Aaron’s gentle voice, as usual, woke Delia up.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she sat up.
“Ah, already?”
Before she knew it, Iorenti’s Waseng unfolded before Delia’s eyes bathed in the sunset glow.
Was it because she had been sleeping the whole time?
Or maybe because she didn’t want to be separated from him?
The time riding back with Aaron felt too short.
Delia raised her head to look at Aaron, who was firmly holding her.
As usual, he looked down at Delia with a soft, almost playful smile.
The conversation in the cabin felt like a dream.
A soft, low voice seeped into Delia’s drowsy ears.
“Princess, now is not the time to be so leisurely.”
“Why?”
“Queen Witch is on her way.”
Sleep vanished instantly.
“What? Mother?”
Delia opened her eyes wide, pulling away from Aaron.
“You shouldn’t be like this when the queen mother sees you.”
Aaron suppressed a laugh secretly as Delia, clearly not fully awake, frantically fussed around, vividly felt through her connected body about the mention of her mother.
“Stay still. I’ll help you.”
Aaron spoke first and supported Delia, helping her down from the horse.
He gently held the flustered Delia, assisting her so she could get off the horse.
With effort, Delia strengthened her trembling body and stood upright.
The gaze of the queen mother looking at Delia like that was formidable.
“I’m back, Mother.”
Delia greeted, fidgeting with her hands, and lowered her gaze to the ground.
Aaron, avoiding the queen mother’s sharp gaze, briefly looked up at the distant sky.
The queen mother greeted them with a lower tone than usual.
“You’re later than the scheduled itinerary.”
The royal procession excursion using the pretext of an inspection lasted longer than expected.
The queen mother’s gaze, watching her prospective son-in-law breaking the curfew, was piercing.
“Subjugation Duke, without contacting us, we were very worried.”
Despite the queen mother’s reprimand, Aaron continued to show a nonchalant smile.
“Thank you for worrying about me, Queen Eleanor.”
Even with the queen mother’s bewildered expression, Aaron’s carefree response continued.
“Iorenti is so beautiful. I got a bit late because I took the opportunity to look around every corner of the city while I was there.”
It was nothing special, yet a blush rose on Delia’s face.
“Subjugation Duke, you’ve worked hard. You must be tired. Please go back and rest now.”
The queen mother sighed resignedly and woke Delia up.
“Del.”
Delia, avoiding her mother’s gaze, was still looking down at the ground.
“Yes, Mother.”
“You must be tired. Hurry and go inside to rest.”
Following the queen mother’s command, Delia turned toward Aaron.
Gathering her dress, she curtsied quietly and greeted him.
“Subjugation Duke, thank you for accompanying me on this journey. See you again next time.”
The sweet smile she had shown until now seemed like a dream.
Delia offered a polite farewell without a hint of hesitation.
Without a word of disappointment, Aaron, left alone, followed Delia’s retreating figure with his eyes.
His silver-gray eyes sparkled with a poignant brilliance, like a young child who had lost a precious toy.
He had barely grasped the light, but it disappeared, making the darkness even deeper.
With a wistful gaze, Aaron continued to watch Delia’s departing figure with his misty eyes.
Isn’t it a pity for the princess?
As soon as we arrived at the royal palace, she hid herself in the mother deer’s embrace like that. What about the person left behind? By the time Aaron’s resentful feelings towards Delia grew as vast as the expansive Tarence Mountains, Delia, at that moment, glanced back slightly. Delia’s small hand, secretly bidding farewell to the queen mother, fluttered like the wings of a butterfly. In accordance with the fluttering, the ring that Aaron had placed shone brightly. ‘Commander, goodbye.’ The soundless greeting conveyed through lip movements rode the wind and reached Aaron. Aaron, as if enchanted, raised his hand and silently responded. What did that small greeting mean? The feeling of resentment disappeared in an instant, and happiness surged to the extent that the heart became tender. Yeah, enduring a little more is nothing in the grand scheme. It’s already mine.
A satisfied smile appeared on Aaron’s face. Watching his expression, Colin and Dyke exchanged whispers.
“You see that, don’t you?”
“Seems like it.”
“Staring, then putting on a face, shaking hands, and laughing senselessly. Clearly out of his mind.”
“I see it too. He’s undoubtedly crazy.”
“But seriously, the princess is truly amazing. She knows exactly the moment to strike.”
“The skills of manipulating people, pushing and pulling – excellent.”
“So, you must have commanded the surprise operation in the Tarence Mountains too.”
“Yes. I truly admire her.”
“From now on, I’ll line up behind the princess.”
“I’ll follow suit, behind you, Lieutenant.”
Hearing the murmurs from behind, Aaron scowled.
The warmth from a moment ago vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling coldness.
Turning toward Colin and Dyke, Aaron inquired in a quiet but stern voice, intensifying the atmosphere.
“How about I show you what a truly insane commander looks like?”
With the sudden change in Aaron’s mood, Colin and Dyke straightened up.
“Oh, no, sir.”
Aaron tilted his head slightly, looking at them with a glint in his eyes.
“If you want to see, just let me know. I’d gladly sacrifice myself to show my beloved subordinates.”
“We really don’t want to see.”
“But what should we do?”
The hand that had been affectionately shaking towards Delia slowly moved towards the hilt of the sword.
“You might see it soon.”
Colin and Dyke blinked, not understanding the words.
“If the restoration work in the palace garden is delayed, thus postponing the wedding, I might truly go mad.”
In Aaron’s low-pitched voice, Colin and Dyke swallowed dryly.
If Aaron went berserk, survival would become difficult.
“We’ll make sure to finish it as quickly as possible.”
Colin and Dyke quickly turned and urged their subordinates.
“Move quickly.”
If you want to live.
Under Colin and Dyke’s orders, the Imperial Army moved faster.
Due to Aaron’s solitary urging, the restoration work on the garden progressed rapidly.
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
