Chapter 2

His Majesty the emperor did not blame me, nor did he blame Father.

What those people said was not true.

He is not a bad person.

But he is not a good person either.

I cannot smell any foul odor on him, nor can I smell any fragrance.

It’s very strange.

But Father wouldn’t let me sniff anymore. After stuffing my arms full of sugar cake, he told Mother to take me to stroll in the garden.

The garden in the imperial palace is much bigger than the one at home.

Besides many flowers I’ve never seen before, there are also many rockeries.

Perfect for playing hide-and-seek.

While Mother chatted with the ladies, I hugged my sugar cake and slipped into the rockery.

I don’t know if I’m too good at hide-and-seek, or if Mother is too clumsy, but she couldn’t find me for a long time.

Instead, I ran into His Majesty the emperor.

He was standing behind a rockery, the cool moonlight falling on him.

It made him look even more handsome.

I thought, if the immortal from the storybooks who lives on the moon were a man, he would probably look like this.

At that moment, a delicate young woman was standing opposite him, her voice trembling as she said, “Whatever Your Majesty desires, I am willing to give.”

“Oh? What do I want?” His Majesty the emperor chuckled.

The woman replied, “If Your Majesty is willing to make me empress, the Li clan will naturally put Your Majesty first in all things.”

They spoke for a long time, but I couldn’t hear clearly.

Nor could I really understand.

After the woman turned and left, His Majesty the emperor suddenly turned and looked at me.

He is smarter than Mother; he found me right away.

“Your Majesty the emperor, how did you know I was hiding here?” I jumped out from behind the rockery, tilting my head and smiling at him.

His handsome brows furrowed slightly as he walked toward me.

When he got closer, I finally smelled the scent on him.

It wasn’t a foul odor.

Nor was it a fragrance.

It was a faint bitterness.

Just like the most bitter medicine the doctor prescribed for me last time I was sick.