Si Nan’s certainty wavered once again.
Xiahou Jin’s gaze had been too cold, too distant—as though he were looking at a complete stranger he couldn’t care less about.
A sharp pain pierced her heart.
Before the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes could spill over, she turned away.
“If that’s truly how you feel, then from now on, Your Highness, please stay away from me. Let’s go back to how we used to be… never speaking to each other again.”
Anyone could say cruel things when they were hurt.
Without mercy, Si Nan showed him the door.
The moment he left, a crystal-clear tear slid silently down her cheek.
Lady Li stepped out from the inner room. Taking her daughter’s hand, she sighed with both helplessness and affection.
“You child… Whenever you’re angry, you always say things you don’t mean—things that only end up hurting both yourself and others. Then you hide away and cry afterward.”
She gently squeezed her hand.
“I know Ah Jin. I’m certain that’s not what he truly feels. You’re both still young. If there’s something to say, talk it through. Don’t leave yourselves with regrets.”
Si Nan shook her head.
“Mother… those were his true feelings.”
“You didn’t see his eyes.”
“He really doesn’t like me.”
Lady Li smiled knowingly.
“Perhaps.”
“But let’s forget about him for a moment.”
“What about you?”
She looked directly into Si Nan’s eyes.
“Do you… perhaps like Ah Jin a little?”
Si Nan stubbornly refused to admit it.
Embarrassing herself once by assuming Xiahou Jin liked her had already been mortifying enough.
Now she was supposed to admit she liked him?
Never.
“I hate him!”
“I hated him before.”
“I hate him now.”
“And I’ll still hate him in the future!”
She stormed off in a huff.
Lady Li watched her leave and sighed deeply.
“So be it.”
“I won’t interfere with the younger generation’s affairs.”
“They’ll simply have to let fate take its course.”
The moon climbed high into the night sky.
Two stubborn fools lay awake, each nursing their own wounded heart.
Standing alone in the courtyard, Xiahou Jin gazed up at the full moon.
His thoughts were filled entirely with that seemingly headstrong yet secretly delicate little person who always made him want to protect them.
The words he’d spoken during the day…
They hadn’t sounded like him at all.
He himself barely recognized the irrational man who had uttered them.
Without a sound, Shi Yi appeared beside him.
“Your Highness.”
“You may be of noble birth…”
“But you’re still human.”
“And humans have emotions.”
Xiahou Jin cast him a chilly glance.
Ignoring the pressure that made every hair on his body stand on end, Shi Yi continued,
“A report just came in.”
“Young Master Si is drinking alone on the rooftop.”
Xiahou Jin immediately thought of the men he’d secretly stationed around Si Nan.
His voice turned icy.
“Withdraw them.”
“They’re no longer to watch over him.”
“And I don’t need any more reports concerning him.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“I’ll recall them immediately.”
He hesitated before adding,
“But… they also said Young Master Si seems quite drunk.”
“He’s sitting on such a high rooftop.”
“If he falls—”
“Enough.”
“Y-Yes!”
“This subordinate takes his leave!”
Unable to confide in anyone, Si Nan climbed onto the roof with a bottle of wine.
She remembered how Wen Xuan and the others always drowned their worries in drink whenever they felt troubled.
Perhaps wine really could ease sorrow.
Unfortunately…
Her tolerance was pitiful.
Only two mouthfuls later, her head was already spinning.
The cool night breeze made her vision blur even further.
Still…
It really did seem to ease the heaviness in her chest.
At least a little.
Though now she was so dizzy she was beginning to hallucinate.
She thought she saw Xiahou Jin.
The grievances she’d bottled up all day instantly burst forth.
Her eyes reddened.
Moisture gathered along her lashes.
She stubbornly pursed her lips, trying to maintain an aloof, disdainful expression despite looking utterly pitiful.
Seeing her like that, Xiahou Jin’s heart ached unbearably.
All he wanted was to pull her into his arms and comfort her.
“I hate you.”
Her accusation came out both aggrieved and fierce.
There wasn’t the slightest bit of intimidation in it.
Yet it struck straight through his heart.
He’d truly gone too far with those words earlier.
“I’m sor—”
Before he could even finish saying “I’m sorry,” the drunken girl pouted, threw herself forward, and buried herself in his embrace.
“…I wasn’t asking for a hug.”
Her soft body nestled against him.
The warmth instantly melted the last of his resolve.
With a self-deprecating smile, Xiahou Jin accepted defeat and wrapped his arms around her.
Soon, the front of his robe was soaked with tears.
No matter how gently he comforted her, she simply wouldn’t stop crying.
After what felt like forever, her sobbing finally subsided.
She lifted her tear-streaked face and looked at him accusingly.
“You already said we’d have nothing more to do with each other.”
“So why are you still here?”
“Your lips are so beautiful…”
“How could they say something so hurtful?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I won’t say those things again.”
The tears she’d barely stopped began falling once more.
“You’re lying.”
“You’re only the Xiahou Jin I imagined because I’m drunk.”
“The real Xiahou Jin would never apologize…”
“…and he’d never have anything to do with me again.”
She dissolved into tears once more.
Xiahou Jin felt as though the sky itself had collapsed.
Why was she crying again?
He awkwardly tried everything he could think of to soothe her, but she stubbornly refused to be comforted.
Before he even realized what he was doing…
His lips had already captured hers.
Her soft lips were unbelievably sweet.
At last…
Her crying stopped.
She stared at him with wide, startled eyes, her lips slightly parted in surprise.
Without thinking, he deepened the kiss, drawn by that tiny opening.
The sweetness overwhelmed him.
Unable to resist, he closed his eyes, wanting nothing more than to savor the moment just a little longer.
She remained quietly in his embrace, trembling ever so slightly, allowing him to hold her close.
Only when she struggled for breath and bit his tongue did his reason finally return.
Using every ounce of self-control he possessed, he forced himself to pull away.
Opening his eyes, he found her face flushed a lovely crimson.
Her lips glistened softly.
Those innocent, bewildered eyes contrasted so sharply with the alluring flush on her cheeks that his heartbeat became impossible to steady.
She looked at him in confusion.
“Hm?”
As though she couldn’t understand…
…why he’d stopped.
Could it be…
She had enjoyed that kiss too?
Suppressing the thoughts racing through his mind, Xiahou Jin gently coaxed,
“You’re drunk.”
“I’ll take you back to your room.”
Si Nan immediately frowned in dissatisfaction.
He carefully lifted her into his arms and leaped gracefully down from the rooftop.
“Which room is yours?”
Though reluctant, she sleepily pointed in one direction.
He followed where she’d indicated.
To his surprise, not a single servant stood watch along the way.
He’d wondered about this before.
No matter how much the Emperor distrusted the General’s Manor…
Surely things shouldn’t have fallen into such poverty.
Even Si Nan’s own courtyard was devoid of maids and attendants.
It felt unbearably desolate.
As they walked through the corridor, they unexpectedly encountered Lady Li.
For perhaps the first time in his life, Xiahou Jin actually felt guilty.
Avoiding her gaze, he lowered his eyes respectfully.
“Greetings, Madam.”
Lady Li was delighted to see him.
She had never imagined he’d climbed over the wall to sneak into the manor.
“Oh my…”
“Our little Nan Nan got herself drunk.”
“Yes.”
“I was just taking her back to rest.”
“Is that so~?”
“Then hurry along.”
“Follow this corridor to the end. The last room is hers.”
“My thanks.”
“I’ll take my leave.”
“Go on, go on~”
Pushing open the bedroom door, Xiahou Jin was greeted by a gentle fragrance.
The room was exquisitely decorated.
Light green gauze curtains hung around the bed, playful yet elegant, perfectly matching their owner’s gentle temperament.
Vases filled with fresh flowers stood everywhere.
At first glance, it looked more like the boudoir of a noble young lady than the bedroom of a general’s son.
No one would ever imagine that the Great General’s son lived in such a delicately feminine room.
Then he looked down at the slender figure sleeping in his arms.
…And somehow it all made perfect sense.
He gently laid her onto the bed.
Then, to his own astonishment, knelt down to remove her boots.
It was something he’d never imagined doing in his lifetime.
This was a servant’s job.
Yet the Third Prince himself was tending to someone for the very first time.
Once the boots came off, a pair of tiny feet wrapped in white stockings appeared.
They were astonishingly small—
Barely the size of his palm.
Much too delicate to resemble a man’s feet.
The thought flashed through his mind for only an instant.
The next moment—
A little foot flew straight toward his face.
He tilted his head aside and easily caught her ankle.
The drunken girl mumbled sleepily,
“Pervert…”
Xiahou Jin almost laughed aloud.
She hadn’t reacted at all when they’d kissed moments earlier.
Yet simply touching her foot through her stocking earned him the title of “pervert.”
Still…
There was no reasoning with a drunk.
After tucking her securely beneath the blankets, he prepared to leave.
His sleeve was suddenly tugged.
Looking down, he found a sleepy little kitten clinging to him.
“Will you go to sleep?”
“I’ll come see you tomorrow.”
“You’re lying…”
“Tomorrow you’ll only scold me again and tell me to stay away from you.”
“I promise.”
He gently covered the small hand gripping his sleeve with his own.
Her hand was tiny, warm, and impossibly soft.
Simply holding it made him reluctant to let go.
“Be good.”
“Let go.”
“You need to come lower.”
He bent slightly.
She still refused to release him.
“You’re too tall.”
“My neck hurts looking up at you.”
Helplessly smiling, Xiahou Jin crouched beside the bed.
“How about now?”
Before he could react—
She leaned forward.
Her soft lips lightly brushed against his.
The unexpected kiss left him frozen in shock.
It lasted only an instant before she pulled away mischievously.
He had barely recovered when she kissed him again.
This time it lingered for only a heartbeat before disappearing once more.
Staring at her in bewilderment, he saw tears begin gathering in her eyes again.
His heart tightened immediately.
“What’s wrong now?”
With an aggrieved little pout, she whispered,
“Why… doesn’t it feel the same?”
It took him several seconds to understand what she meant.
She was comparing these kisses to the one they’d shared on the rooftop.
His chest tightened.
He had already taken advantage of her while she was drunk once.
He absolutely couldn’t make the same mistake again.
“You’re talking nonsense.”
“Go to sleep.”
The tears she’d been holding back immediately spilled over.
Large droplets rolled down her flushed cheeks.
She cried so pitifully that Xiahou Jin found himself completely helpless before her.
He sighed.
His hand gently cupped her delicate face.
His thumb carefully brushed away the tears.
Her small hands wrapped tightly around his wrist.
Those misty, tear-filled eyes stubbornly stared into his.
“…You’ve truly defeated me.”
His free hand slid gently behind her head.
Supporting her carefully, he slowly leaned closer.
His lips met hers once more.
A quiet sigh of contentment escaped him as he tenderly captured her soft lips in another gentle kiss.