MTLNOVEL Chapter 138: Let Me Teach You
The scent of ginger and sweet scallions drifted through the courtyard, carried on the night wind. I sat cross-legged at the stone table, watching as Zhu Mingyu wrestled with the humble task of peeling carrots. I didn't care about my image, and he didn't correct me.
In fact, if I squinted just a bit, I might actually think that I was back home in the mountains.
I continued to watch as he struggled with the carrot, like it was a minister that was out to get him.
It was… painful… but I really couldn't stop the smile on my face from growning.
"You peeled too much," I said, resting my chin in my hand. "There's almost no carrot left to eat."
He didn't even flinch. "I'm trying. I can't say I've done this before."
His tone was dry, but not defensive. He placed the mangled strip of orange root into the bowl beside him and reached for another with that same stubborn precision I'd seen in battle strategies, not vegetable preparation.
I watched the carrot's skin curl under the blade in awkward, uneven strips, half of it gouged away before he even reached the middle.
"Stop," I said, rising.
He paused, looking up at me. "Are you going to take over?"
"No." I walked around the table, pulled a stool beside him, and sat. "I'm going to teach you."
Zhu Mingyu handed me the knife without hesitation. His fingers were cold where they brushed mine, colder than they should've been for someone who'd just been soaking vegetables in warm water. I didn't mention it.
I held up the carrot and blade, slow and steady. "You're not scraping paint off a wall. It's delicate. Angle the knife just enough to catch the skin—see?"
He watched in silence as I stripped it in one long, continuous peel.
"Again." I passed him a fresh carrot and guided his fingers. "Gently. You're not in a rush."
"You say that like it's easy," he muttered.
"It is," I replied. "Once you stop trying to dominate it."
He arched a brow. "We're still talking about carrots?"
I gave him a look. "I will throw this at your head," I warned holding up the abused carrot to let him know that I meant business.
A small smile tugged at his lips, and—reluctantly—I returned it.
For the next few minutes, we worked in quiet tandem. I peeled ginger, he tackled another carrot. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, just… new. I was used to solitude. To Shi Yaozu's quiet observations. To Shadow's wordless loyalty.
Shi Yaozu made me relax, but he always looked at me like he was waiting for my next order.
Zhu Deming made me relax, but looked at me like he was trying to solve a puzzle… or like I was his favorite treat and he was trying to figure out how to keep me.
But this was different.
When I stole a glance, Zhu Mingyu's forehead was slightly furrowed, his fingers stained orange, the sleeves of his outer robe rolled up to his elbows. There was no crown prince here. Just a man trying.
Trying to peel carrots for his wife.
Trying not to be pushed away.
Trying, even if he was terrible at it.
"You're not bad," I said softly. "For someone whose only tools are swords and political leverage."
"Praise from the Witch of the West," he murmured. "I must be dreaming."
I nudged him with my elbow. "You're not. If this were a dream, the carrots would already be peeled and singing."
He laughed—short, rough, but real.
The night deepened. The breeze cooled.
We moved inside once everything was chopped and prepped. The kitchen in my courtyard wasn't lavish, but it was clean and efficient. I'd built it that way on purpose—if I couldn't control the palace, I could control this space.
Zhu Mingyu carried the tray in without comment and set it beside the stove. I stoked the flame, threw in oil, garlic, and vegetables, and let the sizzle fill the air.
He stood beside me, watching every movement like it was a military lesson.
"You cook?" he asked.
"Yes."
"You clean."
"Yes."
"You fight, kill, build traps, grow vegetables, tame demons, and apparently make soup."
"Yes."
He paused. "Then what do you need me for?"
I blinked at him.
And then, unexpectedly, I answered.
"Company."
It wasn't what I meant to say. It wasn't what I expected to say. But it was true.
He went quiet.
The vegetables softened. I ladled them into two bowls, garnished them with sliced green onions, and brought them to the table. He followed, seating himself with the ease of someone used to silence.
We ate together, slowly. No rushing. No schemes.
Just a meal.
When the bowls were empty, I cleaned the dishes. He dried them without being asked.
It was strange—this rhythm. Strange, and soft, and almost painful in how easy it was to imagine this being our life every night.
But it wasn't.
It couldn't be.
So when the time came to extinguish the lanterns, I turned to him, arms crossed.
"You've stayed long enough," I said, gently but firmly.
"I told you. I'm your husband. I should be here."
"Yes, but should and want are different things."
He looked at me. "Do you want me to leave?"
The question hung there, between the shadows.
I should have said yes.
I wanted to say yes.
But I was tired of being alone in my strength.
"No," I admitted. "You can stay. But I'm not sharing a bed."
He nodded without offense. "Then I'll sleep on the bench."
"You'll hurt your back."
"Better than hurting your pride."
I stared at him for a beat longer than necessary before moving past him toward my bedroom.
As I closed the door behind me, I heard him lay out a folded blanket over the bench. No complaints. No requests. Just the rustle of fabric and the faint creak of wood as he settled in.
I undressed slowly, brushed out my hair, and slipped beneath the covers. My room was quiet.
But not entirely silent.
Outside, through the thin screen, I could hear his breathing.
Steady.
Present.
It should have made me uneasy, having a virtual stranger in my room.
But instead, it made me… content in a way that I couldn't quite explain. He wasn't his brother, he wasn't Shi Yaozu, and for once, I think I was completely fine with it.
After all, a Crown Prince who was willing to peel vegetables in my front yard and make me feel like I was back on my mountain gave me something I didn't know that I needed.
Peace… and the ability to just… be.