The lamp post had already gone out.

Between the bed curtains it was dim, one could not see one’s own fingers when reaching out.

In the silent night, even the slightest movement would produce a particularly loud sound.

Lin Yuanjin kept her lips tightly sealed, hands placed before her, legs drawn up, shrinking stiffly at the inner side of the bed, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The tent allowed the wind through, the bed had already been tidied by the maids and fumigated with incense, long since devoid of the previous shy, awkward scent, but… it was not only her scent.

A suffocating feeling spread to the top of her head, Lin Yuanjin only hoped she would never have to breathe again.

Holding the same posture for too long, her shoulders had already gone numb, her neck was somewhat sore and swollen, but turning over would inevitably make noise.

In her life, Lin Yuanjin had never been this nervous, as if she did not even know what had happened yet felt as though she had done something wrong, caught in a dilemma.

But it seemed she had not done anything wrong, was the fault not the feudal imperial power, headed by the Crown Prince and Empress, that arranged marriages and relied on strength to bully others…?

Lin Yuanjin’s thoughts wandered here and there, her mind in complete chaos.

Behind her was the faint breathing of the young man, likewise motionless.

The two lay back to back, silently pretending to be asleep.

In truth, neither had fallen asleep, nor could they.

But neither dared to easily break this dead silence.

Those whose hearts are clear and consciences unburdened can draw a line even when sharing a bed, distinguishing you from me.

Unfortunately, even if it had been in a moment of urgency, with no other choice, having just gone through that scene that was too far over the line for them, neither could claim to be entirely without guilt.

As long as there had been a moment of indulgence, breaking free from the shackles of reason, one could no longer be considered innocent.

Cui Yiyu silently opened his eyes, in his dark pupils there was not a trace of sleepiness, only quietly gazing at the screen not far away, clearly aware that even if he concealed the truth from the Crown Prince and even the Empress afterward… his relationship with the Crown Princess would never return to what it once was.

After that release just now, he only felt his body enter a strange, prolonged emptiness, without surging restlessness, only endless calm.

Yet in Cui Yiyu’s mind, those lingering, ambiguous fragments replayed over and over, forcing him to face an irreversible reality.

His desire, his baseness, had been stripped open by himself, torn to flesh, and then laid bare before Lin Yuanjin.

When his mind had heated and cast off the restraints of benevolence, wisdom, propriety, and righteousness, the body driven by desire and the instinct to reproduce was no different from a beast of the wild.

Or rather, as a trained shadow guard, Cui Yiyu possessed even greater strength and methods.

Lin Yuanjin might not know, but Cui Yiyu knew that in the heat of passion he had silently crossed the line, and aside from the places that might be seen by the nanny, he had also left marks that should never have been left.

He could not distinguish the boundary between reality and illusion, subconsciously recreating the decadent dream he had once fantasized about.

…It was terrible.

Disgust toward himself surfaced in Cui Yiyu’s eyes.

Even now, he would still be distracted by the slight movements of the girl behind him, thinking about things he, as a shadow guard, should not concern himself with.

Everything, every single thing, was coldly reminding him that he was no longer a competent tool, nor the former substitute who had no desires and no demands.

A faint rustling sound suddenly came from beside his ear.

Cui Yiyu tilted his head slightly, and saw Lin Yuanjin carefully rubbing her stiff neck, quietly trying to turn over, yet the moment she turned her head, her gaze met his.

“……”

Their eyes met abruptly, then each quickly looked away, as if afraid that sparks would burst forth and stir up those strange recollections again.

After averting their gazes, they felt it was too deliberate, making it even more awkward.

Silence spread, like chains winding around their necks, making them truly feel what suffocation was.

Lin Yuanjin steadied herself, completely turned over, facing Cui Yiyu, and said in a breath-like whisper as if nothing had happened, “You’re not asleep either.”

…Was that really how she should say it?

Even in the darkness, Lin Yuanjin felt her vision go black; she had never thought that someone who had never struggled with conversation could say something like that.

The air was so cold.

Embarrassing enough to die.

A stiff neck was just a stiff neck, she should not have turned over.

Yet Cui Yiyu, long accustomed to dwelling in darkness, had excellent night vision, and still noticed the unease, the shy vulnerability in her eyes, as if if he did not speak, she would bury herself in the blanket and suffocate.

He quietly looked at Lin Yuanjin. After a while, just as she awkwardly intertwined her fingers and clenched them, he turned over, moved slightly closer, and responded, “Mm.”

The boy’s voice was low and hoarse, clearly having just gone through intimacy, not yet completely withdrawn from it, even his breathing carrying a tone different from usual.

Seeing him move closer and respond, although Lin Yuanjin was still nervous, it felt much better than the previous stagnation.

Perhaps because they had just experienced something unusually ambiguous, when Lin Yuanjin looked at Cui Yiyu now, everything about him felt different—seeing his lips made her think of kissing, seeing his fingers made her think of the damp warmth of his touch.

Lin Yuanjin was not completely ignorant about matters of the bed, but it could only be said to be theoretical knowledge in biology; compared to the collision of hormones between young men and women face to face, she was more familiar with the rules of genetic inheritance.

Now that she had tasted it for the first time, even if it was only a kiss, it made her face flush red.

Not to mention that the two of them were now sharing the same bed, with no way to avoid each other.

Lin Yuanjin bent her knees slightly, recalling the sounds he made by her ear just now when moved by emotion, suppressing the heat in her ears, and pulled at the blanket, trying to shield her discomfort.

But Nanny Zhang had her own arrangements in mind, and had only prepared one quilt for the “harmonious” Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

Lin Yuanjin felt that tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

Cui Yiyu raised his hand, his sleeve sliding down along his snow-white wrist, his fingers lifting the edge of the blanket that blocked his view. He leaned slightly forward, looking directly into Lin Yuanjin’s eyes at close range.

Lin Yuanjin suddenly felt the young man’s presence; her back straightened instinctively, and for a moment she could not look away, only staring at him blankly.

The two were extremely close, yet even their collars had not touched.

“Have you thought…” Lin Yuanjin spoke awkwardly, looking at him carefully, “about what to do afterward?”

Her words held more than one meaning.

First, the autumn hunt would not last just one day.

If they only acted on the day the emperor bestowed the deer blood, it might arouse suspicion again, as though it were merely putting on a show to cater to the emperor’s will.

Second, she wanted to ask… after acting out this scene, what exactly did Cui Yiyu think?

Rejection? Shame? Or indifference?

Lin Yuanjin cared, and so she tossed and turned, even though her body was exhausted, she felt no sleepiness at all.

Cui Yiyu looked at Lin Yuanjin, glancing sideways to see that her ear seemed faintly flushed, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and after a moment of thought, he said, “The act still has to continue.”

Though it was a discussion of a secret matter, whispering between the bed curtains was different; the breath-soft voice brushed past the ear like silk, carrying an unusual warmth.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess would not indulge in pleasure every day, but the legitimate eldest grandson the emperor wanted was not something that could be dealt with perfunctorily in a single night.

Lin Yuanjin wanted to get an answer from him, but was it not the same for him?

Yet after careful observation, Cui Yiyu did not detect even the slightest trace of rejection in Lin Yuanjin’s expression, as if the offense he had committed in the name of acting meant nothing much to her.

Or rather, even after such abruptness from him, Lin Yuanjin still did not dislike him.

Cui Yiyu slowly curled his fingers, the stone that had unknowingly been hanging in his heart finally dropped, the heavy echo shaking him into unrest. He only spoke in a calm voice, “I… when I reported to the Crown Prince back then, I said that when I rescued you beneath the cliff, you were severely injured, your consciousness blurred, you did not recognize me, nor did you speak with me.”

When he said this, there was unexpectedly a strange sense of resignation in his heart.

Perhaps when one’s debts are too many, one no longer feels the burden; he had already deceived the Crown Prince at that time, so it seemed it made little difference to do so again now.

One wrong step, and every step after is wrong, without end.

His loyalty had long since been flawed.

Lin Yuanjin realized that Cui Yiyu was trying to reassure her. The two of them were now in the same boat; since he had already concealed it once, this time too he would not make a mistake that would implicate her.

“I know.” Lin Yuanjin reached out and took hold of Cui Yiyu’s hand. She felt him tremble slightly, yet he did not pull away. Her brows and eyes curved with a smile, yet warmth slipped down from the corner of her eyes, dripping onto his fingertips. “I trust you.”

More than anyone.

“Don’t cry.” Cui Yiyu tried to soften his voice. A tool that had never comforted anyone before now showed a trace of awkward confusion within its inexperience. “It’s alright.”

“As long as you are still alive, everything can be planned.”

“Mm, thank you.” Lin Yuanjin reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head at his neck, letting his scent envelop her, like a silent cry for help.

What felt sharp to others instead made her feel even more at ease.

This night was a forced performance, and also a tenderness that should not have belonged to Lin Yuanjin.

If she were not the Crown Princess, or if he were the Crown Prince, it would be better.

Cui Yiyu’s hands paused awkwardly, then settled on her shoulders. His usually indifferent brows and eyes softened, for the first time genuine, rather than the false gentleness he showed when impersonating the Crown Prince.

The girl in his arms was warm, as if she could become an organ embedded within his chest.

The sound of her heartbeat passed through their clothes, reaching his heart.

Thump, thump.

One after another, like the tolling of a bell.

Cui Yiyu parted his lips, yet not a single word came out. His lashes fell like heavy shadows over his pupils, blurring his vision.

As emotions stirred and the heart inclined, he could no longer muster even the slightest thought of withdrawing and keeping distance. He clearly realized that, purely from himself, from the depths of his heart, there arose a desire… one that he would fulfill even if this body were to perish.

In the boy’s eyes, once so clean to the point of emptiness, was now reflected the figure of the person in his arms.

There was no one else but her.

“His Majesty is now keen on using the Crown Prince and Crown Princess to satisfy what he cannot obtain, and he favors you greatly,” Cui Yiyu said very softly. “Within the hunting grounds, we will follow his will and continue the act.”

A strange hue tinged spread through his dark eyes; a man once without desire or demand, after repeated hesitation, had finally come to recognize himself. Even the slight upward curve at the corner of his eyes when he faintly smiled appeared especially vivid.

Now, what mattered was no longer what the Crown Prince truly was like, but what the emperor wished him to be.

If the Crown Prince trampled the Crown Princess, it would be “this son is unworthy of me”; if the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were deeply affectionate, it would be deemed winning the emperor’s favor.

Cui Yiyu slowly lowered his gaze, a resolute sharpness surfacing in the depths of his eyes.

No matter what his future would be, as long as Lin Yuanjin remained under the emperor’s protection, she could live steadily as the Crown Princess.

As long as he was still alive, he would not allow any mistake to occur.