Tsk. This sleepy little thing still hasn’t gotten up yet. Xiao Heye twisted the jade thumb ring on his thumb, his brow slightly raised. His sharp, hawk-like eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly walked toward the bed.
After returning from the morning court session, Xiao Heye entered his room to find Su Tiyue still lounging in his bed, showing no intention of getting up at all—as if she truly considered the Night Pavilion her own bedchamber.
Xiao Heye lowered his gaze, his constricted pupils holding an inscrutable emotion. After letting his gaze linger on her face for a moment, he turned and walked into the washroom, washed his hands, and changed into casual attire.
It was unclear whether it was the rustling sound of him changing clothes that woke Su Tiyue or whether she had simply slept her fill.
By the time Xiao Heye finished changing and walked over, Su Tiyue was sitting on the bed, gazing at him in a daze.
On that small face, there was none of the panicked expression Xiao Heye had imagined she might show.
“What time is it, Chief Seal Keeper?” Su Tiyue had just woken up, her voice soft and sweet. She truly loved to sleep. Back in the Brocade Palace, if not for Liu Wan coming to wake her at the appointed time, Su Tiyue could have slept the entire day.
“Just past noon.” Xiao Heye walked over with a lazy stride and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her. “Why didn’t Your Ladyship sneak back today? Aren’t you afraid of being discovered by those little servants?”
Su Tiyue narrowed her eyes, smiled at him, and shook her head. “I’m not afraid anymore. After all, I’ve only kept three people to serve me at the Listening Rain Pavilion now—Liu Wan, Qing Wu, and Xiao Anzi… As long as you properly discipline the little servants in your Night Pavilion from now on, I’m not afraid of anything.”
When he heard Su Tiyue say she was not afraid of anything, why did Xiao Heye feel a sudden urge to laugh?
Xiao Heye knew better than anyone that Su Tiyue’s act of being proactive, her pretense of obedience, her efforts to tease and provoke him… it was all precisely because she was afraid. Afraid of that old fool the Emperor, afraid of serving in the bedchamber, afraid of being favored, terrified to the bone. She was merely looking for someone to rely on.
“Is Your Ladyship hungry? This servant had Li Xun prepare lunch.” Xiao Heye lowered his head and straightened the brocade quilt beneath her.
Su Tiyue did not answer his question. Instead, she extended her slender arms from under the quilt, stretching them out toward him. In a soft, pleading voice, she said, “Chief Seal Keeper, I want a hug.”
Xiao Heye glanced sideways at her, sitting on the edge of the bed for a long time without reacting. His expression was dark, his gaze cold and piercing. A flicker of fire seemed to flash in his eyes, faint yet unmistakable, as if he wanted to burn her to ashes.
Seeing that he did not respond, Su Tiyue whispered once more, “Hug.”
This time, Xiao Heye did not refuse her.
He let out a cold snort, then reached out his arms and pulled her into his embrace.
“Tsk,” Xiao Heye opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.
Su Tiyue let out a delicate hum and snuggled deeper into his embrace. Burying her head against his chest, she could smell a faint scent of sandalwood—a clear, subtle fragrance that held a hint of coolness.
“You got up so early today, Chief Seal Keeper. Where did you go?” Su Tiyue rubbed against him, her voice gentle and soft.
“The Hall of Light, for the morning court session.”
“Oh,” Su Tiyue lifted her head in his embrace and looked up at him. “Chief Seal Keeper, I also want a kiss.”
Fresh from the warmth of the quilt, Su Tiyue’s entire body was warm and soft. Holding her in his arms, Xiao Heye felt as if he were cradling a small, fluffy lamb. She played and laughed recklessly upon the very tip of his heart, making all sorts of improper and shameless demands of him.
However, Xiao Heye could not refuse.
He lowered his head, carefully cradled Su Tiyue’s face, and kissed her.
When his slightly cool, soft lips pressed against hers, Su Tiyue was left utterly stunned, her eyes wide open as she stared blankly at him.
Xiao Heye tilted his head, forcefully and dominantly drawing in the tenderness from her mouth, seizing the air between her lips and teeth…
After a long while, when Xiao Heye finally released her and stopped, his heavy gaze fixed on Su Tiyue like a hunter eyeing its prey, his eyes filled with the pride and satisfaction of possession.
Su Tiyue’s face flushed red as she gasped for breath… She felt both fear and… excitement. The fear came from Xiao Heye’s overwhelming, wolf-like intensity when he took the initiative—his kiss and the aura surrounding him were enough to suffocate and terrify her.
Yet the excitement stemmed from her realization that Xiao Heye could also take the initiative, that there were moments when he would obediently listen, and that he didn’t seem to despise women as much as she had thought.
That day, when Su Tiyue had asked him whether the person he would never abandon was a man or a woman, Xiao Heye’s answer had been a man.
Su Tiyue had assumed…
“Heh… It seems Her Ladyship is satisfied?” Xiao Heye extended his slender fingers, his thumb slowly tracing his own lips as if still savoring the kiss.
Su Tiyue pursed her lips. “Last time at the Wenhui Pavilion, didn’t Chief Eunuch Xiao comment on my kissing skills?”
“This time, I’ll comment on yours,” she continued. “Four words.”
Xiao Heye tilted his head, the corner of his lips curling upward. “Oh?”
“Nothing special.” After saying this, she proudly stuck out her tongue at him, then slipped out from under the covers, preparing to return to the Listening Rain Pavilion.
But as soon as Su Tiyue’s legs emerged and before her feet could touch the ground, Xiao Heye firmly grasped her ankle. With a slight exertion of his arm, he placed her foot on his lap, his broad, cool palm tightly enveloping it. He spoke leisurely, “Your Ladyship, there will be a banquet in the palace tomorrow. The comings and goings within the palace will be livelier than usual.”
“And then?”
“If Your Ladyship appears so brazenly in this servant’s room, the servants in the Southern Courtyard wouldn’t dare gossip or spread rumors… But if someone from outside the palace, with no sense of direction, were to wander into places they shouldn’t and see things they shouldn’t… Your Ladyship, tell me, should this servant spare them or not?”
Could it be that Xiao Heye had grown addicted to killing? While this statement served as a reminder for her to be cautious about their relationship, between the lines… it revealed his murderous, tyrannical tendencies.
Truly, a heinous and irredeemable demon, whose every word revolved around killing…
Unfortunately, Su Tiyue’s courage had grown far greater than when they first met. Whether it was threats or intimidation, with her current mental fortitude, she could handle it all.
A sly smile spread across her face.
Su Tiyue deliberately curled her toes within his palm and teased, “I understand what Chief Eunuch Xiao means. I’ll obediently stay in the Listening Rain Pavilion tomorrow and not wander around, alright?”
Xiao Heye nodded in satisfaction. “Tsk, it’s only fun when Your Ladyship remains this obedient all the time.”
“Hmph…” Su Tiyue shot him a glare and tried to withdraw her delicate foot, but Xiao Heye had no intention of letting go. He spoke coldly, “Has Your Ladyship forgotten? This servant had Li Xun prepare lunch.”
Su Tiyue said irritably, “What, is Chief Eunuch Xiao so greedy now? Accompanying you to bed isn’t enough, you even want me to eat with you?”
Xiao Heye paused, gently patting her smooth, jade-like instep. “Your Highness may think whatever you wish.”
Su Tiyue hadn’t expected him to suddenly strike her like that. Startled, she frowned and said it hurt.
It wasn’t really painful, it’s just… isn’t this how women act coquettishly?
Unexpectedly, upon hearing that word, Xiao Heye gave her a cold, disdainful glance, then lifted those feet and leisurely kissed the instep. “Does it still hurt?”
“You… how can you be like this? Truly shameless…” Su Tiyue muttered softly.