps she should take this opportunity to seek advice from Aunt Yuan, maybe she could find a solution.
At that moment, Li Gonggong approached her and his attitude towards her was undoubtedly warmer: "Congratulations, Miss Su, congratulations, Miss Su. It's likely that Miss Su will have a title before long."
Upon hearing this, Su Mo'er felt a bit happy as well. Although the Crown Prince couldn't give her an official title yet due to the present situation, as Li Gonggong said, it was only a matter of time.
Nevertheless, she suppressed her excitement and respectfully said, "Then I'll take your auspicious words. But, today, I owe much to your care, Gonggong. In the future, I hope you won't become estranged from me."
After hearing this, Li Gonggong smiled contentedly and kept saying that it was nothing.
They exchanged a few words, and Su Mo'er said, "His Highness is waiting inside for you, Gonggong."
Li Gonggong then responded, "I should go for now, we'll talk more next time."
Su Mo'er smiled and nodded, "Please go, His Highness is the priority, you don't need to worry about me."
...
After Li Gonggong went inside, he saw that his master's face was not very good. He felt puzzled. Could it be that the two of them had a falling out? But looking at Su Mo'er's appearance, it didn't seem like it.
With some trepidation, he called out, "Your Highness."
As soon as he spoke, he saw the Crown Prince turn his face to stare at him for a while. Just when he thought he couldn't bear it any longer, his master spoke in an unnatural tone, "When you have time, go and find me some secret books to look at."
...