After flirting with the aloof prince, the concubine ran away pregnant.

If this ancestor really gets into trouble here, she won't be able to live either. Once she leaves this door, she'll probably be beaten to death by the Lady of the Marquis.

Afu immediately turned around, grabbed a clean handkerchief, and handed it to him.

"Young Master, wipe it first."

He tried to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, more blood spilled out, dripping down his chin into the cold water and spreading into a pale red stain.

Blood was seeping from the nasal cavity and mouth. This was not a normal surge of drug effects; it was a sign that the body had reached its limit.

Afu quickly went to the ice jar by the pool, grabbed a clean cotton cloth, arranged the crushed ice pieces one by one in the center of the cloth, gathered the four corners, twisted it tightly and tied a knot, making a simple ice pack.

In ancient times, without antipyretics, ice was the most effective physical method of cooling down.

She took the ice pack back to the poolside and deftly placed it on his forehead.

Xie Xun shuddered, his brows furrowing as if he was startled by the sudden chill and wanted to turn his head away.

"Don't move." Afu pressed down on his shoulder.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a calming certainty.

"Press the ice pack down so it doesn't fall off. Once the temperature on your forehead drops, the nosebleed will gradually stop."

Xie Xun looked at her silently for a moment, then reached out and pressed the ice pack on his forehead.

Afu wiped the blood off his face, put the dirty handkerchief into the copper basin next to him, and looked at Xie Xun's face again. The flush had not subsided, but the blood in his nose had stopped flowing out.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the physical cooling method had worked.

But this is only temporary. The effects of the medicine are still there, and that fire will rise again sooner or later, and it will be even more intense than before.

Just as Afu was thinking of changing the handkerchief again, she suddenly noticed that the ice pack had fallen into the pool, and Xie Xun's head suddenly tilted to one side.

She called out "Young Master" twice, but there was no response.

His pupils were dilated, and his pulse in his neck was rapid and erratic, like a string that might snap at any moment.

Her blood suddenly turned cold.

Is my body about to give out?

If Xie Xun dies here, she definitely won't survive.

Lady Hou wouldn't care whether she had tried her best or not; all she would see was that her personal maid was unharmed, but her mistress was gone.

At that time, let alone redeeming them, even keeping their corpse intact would be considered a mercy.

Afu was in cold water, her fingers digging into her palms.

He couldn't escape, he couldn't hide. The doctor said the only thing he could do was "relieve" it, and the only woman in the entire courtyard who could get close to him was her.

Afu closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the hesitation in her eyes had been replaced by an almost calm decisiveness.

She stood up, took two steps back, and created some distance between herself and the people in the pool.

The bathroom was filled with steam, and the candlelight was diffused by the mist, casting a soft glow. She stood there and took off her soaked outer garment.

Afu wore only a moon-white undergarment underneath. The thin material was mostly damp from the moisture, clinging to her body and outlining her slender shoulders and soft waist.

Next, the ties of the inner garment were untied, and the hem slowly slid down from the shoulders.

In stark contrast to her usual docile and considerate demeanor, Afu seemed to have shed all pretense, revealing a calm and almost audacious nature beneath.

She raised her slightly trembling hand, cupped Xie Xun's face, and lowered her head to kiss him.

The moment their lips touched, Xie Xun's body tensed up abruptly. The crisp, herbal scent pierced his senses like a needle, instantly awakening his nerves, which were being burned by the medicinal properties.

His eyelids trembled, and his gaze gradually sharpened from its unfocused state.

"Young Master," Afu noticed and immediately stepped back half an inch, speaking softly, "your body couldn't take it anymore, and I was just relieving you."

Xie Xun stared at her, and something in his eyes suddenly turned cold.

Afu lowered her head and explained, "Your Highness, please rest assured, this servant dares not have any intention of currying favor, nor does she desire any title."

Afu didn't expect him to wake up so quickly. Xie Xun must hate maids who fawn over him. She had to show that she had no intention of currying favor with him in order not to offend him.

But simply expressing her attitude would be too weak; she needed something else to divert his attention.

She paused for a moment and then said, "This servant only wants a favor from Your Highness. If I ask you for anything in the future, please grant it as long as it is within reasonable limits."

He didn't speak, he just looked at her, his gaze slowly sliding from her face to her bare shoulders, and then to the lips she had just kissed.

That gaze seemed to be scrutinizing something unexpected.

Afu instinctively wanted to back away from his gaze, but found herself standing in the pool with nowhere to retreat.

"This servant..." She opened her mouth slightly, as if she wanted to say something.

Before he could finish speaking, Xie Xun suddenly chuckled softly.

"I didn't see that coming," he said slowly, his voice hoarse but his pace deliberate, "that you would dare to do such a thing."

He raised his hand, his fingertips glistening with the cool pool water, and gently placed them on her chin. His fingertips slowly traced the jawline, brushed across her slender neck, and stopped at the hollow of her collarbone, the pressure so light it was almost imperceptible.

A delicate, burning sensation spread throughout her body, and Afu couldn't help but tremble slightly.

"You think," Xie Xun lowered his voice, his deep tone almost drowned out by the sound of water, "that I've endured this long because I need a maidservant to offer herself to me?"

He suddenly increased the pressure of his fingers, turning from a gentle stroking to a forceful grip, his thumb firmly pressing against her chin, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.

His eyes still churned with lust, but his cold and stern face was filled with indifference and chill.

"It is a favor for me to use you." He spoke each word clearly and deliberately. "It is also a favor for me not to use you. This is not a reason for you to ask me for a reward."

Afu quickly lowered her eyes, instinctively wanting to kneel and beg for forgiveness, but he held her chin and she couldn't move. She could only tilt her head back, like a prey whose vital organs were being strangled, completely exposing her vulnerable neck.

"This servant knows her mistake." Her voice trembled slightly, but her tone remained steady. "Please punish me, Your Highness."

He was about to say something when his body suddenly stiffened, and large beads of sweat rolled down from his temples, landing on Afu's small shirt and spreading out a small dark wet stain.

The drug's effects started to kick in again.

"Young Master..." She subconsciously raised her hand, wanting to help him, but her fingertips were grabbed as soon as they touched his wrist.

Xie Xun suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with a dark red that seemed on the verge of spiraling out of control.

He admitted—

His body didn't reject her; in fact... he liked her very much.

That refreshing scent was like a spring of water, and he was dying of thirst.

Xie Xun could no longer hold back and lowered his head to kiss Afu's lips fiercely.

This was by no means a tender, lingering bite, but an instinctive tearing, the teeth sinking deep into her soft lips.

Afu groaned and raised her hand to push him away from her chest, but he grabbed her wrist and locked it firmly behind her waist.

Xie Xun stepped back slightly, his lips stained with her blood, his eyes dark and thick with unyielding emotions.

"Want to back out now? Too late."

He reached out and flipped her over, pressing her firmly against the cold pool wall, the icy blue bricks pressing against her bare skin.

With biting cold in front of her and scorching heat behind her, Afu finally panicked completely under the extreme pressure of the two extremes.

"Young Master—"

"Shut up," his voice brushed against her ear, his breath hot and scalding. "Whether I use you or not is up to me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he broke the thin red ribbon on Afu's shoulder.

Water droplets slid slowly down the curve of her back, her skin was fair and almost translucent, and the contours of her shoulder blades were as delicate and slender as a butterfly with its wings folded.

His eyes grew even darker, and without hesitation, he leaned down and pressed down on her.