Jin Mulan narrowed her eyes immediately. "And now," she said with dry humor, "I inherited that burden."
"You say burden," Luo He replied warmly while glancing sideways toward her, "yet somehow you continue following me voluntarily."
"That may simply be because I no longer trust society to survive if you are left unsupervised," she answered smoothly.
But the moment the words left her mouth
her face betrayed her completely.
A faint flush crept across her cheeks before deepening rapidly into a visible crimson. Because unfortunately even she knew that was not the real reason.
Not anymore.
At first she had followed him out of caution. Then curiosity. Then frustration. Somewhere along the way, all of that had become something far more dangerous.
Affection.
A strange warmth she had never truly felt toward anyone before. Not admiration alone. Not attraction alone. Certainly not simple loyalty.
It was the unsettling comfort of standing beside someone who constantly infuriated her, yet somehow still made the world feel larger, sharper, and strangely alive.
He was arrogant. Manipulative. Reckless beyond reason. He mocked authority, provoked danger for amusement, and treated political disasters like interesting games.
And yet when she stood beside him, she never felt lonely. That realization alone was enough to make her want to hide her face. Unfortunately for her Luo He noticed everything.
His eyes softened slightly as he watched the growing redness on her cheeks. "That," he said slowly, clearly enjoying himself now. "Is one of the sweetest things you have ever said to me."
Jin Mulan immediately looked away. "It was not meant sweetly." She said. "Okay." He said. "And stop making that expression." He gave her a little smirk.
"What expression?" She asked. "That cute one with the red cheeks." Luo He looked genuinely happy beside her.
"I have no idea what you mean." She said. A quiet laugh escaped him afterward, low and warm. He knew exactly what she had truly meant.
And he also knew she was trying desperately to bury it beneath sarcasm and irritation before he could mention it directly. Which naturally made him more amused.
Jin Mulan clicked her tongue softly and folded her arms, trying to recover some dignity. "You are insufferable." She said.
"You are very clearly blushing," Luo He said in a deeply amused voice. Jin Mulan immediately looked away. "I am not." She said. "I think you are honey. I am currently seeing it." Luo He responded calmly.
"I said I am not." She said in fury. Luo He leaned slightly closer, his eyes filled with shameless satisfaction.
"Honey," he said mockingly. "I may feel like the stupidest person alive whenever I stand beside you, but I am still very far from a fool, my darling."
The last two words alone nearly destroyed whatever composure she had left. Her fingers tightened slightly against her sleeves while Luo He continued watching her calmly.
"You know me better than most people by now," he said more quietly. "You know I notice things. More often than not." He said quietly.
Jin Mulan stayed silent. The laughter and arrogance faded slightly from his expression afterward, leaving behind something calmer. More sincere.
"You already know I love you," he continued softly. "You might have figured that out long ago from my actions alone." He said confidently. Her heart skipped slightly. Because he was right.
He had never actually said the words directly before. Not even once since their marriage. Yet somehow she had always known.
In the way he watched her during dangerous situations.
In the way he always placed himself between her and threats without thinking.
In the way he remembered small details she herself forgot.
In the way he trusted her beside him even while trusting almost nobody else completely.
Even his constant teasing carried a strange kind of closeness to it that he never gave others.
Luo He smiled faintly afterward. "I simply never needed to say it out loud until now."
He said, his usual calm still clinging to his voice.
For once Jin Mulan genuinely did not know how to respond. That almost never happened.
The palace court yard around them suddenly felt quieter despite the distant sounds of guards and servants moving nearby.
Then Luo He tilted his head slightly again, the arrogance slowly returning to his face. "Though honestly," he added thoughtfully. "Your blushing already answered for you."
Jin Mulan immediately glared at him.
"You ruined the moment." She said.
"Yes, yes, I agree. But isn't that my thing after all honey, ruining the moment."
"I still like you honey, despite you consistently annoying me. I like that part of you as well." She said with a calm yet sweet smile.
Luo He looked entirely unconvinced she ment that. Meanwhile Jin Mulan turned her face away again, before he could notice the redness returning even worse than before.
Unfortunately he noticed anyway. "One day, I truly am going to kill you." She said in a low voice. Luo He's smile only deepened. "Keep trying honey, because that day is not today." He said proudly.
"And I wouldn't hold it against you if you become strong enough to hurt me a little." He said shamelessly. And somehow that confidence irritated her far less than it should have.
With that one of the palace guards finally came to them. He stepped forward stiffly before bowing slightly. "Lord He. Lady Jin. His Highness will now permit your entrance."
Calling him "Lord He" instead of "Lord Jin" was a deliberate insult to Luo He according to norble traditions.
{In noble society, people are respectfully addressed by their family name, not their personal name. After marrying into the Jin family as a commoner, Luo He officially took the Jin surname and should normally have been called "Lord Jin or Jin He."
Family names represented status, blood lineage, and power. When two families married, the lower-ranked family usually took the surname of the higher-ranked one.
Since the Luo family stood at the very peak of noble families, even royals who married into the Luo family abandoned their original surnames.
For example, Luo He's mother, though born from the royal family of Chi, became Luo Xinyue after marriage.
Under normal circumstances, because the Luo family ranked far above the Jin family in status and prestige, Jin Mulan should actually have taken the Luo surname after marriage and been called "Luo Mulan."
But since Luo He hid his true identity and married as a commoner, the opposite happened instead.
As to hide Luo He's true identity as a member of the prestigious Luo family, he lived under the Jin name after marrying into the Jin family as a commoner.
By intentionally calling him "Lord He," the soldier emphasized his low-born past before marriage instead of acknowledging his current noble family status.
It was a subtle way of disrespecting and belittling him. In this society, surnames originally came from great ancestors who founded clans.
Most noble family names originally came from the personal names of commoners who rose to greatness through merit and achievement.
Take the Jin family for example, long ago, a man named Jin greatly aided the emperor in war. The emperor offered him an official title as a reward.
He instead requested for a fiefdom of his own. After gaining land, authority, and followers, he established his own noble house which later became the Jin family.
Commoners normally lacked noble family names. Only after earning rank through scholarly or military achievements could they establish their own noble house. But most marry into one and gain a respected surname.
Until then, they were often addressed by their personal name rather than a noble family name. For example, Lord Feng.}
Nearly five-thirds of an hour had passed since they first arrived at the inner gates.
An intentional insult. An intentional display of authority. And everyone present knew it.
Yet Luo He showed no irritation whatsoever. Instead, he simply smiled faintly before standing up from beside the lotus pond. Then naturally as though it belonged there his hand reached for Jin Mulan's.
She allowed him to take it without resistance. The nearby guards quietly lifted the wrapped dark cloud shuttle back onto their shoulders afterward and resumed following behind the couple through the inner palace grounds.
The moment Luo He crossed through the gates his entire demeanor changed slightly. Still relaxed. Still smiling. But sharper now. More attentive.
His eyes casually swept across the surrounding courtyards, rooftops, servant paths, guard rotations, and noble corridors in a single glance as though memorizing everything instantly.
Jin Mulan noticed it immediately. He looked lazy most of the time. But inside dangerous territory he became terrifyingly observant.
Several servants lowered their heads respectfully as the two passed through a long white stone corridor lined with carved dragon pillars.
Then suddenly Luo He stopped one of the younger palace servants walking nearby. The servant immediately bowed deeply. "My lord?"
Without hesitation, Luo He flicked a gold coin toward him. The servant nearly panicked catching it. "Go inform Her Highness the Third Princess," Luo He said casually. "That her martial arts master has arrived seeking her."
The servant blinked once in confusion before quickly nodding. "Yes, my lord!"
Then he hurried away almost immediately.
Jin Mulan glanced sideways toward Luo He while the guards continued carrying the wrapped dark cloud shuttle several steps behind them.