Chapter 7

The day I entered the palace, my parents both cried.

I cried along with them.

When the emperor arrived, I was still sniffling.

He walked up to me and asked in a calm voice, “Are you so afraid to be my Consort Chun?”

With red eyes, I looked up at him. He was different from last time, wearing a bright yellow robe today, which made his face look even more like the jade stone my father keeps in his study.

“Emperor, I’m hungry,” I replied between sobs.

It was true.

I had been busy since morning and only ate two pieces of pastry all day.

The emperor hadn’t expected I was crying because of this. He paused, then let out a soft laugh.

He looked especially handsome when he smiled, and his laughter sounded pleasant.

“Go find something to eat,” he said, glancing down at me, then added with a smile, “Make sure it’s sweet.”

The steward at the door hurriedly answered and rushed off.

Soon after, several plates of pastries were brought in.

My eyes lit up at the sight.

The emperor sat down beside me and watched as I ate several pieces before asking, “You’re not afraid of me?”

I shook my head, chewing on a pastry.

He didn’t smell bad; beneath the strong bitterness, there was a faint fragrance.

It was very pleasant.

“But everyone else is afraid of me,” he said with a smile.

I swallowed my food. “That’s definitely because they’re bad people.”

As I said this, the bitterness from him drifted into my nose, making me wrinkle my brow slightly.

Maybe those people were afraid of him because he was too bitter.

“Emperor, you should eat too.” I held the sweetest sugar cake to his lips, smiling as I coaxed him, “This one’s the sweetest.”

He lowered his eyes to look at the sugar cake, and it seemed as if a glimmer flashed through his dark eyes. After a moment, he parted his lips and took a gentle bite.

Not far away, Steward Li widened his eyes at the sight.

I waited for the emperor to swallow, then asked proudly, “Is it sweet?”

His beautiful thin lips curved. “Sweet.”

I quickly stuffed the rest into his mouth and took the chance to lean closer and take a deep breath.

The bitterness seemed to fade a little.

But only a little; no matter how much I fed him after that, it didn’t change anymore.

Finally, he sighed, looked at the pastries I’d given him, and said helplessly, “Shen Lan.”

I froze. “Ah?”

“If you can’t finish, just throw them away. You don’t have to stuff them all into my stomach.” As he spoke, he glanced coldly at Steward Li. “Take them away.”

But I still wasn’t full.

While Steward Li stepped forward, I quickly grabbed two pieces and stuffed them into my mouth.

The emperor looked at my bulging cheeks and, amused, reached out to gently pinch them.

“At home, did Lord Shen starve you?”

No!

But my mouth was too full to say a word in protest.

All I could smell was the bitterness from the emperor, which faded a little more.