“Xian! Door guard.”
When she woke up, Aier felt a sharp pain in her chest, so intense that her adorable little calves couldn’t help but curl up.
Leaning on the bedside handle, Aier looked down and saw that her body was covered in marks blooming like flowers, starting from her slender wrist all the way up to her neck—everywhere, crimson traces of wild indulgence!
Even beneath her armpits, crisscrossing long red streaks could be seen, some places even beginning to swell.
Seeing the state she was in, Aier felt absolutely mortified. Her master was just too rough—how was she supposed to show herself outside like this!
Aier gently pressed a fingertip to one of the red marks on her chest, and immediately felt a burning pain.
Xie Yier instantly noticed and, with a quick turn, rolled from the bed to Aier’s side, pulling her into her arms: “Little Ai, come here, let me take a look.”
Aier’s skin was already fair and delicate, making those blush-red marks stand out even more provocatively, as if she’d been cruelly mistreated. For a moment, Xie Yier felt a pang of guilt.
Thinking back to last night, she had indeed gotten a little carried away.
But what could she do? Little Ai understood her heart so well, how could she not be moved? That was why, both with her hands and with her lips, she’d been even more enthusiastic than usual.
Truthfully, Xie Yier had exercised restraint at the time, but Aier was born with such delicate and tender skin—a light touch would leave a red mark, making the whole scene look even more pitiful.
“Don’t go to school this morning. I’ll contact the Royal Physician to come and check on your body. I’ll take care of your leave with the school.”
“Master, it’s really not necessary. It’s not a serious injury. I’ll be fine in a few days.”
Aier tugged at Xie Yier’s sleeve, voice soft and weak, making Xie Yier almost lose control and want to pounce on her again.
Luckily, she managed to restrain herself.
“Little Ai, listen to your master. Your health is more important than anything.”
Her expression was gentle, the corners of her lips rising in a loving smile. One hand gently ruffled Aier’s hair, while the other reached down to pick up a half-transparent crystal from her bag by the bed.
“That is…”
Aier’s green eyes flashed with surprise.
That was a Secret Voice Crystal?
The so-called Secret Voice Crystal was essentially a cellphone from another world, but not as versatile as the smartphones from her previous life. It only had two functions: voice calls and message transmission.
The Secret Voice Crystal was accidentally crafted by the national alchemical workshop of a neighboring country two or three years ago. Production was difficult, so supply was scarce. Moreover, the Empire of Dawn didn’t possess the recipe to make their own and could only rely on imports, making Secret Voice Crystals exceedingly rare within the Empire of Dawn.
They were almost exclusively reserved for official or special use, and only on rare occasions would be sold to private individuals. The price was exorbitant—so high that even in the royal court, few people could be seen using them.
However, as a member of the royal family, Xie Yier owning one Secret Voice Crystal wasn’t anything unusual, so it didn’t seem out of place to Aier.
Xie Yier’s Secret Voice Crystal had the Royal Physician’s contact stored, so she quickly got in touch with their family doctor.
“Do you want one too—?”
After ending the call, Xie Yier noticed Aier’s gaze lingering curiously on the Secret Voice Crystal in her hand.
Aier froze, hastily shaking her head and waving her hands. “No, no, it’s just the first time I’ve seen something so amazing, that’s all.”
“If you really like it, I’ll arrange one for you as well… In fact, it would make it easier for me to contact you in the future when I’m busy.”
And, it would make it easier for her to check up on Aier anytime.
Having decided to dismiss the spies monitoring Aier, Xie Yier needed a way to keep track of Aier’s activities herself, in case any unexpected trouble came up.
The more she thought about it, the more Xie Yier felt it necessary to get Aier her own Secret Voice Crystal.
Aier was nearly in tears—was her curiosity really that obvious? Now she’d gotten herself into this.
Because the two of them had spent last night’s wild “battle” directly in the Iron Eagle Fortress, Xie Yier’s uniform had been torn to shreds, so she had to go to another room to fetch a change of clothes and some daily necessities to bring back to the office.
By the time the two finished tidying up, two hours had already passed. The Royal Physician they’d contacted had been waiting alone at the gate of Iron Eagle Fortress for a long time, nearly leaving in frustration, waiting and not seeing anyone arrive.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, something important came up.”
When Xie Yier finally invited the physician inside, she offered an apologetic greeting—after all, she’d kept the doctor waiting outside for quite a while.
“To be able to serve Your Grace is my honor!”
The Royal Physician was a little surprised. She’d never seen Xie Yier so polite before. In the past, Xie Yier had always been cold as ice, never courteous.
“This is the patient you need to examine today.”
The Royal Physician tilted her head to look at Aier, who was standing behind Xie Yier looking timid and delicate, and couldn’t help but give her a few more glances.
Aier’s big, watery eyes glanced at the other woman, then she shrank back a little, feeling nervous.
The Royal Physician was a young woman, quite beautiful, her chestnut-dyed hair tied up at the back, wearing a white coat, but her figure still impossible to hide.
She wore a professional, gentle smile—perhaps that helped put patients at ease.
“Yes, this is my treasure. She accidentally fell down the stairs this morning and got a little banged up. I’m worried she might be hurt internally, so please give her a thorough examination.”
The Royal Physician tugged at the corners of her mouth—anyone could tell these were old injuries.
But she couldn’t point it out and could only reply flatteringly, “Your Grace is so lucky. To be your chosen one must truly be a blessing from the goddess.”
Aier lowered her head, grumbling inwardly. Here we go again, more flattery and nonsense—if the goddess really blessed you, would you want this job?
Getting treated like a pet cat every day, she couldn’t take much more.
“Your Grace, please take a rest while I take this young lady for an examination.”
“Alright, Little Ai, cooperate and behave—don’t talk nonsense, understand?”
Before leaving, Xie Yier cupped Aier’s cheeks, leaned in and whispered a few gentle, coaxing words in her ear, then gave her a quick kiss.
“Go on now, Little Ai,” she coaxed dotingly.
The Royal Physician stood at the door, glancing back with a knowing look.
“Oh my—looks like you’ve found true love. I suppose I should give you two a little more time alone next time.”
As they walked down the corridor, the female physician eyed the blushing, bashful Aier with an amused, gossip-hungry gaze. Aier’s eyes were wide, looking nervous, with a hint of timid helplessness.
During the examination…
“How did you and Her Grace meet?” The female Royal Physician couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked in a gossiping tone.
“We met at a temple,” Aier answered truthfully.
“Temple, huh…”
“Hmph, [The Scent of Pages and Beauty 1].”
The Royal Physician thought she’d misheard. The rumors all said that Duke Sheiyl had a cold and severe personality and would never go to such places to meet women.
Had she changed? Had her heart softened? Was she cured?
Could it really be that some girl had stirred her heart?
The Royal Physician’s eyes grew even brighter as she looked at Aier, never moving her gaze from that adorable face.
She had to admit, Aier really was cute, especially with that soft, bunny-like shyness and cautious demeanor—it was all too easy to awaken a desire to cherish her.
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