CHAPTER FORTY‑FOUR — SUITABLE FOR A TRYST
"It is the middle of the night," Ye Lan Jue murmured, his tone light, almost idle. "A rather fitting hour for a clandestine meeting."
Tang Ke Xin stared at him, utterly speechless.
This was the Third Prince?
The man rumoured to be cold as winter frost, aloof as a distant star, righteous, heroic, untouchable?
Nonsense.
All of it nonsense.
He was a fox—dark, calculating, and dangerously clever. A fox who hid his fangs behind a mask of indifference.
Before she could gather her thoughts, his body shifted, pressing her back against the stone of the artificial mountain. His previously unhurried aura sharpened in an instant.
Tang Ke Xin's heart froze.
A guard was approaching—returning toward the Peace Palace.
She did not move.
She did not breathe.
She became utterly still.
He was so close she could feel every subtle change in his breathing, every faint shift of muscle. And he, in turn, could feel the rapid thrum of her heartbeat.
Ye Lan Jue's gaze flickered with something unreadable.
Her vigilance was extraordinary—far too sharp for a girl who had supposedly been a fool for eighteen years.
"He is back rather quickly," Tang Ke Xin whispered once the guard had passed. Her brows drew together. His speed was suspiciously fast. What had he been doing?
"What is it?" Ye Lan Jue drawled. "You sound almost disappointed."
His voice cooled further, a faint edge of mockery threading through it.
Without warning, his arm tightened around her waist.
"Your Highness!" Tang Ke Xin gasped, startled.
What was he planning?
"Do you truly believe you can return to the Peace Palace before the guards complete their rotation?" he asked, his tone deceptively mild. But his eyes—dark and cold in the shadows—held a far more serious warning.
Tang Ke Xin understood at once.
With her speed, she would never reach her chambers before the guards resumed their positions. If she were caught wandering the palace alone at this hour…
The consequences would be catastrophic.
In such a moment, propriety between man and woman was a luxury she could not afford. She had already collided with him, clung to him, even—accidentally—kissed him. If she now refused his help, it would only draw suspicion.
But his sudden willingness to assist her was unsettling.
Deeply unsettling.
After everything that had happened tonight, she no longer trusted his intentions. Every gesture cast a shadow across her thoughts.
Yet Ye Lan Jue said nothing further. He simply lifted her—swiftly, effortlessly—and carried her away from the rock garden.
His speed was astonishing.
Now she understood why he always appeared like a ghost—silent, sudden, impossible to detect.
Before she could fully comprehend what was happening, he had already deposited her inside her room.
The guard had not yet returned.
He had brought her back just in time.
Tang Ke Xin blinked.
How did he know where she lived?
She had no time to ponder the question.
From the chamber next door came unmistakable sounds—breathless, fervent, impossible to ignore.
Tang Ke Xin froze.
The Emperor… again?
How many times had it been tonight?
With so many women in the harem, it was a miracle he remained alive, let alone vigorous.
But the Emperor and Empress were true husband and wife. Married young. The Empress was barely in her mid‑thirties, the Emperor not yet forty. It was natural.
And it proved how deeply the Emperor favoured her.
A good thing for the Empress—
but a terrible thing for Tang Ke Xin at this precise moment.
Because Ye Lan Jue had not yet released her.
He still held her firmly in his arms.
And with his keen hearing, he could certainly hear the sounds next door even more clearly than she could.
For a fleeting moment, Tang Ke Xin felt his body stiffen—tense, rigid.
She swallowed hard, trying to calm herself.
But the noises grew louder, more insistent.
And here she was—alone in the dark with the Third Prince, pressed against him, his arm around her waist.
A man and a woman.
In the middle of the night.
With that happening next door.
Tang Ke Xin, stop it! What are you thinking?
"Thank you, Your Highness, for escorting me back," she whispered, attempting to wriggle free.
Truly, he had helped her. Without him, she would never have returned before the guards. And if she had continued following Zhan Yu, she might have found nothing—or worse, walked into danger.
He had saved her from being discovered.
If only the circumstances were not so… compromising.
"What is it? Are you frightened?" Ye Lan Jue asked softly.
He did not release her. His grip tightened.
"This king believes you are far too bold."
In the darkness, his eyes gleamed with something she could not decipher—part curiosity, part danger, part something else entirely.
Tang Ke Xin's heart skipped a beat.
"Your Highness… it is truly improper for us to be alone like this. If someone were to see, my reputation would be ruined."
"Reputation?"
He gave a cold, quiet laugh. "Now you remember your reputation?"
His arm tightened further.
"You wish to discuss reputation with this king? Is it not far too late for that?"
His voice deepened, carrying an emotion she could not name.
And then—
his other hand lifted.
The angle of his movement—
Tang Ke Xin's breath caught.
What… what was he planning to do in the middle of the night?
And what did he mean by "too late"?