Shu Mingye froze. The words hit harder than expected. He didn't even know why.
Right. He had been planning to send her back soon anyway. That was the smart thing to do. The logical move. Keep her away from the chaos, the danger, the endless blood-soaked mess that was his world. She didn't belong here. Still… did she have to sound so casual about it?
He looked at her in silence, a rare heaviness pressing down on him. He would have to let her go eventually. That much he knew. But for some reason, he wished that she would stay longer. That she would keep sitting here, drinking tea, stabbing holes in his pride with her calm, merciless words. Luckily, before he could sink too far into that dangerously warm thought, salvation came in the form of chaos.
The door creaked open, and Song Meiyu burst in. Her eyes widened when she spotted Shu Mingye sitting there, but the surprise vanished instantly when she noticed the food on the table. Her face lit up.
Behind her, Shen Zhenyu stepped in with quiet, measured steps, his gaze steady on Shu Mingye. He Yuying followed, hands full of snacks he clearly hadn't stopped eating since dawn. His usual sleepy look cracked for just a second into something close to excitement that he tried and failed to hide.
Song Meiyu bounced over eagerly. "What is this? Is this for us?"
Linyue smiled softly. "Yes. Let's eat."
Without missing a beat, Song Meiyu plopped down and dug into her pouch. She pulled out what looked like steel chopsticks—shiny and serious—and started handing them out to everyone except Shu Mingye.
He raised an eyebrow and looked at the chopsticks suspiciously. Were they about to start some kind of secret chopstick ritual? Did they each have their own special custom chopsticks now?
Song Meiyu glanced at him, a little unsure. "Uh... then we will eat," she said awkwardly, clearly pretending that the King of Shulin wasn't now the only one chopstick-less at his own breakfast.
Shu Mingye just nodded, deciding not to argue with chopstick politics.
Linyue, glowing with happiness, picked up a pie first and took a bite. And instantly, the world got just a little better. The pie was warm, the crust crisp on the outside but soft inside like it couldn't decide what texture it wanted to be, so it became both. The sweetness was perfect. Not too much. Just enough to dance politely on her tongue. She didn't even like sweet things. But pie? Pie was the one and only exception. Pie was life. Well, pie and naps. Naps were also life.
She nodded to herself, eyes half closed in bliss, as if she was silently declaring the pie worthy of all her love and loyalty.
Shu Mingye sat still, his plate untouched. He was not eating. He was simply watching her.
Was she really that happy? She kept smiling and nodding like one of those little bobble-head dolls merchants sold in the market. He could not explain why, but the sight of her like that made something warm spread quietly in his chest. A dangerous warmth, quiet and persistent. The kind of warmth that had no place inside someone like him. And yet he could not look away. She looked… unbearably cute like that.
Linyue suddenly slowed, her chopsticks hovering in midair. His stare was heavy. She noticed his plate, still untouched. Her eyes narrowed.
Why had he not taken a single bite? Was he waiting for her to drop dead? Was this part of the poison plan?
Step one: serve an excellent breakfast.
Step two: watch the victim enjoy it.
Step three: Take mental notes as they dramatically collapse onto the table.
She squinted at him. Suspicion level: rising.
No. It should be fine. They had prepared for this. After discovering the guard sent by Princess Han, everyone had been on guard. Cautious. Paranoid in a very organized way. The chopsticks weren't just shiny for decoration. The silver chopsticks, once poison touched them, they'd turn black.
Unless... unless it was untraceable poison. Which, thankfully, even Master Yin Xue hadn't figured out how to make yet.
Linyue shrugged, unconcerned. If she was going to die, at least she'd die eating pie. A noble death. She took another bite, slower this time, savoring the warm flaky crust and the perfectly balanced filling. Then she tasted everything on the table, just a bite or two of each dish, then she set her chopsticks down, her expression thoughtful and oddly satisfied.
Conclusion: no poison. Probably.
Shu Mingye noticed her stop and frowned. "Why don't you eat more?"
Linyue tilted her head, calm and cheerful. "That's more than enough." She even added a polite smile. "Thank you for the food. It was really delicious."
Hearing her praise, Shu Mingye's stern face softened with a smile. "Do you want something for lunch? Or dinner?"
Linyue froze. Lunch? Dinner? He was going to prepare those too? What was this? A royal meal plan subscription?
She stared at him. Something was suspicious. Come to think of it... hadn't he been smiling and laughing more like lunatic lately? Like someone slowly slipping into madness. Was he okay? Did he hit his head?
Shen Zhenyu, quiet until now, narrowed his eyes. Shu Mingye was acting strange. Too kind. Too soft. Too… pleasant. He watched the way Shu Mingye looked at Linyue—not cold, not calculating like before. No, there was something new in his eyes. Something dangerous.
Without missing a beat, he interrupted, his voice calm but firm. "No need. We already have plans after this."
Song Meiyu and He Yuying, who had been sneakily eyeing the leftover food, looked deeply disappointed. Their shoulders slumped in perfect unison. But they nodded anyway.
Suddenly, the door slammed open so hard it rattled on its hinges.
Prince Lu stormed in, his hair slightly messy. "You were having a feast without me?" he cried dramatically, then turned to Shu Mingye with a deeply offended look. "You didn't even give me a drop of water until now, but you prepare this for them?"
Shu Mingye didn't even bother to answer. He just scoffed, the sound sharp and cold. The peaceful morning shattered instantly. His face darkened, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
Linyue saw that dangerous look flicker across his face and immediately stood up. "We're done. Let's go."
Prince Lu wailed. "I haven't even eaten anything!"
"You don't have to," Linyue replied, voice flat.
"Why are you so cruel??" he wailed, looking genuinely betrayed.
"I've always been like this," she said with a serious face.
Shu Mingye watched the exchange between the two with growing irritation. His brow twitched. His lips pressed into a hard, thin line. He was on the edge of his patience, one sarcastic comment away from grabbing Prince Lu by the collar and throwing him out the nearest window, preferably without opening it first.
Linyue caught that look from the corner of her eye. Yep. He looked like he was ready to commit a murder. Did he develop a sudden allergy to Prince Lu's voice or something?
She didn't want to find out. "Let's go, let's go," she said quickly, ushering the others out before something exploded or someone got stabbed with a chopstick.
They left in a hurry. A few crumbs even tumbled from He Yuying's sleeves as he shuffled out.
Shu Mingye was left alone in the quiet room, still staring at the empty plates. He sighed.
That prince. That bold, loud, infuriating prince. He irritated him far more than he should. And Linyue… stormed off like usual. No goodbye. No glance back. Just gone. He ran a hand down his face and pushed back his chair. Fine. He'd leave too, maybe go train, maybe go set something on fire to calm down. But then he heard quick, light footsteps. Someone was running. The sound grew louder, closer, until—
Linyue appeared at the doorway, slightly out of breath, her hair bouncing lightly behind her. She came back?
Shu Mingye blinked. His chest lightened. A smile tugged at his lips without him even noticing. Even just seeing her there. Her flushed cheeks, her loose strands of hair, her steady gaze, it made something inside him ease. Why did she come running back like that? Did she forget something? Did she want to say something important?
His heart did that annoying thump thing again.
Linyue stopped in front of him, her face calm and unreadable as always. "I forgot to tell you something."
Ah. So she had come back to say goodbye properly. A faint smile tugged at his lips. Progress, he thought. She's finally—
"Did you already ask someone to clean the courtyard? The previous one."
…Courtyard?
Shu Mingye blinked again. His smile froze, then slowly crumbled. That was why she came running back?
"Why?" he asked dryly. "Did you leave something there?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
Shu Mingye's breath caught. His entire body went stiff as she leaned in slightly, her calm eyes fixed on his. Then she rose on her toes.
His brain immediately short-circuited.
What… what was happening?
She was leaning in. Close. Really close. Her face tilted toward his. Her breath brushed against his cheek. Was she… was she trying to kiss him?! A goodbye kiss maybe?! Was this some rare eastern custom he had never heard of? Was the whole courtyard excuse just a clever ploy so she could come back and do this?!