The moment he laid eyes on Ye An, Xi Chen bowed curtly. "Your Imperial Majesty."
Ye An noticed that he was only wearing a thin inner robe and quickly averted her eyes. But not before noting the way Xi Chen was hugging himself which made her turned back towards him in concern, "How long have you been here? Aren't you cold?"
"No, not really. I've only been here for a while." Xi Chen answered a little too quickly for it to be the truth.
That brought a good-natured laugh out of Ye An. "I can see through that lie, Lieutenant Yun." Ye An could also see Xi Chen's reddening ears through the shadows of the moonless night. Before she even knew about, a warm feeling that contrasted the chilly night breeze had enveloped her heart.
"I saw you leave towards the garden and followed without thinking. But I didn't want to interrupt, so I stayed out here." Xi Chen admitted, slightly embarrassed at himself and changed the subject. "What you played just now was beautiful."
"Is it? It's just something that I came up with." Ye An replied blasély.
"Your Imperial Majesty, may I ask what's troubling you? Is it because of what Governess Hsu told you yesterday?"
"How did you.." Ye An looked at Xi Chen curiously. If this conversation was to happen a month ago, she would've stared daggers at the lieutenant. But not now. Ye An came to a realization that her initial inhibitions about Xi Chen were already long gone.
Xi Chen smiled gently at Ye An. "Let's just say that I have a gut feeling that you would only go to the garden when you have some troubling thoughts."
"Hmm.." Ye An mumbled with her eyes downcast.
Xi Chen lowered his stance to have a better look at her. "Your Imperial Majesty, I trust you. I trust that whatever you do, you will end up making the best decision for yourself. But that aside, do you want to hear about it from an outsider?"
Even though her decision was already made, Ye An was curious about what the lieutenant thought of her situation. She lifted her head up to look at Xi Chen. "Go ahead."
"Governess Hsu might have kept it away from you because she knew that you'll react this way, mulling over it incessantly. But Your Imperial Majesty, no matter who your father is, you are still who you are. Nothing's changed. That is also probably another reason why she decided not to tell you. Because it probably doesn't matter to her if you are Emperor Lee Hwi's daughter or Lee Han's daughter, you are still the same Lee Ye An who's adored and loved by the Empress." It was the first time Ye An heard the lieutenant call her name and it surprised her how much she liked the way her name rolled off smoothly from Xi Chen's mouth.
Realizing that he had accidentally called the emperor's name, Xi Chen's eyes widened as he straightened and apologized. "Forgive me for calling your name, Your Imperial Majesty."
"It's fine. I don't really object to being called by my name if it's not used in a scathing or condescending manner. And besides, I trust that you are not the type of person to step out of line and start a rebellion just because you started calling me by my name." Ye An let out a small laugh before continuing. "But if I allow you to call me by my name, I'd like to be able to call you by yours."
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THE NIGHT EMPEROR: 夜安王 【The Night Emperor Book 1】| ✔️
Historical Fiction☑ COMPLETED "There are enough bad things in life, hold on to whatever it is that gives you joy." For the past 22 years, the Empress Mother has held onto the Dragon Throne that was rightfully Ye An's. Now, Ye An has finally ascended to the throne. Bu...
