37: Chapter 37 Warming Up

A ripple finally appeared in those hollow eyes.

It was not gratitude, nor was it hope, but rather the humiliation and anger of being treated so disrespectfully by a servant.

"Get out!"

She used all her strength to roar this word.

Chen Fan, however, acted as if he hadn't heard.

He didn't even look at her again, just speaking to himself: "As a noble Princess, you might not know. When a person is hungry for too long, their stomach burns like hot coals. At that point, forget about seeking death; you'll just be rolling on the ground in agony, and all dignity will be lost."

He paused and pushed the steamed bun in his hand a little further forward.

"Even if you must die, don't die a starving ghost. If word gets out that the Xiushan Princes Mansion couldn't even spare a final meal, wouldn't people laugh?"

His words offered not a shred of comfort, yet every sentence struck at the most realistic point.

Princess Li Ronger's hand, holding the porcelain shard, trembled slightly.

She stared fixedly at the strange guard before her.

He didn't urge her to think of the young prince, nor did he spout those clichés about living on.

He was only saying that hunger is very painful.

And that even in death, one should have dignity.

How absurd, yet how... realistic.

Seeing her motionless, Chen Fan did not urge her, but simply placed the steamed bun on the relatively clean edge of the bed beside her.

"The Prince of Xiushan's order is to keep watch over you. Whether you live or die is actually irrelevant to us servants; all we would lose is our heads."

"But you are different."

Chen Fan finally looked up, staring straight into her eyes filled with Death Qi.

"How others view you or what they say is their own business. Whether you are innocent or not is something only you know in your heart."

"Is it worth taking your own life just for the sake of other people's opinions?"

These words were spoken as calmly as water.

Yet they struck Princess Li Ronger's heart like a heavy hammer.

That's right.

I am innocent.

Why should I die for the slander of those people, or for the coldness of that man?

Why should I!

A flame of unwillingness struggled to leap from the depths of her dead heart.

A faint glimmer of light reignited in her hollow eyes.

Just then.

"Gurgle... gurgle..."

An ill-timed and incredibly clear sound of a rumbling stomach rang out abruptly in the silent room.

The source of the sound was none other than the Princess's stomach.

The air froze instantly.

The stubbornness and unwillingness on Princess Li Ronger's face were instantly replaced by a rising flush of color.

It was extreme embarrassment and anger.

She glared at Chen Fan, as if she wanted to cut him into a thousand pieces with her gaze.

"Get out!"

She grabbed the pillow from the bedside and used all her strength to throw it at Chen Fan's face.

Chen Fan dodged to the side, and the pillow hit the doorframe before falling softly to the ground.

He didn't say another word, simply bowed slightly to the Princess, then turned and exited the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

"Bang!"

The moment the door closed, the sound of porcelain being smashed to pieces came from inside.

In the courtyard, the Head Nanny and Zhang Cheng and the others immediately gathered around.

"How is it? Lin Shou, the Princess..."

The Head Nanny looked nervous, unable to speak clearly.

Chen Fan shook his head, his face devoid of expression.

"I don't know."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I've said what I needed to say. The rest is up to the Princess herself."

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts sank.

It's over.

Even a new face going in was useless.

The Princess is determined to end her life.

The Head Nanny was so anxious she kept slapping her thighs, and Zhang Cheng wore a look of sorrow, sighing incessantly.

This assignment is truly a death trap.

Chen Fan, however, ignored their reaction and walked straight back to his original post, standing straight as if nothing had happened.

Time passed bit by bit.

In the loft, there was a deathly silence.

The servants in the courtyard were all on pins and needles, feeling as if every minute was a year.

Just when everyone thought the Princess might have quietly ended her life inside, a maid responsible for cleaning gathered her courage and pushed open the door.

A moment later.

The maid rushed out as if she had seen a ghost, her face filled with unbelievable ecstasy.

"She ate! She ate!"

"The Princess... the Princess ate the steamed bun!"

The entire courtyard fell silent for a moment before erupting into huge cheers.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and a few timid maids even wept with joy.

The Head Nanny was so excited that she put her hands together and chanted "Amitabha" repeatedly.

Everyone's eyes turned in unison toward the guard standing motionless under the veranda.

Filled with admiration and curiosity.

Zhang Cheng sidled up to Chen Fan and nudged him with his elbow.

"Not bad, Lin Shou! An Immortal Master does not reveal his true form!"

He lowered his voice and asked curiously, "What on earth did you say to the Princess? It was so effective!"

Chen Fan glanced at him, still wearing that calm, unruffled expression.

"Nothing much, just urged her to eat properly."

Zhang Cheng looked skeptical, but seeing that Chen Fan didn't want to elaborate, he had to let it go.

From that day on, the task of delivering meals to the Princess fell entirely to Chen Fan.

The Head Nanny felt he was a lucky star who could persuade the Princess.

Chen Fan was happy to be left alone; every day he would carry the food box in, set the meal down, and then leave without saying an extra word.

Princess Li Ronger in the loft no longer tried to end her life.

She just ate in silence, stared blankly in silence, and looked out the window in silence.

A strange tacit understanding formed between the two.

One delivered, one ate; there was no communication throughout.

In the blink of an eye, a few days passed.

That day, Chen Fan entered the room carrying the food box as usual.

He set the dishes on the table one by one and was about to turn and leave.

"Wait."

A hoarse voice, one that hadn't spoken for a long time, came from behind him.

Chen Fan stopped and turned around.

Princess Li Ronger sat before the vanity. Having eaten on time for the past few days, her complexion had recovered slightly and was no longer that frightening, ghastly pale.

She looked through the bronze mirror at the figure of the guard behind her.

"You..."

She seemed to find it difficult to speak, pausing for a long time before finally asking the question that had been dwelling in her heart for days.

"Do you believe that I am innocent?"

Asking this, she felt it was laughable herself.

To ask a total stranger of a servant, seeking his trust.

How humble, how pitiful.

Chen Fan looked at the eyes full of anxiety and expectation in the bronze mirror and nodded without the slightest hesitation.

Because he was that "Black Wind Demon".

He knew better than anyone that nothing had happened that night.

"I believe you."

His answer was simple, direct, and without the slightest hesitation.

Princess Li Ronger's body trembled violently.

She slowly turned around, looking at Chen Fan in disbelief.

It was not perfunctory, nor was it sympathy.

On that plain guard's face was a calm that took it for granted.

As if believing her was the most natural thing in the world.

In an instant, all the grievances, all the despair, and all the unwillingness turned into a scalding torrent, breaking through her final line of defense.

Two lines of clear tears flowed down from her eyes like a dam bursting, without any warning.