Chapter 141: Claiming My Rights as a Husband

"Come, Jingluo, be careful. Oh, this mounting block is too high. Watch your hem—never mind, let this Prince carry you down."

At first, Xiao Jingxuan steadied Su Jingluo while offering a continuous stream of cautions. But soon deciding that even with his help there was a risk she might trip on her skirt, he bypassed her protests entirely and swept her up into his arms, carrying her down from the carriage.

"Oh, there's no need! Really, I'm already out of the carriage, put me down." Su Jingluo was not inherently opposed to publicly displaying their affection, but wasn't this sudden shift a bit too abrupt?

"Don't move, don't move. There's ice by the entrance, you'll easily slip. This Prince will carry you into the estate."

Xiao Jingxuan refused to let go, ignoring all of Su Jingluo's struggles as he carried her straight inside the manor grounds.

A group of servants stared dumbfoundedly at the impeccably clean, ice-free entrance, followed by the receding backs of the Prince and Princess. Was the Princess pregnant, or had she been crippled? Why couldn't she walk a single step on her own? Had the Prince and Princess gone to the yamen to get their brains swapped? How else could they return looking like completely different people?

Zhuo Yuan'an was equally baffled. What on earth had happened inside that carriage? Had the Princess fed the Prince some kind of strange potion?

Xiao Jingxuan intended to carry Su Jingluo all the way to Jinhong Pavilion, but she flatly refused, struggling out of his embrace and standing firmly on her own two feet.

"You—where are you taking me?" Su Jingluo asked, looking at him with a blushing face.

"To my Jinhong Pavilion, of course." Xiao Jingxuan looked back at her with a puzzled expression. The way she blushed was simply too adorable, sending a sudden rush of heat to his lower abdomen and making his heart race. Yet, mindful of his dignity, he had to maintain his composure and couldn't simply drag Su Jingluo back to his chambers and lock the door.

"No, I can't go there. I'm going back to Luojing Pavilion." Faced with what felt like an invitation to cohabitate, Su Jingluo's heart hammered against her ribs, and she instinctively rejected him.

"Why? This Prince thought that we had already... already reached a consensus." Xiao Jingxuan's expression plummeted into instant disappointment upon being refused.

"It's not what you think. The truth is, ever since I hit my head last time, I really don't remember anything. The occasional scattered memories I do have aren't particularly pleasant either. When I said that you should pursue me or I should pursue you, I meant it. Between you and me... well, it honestly doesn't feel like being a married couple yet. To plunge into this abruptly just feels far too casual. Things should naturally flow to their proper conclusion in their own time—don't you agree?"

Su Jingluo couldn't bear to see him look so crestfallen, yet she was unwilling to compromise. In her mind, moving in together like this felt far too unreserved. To put it bluntly, she simply wasn't ready yet.

"Flow to their proper conclusion?" Xiao Jingxuan didn't catch her meaning at first. After a moment of silent rumination, realizing she meant something entirely different, a faint blush crept across his cheeks.

"That's right—it happens naturally when neither of us holds any boundaries left in our hearts, and we simply come together as a matter of course."

How much Xiao Jingxuan understood of the original owner was beyond her, but Su Jingluo only knew that while she held a certain fondness for him, it wasn't strong enough to make her want to live as a true husband and wife just yet.

"This Prince holds no boundaries where you are concerned. Besides, Ten Thousand and Nine is still staying in your quarters, and this Prince does not wish for another male to be under the same roof as you."

Xiao Jingxuan understood that Su Jingluo was extraordinary, entirely unlike ordinary women, yet he still wanted to fight for the rights belonging to a husband. He laid aside all his pride, gazing at her with ardent eyes. Never in all these years had he felt such an intense emotion for any other woman.

"I actually still maintain a slight sense of boundaries. Can we just take it slow, please? As for Ten Thousand and Nine, he is still just a child. However, I respect your feelings; if it bothers you, I can return to my original courtyard, though treating his illness would require running back and forth quite a bit, which would be rather troublesome."

Su Jingluo spoke to him with the utmost gentleness.