Youxian’s eye snapped open. Staring into the dark of night, he began to panic. He tried to sit up, but he was stuck because there was a heavy arm on his chest. 

He began hyperventilating as he recalled how last night ended with him being so lost in pleasure against Changling’s body. 

He was still in hiding, even though it had been a few days since his arrival. 

Kwon Ae Cha had begun to suspect that something was off and she was right! 

Youxian was scared. 

He could feel the sweat sliding from his forehead to his neck. Quickly pushing Changling off of him, he got up. 

Sitting on the bed, he took the sheet and wiped himself. Getting up, he walked over to the table and poured himself a cup of water. 

Just one cup wasn’t enough. 

But no matter how much he drank, the dryness within his throat didn’t leave. 

‘Wulin,’ he whispered within his head and immediately, he looked at Changling, not knowing that what was in his head couldn’t be heard. 

Rubbing his hands together, he felt a chill, but it was all in his mind. He began to tremble, then rushed to the wardrobe and took out a coat. Covering himself with it only brought back a memory he wished he didn’t have. 

‘Are you alive? I don’t know what to do,’ he spoke to himself as if Wulin was with him. 

His hands moved to his head in despair as he thought, ‘If only I hadn’t met him. I wouldn’t have been on the run for so many years. You wouldn’t have died. How will I repent for causing your death? I can’t kill him. He’s Xing Guang’s father. What would she think of me? She’ll have no one once I’m imprisoned.’

‘Wulin, what do I do? I want to see you again… I should just die and end all of this now. It doesn’t matter. Xing Guang has Changling now to look after her–she’ll be fine,’ his thoughts trailed. 

Changling woke up from his sleep with a sigh. Feeling around on the bed, he found it empty and cold. 

Sitting up, he looked around and paled when he saw Youxian lying under an open window. 

Jumping up, he rushed over stark naked and knelt down. “Ah-Xian,” he called. 

Youxian was crawled up in a ball under the coat. 

Taking the coat off of him, Changling stomach turned. The sun was rising, so there was some light in the room. 

Youxian’s arm had dry blood along them with scratch marks. 

‘Did he scratch himself?’ he wondered as he sat him up. 

Giving him a good look, he saw that Youxian had dry tears along his cheeks and blood too, but luckily, his face wasn’t harmed. 

Moving to the bed after he picked him up, Changling moved the hair out of his face and noticed the sweat. 

Frowning, he shook Youxian awake, saying, “Ah-Xian wake up! What happened?”

Youxian’s eyes slowly opened. He looked at Changling then closed his eyes thinking, ‘It’s all your fault.’

He tried to get Youxian to respond, but it was almost as though he were dead. 

Quickly getting dressed in a trouser, he rushed out and told one of the manservants to call for the physician. 

*

Xing Guang’s first night in the palace… 

Changling looked down at Xing Guang with a smirk. They were standing hand in hand in front of the dining hall whose doors were closed. 

She was frowning right now and had been pouting all the way here. 

“Ignore them,” he said. 

She looked up at him, confused. When they arrived, he told the eunuch not to announce that they had arrived and, because of that; they had been standing outside for some time listening to the gossip. 

“Where’s my daddy?” she asked him. 

Thinking back to the argument they had about her moving to her own palace. Looking down at her, he said, “He’s angry at me, so I’m giving him space.”

“Why didn’t you leave me also?” She asked him. 

He shook his head. “You’re not upset with me.”

“Do you want me to be?” She asked, confused. 

He chuckled with a shake of his head. “Let’s go in.”

“I don’t want to,” she said with a shake of her head.

Changling knelt down in front of her with a smirk, “You know, you are so much like me.”

“I am?” she asked, not particularly happy or anything. 

Nodding his head, “Mn, just like you, I didn’t want to but my mother, who you will meet, just now told me that it was in my blood.”

Xing Guang looked at the scar on her middle left finger mumbling, “How? I always bleed and my daddy never said so.”

Changling looked at her finger and noticed the scar. Rubbing it, he said, “I guess your daddy wanted a different life for you.”

“A different life?” She questioned. 

He smiled as he brushed the loose hairs behind her ears, saying, “But you are my child too and if I must be the emperor, then do my offspring not deserve as much as I can give them? I’ll be here by your side and so will your brother be to help you when you need us and you need to take your place as Hwang Tian Cao and Hwang Tian Shi’s older sister.”

“Hwang Tian Cao, Hwang Tian Shi?” She repeated. 

He nodded his head, “Mn, they are your siblings.”

“But my daddy only has me,” she said, confused. She knew that her father wanted another child, but never could have one. 

Shaking his head with a sigh, he said, “Yes, I’m married to two others.”

Xing Guang frowned. She didn’t know what he was talking about. 

Standing up, he rubbed her back, saying, “Come now, let’s introduce you to the family.”

He pushed the doors open and everyone became silent. 

Ae Cha stood up when she saw them, the smile on her face was wide until they walked in and the person she wanted to see wasn’t there. As everyone stood up who was lower in status to the heir apparent, she mumbled, “Where is he?”