The man's eyes were deep-set, with pupils of an amber hue, sharp and piercing like a hawk in the night. He exuded an aura of solitary aloofness yet was overwhelmingly imposing, standing proudly as if to dominate the world.
Under such intense scrutiny, Yun Chunnuan felt cold sweat trickling down her temples.
Yet, she stubbornly met his gaze, refusing to back down.
Even though tears, like disconnected pearls, never ceased to fall...
After a long while, Yelyu Lie rose, arching an eyebrow as he looked toward the dainty little Princess who had grabbed the quilt and shrunk into the corner of the wall, sneering, "Don't let me find out you're a little liar, or else…"
He didn't say what "or else" meant.
His eagle-like eyes swept over the little girl, as if wanting to devour her.
Ultimately, Yelyu Lie couldn't bear her pitiable story.
If it wasn't true, that would be fine, but what if it was?
She was a little Princess, adored by thousands, who had endured a dozen days of grueling travel; how uncomfortable it would be if she were given nothing to eat and bullied as well?
For some reason, Yelyu Lie felt uneasy.
He was beginning to believe the little Princess's story—after all, her waist was so slender and narrow; how could it be so unless she hadn't eaten for days?
Yelyu Lie left, and the lights outside the house lit up, illuminating the room faintly lit by candlelight.
Yun Chunnuan stuck her head out, seeking an escape route.
However, she was startled by the skull of an animal hanging by the bed.
She glanced around to discover that the room was filled with terrifying bones, all sorts of animals! There were various pelts too; it was practically a zoo of death!
Yun Chunnuan wracked her brain for information about the General, but found nothing useful.
All she knew was that he was the first War God of Bianliao, wise and valiant in battle. She didn't even know how old he was or who his family was...
Yun Chunnuan quietly got off the bed, feeling around the scary room, but except for the door the man had just exited, there was no other escape route.
Knowing when to yield is wise; she wouldn't foolishly escape through the main door.
Then… she might as well rest first and talk later.
Yun Chunnuan quickly crawled back onto the hard bed, but she didn't dare to truly lie down and sleep; clutching a hairpin thrown aside earlier, she hugged her knees, curling up in the bed's corner.
This body had been thoroughly exhausted during the journey.
Only because this Seventh Princess of Great Xia was truly domineering and capricious, often wielding a whip and hitting people.
Unfortunately, Lord He, who escorted the bridal envoy, was someone she had harshly bullied before. As soon as they left the borders of Great Xia, his demeanor changed entirely, no longer attentive but instead filled with humiliation and insults.
Yun Chunnuan hadn't lied; after leaving Great Xia, this Seventh Princess only ate one piece of bread, and it was terribly hard to swallow. If not fearing her death, Lord He probably wouldn't have even given her water...
As she thought about this, Yun Chunnuan's eyelids grew heavy, her head nodding as she went to meet the chess-playing Duke of Zhou in her dreams.
In her sleep, she heard familiar footsteps, heavy like that bear-like man's!
Upon suddenly opening her bloodshot phoenix eyes, Yun Chunnuan found herself facing a... little girl with dark, ruddy skin and a burly stature?
She carried a bowl of white porridge and two eggs, tilting her head and curiously eyeing her.
Her gaze... was just like a zoo visitor looking at a monkey...
Yun Chunnuan furrowed her brows, about to reprimand her.
The tall, robust girl suddenly grinned and said, "So, this is a person from the Central Plains! So pretty!"