A Marriage of Convenience with a Love-Struck Regent: From Arrangement to Love [GL] - Chapter 29

Like a radiant flower in a basket at dawn’s first light.

At this moment, Xiao Ning’an used the title “This King,” and Ning Huanyi keenly noticed the change. Unlike their meeting at Xichan Temple yesterday, Xiao Ning’an’s tone had become noticeably more subdued.

This shift made Ning Huanyi wonder if Xiao Ning’an had been possessed, but she lowered her head and answered respectfully, “Your Highness jests. Traditionally, marriage is arranged by matchmakers and decided by parents. I merely wish to marry and live a peaceful life…”

This was the standard response from any unmarried woman asked about marriage. Xiao Ning’an’s eyes dimmed slightly at these words, but she forced a smile. “Miss, rest assured. Since this king has taken you as his wife, I will ensure you live a peaceful and contented life.”

With that, Xiao Ning’an turned her face away and shifted her body slightly, distancing herself from Ning Huanyi. She looked like a wronged child sulking in the corner.

Ning Huanyi tilted her head and openly observed Xiao Ning’an. This Regent Prince, who appeared so decisive and ruthless on the surface, could actually mistake a sigh of relief for a sigh of discontent, even imagining it stemmed from unwillingness to marry…

Ning Huanyi couldn’t help but smile, feeling like she had finally gained the upper hand after a long struggle. The Regent Prince’s Residence wasn’t far from the palace, and they soon arrived at its imposing gates. The vast estate, dominated by its magnificent main building, was the first time Huanyi had ever stood before it.

She had long heard that the Emperor had clashed with his ministers over the construction of this residence. The other officials, unfamiliar with the Regent Prince Xiao Ning’an’s military achievements, had deemed the project too lavish. But when Xiao Ning’an returned to the capital in triumph, showered with military honors, all doubts vanished. Some ministers had also worried that elevating a Regent Prince might threaten the Emperor’s authority.

However, Xiao Ning’an’s military accomplishments were too crucial to be rewarded with anything less than this grand residence. Moreover, his power was limited to the border garrisons; he held no authority within the capital itself—a built-in check on his influence. Thus, the ministers fell silent, daring not to utter another word of dissent.

Xiao Ning’an stepped down from the carriage and stood before the residence’s gates. He watched Ning Huanyi lift the carriage curtain, tempted to invite her inside. But the custom forbidding visits between families of the betrothed in the three days before the wedding remained unbroken.
Xiao Ning’an didn’t quite believe this, but afraid of upsetting Ning Huanyi, she could only say, “Thank you for seeing me off, Miss.”

Xiao Ning’an was genuinely terrible with words. She rarely spoke to others, so when the time came to use them, she found herself at a loss. She stood frozen, her face cold and expressionless, unable to manage her features. Yet Ning Huanyi could clearly see the warmth in her phoenix eyes.

“Then I’ll leave the arrangements to Your Highness. I’ll see you in three days.”

Ning Huanyi mulled it over and concluded that these words were the most likely to soothe the delicate heart she’d wounded in the carriage. Who could have imagined that the Regent Prince, usually so violently explosive over a single extra word, could actually be… so adorable?

As the carriage receded into the distance, the attendant beside Xiao Ning’an finally dared to approach. “Your Highness, the Advisor is still waiting for you in the study.”

Xiao Ning’an snapped out of her daze, remembering her urgent duties. She strode back to the residence and approached the study, where the rhythmic clack of an abacus still echoed.

“Open the door,” Xiao Ning’an instructed her attendant coldly. The attendant, trembling with fear, pushed open the heavy, intricately carved wooden doors without daring to glance inside.

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