chapter29

Because Simeon was a man, from a young age he not only had to study hard but also learn skills to please his future wife-lord. These included sewing, cooking, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Most importantly, he had to learn how to serve his wife-lord and make her satisfied.

So he had practiced cooking since he was little. Though he couldn't say he was amazing, he was still pretty good at it. Ran had tasted his cooking before, but tonight's dinner still surprised her.

"Mmm this is so good" Ran picked up a dish and put it in her mouth, then gave him a thumbs-up. Seeing that she liked it, the smile on Simeon's face deepened. He gently picked up a piece of scallion egg and placed it in her bowl.

"Since you like it, I'll cook for you more often." "That's not necessary. Just occasionally is enough."

"You still need to focus on your studies, that's more important." Ran wasn't someone who cared too much about food. If there was good food, great. If not, she didn't mind either.

And even though she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she had heard the villagers say that every time he came back, he stayed up reading late into the night. He worked really hard every day. But Simeon didn't find it hard at all.

In fact, he felt that cooking for her made him happy. He looked at her, a bit shy but speaking gently, "But cooking for the wife-lord is something every husband should do." "And I actually enjoy doing it for you."

"Besides, it doesn't take long to cook, so it doesn't interfere with studying." "After all, studying needs breaks too, right?" "As long as you're happy."

Ran felt shy under his gaze. This was the first time a man had done so much for her. Even if she knew the main reason he did this was because she was a woman.

Still, she wanted to hold onto this warmth tightly and didn't want to let go. She thought maybe this was how someone who had lacked love growing up would act. Even if she knew this warmth came with a price, she still wanted to hold on to it.

After dinner, Simeon naturally took over the task of cleaning up. Ran followed him to the kitchen, lazily leaning against the doorframe. She watched him work with a soft expression.

Watching his busy back, she couldn't help but swallow quietly. Just seeing his back made her want to run over, push him to the ground, and ravish him hard. "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form, form is emptiness, emptiness is form…"

Realizing her thoughts, her cheeks suddenly felt like they were on fire. Even without looking in a mirror, she knew her face must be bright red. She quickly turned to the side and fanned her face with her hand.

She was annoyed with herself. Why couldn't she control her thoughts? Was it because she'd never had a boyfriend before and was now unbearably thirsty?

She tried to sneak another peek at him, but unexpectedly met a pair of smiling eyes head-on. She immediately dropped her gaze, face turning even redder. She stammered, "Wh-why are you looking at me like that?"

"I just think you're really beautiful, Ran." "I was dazed for a moment." "Please don't be upset with me."

Seeing her embarrassment, Simeon quickly apologized, though his tone still carried a hint of teasing.

He had already noticed it when she looked at him just now. That burning gaze was something he couldn't ignore. Being stared at like that, he felt a little shy too.

But when he thought about how her acting right now was just for him alone, the joy in his heart suppressed his shyness, and he pretended not to notice and kept working. If someone had walked over at that moment, they would have seen that he had already washed the same bowl several times. When Ran finally looked away, Simeon quietly let out a breath of relief, but along with that relief, he also felt a bit disappointed.

His tone was playful, and Ran could hear it clearly. She glared at him with a soft pout, then turned and went back to her room. Simeon looked at the tightly shut door in front of him, silently smiled, and stood at the doorway for a while before turning to leave.

Now that he knew she was the empress, they couldn't keep staying in the same room before they were married. Hearing the footsteps slowly fade from outside the door, Ran finally let out a breath of relief. She reached out and patted her flushed cheeks, and her lips couldn't help curving into a smile.

It was still early. She wasn't used to going to bed so soon, so she walked over to her desk, spread a sheet of paper, picked up an ink stick and began grinding it. Once it was ready, she put down the ink stick, picked up her brush, cleared her mind, and started practicing her writing seriously.

Even though she had only practiced for a few days, her progress was clear. Her handwriting was becoming neater, and her strokes smoother and more powerful. The biggest reason for her fast improvement was the support of her special ability.

After practicing a few large characters, Ran felt it was getting late. She finally set down her brush, rubbed her sore wrist, and looked at her writing with satisfaction. "Not bad at all. I've made really good progress" she praised herself without any shame, nodding seriously at her own work.

She yawned, stretched, stopped looking at the big characters on the desk, walked to the bed, took off her outer robe, lifted the blanket, and got in. Lying on the warm and soft bed, she let out a quiet sigh of comfort. Ran, now falling asleep under the covers, had completely forgotten about the secret guard she had tied up with vines.

That guard was still trapped in a net woven from vines, unable to move. Just when he thought he might really die here, the vines suddenly retracted as if receiving an order. The guard hadn't reacted in time, and with a loud thud, he was thrown straight to the ground.

It wasn't that his skills were lacking. It was just that he never expected the vines to release him, especially not so quickly. He had no time to react at all.

The moment he hit the ground, he immediately used light footwork, leapt up, and swiftly flew out of the forest toward Suzhou City. At the same time, inside the White Deer Academy, Spencer was quietly sitting at a desk painting. If Ran had been there, she would have recognized that the person in the painting was exactly how she looked today.

Suddenly, the window slammed open and then shut again quickly. A figure appeared in the room. A man in black had appeared without warning, but Spencer didn't show any surprise.

He kept painting, his hand never pausing. The man in black only knelt respectfully on the ground without making a sound. He even slowed his breathing, afraid to disturb the painting process.