My wife is a witch princess.

Xia Li held the bowl, her fingers rosy. She took a sip, then suddenly put the bowl down, tossed her silver hair, and said, "My hair is dry."

"Okay, just do it."

I dried it myself.

"Ah."

"I dried it myself," Xia Li emphasized again.

"Yes, I know." Song Che had no idea what was wrong with her again.

"I first wiped the water with a towel, then dried it with a hairdryer, and there was no dripping water."

Song Che paused for a moment, then said, "Yes, you're really smart."

Xia Li finally felt at ease to eat. The ginger soup was warming and relieved most of the chill she had felt earlier. Song Che always managed to make some amazing things that not only tasted good but also had significant benefits.

She drank the whole bowl in one go.

Her face visibly flushed.

She took a bite of ginger and stuck out the tip of her tongue.

"Song Che, spicy."

"You can eat some; it will warm you up."

Song Che always felt that of his two daughters, Xia Li was the most troublesome one.

"Oh right, bring your stage costume tomorrow. I might need to wear it, but the main thing is to go over the lines."

"it is good."

Xia Li started eating noodles, and she became much more skilled at using chopsticks. The fabric of the costume in the play was different from that of the castle; it seemed to be a very good material, smooth to the touch, and the craftsmanship was several levels better.

It's just a little tight around the chest.

But she didn't say it. She always felt that the thing in front of her was a bit of a hassle. Although it wasn't bulky, it was inconvenient in many ways, such as when wearing clothes or during strenuous exercise, because that thing would sag down.

After finishing their meal, they cleared away the dishes, each person responsible for one portion. After washing the dishes and wiping his hands, Song Che went back to his bedroom, snuggled into bed to warm up, and wished Xia Li could warm his bed for him. It was so cold that he couldn't sleep peacefully. It would be even better if he could hold her while sleeping. He had heard that girls have higher body temperatures, so it would definitely be warm for them when they slept.

Okay, I can't think about it anymore.

Song Che heard footsteps behind the door.

Chapter 62 I'm returning the favor; respect isn't being frivolous (4k)

I can't sleep, I'm freezing.

Song Che huddled under the covers, his feet icy cold, no matter how much he curled up, they wouldn't warm up. The blanket, that useless thing, let the chill seep into his bones.

I need to buy two...three electric blankets tomorrow.

He checked his phone and saw it was 2 a.m.

Still wide awake from the cold, I was wide awake.

At times like this... you really need someone warm and cozy to hold while you sleep.

dong dong——

A soft knock sounded on the door.

"Song Che, are you asleep?"

"without……"

"I'm coming in."

"Okay, come in." Song Che sat up and casually grabbed a coat to put on.

The door was pushed open a crack, and Xia Li appeared in the doorway. She looked as if she had just crawled out of bed, her silver hair disheveled over her shoulders, with a few strands clinging to her cheeks.

His eyes were clear, and he didn't seem sleepy at all.

“You haven’t slept at all.” She took two steps forward, stopped at the foot of the bed, and didn’t sit down.

"Hmm." Song Che paused. "Was I thinking about something and disturbing you?"

"No, I wasn't asleep either."

"You have something to ask me?"

"……Um."

You wouldn't be... thinking of coming to warm my bed, would you?

"The bed is cold." Xia Li bluntly shattered his illusion.

"I'll go buy an electric blanket tomorrow." Song Che thought she was also freezing, which is why he came over.

"What did you mean by 'like' last time?" Xia Li raised her eyes, her blue eyes filled with doubt. "I've read books and searched online, and I've found that there are many kinds of 'like.' I want to know, which kind of 'like' do you have for me?"

She finally asked. These past few days, the word she heard most often from Song Che's mind was "like." But she didn't quite understand it.

The search results say that when a boy likes a girl, he mostly wants to do "improper" things. But Song Che seems a little different—just now in her room, his face was clearly red, but he just left with a flushed face. If he really wanted to do something, with his strength, she wouldn't be able to resist at all.

"My feelings for you?" Song Che was taken aback.

"Hmm, I'd like to know which one it is."

"It's like... I'll only dare to see you after I've washed my hair."

"But I don't understand what it feels like to 'wash my hair before seeing you'."

Xia Li lowered her head, leaning against the cold wall.

Song Che patted the bed next to him: "Sit here, I'll tell you slowly."

"……it is good."

Xia Li sat down as instructed, about an arm's length away from him. She wanted to get closer, yet felt she shouldn't. This contradictory feeling made her feel increasingly strange.

Song Che didn't really want to say it.

Because when you "like" someone, it's inevitable that some impure thoughts will be mixed in. The moment he started thinking that, Xia Li "heard" it all—it was incredibly awkward.

But since she asked him first, he wanted to test her attitude.

This is not a witch's castle, and there are no elaborate rituals of Hit's Kingdom; Xia Li is no longer the princess who must rush about for the war. They have both shed their former identities and are just two ordinary people groping their way forward in the mundane world.

Perhaps, we could go slower, even slower.

"Xia Li, give me your hand." Song Che didn't explain directly, but instead reached out his hand to her.

Do you need to warm your hands?

"Ah."

Xia Li hesitated for a moment, but still offered her hand. Her hand was small, and her fingertips were cold.

Song Che grasped it, gently cupping it in his palm, his thumb caressing the delicate back of her hand. Her hand was very soft, her skin as white as fine porcelain, gleaming with a hazy luster in the light.

Then, he lowered his head and, very lightly and quickly, kissed the back of her hand.

Xia Li suddenly froze, her fingers curling up.

"Are you... going to do something improper?" Her voice was a little tense.

"Guess," Song Che laughed, "How do you feel now? Do you hate it?"

"I don't dislike it."

"I can tell. Otherwise, you would have knocked me on the head earlier."

“But I still don’t understand.” Xia Li frowned slightly. “You seem… not very serious.”

"I am just being indecent," Song Che admitted frankly, his fingers still pinching her fingertips. "I like you, so I want to be indecent with you. I want you to warm my bed, I want to touch you, I want to tease you... You should have 'heard' all of that, right?"

"……Um."

Xia Li resisted the urge to raise her hand and hit him—she had only been thinking about it in her mind, and saying it out loud now would make her seem even more "improper".

"So if... I really wanted to do something improper, would you agree?" Song Che asked bluntly, but his gaze was serious as he looked at her.

“I…” Xia Li nodded first, then quickly shook her head, “I don’t want to do this right now. I don’t understand.”

"So from now on..."

"I do not know."

"If you don't know, there's no rush." ​​Song Che released her hand, his voice softening. "Actually... I'm a little shameless. You're different from ordinary girls; you don't understand these emotions, and you haven't even smiled until recently. I shouldn't have..."

"If you want to do something improper, why don't you force me?" Xia Li suddenly interrupted him, looking at him with a clear and sharp gaze. "I'm not as strong as you right now, and I'm an 'illegal resident.' Even if you do something, nothing will happen to you."

Song Che was amused by her logic: "Then I'll have to force you?"

"...Could it be...not now?" Xia Li's voice lowered.

"I was just kidding." Song Che shook his head, a gentle smile in his eyes. "I won't force you."

He didn't expect that Xia Li had actually considered this possibility—no matter how much of a witch she once was, she was now just a girl who was clueless about human relationships.

If this were to actually happen, he would be the one to benefit no matter how you look at it.

"Why?" Xia Li asked, puzzled. "Wouldn't this satisfy you? I don't understand."

“Because I like you.” Song Che looked at her confused eyes and said patiently, “When you like someone, you can’t bear to force them. I want to do something ‘improper,’ but only when you’re willing. And ‘improper’ doesn’t always mean what you think… For example, can I kiss your cheek right now?”

"You just... kissed my hand."

"That's a hand. Can I kiss your cheek...?"

"...I don't know." Xia Li's brows furrowed even more, her usual aura of authority almost completely vanished, leaving only the bewilderment and helplessness of a young girl. "I remember that kissing on the cheek is part of aristocratic etiquette...would a kiss make any difference?"

“It’s different from etiquette. Here, a ‘kiss’ is done with affection.”

Song Che felt that this matter was probably impossible to explain.

"Liking" is a confusing matter. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that's how he saw Xia Li—she was beautiful no matter how he looked at her, he wanted to touch her head, he wanted to flirt with her, he wanted to make her blush, and he wanted to see different expressions on her face.

Xia Li clearly didn't fully understand either.

She stopped dwelling on the question and instead asked, "'Wife'... is the same as 'girlfriend'? You said you'd pretend to be your girlfriend... will you pretend to be your wife later?"

Song Che was amused by her erratic train of thought. From pretending to be a girlfriend, to pretending to be a wife, and then to pretending to give birth... if you keep pretending, won't it eventually become real?