Following Grand Eunuch Bai to the study door, Aran could not bring herself to take that final step, her heart filled with resistance.
Without a care for Gu Ranran's inner conflict, Grand Eunuch Bai announced to the man inside, who was currently holding a brush and painting, "Prince, Miss Ran has arrived."
Gu Ranran wished she could just faint dead away, but the man inside was overjoyed. "Come in."
Grand Eunuch Bai withdrew, leaving Gu Ranran standing alone at the study door.
"Ranran, why aren't you coming in? Do you need me to carry you in?" Chu Hengyuan laid down his brush.
"N-no need, Prince." Aran began to inch her way inside, step by tiny step, while muttering to herself inwardly: Why on earth are you calling me Ranran? Since when have we been this close? It's downright creepy.
She stood trembling two feet away from the desk; taking another step forward would be crossing a forbidden line.
"Is Ranran afraid I'll eat you? Come closer." Chu Hengyuan watched as Aran moved like a little snail!
"It's not like that," Aran hurriedly explained, though a completely different scene played out in her mind: I'd be a fool not to be afraid of you! You're nothing but a backstabbing ingrate—if I get any closer, not even my bones will be left.
Biting the bullet, she walked over to Chu Hengyuan's left side. Just as she was about to drop to her knees, Chu Hengyuan caught her arm to support her. "Ranran's knees are not yet healed, so you may dispense with these formalities. From now on, dispense with all of them."
He then took a round meditation cushion from the side and placed it right next to his own seat. "Sit, Ranran."
Aran felt that Chu Hengyuan was acting rather bizarre today, but she didn't dare question him, so she slowly bent her knees and sat down on the cushion.
"Doesn't Ranran's knee hurt? You don't need so many rules." With that, he picked up the food box on the desk, opened it, and took out the blood bird's nest he had instructed Grand Eunuch Bai to stew that morning, placing it right in front of Gu Ranran.
"I had it stewed this morning, originally planning for you to eat it the moment you woke up. But you—the moment you woke up, you vanished without a trace, leaving Grand Eunuch Bai to hunt me down with the food box." Chu Hengyuan looked at Gu Ranran tenderly.
Gu Ranran stared at the blood bird's nest and still didn't eat it. Chu Hengyuan tapped the desk. "Afraid I poisoned it? Would you like me to taste-test it for Ranran myself? Or should I feed Ranran personally?"
How could she ever dare let him taste-test it? He was of noble imperial blood; if those malicious people in the royal family found out, she would likely be beaten to death with clubs. And feed her? He might dare to feed her, but she wouldn't dare to eat it!
"It's not like that, Prince. This subordinate simply feels unworthy of consuming such fine food. Such a precious item truly would be wasted on someone like me," Aran fabricated an excuse.
"Eat. If you don't eat, I'll have to punish you." Chu Hengyuan thought to himself: If you don't behave, I'll spank your little bottom.
Yet the punishments in Aran's mind were either whips, heavy wooden boards, or the instruments of torture down in the dungeon. Chu Hengyuan had no idea that in this short span of time, Gu Ranran had already imagined all sorts of penal tortures; he was truly wronged.
Her body belonged to her; why make things difficult for herself? With that thought, Aran picked up the spoon and began to eat mouthful by mouthful. Seeing that this pitiful little cat was finally obediently eating her tonic, Chu Hengyuan picked up the brush he had just laid down and went back to coloring the Xuan paper on the desk.
Aran secretly raised her head, her peripheral vision stealing a glance at the painting Chu Hengyuan was working on. Wasn't the woman portrayed on the paper none other than herself? It captured the exact scene from three years ago when she walked out of Heimu Forest and first laid eyes on Chu Hengyuan at the Prince's Estate.
What was Chu Hengyuan doing? Was he painting a memorial portrait for her? Aran's hands trembled. Chu Hengyuan suddenly turned his head and looked at her. "Do you think my painting looks like the you from back then?"
Panicked, Aran put down her spoon of blood bird's nest, backed away a bit, and dropped to her knees. "Prince, this subordinate was wrong. Please punish me. If the Prince dislikes me, you can send me far away. This subordinate promises never to appear in the Capital again or cause you annoyance."