Chapter 3

The emperor walked up to me and looked me over for a moment.

At last, he asked me in a calm voice, “You are Minister Shen’s daughter, Shen Lan?”

I nodded, still looking up at him.

Why does he taste bitter?

Before he could say anything else, I couldn’t help but ask, “Your Majesty, have you ever eaten sugar?”

He seemed surprised that I would suddenly ask him this, and was momentarily stunned.

Seeing he didn’t answer, I blinked at him again.

“Why do you ask that?” After a long while, he finally asked me.

Because he smells bitter, as if he’s never tasted sugar before.

But father said I can’t tell anyone that I can smell the scent on people.

So I took out the sugar cake from my arms and, with some pain, broke it in half for him.

“I’ll give you some sugar cake. I just had some, it’s really sweet, there must be a lot of sugar in it.”

I hope that after he eats it, he won’t be so bitter.

He looked down at the sugar cake in my hand and let out a laugh.

“Shen Lan, you really are quite bold.”

I smiled sweetly, “Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty.”

He was stunned again.

Just then, I heard mother calling my name anxiously not far away.

She must think she can’t find me and that I’m lost.

I’m not that silly.

I stuffed the sugar cake into the emperor’s arms, and heard him say coldly, “Someone once gave me sugar cake too, but she wanted me dead.”

“Huh?” I looked up sharply, meeting his eyes that were as cold as ice.

“And you?” he asked me.

I don’t know why, but he looked even colder and more bitter.

He seemed even more pitiful than the little puppy that got soaked in the yard earlier.

I tiptoed, wanting to pat his head, but he was too tall, so in the end I just gave him a gentle hug.

“I hope Your Majesty will be sweet and happy, and live a long life.”

“Lan!” Mother’s voice was getting closer and closer.

I stuck out my tongue, quickly let go of the emperor, lifted my skirt, and turned to walk back.

After a few steps, I remembered I still had something to say.

I turned back to look at the emperor, who was still standing there, and whispered, “That girl just now lied to you, don’t believe her.”

Because she smelled bad.

When people do bad things, the smell is especially strong.

After saying that, I ran off without looking back, so he wouldn’t ask me how I knew.