I woke up as the Villainous Empress

"Who has more right to touch my body than you?" Zheng Liang rested his hands on the desk and propped his head up with them, his lips curved into a meaningful smirk.

Yang Ning's face flushed at his suggestive words and the intensity of his gaze. She couldn't help but wonder how something as simple as applying medicine could sound so seductive coming from him.

"You said you were coming to meet me and took this tray on the way, is there something that you wanted to talk to me about?" Zheng Liang asked, snapping her attention back to him.

The question about her visit to meet him brought her attention back to the matter at hand. She needed to come up with an excuse quickly, even though she hadn't initially planned to visit him in the study.

Clearing her throat, she said, "Well, I heard that your bandage has been removed and your wound is almost completely healed."

Yang Ning's voice wavered a bit as she hastily made up her excuse. She continued, "I thought it might be uncomfortable for you to stay in the guest chamber. After all, you're used to sleeping in your bed and chamber."

Avoiding Zheng Liang's intense gaze, she cautiously added, "So, I was thinking, maybe you should return to our main chamber?"

At first, she just wanted to keep Hou Wei away from Zheng Liang and impulsively decided to take the responsibility to apply medicine to Zheng Liang's wound, but then the conversation took a different turn when he asked her about her purpose of visiting him.

It wasn't something she had planned from the start, but it was a topic she had been thinking about. However, she had never expected that she would talk about this matter so suddenly. All of this happened because of Hou Wei's unexpected presence.

Zheng Liang's lips curled up in a smirk. "So, you're requesting me to return to the chamber? Is that so?" He maintained a nonchalant expression on his face, but inwardly, he was dancing with happiness. He had originally planned to ask Master Jiang to convince Yang Ning that he had recovered, allowing him to return to their chamber.

Who would have thought that she would personally come to invite him back to their chamber?

"Well, I will think about it. It's not like the guest chamber was uncomfortable. I even got used to it. It's quiet and nice," Zheng Liang said, somewhat evasively, before adding, "But if you're begging so much, I can fulfill your wish."

His sudden change of tone from sneaking into the main chamber a few days ago to now wanting to stay at the guest chamber amused her. Yang Ning scoffed and retorted, "If you like the guest chamber so much, you can keep staying there. Forget that I said anything."

Zheng Liang wasn't willing to let her backtrack on her words. He reminded her of her role, saying, "You are the Crown Princess of the Empire. You can't take your words back. If you're so indecisive, how can you expect others to follow your lead? Don't worry, I won't embarrass you; I'll move back in." He said it as if he were doing her a favor.

Before Yang Ning could say to him, Zheng Liang called a maid into the room and ordered her to move his belongings back to the main chamber.

"Yes, Your Highness," the maid replied, before leaving the study room.

With that settled, Zheng Liang turned his attention back to Yang Ning and asked with a playful tone, "The maids will take care of everything. We should focus on something important."

"Didn't you say that you came to apply medicine to my wound? Should we do it here or there?" He gestured to a small bed-like settee with cushions, which she hadn't noticed before. She had come to the study room a few times in the past, but it was her first time looking around leisurely and not being engrossed in any important meetings.

"I think it would be more comfortable to apply medicine if I lie down there. Why don't we move there?" He suggested as he stood up. His words were simple but carried a hint of provocation, leaving her feeling flustered.

'It's just about applying medicine to his wound. Why does he seem so pleasant and eager about it?' She wondered.

Yang Ning stared at the settee, which was wide and spacious. She pursed her lips, thinking about what could happen in such a setup. It resembled a smaller version of their bed. Recalling his suggestive words earlier, she cleared her throat and said, "We can do it here. There's no need to go and sit there," as she stood up from her seat and approached him.

She looked at Zheng Liang, who was standing and ordered him. "Open your robe," she said, ready to apply the ointment with a small cotton ball.

Zheng Liang raised his brows at her decision to remain standing while applying medicine rather than lying comfortably on a settee, but he didn't mind. The location didn't bother him. As long as it was her, any place felt like heaven to him.

His lips curled into a mischievous smirk as he accepted her order with a nod and complied, saying, "As you wish." Slowly, he pulled open his robe, exposing his naked abdominal muscles and the dry scar where the sword had slashed him. While doing this, he didn't take his gaze off her, maintaining an intense stare that held her attention.

"Are you going to keep staring or gonna apply the medicine?" Zheng Liang said, interrupting the train of thoughts in her mind. Yang Ning, whose cheeks were crimson red, suddenly realized the kinds of thoughts that were running through her head and was embarrassed by his comment.

She cleared her throat and said, "Ah, I am doing it. Wait." She bent down to apply the ointment to his healing scar.

Although he wasn't in pain, her hands were trembling as she applied the medicine to his scars. He might not be in pain at the moment, but she couldn't help but think about when he got hurt in front of her and was bleeding profusely.

The scar might have lightened, but that scene was fixated in her memory.

Zheng Liang noticed her hands trembling, and his expression softened. He rubbed her back comfortingly and said, "It's alright. It doesn't hurt anymore. You don't need to think about it."

Yang Ning bit her lower lip, but she still couldn't help but recall that scary memory. Worried that she might hurt him again, she blew air on his wound carefully after applying the ointment. She was doing this to soothe his pain, but she didn't know that she was inadvertently giving him a different kind of thrill and pleasant pain with her gentle actions.