After the Affectionate Second Male Lead Reincarnated

10

After sending off my brother, Pei Du sent a messenger saying he would dine with me tonight.

When Pei Du arrived that evening, he brought a sachet with him.

I recognized this sachet as one that Song Yan Yu had given me before.

"Why is Your Majesty carrying Yan Yu's sachet?"

"This was left by the person who brought me down the mountain back then."

Pei Du threw the sachet in front of me.

"Why did you lie to me?"

Memories surged into my mind.

After descending the mountain and coincidentally encountering Song Yan Yu leading troops, I had left Pei Du by the roadside...

No wonder he mistook the person who saved him.

"I already explained, I lied to my brother about playing in the snow." I couldn't understand why Pei Du was still fixated on this.

"My brother didn't intend to deceive Your Majesty. I also said that if a punishment is needed, it should fall on me."

Pei Du, very angry, grabbed my hand tightly.

"Do you really take me for a fool? I asked Yan Yu. You two exchanged sachets that year."

I froze. It was true that Song Yan Yu and I exchanged sachets that year.

In the novel, before marrying Xiao Yan, Song Yan Yu was a female general.

During that year, she was bitten by a poisonous snake while on duty, and I had placed a repellent sachet in the one I exchanged with her.

"Your Majesty already knows my identity and background. I went to the mountain to save Yan Yu and just happened to run into you."

I couldn't understand why Pei Du was questioning me.

"You never mentioned this to me before. Even now, you won't admit it. Why?"

The pressure on my wrist increased, and I looked up to meet Pei Du's obsessive gaze.

I sneered: "Because I found it unnecessary and meaningless now. Would confessing this change Your Majesty's mind? I know my place and won't humiliate myself repeatedly."

I tried to pry his fingers off my wrist, but it was futile.

"That’s not what I meant," Pei Du said helplessly. "I just wanted to ask..."

He stopped, perhaps realizing why I didn't want to talk about it.

"Forget it, I understand now."

Pei Du released my hand and sat down to start eating.

I rubbed my reddened wrist and silently looked away.

"Is tonight's meal prepared by the imperial kitchen?"

Pei Du asked after taking a single bite, as if trying to break the silence.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Lately, the affairs in the harem have kept me busy, so the recent meals have been prepared by the imperial kitchen."

"Compared to your cooking, it falls quite short," Pei Du said, though I couldn't tell if he was sincere or trying to flatter me.

"I learned my cooking skills from the imperial kitchen as well. There's no difference in taste."

"Empress, you haven't referred to yourself as 'chen qie' [1] in front of me for a long time." Pei Du put down his chopsticks and looked at me.

I hadn't even noticed my own behavior until he mentioned it.

"Is Your Majesty here to accuse me of a crime? If you want to punish me, just find any excuse. There's no need for this."

"I never intended to punish you. I just want things to be like they were before. Empress, that day you asked me why I never asked your real name. It's because I thought those things weren't important. But today's events have made me want to know everything about you."

"I want to know your real name, birthdate, likes, and the place where you lived before you came here," Pei Du's tone was solemn and serious, but I no longer felt any bit of emotion in my heart.

Was his change because he knew about my act of saving his life, or... did he feel guilty for misunderstanding me before?

It didn't matter anymore because according to the instructions from the higher-ups, I only had one more scene left in my task. After the timeline mentioned in the book ended, I could leave safely.

"Your Majesty only needs an empress. As long as this body is still Jiang Luo Yu's, that is enough, isn't it?" I asked with a smile.

"Empress, I know I hurt you before, and now I just want to make amends. Do we have to live like this for the rest of our lives?"

"If Your Majesty finds my presence dull and boring, I can select some ladies from noble families..."

"Enough!" Pei Du interrupted me, "You know what I mean."

Pei Du stood up: "I know you're still angry. I'll come to see you again tomorrow."