Duan Ling’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
Lin Ting hadn’t woken up.
After shouting out, she lay quietly in his arms, a rare moment of calm.
He didn’t push her away, maintaining the position as he gazed down at her for a long time.
An indescribable emotion began to accumulate in his heart, growing heavier and heavier like a mountain.
He raised his hand and gently brushed her unadorned face.
Duan Ling’s body temperature was high, and so were his fingers.
In the cool, rainy night, his touch felt warm.
Lin Ting tilted her head slightly, her cheek brushing against his hand, the sensation as smooth as jade.
Outside, the rain fell softly, while inside, several candles flickered gently, casting light around the room.
On the bed, two figures nestled close together.
However, Lin Ting’s “old habits” eventually resurfaced, and she began to lash out.
Duan Ling easily caught her hands and used his knee to gently pin down her flailing legs.
But her head was also moving, and she bumped his chin a few times.
He could have dodged but chose not to, leaving a faint redness, as if marked by her.
Though Lin Ting liked the scent of agarwood on Duan Ling, she disliked being restrained.
After lying in his arms for too long, she began to squirm, trying to roll away.
Duan Ling didn’t let her leave so easily.
Soon, her brows furrowed slightly in her sleep, and her struggles grew stronger.
He stared at her furrowed brows and, without thinking, loosened his grip.
She slid down his arm, rolling into the soft bedding.
Her long hair spread out, covering her shoulders and face.
The warmth in Duan Ling’s arms vanished in an instant, and his fingers curled slightly, no longer touching her.
Lin Ting was sound asleep, completely unaware.
After a while, she turned over again, her face now facing the direction of the agarwood scent toward Duan Ling, who sat on the edge of the bed.
He watched her for a while longer before finally climbing onto the bed and pulling her back into his arms.
At first, she struggled a little, feeling restrained, but eventually, she settled down, resting her head on him as she slept.
By then, the candles had burned out, and the room was plunged into darkness.
Yet, Duan Ling could still see Lin Ting.
Her collar was slightly loose, and the golden pendant of the Wealth God hanging around her neck had slipped out.
He picked it up and examined it for a moment.
The gold was real, a bit heavy, and would have some weight when worn around the neck.
The pendant wasn’t large but was exquisitely crafted.
It had clearly been worn for some time, yet there wasn’t a single scratch on its surface, a testament to how carefully its owner had treated it.
Duan Ling didn’t look at it for long.
He placed the pendant back and buried his face in the crook of Lin Ting’s neck, inhaling her scent.
He had grown accustomed to her scent, utterly captivated by it, unable to break free.
It was like an addiction, something he couldn’t quit, a kind of sickness.
In the past, when his official duties kept him busy, Duan Ling would stay overnight at the Northern Garrison Office and not return home.
But now, he always made sure to come back.
Duan Ling wanted to breathe in Lin Ting’s scent.
Though he had her handkerchief and other personal belongings that carried her scent, they were cold, devoid of warmth.
He wanted to feel her body heat.
He slowly closed his eyes.
Lin Ting was special to him—so special that he couldn’t quite put it into words.
All he knew was that he wanted to hold onto her tightly, desperately.
Duan Ling thought back to when he had started his fascination with collecting people’s eyes.
***
It was during his youth.
Back then, in front of the wolf, Lin Ting’s eyes had shifted between two completely different expressions in an instant-one of cold detachment, as if following some command, and the other of guilt and heartache.
It was that one look that made Duan Ling fall in love with collecting people’s eyes.
But whether in her childhood or adolescence, she didn’t change her gaze often-only a few times and yet, he remembered each one.
Two years ago, on a certain day, Duan Ling suddenly noticed that Lin Ting’s gaze towards him had shifted to one of guilt, no longer cold.
Her behavior had undergone a dramatic transformation.
She no longer schemed to harm him or Duan Xinning; instead, she kept her distance from him and even changed her attitude towards Duan Xinning.
Duan Ling couldn’t help but grow curious.
However, even though he was somewhat curious, he didn’t pay much attention to Lin Ting.
At that time, he preferred to derive pleasure from the killings he carried out as a member of the Imperial Guards, easing his long- suppressed nature.
It wasn’t until she started appearing frequently in front of him that those eyes, which had always evoked an inexplicable feeling in him, began to frequently fall within his line of sight.
Over time, Duan Ling would even subconsciously chase after Lin Ting’s eyes.
Late at night, facing a wall covered densely with eyes, what he thought of were her eyes, and what he drew were also her eyes.
Duan Ling had seen eyes more beautiful than Lin Ting’s, but the way she looked at him was something no one else could give him—it was unique.
Later, she even kissed him.
During the kiss, they were closer than ever before.
Lin Ting mostly kept her eyes closed, but Duan Ling felt as though he could still see through her eyelids to the eyes beneath.
He was delighted, his pleasure escalating.
Though he didn’t understand why, Duan Ling realized through this incident that… what he had always liked were Lin Ting’s eyes, those eyes that fluctuated with different emotions because of him.
So even though Duan Ling had collected many eyes over the years, and looking at those extracted eyes brought him a certain level of pleasure, it was nothing compared to a single glance from Lin Ting.
***
Duan Ling once again met her eyes, then leaned in to kiss her, extremely gently.
Lin Ting didn’t react, continuing to sleep.
Duan Ling held Lin Ting as they slept, his hand never letting go, always locked around her waist.
The night rain lasted until dawn before it stopped.
The glazed tiles of the house and the ground were damp, and droplets of water remained among the flowers and leaves.
Lin Ting rubbed her eyes as she got up, sitting on the bed half-awake and dazed.
It seemed like she had dreamed that someone had held her last night.
Wait, how did she end up in bed?
Didn’t she fall asleep on the daybed?
Being held last night wasn’t a dream-Duan Ling had carried her back to bed?
What time did he return last night?
Lin Ting reached out to feel the temperature of the bedding beside her when a voice suddenly came from outside the bed:
“Since you’re awake, get up and wash up for breakfast.”
Lin Ting lifted the hanging curtain and looked outside the bed:
“Why are you still here?”
Duan Ling stood by the windowsill where she had spent a long time last night, wearing a light apricot-colored robe.
His overly striking features, the jade hairpin in his long hair glistening in the sunlight that streamed in, and his slightly raised hand touching the still-wet rainwater.
He turned to look at her, half of his face hidden in shadow, the other half illuminated by the light.
It was unclear which side took up more space, but his eyes curved as if smiling:
“Can’t I be here?”
Lin Ting quickly got out of bed, not even noticing that the corners of her lips had lifted.
She bent down to put on her shoes and walked up to him:
“That’s not what I meant. You’ve been leaving early and returning late this month. I thought you would have already gone to the Northern Administrative Bureau by now.”
Duan Ling: “I have to go to the palace at noon today, so I don’t need to go to the Northern Administrative Bureau this morning.”
“Entering the palace? Is it about the rebel matter?”
Although Lin Ting didn’t want to refer to Xie Qinghe as a rebel, she had to.
To the Great Yan, he was now a rebel.
Lin Ting wasn’t particularly loyal to the Great Yan or deeply attached to this dynasty.
However, living under the emperor’s nose, she had to be cautious with her words and actions.
Duan Ling didn’t elaborate much: “Yes.”
Asking too much might seem like prying, so she went to freshen up as quickly as possible.
He, on the other hand, called for servants to prepare the meal.
After many days, they shared a meal together again.
Lin Ting always had a good appetite, but today it was especially hearty.
She ate two bowls of porridge, a bowl of noodle soup, five meat buns, three baked cakes, several fried dough sticks, and finally finished off a plate of green dates.
Tao Zhu, standing by, silently watched.
Even though she had long known that her seventh young lady had a big appetite, she couldn’t help but marvel.
She glanced at Duan Ling sitting beside Lin Ting.
He seemed accustomed to it, even more composed than Tao Zhu, who had been with Lin Ting for years.
Tao Zhu pondered.
It seemed that Lord Duan loved the seventh young lady so much that he could accept everything about her.
But she wondered what the seventh young lady would do next.
Would she really find another man to retaliate against Lord Duan?
Not many husbands could accept their wives doing such a thing, and it would indeed be a way to get back at him.
But if Lord Duan, torn between love and hate, ended up harming the seventh young lady in a fit of anger?
Tao Zhu couldn’t help but scrutinize Duan Ling.
Lord Duan was so gentle; even if he were retaliated against by the seventh young lady, his love turning to hate, he wouldn’t harm her.
“Tao Zhu, pour me a cup of tea,” Lin Ting said, having eaten too much and wanting to wash down the greasiness.
Seeing Tao Zhu lost in thought, she tugged at her sleeve.
Tao Zhu immediately poured her the tea.
Duan Ling had also finished eating.
He put down his jade chopsticks, washed his hands with water, and wiped them with a handkerchief.
Lin Ting was about to ask him what he planned to do in the morning.
If he had nothing to do, he could accompany her out of the mansion.
The Linglong Pavilion had a new performance today.
Before Lin Ting could ask, a servant knocked on the door outside, bowing his head and saying, “Second Young Master, the master summons you.”
Duan’s father was the commander of the Imperial Guards.
Duan Ling wasn’t going to the Northern Administrative Bureau this morning but would enter the palace at noon, which he would know.
After hearing the servant’s words, Duan Ling dismissed him indifferently and turned to Lin Ting:
“What were you about to say?”
His keen observation naturally allowed him to sense that she had something to say.
She leaned back on the couch, bonelessly: “Nothing, you go ahead.”
Duan Ling left.
Lin Ting stayed in the room reading a novel, waiting for Duan Ling to return, but he didn’t come back.
Duan’s father had talked with Duan Ling all morning, and after their conversation, he had to take a carriage to the palace to meet the emperor.
She didn’t stay in the room any longer and went to find Duan Xinning.
Recently, Duan Xinning had been in low spirits, staying behind closed doors, and occasionally needed to be comforted.
Today, Duan Xinning wasn’t upset about Xia Zimo.
A few days ago, when she came, she talked about how Xia Zimo was this and that.
Today, when she came, she talked about the argument between Madam Feng and Duan’s father.
Lin Ting asked thoughtfully, “Why?”
They didn’t seem like the type to argue.
Duan Xinning thought it had been a long time since she paid respects to her mother, fearing she might worry about her, so she went to greet her this morning.
However, as soon as she approached her parents’ courtyard, she heard them arguing and even throwing things.
Madam Feng had a gentle temperament, and Duan Xinning rarely saw them argue, let alone resort to physical violence-even though it was her father being hit by her mother, the fact that they argued and fought was undeniable.
She shook her head and said, “I’m not sure. I heard them mention my second brother.”
Lin Ting was taken aback.
“Your second brother?”
Duan Xinning pursed her lips.
“Yes, they not only mentioned my second brother but also my eldest brother. However, as soon as I entered, they stopped talking, as if they didn’t want me to hear.”
“After the argument, my mother went to the Buddhist hall to chant scriptures, and my father went to his study.”