“I’ll help.”

“How skillful he is… More knowledgeable about the land than even us who have toiled in the fields.”

“Had Lady Arabella not guided us, we would have recklessly cut down all the burnt trees. Such precious trees would’ve been lost.”

“I’ve been climbing mountains for 40 years, and never have I met someone so knowledgeable about them. Differentiating between lands that need human intervention and those that should be left to nature.”

“Did you see? How the wild animals follow her? It’s touching to see how tenderly and attentively she cares for them.”

“I thought as a royal candidate, she wouldn’t handle such rough tasks, but it’s simply astonishing.”

“You know how it is. Noble daughters act like they’ll catch a disease just by being in the same room as us.”

“If only someone like her ascends as the Empress…”

As the locals busily moved saplings, their conversation was overheard by the soldiers, who nodded in agreement.

“Initially, I wasn’t pleased to be deployed for the restoration. It felt like another hassle. But now, actually helping out feels good.”

One soldier hesitantly began to speak, and the others gradually opened up.

“Honestly, I wasn’t happy when we were ordered to set the fire. But helping out like this has lightened my heart.”

“I’m surprised I actually enjoy this. Planting saplings, relocating injured and homeless animals. I might study more about it when I get back home.”

“It feels rewarding to directly help people.”
The soldiers, while silent, nodded in agreement with Jacob and Peter’s conversation.

“I’ll call a doctor.”

“No need. Let’s return to the castle.”

Late at night, after the restoration work was completed, a large branch fell on the Emperor’s shoulder. As he bled, Kyle, his aide, urgently suggested calling a doctor, but the Emperor declined. Arabella, pale as a sheet, began to help stop the bleeding.

“I’ll escort you.”

Peter offered his help to the Emperor, who dismissed it irritably.

“Don’t fuss. I’m not so injured that I can’t ride a horse.”

The Emperor climbed onto his horse with one hand and extended the other to Arabella, who refused.

“It’s better if I ride separately to avoid straining your injured arm.”

“What are you talking about? Shouldn’t you be pressing against my shoulder to stop the bleeding? What if the bleeding worsens on the way down?”

The Emperor insisted, his hand still outstretched. Kyle whispered to Arabella, agreeing with the Emperor’s reasoning.

“It seems the Emperor is right. It could worsen on the way. Would you please ride with him?”

Nodding, Arabella approached the Emperor, who swiftly lifted her onto the saddle by her slender waist.

“Here and here, no, a bit lower. Yes, there… Placing your hand like that will help stop the bleeding.”

On the way down the mountain, the Emperor guided Arabella’s hands over his injury.

It was definitely his left shoulder that was injured, yet the Emperor claimed his chest was hurt too, forcing Arabella to place her hands on both his shoulder and chest. It was an awkward posture, her upper body turned backward to face the Emperor as if they were hugging.

Every time Arabella’s hands retracted from feeling the Emperor’s bare skin, he relentlessly spread them back over his body.

The warmth of her small hands seemed to spread to his heart, somewhat lifting his previously dampened spirits.

Just moments ago, Arabella’s attention had been stolen by injured animals and people, irking the Emperor. But now, his mood seemed to improve, his gaze softening. He had to consciously pull down his smiling lips.

“Where are you going?”

“To my room…?”

The Emperor stopped Arabella, who was heading to her chamber, and frowned.

“What about me, who just got seriously injured? Are you planning to leave me untreated?”

“You said you didn’t need a doctor… Shall I ask Kyle to call one?”

“If we call a doctor, the locals will blame themselves, thinking I got severely injured helping them. They won’t be able to rest. Besides, it’s not good for my safety if news of my serious injury spreads.”

Realizing the Emperor’s emphasis on ‘serious injury,’ Arabella nodded in understanding.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think of that.”

“If you’re sorry, then quickly come to my chamber and treat my injury. If you pity my pain-contorted face.”
The Emperor’s face, grimaced in pain, was captured in Arabella’s pity-filled, tawny eyes. Clenching her fists, Arabella responded with a voice full of resolve.

“Yes, I will do my utmost to treat you.”

Watching Arabella hasten ahead to the chamber with quick, tiny steps, the Emperor’s red eyes sparkled and rippled with delight.

Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me

One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.

Synopsis:

Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.

But this is still far from enough.

He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.

_____

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