"We have a long way to go, and I don't want you getting scurvy before we reach the capital."
In the corner of the carriage, Xiao Yichen watched her look away.
He watched her actively, deliberately choosing to ignore the raw, bleeding wound he had just exposed to her.
Yichen slowly turned back around, facing the rain-lashed window. He raised his hand, resting it against the cold glass.
His hand was trembling.
***
What crime did I commit?
The thought echoed in the dark, twisted labyrinth of Xiao Yichen's mind, a relentless, agonizing drumbeat that drowned out the sound of the storm outside.
He was the Imperial Second Prince. He was blessed with supreme intellect, unparalleled beauty, and a cultivation base that rivaled the greatest geniuses of his generation.
From the moment he was born, the world had bowed to him.
Every variable, every person, every situation was a puzzle he could effortlessly solve, manipulate, and control.
