It was a bright, sunny morning.
On Luo Wei's bed, Ophelia clung to him, crying for a long, long time without letting go.
After venting, perhaps because her tense nerves had relaxed, or maybe she was just tired from crying, she buried her head in the warm embrace of Luo Wei and finally fell into a deep sleep.
Even in sleep, her hands still clung tightly around Luo Wei's waist, as if afraid he would disappear.
Luo Wei looked down at her, her pale face streaked with tears and tangled hair, her expression tinged with unease, like a fragile, breakable glass vase.
This vulnerable and well-behaved Ophelia was something he had never seen before.
The once proud and domineering princess, who always spoke coldly to him, seemed to have vanished in an instant.
Luo Wei sighed inwardly.
If he had known it would come to this, why push things to such an extreme?
Perhaps, in Ophelia's upbringing, she had never truly understood what "respect" meant.
Her life's creed was only about control, and being controlled.
Only by having complete control could Ophelia feel secure, and this was her way of expressing "love."
This twisted form of love, however, made Luo Wei feel suffocated.
Thus, he knew he had to change her.
Luo Wei silently gazed at her peaceful sleeping face, knowing well Ophelia's obsessive nature, never resting until she achieved her goals.
After today's events, he didn't know if Ophelia would continue with her plans, but regardless, if she continued to disappoint him...
She would pay the price for it.
And today was just the beginning.
...
It wasn't until noon that the two on the bed finally woke up groggily.
The moment Ophelia opened her eyes, she immediately searched for Luo Wei's face, and upon seeing him safe and sound before her, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Luo Wei, helplessly holding his stomach.
After getting up in the morning without having breakfast, then falling asleep with the weepy Ophelia, they had slept right through to midday...
Upon waking, a sudden sense of hunger struck him, and he was almost unbearably hungry.
Seeing his unusual expression, her light-colored eyes immediately showed concern.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Ophelia asked worriedly.
"Should I call a doctor?" she immediately got up, "I'll go and fetch the best doctor from the Royal Capital right away!"
Luo Wei looked at her with a wry smile, "What we need now is not a doctor, but a chef."
"Ah?" Ophelia was momentarily stunned.
Then, her stomach growled just like Luo Wei's.
Ophelia smiled helplessly, "So it's hunger... That makes sense, we haven't eaten anything at all."
She immediately called out to the maids waiting outside the door, and this time, she patiently started giving instructions for the lunch menu.
"From now on, don't make this anymore, Luo Wei doesn't like it..."
"What? It's something I like?"
"I don't like it anymore, take it off the menu immediately!"
"Yes, add some of this, something nutritious and healthy, hmm... let me think, he probably likes foods like rice..."
Ophelia's voice gradually faded away, and the bustling footsteps echoed through the hallway.
Watching her bustling about, Luo Wei always felt that Ophelia seemed a bit different after waking up.
...
The lunch that followed was immensely satisfying for Luo Wei.
It might have been the most satisfying meal he had ever had in this mansion.
Gone were the likes of foie gras, snails, and caviar.
Instead, there were dishes that suited Luo Wei's Eastern palate—rice, stir-fried vegetables, and even a not-so-authentic braised pork.
The braised pork was something Luo Wei had intended to make for Ophelia a few days ago when he was messing around in the kitchen. Truth be told, she didn't quite like it, perhaps due to unfamiliarity, or maybe because the local ingredients didn't quite capture the authentic flavor, and even he wasn't fully satisfied with the taste.
Unexpectedly, Susan, the maid in charge of the kitchen, really served him a dish that looked quite similar.
It just goes to show, the royal cook really had some impressive skills.
Ophelia watched Luo Wei with a smile, her eyes twinkling as he ate with great appetite.
From morning till now, her anxious mood had finally eased a lot.
"Whatever you want to eat in the future, just tell Susan in the kitchen. She's very capable and will try her best to accommodate you," she said.
Luo Wei looked at her amusingly and deliberately asked, "What's gotten into you today, being so nice to me?"
If it had been before, such a probing question would have upset her.
However, this time, Ophelia simply smiled softly.
"No reason, just seeing you happy makes me happy too."
"Really?" Luo Wei asked while he reached for a roast pig's trotter that was far from him.
Then, without any regard for hygiene, he grabbed it directly.
His hearty eating finally made Ophelia frown.
Luo Wei had deliberately thrown all the dining etiquette he had learned over the past few days out the window.
"Eating meat with big bites is the real pleasure!" Luo Wei seemed to provoke Ophelia on purpose, tearing off a piece and bringing it playfully to her mouth.
"Here!"
Even the maids frowned at this.
Too rude, too impolite!
How could our noble and elegant Princess... eat like this?
However...
Ophelia hesitated for a moment, then picked up the roast pig's trotter brought to her mouth.
Without cutting it or using utensils, she started eating it directly, mimicking Luo Wei's manner.
Caroline looked on in shock.
What had happened to the Princess?
After sleeping in Luo Wei's bed, had she been brainwashed??
Luo Wei watched Ophelia with a smile.
Although such actions were not very graceful, Ophelia still ate delicately and elegantly, even something like "gnawing on a pig's trotter" seemed utterly graceful when she did it.
Luo Wei couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. After all, having grown up in such an environment, the elegance and composure were probably etched into her very bones.
After finishing their meal, Ophelia wiped her mouth with a napkin and silently gazed at Luo Wei.
It seemed she had no interest in eating herself; she just wanted to watch Luo Wei eat.
Luo Wei felt quite uncomfortable being stared at like this.
His gaze slowly shifted towards her, noticing that Ophelia was sitting unusually close to him, and those pale eyes, so close at hand, brimmed with a satisfied and gentle emotion.
Seeing Luo Wei pause, she asked softly.
"Is it too dry? Do you want some water?"
Before Luo Wei could respond, she immediately summoned a maid, and a cup of warm water was handed to him.
"Drink more hot water, it's good for your health. You've been lacking sleep lately."
She said this with an undeniable worry in her eyes.
Like a mother overflowing with love, always concerned about her child's health.
Luo Wei got goosebumps all over...
He was really not used to this gentle version of Ophelia, and although he knew it might stem from her feelings of guilt, it still made him extremely uncomfortable.
He was more accustomed to the aloof and domineering Ophelia...
At this moment, Luo Wei's mind was deeply contemplative.
Could it be...
Am I a masochist?
I'm not really a sadist, am I??
Luo Wei found himself quite ridiculous, but there was no helping it. Since arriving in this world, he had never met a normal woman; his experiences had always been bizarrely skewed.
Evelyn could be considered half a normal woman, of course, that was only initially. After her true nature was revealed, the gentle teacher persona disappeared, replaced by...
A constantly irritable tsundere.
Thinking of this, Luo Wei couldn't help but smile wryly.
Ophelia, noticing his expression, pushed the cup of warm water closer to him.
Luo Wei looked at her puzzled, "You misunderstand, I'm not thirsty."
Those pale eyes, though still gentle, carried an undeniable firmness.
"Drink more hot water!"
It seemed as if she wouldn't let it go until she saw him drink.
Somehow, Luo Wei inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief; the Ophelia he knew was back.
That's more like her...
A control freak's desire to control doesn't just disappear; it transforms into other forms...
Previously, it was malicious control, but now...
It seemed to have transformed into "benevolent" control.
Luo Wei lifted the cup, and under Ophelia's intense gaze, he drank it all in one go.
Seeing the empty cup, she finally relaxed.
Then, still with that gentle look, she stared at Luo Wei.
"Good boy~"
"That's much better~"
She then picked up a piece of vegetable, tenderly bringing it to Luo Wei's mouth.
"You should eat more vegetables too, for good health~"