About ten minutes slipped by; Serenemoon still didn’t let go, bliss glowing on her face like soft dawn, and heat crept up my cheeks.
Seeing that, Lingxiao sighed to Lixue, Hill, and Celia Maya, her tone like a light drizzle, “Looks like Serenemoon won’t let go of dear big brother anytime soon. Let’s go tidy and set up the rooms first.”
“Mm, seems that way.” Lixue glanced at us tangled like ivy, and nodded with a knowing smile.
“Eh, eh? The little one wants a cuddle with the boss too~” Hill’s voice bounced like a sparrow.
“Hill, be good. Don’t interrupt Mizumi and his sister’s ‘affection.’” Celia Maya laughed, scooped Hill up like a fluff of cloud, nodded to me, and followed the sisters toward the living quarters.
Soon, it was just Serenemoon and me; the courtyard turned still as a pond, the wind brushing past like silk threads.
Awkwardness pricked like pine needles, so I cupped her soft, beautiful cheeks with both hands. “Serenemoon, how long are you going to keep hugging me? It’s been over ten minutes.”
“A little longer~ Also, short-haired Emperor looks so sharp—your big sister’s totally entranced!” Her fingers combed my hair like a breeze through bamboo, her smile sweet as spring.
…
Her praise set my ears burning; I scrambled for a topic. “Speaking of which, after Qianji Sister and Littlesky left for the outside, how’s your daily life been, Serenemoon?”
That was what gnawed at me most; leaving Serenemoon alone at home felt like abandoning a lantern to a quiet night.
“Same lazy, leisurely days as before,” she said, voice warm as tea. “I take Leihua and the others to travel across the Central Continent now and then—pretty fulfilling. But you, Emperor—when we heard you were injured, Mother and I were worried sick. You’re fine, right?”
Her look turned anxious in a blink, like clouds gathering before rain, and guilt tapped my chest.
“Sorry for worrying you. I’m fully healed—better than ever,” I whispered at her ear as I let go of her cheeks and pulled her into a gentle hug.
“That’s good. Is the outside really that chaotic? Even forces hostile to our clan showed up?” She raised her head slightly, voice tight as a drawn bowstring. Her sweet breath brushed my face like honeyed wind—and wait, this distance was close enough to spark a kiss. The air thickened, twilight warm.
“Uh… Serenemoon, aren’t we a bit too close?” My skin flushed like a warming kettle, and her lovely face blossomed with a rosy sheen, vivid and dangerous.
Our breaths and heartbeats overlapped, drums and waves in a tight space.
“…A little.”
“…”
Silence pooled like ink; the moment felt awkward and hot.
“…We shouldn’t let Lingxiao and the others wait too long.” After lingering a few more minutes in that hazy pose, Serenemoon finally drew away from me, shy as a startled deer.
“Yeah, we shouldn’t keep them waiting.” I exhaled, stood, and stretched; my mood smoothed out like a lake after wind.
“Eh? Emperor, you’re taller than your sister now. Before you left, we were about the same height.” She leaned close again, comparing our heights with a palm like measuring bamboo.
“You’re right. I remember you being a little taller than me.” Now I was half a head above her, like a sapling grown into shade.
She wore a pink-white silk lace nightdress, moon-pale legs long and bare, feet in cute pink plush slippers—clearly fresh from bed, dew still on the morning.
“Emperor just keeps getting more mature and handsome.” She hooked her arm through mine, smiling at my face like a blossom opening.
“You flatter me, Serenemoon.” Thoughts of the outside rolled through me like migrating geese; two, three years had flown by without me noticing.
“I’m just being honest. I do miss your old, smooth long hair, but now you’re even more handsome—my heart keeps racing.” Her hold tightened, and my arm sank into soft warmth; alarm bells chimed, even if it felt… very comfortable.
“Ahaha…” I could only give a dry laugh. “Um, you’re hugging too tight for walking. Serenemoon, could you loosen up a little?”
“No way. You finally came back; your big sister has to hug you enough!” She puffed her cheeks like a dumpling, irresistibly cute, and I couldn’t help laughing.
We didn’t linger, and drifted toward the living quarters at a gentle pace.
…
Even after two, three years away, my room was spotless, dustless like untouched snow, with slight traces that someone had napped here recently.
Looked like my room got regular cleaning, and Serenemoon sometimes came to sleep here. The girls had arranged two rooms—me, Lingxiao, Lingsaki, and Serenemoon in mine, while Lixue, Hill, and Celia Maya stayed next door.
But knowing Hill’s clinginess, she’d definitely sneak over to sleep beside me.
So the next room ended up with only Lixue and Celia Maya; something about that distribution felt off—maybe just my nerves. Whatever; we’re only staying two days.
Remembering I hadn’t checked in with my parents, I set down the luggage and took everyone to see them.
After about an hour of chatting, we said our goodbyes. I let the three sisters take Lixue and the others to stroll around the main estate, while I headed to the kitchen to prepare food.
…
“The Mizumi Clan’s surprisingly empty,” Lixue murmured, eyes wandering like butterflies.
After half an hour of wandering, she’d found treasure everywhere—divine-grade spirit herbs sprouting like stars—yet not a soul in sight, like walking an untouched forest.
“Can’t be helped. Almost no one stayed at the main house, and our family isn’t big to begin with.” Serenemoon sighed, then asked Lixue with a gentle smile, “So, how did you meet Emperor? You seem very close.”
“Emperor and I first met on the ninth floor of the Nine Cold Labyrinth—the Palace of Ice Crystal…” Memory drifted in like falling snow, and Lixue gave Serenemoon a broad outline from meeting to now.
“Boss did all that for little me… I’m so touched!” Hill’s big eyes sparkled with starry lights.
“I see. But if Hill was injured, why didn’t Xinuo Miss just heal her directly? Why send Emperor to the Nine Cold Labyrinth for the Ice Dream Lotus?” Serenemoon’s brow folded like paper; with Xinuo’s skill, any wound should be easy.
“I heard Hill got hurt protecting Emperor,” Lixue said after a pause, voice steady as stone. “Sir Xino probably wanted Emperor to shoulder that responsibility himself.”
“Makes sense. We can’t rely on Xinuo Miss for everything.” Serenemoon nodded, relieved, her gaze clear as moonlight.
