chapter 12:the indifferent husband

The corridors of the palace stretched long and silent as Crown Prince Li Feng led Xu Nuan away from the pavilion. His grip on her wrist was firm, yet devoid of warmth, as if he were merely completing an obligation rather than offering reassurance.

They walked in silence, his pace unyielding, his expression unreadable. The confrontation at the Golden Lotus Tea Party had been dealt with swiftly, but there was no victory in his stance—only a cold, detached finality.

When they reached the secluded Moonlit Pavilion, far from the whispers of the court, Li Feng finally released her hand as if even that touch was a burden.

"You should be more careful," he said, his tone devoid of concern. "You are Crown Princess, but that does not make you untouchable."

Xu Nuan turned to face him fully, searching his face for any trace of emotion. There was none. The man before her was as distant as a mountain covered in ice, his dark eyes cold and unwavering.

"Do you think I brought this upon myself?" she asked, her voice calm but edged with something sharp.

Li Feng regarded her with an impassive gaze. "I think," he said slowly, "that the palace is not a place for arrogance or softness. You should know better than to give them a reason to strike."

A quiet laugh escaped her lips, but there was no humor in it. "So that is all you see? That I have merely given them an excuse?"

His silence was answer enough.

Xu Nuan clenched her fingers around the silk of her sleeves. "If you find me to be such a liability, why did you come for me at all?"

Li Feng's expression did not change, but there was something darker in his gaze now. "Because it is my duty."

Duty. Not care, not protection—just obligation.

The truth settled between them like an invisible wall. Xu Nuan had known from the start that her marriage was one of power, not love, but hearing it stated so plainly still left an unfamiliar ache in her chest.

She straightened, masking the sting behind an indifferent smile. "Then I will remember my place, Your Highness."

Li Feng did not react, only turning away as if the conversation had already lost its significance. "Good," he murmured.

Without another word, he walked away, leaving her standing alone in the moonlit courtyard.

And as Xu Nuan watched his retreating back, she realized something—she had survived the scheming of the court, but the greatest battle she would face was the heart of the man she called husband

The candlelight flickered in the dimly lit chamber, casting long shadows against the walls. Crown Prince Li Feng sat rigidly in his chair, his jaw tight, his fingers digging into the armrests. A sharp, searing pain coursed through his veins, as if fire and ice were warring inside him. His vision blurred at the edges, his breath coming in short, controlled inhales.

Lu Lan, his most trusted bodyguard, stood at his side, concern barely concealed beneath his stoic expression. He had seen the prince endure wounds on the battlefield without so much as a flinch, but this—this was different. This was something deeper, something unseen.

"Your Highness," Lu Lan said cautiously. "The symptoms have worsened. This is not an ordinary affliction. You must let the Crown Princess examine you."

Li Feng's fingers tightened around the chair. "No."

"She is skilled in poisons," Lu Lan pressed. "If anyone in this palace can identify what is happening to you, it is her."

Li Feng exhaled slowly through the pain, his expression hard. "I will not seek her help."

Lu Lan's eyes flickered with frustration. "Is this your pride speaking, or your mistrust?"

Silence stretched between them. The prince did not answer.

Lu Lan hesitated before speaking again, his voice lower this time. "If you refuse to trust her as your wife, then trust her as the Crown Princess. If this affliction is unnatural, someone in this palace wants you weakened. And right now, you are."

Li Feng closed his eyes briefly, willing the pain away. He knew Lu Lan was right. And yet, the thought of revealing such vulnerability to Xu Nuan unsettled him. He had chosen her out of duty, not affection. He had defended her before the court, but that was politics, not intimacy.

To ask for her help now would be to acknowledge a reliance on her that he was not ready to accept.

"This will pass," he finally said, his voice clipped. "I do not need her."

Lu Lan's mouth tightened, but he did not argue further. He could only watch as the cold-hearted prince sat in silent agony, refusing the one person who might be able to save him.

Xu Nuan's delicate fingers hovered over the cup, her sharp eyes scanning the remnants of the liquid. The scent of poison was unmistakable, yet something was wrong. She had trained in the art of toxins for years, yet she could not identify this one.

She set the cup down, her expression unreadable, though tension coiled in her chest. Slowly, she turned back to Li Feng.

"Where else does it hurt?" she asked.

The Crown Prince remained silent, his face unreadable as always, but the faintest flicker of pain betrayed him.

"Li Feng," she said, her voice lower this time. "Tell me."

Finally, after a pause, he exhaled and spoke. "A burning in my veins. Numbness in my fingertips. Sometimes, it feels like ice beneath my skin."

Xu Nuan's breath stilled. Fire and ice—two opposing sensations within the body. It was the mark of something rare, something unnatural.

She reached for his wrist, her fingers cool against his skin as she pressed gently to assess his pulse. It was faint, slightly erratic, but the underlying rhythm was too controlled for an ordinary toxin.

The realization sent a chill down her spine.

This was not an ordinary poison. It was something far worse.

Her mind raced through every formula, every ancient text she had studied. But deep down, she already knew—there was only one poison that left no trace, no scent beyond the initial dose, and no known antidote.

The Heart-Sinking Venom.

A legendary poison, whispered of in hushed tones among assassins and healers alike. Created to ensure slow, inevitable death, it weakened the victim over time until their heart simply… stopped. No cure, no remedy. The only thing that could prolong life was slowing its spread.

Her fingers curled slightly over his wrist, her own pulse quickening.

He was dying.

Li Feng was watching her, his dark eyes unwavering despite the pain. He had already guessed the truth, hadn't he?

"You know what it is," he stated, his voice calm, almost indifferent.

Xu Nuan let go of his wrist, folding her hands into her sleeves to hide the slight tremor in her fingers.

"I do."

"And?"

She hesitated.

How was she supposed to tell him that there was no cure? That this was a death sentence? That the only thing she could do was buy him time?

But then she saw it—the flicker in his gaze. He already knew. And yet, he had told no one. Not even Lu Lan.

"You knew," she murmured. "And still, you refused to seek help."

Li Feng's expression did not change. "What use is help when the result does not change?"

Xu Nuan's nails pressed into her palm.

"If I can buy you time—"

"For what?" he interrupted, his voice cold. "So I can waste my last days trapped in this palace? So I can be at the mercy of people who will only use my illness to their advantage?"

His gaze bore into her, unreadable, yet heavy with something unspoken.

"Or do you wish to save me because you are my wife?"

The words hung between them like a dagger poised to strike.

Xu Nuan did not flinch. If he expected her to waver, he would be disappointed.

"It does not matter why," she said coolly. "You are not allowed to die yet, Li Feng. Not while I still stand."

Silence.

Then, to her surprise, a quiet chuckle. Low, dry, without warmth.

"Bold words," he murmured.

But he did not refuse her.

Xu Nuan turned away, already formulating a plan. The poison had no antidote, but there were ways to slow its spread, to force it into dormancy. She would not accept fate so easily.

If death sought to claim him, then she would make sure it had to fight for him first.