The two of them only separated when evening fell, both reluctant to part. Of course, they couldn’t stay at the banks of the pond forever and had to bid farewell sooner or later. Qiu Ling accompanied Jing He back to his palace and reluctantly stopped at the door. Of course, he would have liked to come in and spend the night but … he really didn’t think Jing He would allow that. No, this might have to wait until the trial was over. Thus, he could only give a smile and finally disappear with a few words.

Jing He remained standing at the door for a while longer, gazing at the now empty space next to his palace. Even though it had turned dark, the stars were bright that night and he could make out the form of his garden in the darkness with the pavilion where he and Qiu Ling had often sat in the past.

Ah, after a day spent like this, both thinking of their shared memories, even the mundane things they had done together could evoke a special feeling. He smiled to himself and finally turned back into his palace, gently closing the door behind him. He didn’t dare to stay up too late and instead went to bed directly. Tomorrow, he’d have to get up early so he could finish his matters early as well and return to spend more time with Qiu Ling. Since they would soon have to separate for a long time, he wanted to make up for it before then.

Jing He soon fell asleep. The next morning, he got up early as he had intended. He put on a simple robe and combed his hair, letting it fall down loosely. Satisfied with how he looked, he got to his feet and stepped out of the main gate. “Mu Kun, please head to the Palace of Love and inform the God of Love that I will be there shortly.” He had sent somebody yesterday to ask whether the God of Love would be available but he hadn’t received a specific time in the reply so he felt that it was only right to inform the god before he arrived.

Mu Kun inclined his head. “Yes, Your Highness.” He hurried away, not wanting to let the crown prince wait.

Meanwhile, Jing He stepped back into the palace and glanced around. Qiu Ling had said yesterday that he would wait outside if he wasn’t back yet. Actually, this visit to the Palace of Love shouldn’t take that long but he’d rather be prepared.

He went to organize the tea set, choosing the leaves that Qiu Ling seemed to like the most and carried it outside. He put it down in the pavilion, arranging it carefully. This way, no matter when Qiu Ling came by later, it would be alright even if he wasn’t back yet.

Jing He smiled to himself and looked out over his garden. Today was another beautiful day without a raincloud in sight. The breeze was gently shaking the flowers, spreading their scent everywhere. It was days like these that he loved this place the most. When he came back later, it should be nice to sit here with Qiu Ling.

His cheeks flushed when he imagined that scene, especially since it reminded him of the previous day and how Qiu Ling had accompanied him to all those places they had visited before. He sighed at his own crooked thoughts and hurriedly turned around, going back inside.

Of course, the inside of his palace was filled with just as many or maybe even more memories of his time with Qiu Ling. It might not evoke the mood to imagine a romantic scene but it sure was enough to remind him of some that had transpired. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Mu Kun to return from the Palace of Love, giving him an excuse to flee his own palace.

When Jing He arrived at the gate of the Palace of Love, he had already calmed down. Anyway, Qiu Ling was already his fiance. Maybe not officially but in his heart he certainly was. So what did it matter if he thought of him and made up a romantic scene or two? When in love, wasn’t he allowed to have such thoughts about the man he admired? Surely, everyone did such things when it came to the person in their heart. As long as you didn’t tell anyone about it, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it.

Jing He calmed himself down as well as he could and followed the servant into the palace.

The God of Love looked like a hearty old man with white hair and bushy brows. At this time, he was already waiting for Jing He in his study. He had prepared a pot of tea and got up with a smile when he saw the young crown prince. “Your Highness, please, come in. Have a seat and a cup of tea.”

“God of Love.” Jing He inclined his head and took the seat that was offered and picked up the cup of tea as well. “Thank you very much for having me. I know I contacted you on short notice.”

The God of Love smiled kindly. Having somebody tell him a day in advance could hardly be called short notice. Some people would just walk into his palace directly, thinking he was especially idle. Well, his palace was indeed one of the more idle places in the Nine Heavens. It sure couldn’t compare to the Court of Justice or the Palace of War which had to ensure the safety of the realm every day.

Yue Xia didn’t mind being idle. The task of his palace was important even if it might not take as much effort or had as big of an implication as those of other palaces did. Anyway, he had chosen this profession and he was happy with it.

“I suppose Your Highness did not just come to pay me a courtesy call.” This crown prince of theirs was said to be reclusive and as a titled god, he couldn’t deny that. Apart from official occasions, he also hadn’t seen him more than once or twice. So, surely, he hadn’t come out for no reason this time either.

Jing He hesitated but finally nodded. “The God of Love is right. To be honest, I will leave for my first trial in a few days.”

Yue Xia nodded as well. “So it is like that. Then Your Highness likely wants to ask about the love fate of your mortal reincarnation?” Usually, the gods went to the Palace of Fate for all matters related to their trial but maybe their crown prince was just more prudent. It didn’t seem impossible.

Jing He inclined his head. “Yes, that is the case.” He hesitated again, his cheeks heating up a little as he thought of what he had come to do. Glancing at the wrinkled face opposite him, he really didn’t know where to start but it had to be said.

He lightly cleared his throat and took a sip of the tea to moisten his throat and gain another moment. Then, he truly had no further excuse. “The God of Love might have heard about … Longjun’s pursuit of me.” His face reddened further and he hurriedly lowered his head to not let the old god see.

Yue Xia felt amused but tried to put on a neutral expression. “I indeed heard of it.” In fact, there was hardly anyone who hadn’t. Longjun’s actions in these past years couldn’t be described as anything but high-profile. Apart from standing on a rooftop and hollering about his feelings for everyone to hear, he seemed to have done everything that could be done to make it obvious he was in love with their crown prince. And even that had probably only been done because he didn’t think of it yet and not because he didn’t dare to.

Jing He felt relieved that this wasn’t news he had to break himself. It made his feelings settle slightly. “The trials are a normal occurrence for us gods but the dragons are not familiar with them. I have thought about that since my trial was decided on. In light of Longjun’s feelings, I would like to ask the God of Love not to tie the red thread for my mortal reincarnation, lest it causes a misunderstanding with the dragons.”

Yue Xia raised his bushy brows. Could even this cause a misunderstanding? But then, he wouldn’t want to take this risk either. “The Fate’s Scribe hasn’t informed me of any love trial yet so maybe there is none in the first place. Either way, since Your Highness has personally asked me, I will do as you say. Such a small matter is not worth angering the dragons over and if it can put Longjun’s mind at ease that you do not experience such a fated love in your mortal life, then who am I to reject such a simple solution?”

“Thank you.” Jing He let go of his worries and his face lit up with a smile. This couldn’t solve his whole issue but … it would deal with at least part of it. Having done this, it truly felt as if a weight was lifted from his shoulders. And with how easy this had been, he suddenly felt hopeful that he would manage to do what else he had to as well.