Chapter 22

The Lord suddenly stood up.

His movement was so abrupt that he nearly knocked over the chair by the couch.

I called out, “My Lord?”

No response.

Is the Lord hard of hearing too?

I called again, “Third Prince?”

He did not turn around, only stood with his back to me and called, “Ah Yu.”

The Lord rarely calls me by my name. It took me a moment to react before I replied, “Yes.”

“Let me ask you one more time,” his tone was calm, but the end of his words trembled subtly, “do you really like him?”

I said, “Yes.”

I hesitated, then continued, “I have failed your expectations, failed all the years of your guidance. I am fearful. I am willing to die to atone for my crime.”

Before I finished speaking, the Lord suddenly turned around, tears still wet on his face.

“Are you stupid?! I went through so much trouble to bring you back! Was it just to let you die?!”

Instinctively, I was about to apologize again, “I’m sor-”

“Shut up!”

I shut my mouth.

Silently, I thought: Thank goodness, he’s still the same familiar Lord.

That night, the Lord told me to get out and go to the Pei Family.

He said seeing me annoyed him.

He said, “Ruiwang Mansion doesn’t keep idle people. If you’re not going to be a Shadow Guard, then get out early.”

I asked, “Don’t I need to gather information for you anymore?”

“No.”

“Not even run errands for you?”

“No.”

“Not even…”

“Are you done? I told you to leave,” the Lord interrupted me, “I don’t need such a useless Shadow Guard.”

He paused, his tone even harsher.

“From now on, do whatever you want. You don’t need to do anything for me anymore.”

I thought for a moment, then knelt down one last time before him, bowed my head to the floor, and replied, “Yes.”

He said nothing, just turned his back to me and read, as if he was very busy.

I decided not to disturb him any further.

I left the Lord’s study, and suddenly felt a chill on the tip of my nose.

Looking up, I saw that it had started to snow lightly.

Yaoguang rarely sees snowfall, so I stopped and watched from under the corridor for a while.

This would probably be my last time enjoying the snow here.

Such a light snow, no need for an umbrella.

I stepped down the stairs and walked into the snow.

Suddenly, the Lord’s voice called out from behind me.

“Yu Sui! Wait!”

I turned around, only to see the Lord striding into the snow, a faint red mist in his eyes.

His lips moved, saying something.

I didn’t catch it again.

I pressed my ear, and sincerely said, “My Lord, I didn’t hear you clearly. Could you say it again?”

The Lord looked at me, his eyes growing wetter and redder, like maple leaves by the water in autumn.

After a moment, he suddenly smiled.

“You… did you really not hear, or are you pretending not to?”

I felt a little wronged, “I really didn’t hear… Could you say it one more time?”

He let out a long breath.

“Forget it.”

Snow fell gently on our heads, and the Lord, for once, smiled with his eyes.

He reached out, as if to brush the snow from my hair, but stopped halfway, quietly withdrawing his hand.

The Lord said, “Take care.”