Your Highness, Please Love Me Tender

84. I Will Never Let You Go

Translator: Flying Lines

“Nianxuan is already mine, so fourth brother doesn’t need to worry himself with this. On behalf of Nianxuan, I thank you for your affection towards him.” Xiao Shengnian’s gaze was intense and reserved, yet he spoke warmly and amicably. His face was like a piece of art that had been carefully carved out. Although his words were calm and peaceful, every word he said declared Su Jie as his. Xiao Luoxuan felt blood rushing towards his head and wanted to hit someone.

The phrase that incensed Xiao Luoxuan was ‘Nianxuan is already mine’. The most despicable thing was that he and the Sharp Sword had spent nine years together. The Sharp Sword had been his shadow and a man of sacrifice who would risk his life to protect him. He was also the person Xiao Luoxuan had secretly liked for all those years.

In the past, Xiao Luoxuan didn’t dare to regard his feelings seriously, and he kept denying it even though he did truly like him. But ever since he knew that the Sharp Sword had been sent to Prince Rui’s side, he had only felt perpetual suffering and pain. He suddenly understood then, that he didn’t just feel reliance and trust towards this man of sacrifice. Instead, it was a sort of… love.

He loved the Sharp Sword.

He could clearly remember all the minuscule interactions he had with the Sharp Sword. He could clearly remember how the Sharp Sword rid him of his obstacles. He also remembered the Sharp Sword’s expression and voice as he called him ‘Master’ when he knelt before him…

Sharp Sword, Sharp Sword…

The only person who Xiao Luoxuan trusted the most would only be his Sharp Sword. There would be no one else.

When something had festered for long enough inside the heart, it would become a deep-rooted obsession. Xiao Luoxuan had repressed his feelings for the Sharp Sword for too long, to the point that he only became more obsessed after the day he openly confessed his love for the Sharp Sword to the Guqin Master. The Xiao Luoxuan from before would never understand what it was like to live a day as if it was a year. But now, he knew intimately what it was like to not see someone for a day and feeling like they parted for three autumns.

If love was a poison, then he was willing to sink further into it like a moth drawn to a flame. He would never regret it.

“I have known Nianxuan for a long time.” Xiao Luoxuan was determined to fight with Prince Rui in front of all the princes and nobles. Anyways, he was a son who the Emperor never favored, so what else could happen even if he overstepped the line? His father had never placed any hopes on him, and so he wouldn’t be disappointed. But Xiao Shengnian was different. The Emperor favored Xiao Shengnian the most. If any sort of negative rumors were spread about him, it would only lead to the Emperor’s fury.

Embracing the phrase ‘a broken pot cannot be broken further’, Xiao Luoxuan threw the Guqin Master’s warnings to the wind. His face was serious as he looked at Su Jie solemnly. “Nianxuan, I love you.”

Su Jie’s expression was cold, and his gaze remained unchanged. He looked silently at Xiao Luoxuan, his face expressionless.

On the other hand, Xiao Shengnian couldn’t bear seeing Xiao Luoxuan trying to steal his lover away from him. This was so humiliating! Anyone would be angry.

Xiao Shengnian frowned. He didn’t look angry but self-confident instead. He had a very good temperament. At this moment, he emitted a tough and dignified aura as his warm smile faded. His gaze was as frigid as thick ice, which the sun wouldn’t be able to melt within a short time.

His voice was as calm as always. “Fourth brother, please be respectful! Do not harass Nianxuan again. Nianxuan is already with me, and this fact will never change! Stop deluding yourself, fourth brother. Some things are just not meant to be. All you can do is wallow in regret your whole life. You can only blame yourself for not treasuring your chance when you had it. If fourth brother is still like this, don’t condemn me for not going easy on you!”

When faced with the people who enslaved his little slave, Xiao Shengnian naturally felt infuriated. He truly didn’t understand why Xiao Luoxuan had the face to stand here and claim such nonsense in public? He obviously knew that maintaining the cover was the most important thing for a man of sacrifice, yet he still sought Su Jie out in front of everyone. Wasn’t he afraid of Xiao Shengnian knowing he was well acquainted with Su Jie?

Xiao Shengnian was so angry that his body shook mildly. However, what made him so furious weren’t Xiao Luoxuan’s words, but Su Jie’s attitude instead.

From the beginning to the end, Su Jie was like an outsider. He watched coolly on as Xiao Luoxuan expressed his innermost feelings without the slightest change in expression.

“Nianxuan, don’t you love me?” Xiao Luoxuan’s expression fell, and his tone almost seemed to carry a few traces of… command. It was the same as when he assigned missions to Su Jie.

As he heard the question, there was a thread of disappointment in Su Jie’s eyes. He had always thought that Xiao Luoxuan was able to bring him mental and physical satisfaction. But now he could only ask himself what part of Xiao Luoxuan he even liked.

Did he like Prince Qin giving himself orders and taking all his previous love and loyalty for granted?

Su Jie was silent. If he had once liked Prince Qin, then… he could let go of that now.

He could finally let it go without feeling a trace of nostalgia at all.

“Hey! Are you honestly that shameless? Stealing from seventh brother?” Just as Su Jie had straightened out his mind, Xiao ShengXian’s words shattered the silence.

Xiao ShengXian had just come back from riding half a loop around the grounds and heard his brother’s calm voice. As someone who couldn’t repress his emotions, his temper naturally flared. Xiao ShengXian shoved aside the few princes that blocked his way and rushed to stand in front of Xiao Luoxuan in a fit of anger.

Xiao ShengXian’s skin glowed beautifully and lustrously in the sun, looking alluringly elegant. His slanted eyes flashed angrily, but they still carried their usual charm.

As the most mischievous prince, Xiao ShengXian was not like his brother, who spoke politely without swearing. He simply let loose a long string of furious words onto Xiao Luoxuan. “Do you not understand the principle of not coveting your brother’s wife? Seventh brother is usually so kind but you dare to cross the line? At least, seventh brother and I still call you ‘brother’ but, what is the result? Is this what you call being an older brother? Fighting with your younger brother for his wife? Do you not feel shame? Even if seventh brother is not angry, I’m angry!”

After he finished saying this, Xiao ShengXian took a deep breath, and then angrily opened his mouth again. “You even want to steal the person seventh brother loves. Seventh brother and this Wen… brother-in-law are in love together. What right do you have to stick your nose into this? People who break up couples will only be struck down by lightning!”

When he finished, Xiao ShengXain glared with his slanted eyes. He had originally wanted to reveal a malevolent expression, but he simply looked too harmless. Even when he glared passionately, there was not much bite behind it.

Xiao ShengXian’s furious speech had shocked and awed the surrounding audience in an instant. Because every time they met, their interactions and the words they exchanged had always been more tactful. After all, they had all received etiquette lessons and had distinguished statuses. They would never shout so loudly without caring for their reputations. Therefore, Prince Xian’s display had been nothing short of an eye-opener.

Su Jie’s perpetually calm expression finally wavered. The corners of his lips tugged upwards. It was hard to imagine that Prince Xian would even have a side like this.

He did not seem like a well-mannered and noble prince at all. He really was a bully after all…

Xiao Shengnian’s expression was not much better. After all, in his eyes, despite how his ninth brother had the heart of a child and was so blunt, he was still influenced by the etiquette of the royal family. But… but when he heard his brother spit out those tough-sounding words, as an older brother, Xiao Shengnian found it… hard to accept.

Xiao Luoxuan turned ghastly pale from being reprimanded so thoroughly. Since he was younger, he had always lived in a dark environment. From following his mother into the cold palace when he was a child to then wandering around with the Guqin Master, Xiao Luoxuan had only encountered scornful gazes and scenes full of blood.

Therefore, Xiao Luoxuan would only use a pleasant expression to mask the gloominess in his heart. He yearned after warmth and affection more than others did. He yearned to be taken seriously, and the first person to let Xiao Luoxuan feel comfort was the Sharp Sword. The Sharp Sword operated with Xiao Luoxuan as the center of the universe and had risked his life to protect him. He could lose other people, but the only person he couldn’t lose was the Sharp Sword! The Sharp Sword had been his only source of light and warmth for these past nine years. He would never let him go! Even if everyone was against him, he still wouldn’t let go!