After fifteen, twenty minutes, I finished first and finally washed Lixue clean, a scene heady as wine that made my heart drum like a startled deer.

Sometimes I wonder if Lixue’s guard is too thin, like silk fluttering in a breeze. I’m still a boy, after all, though her trust warms me like winter sun on stone.

I sank into the herbal bath, and the aches of battle drifted off like dawn mist, with warmth pouring through me like spring rain.

Lixue floated in the same quiet, eyes closed, her breath smooth as a still lake while the herbs kissed her skin like gentle wind.

We were close enough for shoulders to touch, two leaves on one stem, and she rested her head on my shoulder as her wet hair brushed my cheek like soft rain and smelled of plum blossoms.

“…Lixue, I can’t quite take this,” I said, my voice rising like steam from a kettle.

I’m a guy, and she’s a beauty at Lixue’s level—someone not family—pressed tight like paper to flame; I can’t handle it, in more than one way.

“But leaning on Emperor feels so comfortable,” she murmured, not even lifting her head, then opened her eyes with a smile blooming like a dusk flower.

Before, soaking with Lingxiao, Lingsaki, or Serenemoon was similar—usually they pulled me close—yet we were siblings, childhood vines sharing a trellis, so nothing felt strange.

Lixue and I haven’t known each other a year; now it’s just us, close as two swallows on one rail, and odd currents rise like a tide under skin—normal for a man, surely yes.

“Well… as long as it makes you happy, Lixue,” I said, her smile a lantern glowing in fog that I couldn’t bear to dim, even if my heart felt like an overworked bell.

“If you really can’t hold back, you can do whatever to me,” Lixue offered, gentle as tea set on a tray, considerate wrapped in silk.

My cheeks warmed like coals. “I won’t do anything that would make you feel bad,” I said, words steady as a bamboo rod.

“If it’s Emperor, I won’t feel anything unpleasant,” Lixue replied, a dangerous line like a blade hidden in velvet.

I shut my mouth to dull the drumbeat, because with me, Lixue wears no armor, like a fawn in open meadow.

We lingered nearly an hour, my head floating like a reed on water, and my body drawing tight again like a bent bow returning to form.

Hunger pricked like little knives, and I tried to rise, only to find Lixue asleep on my shoulder, her breath feather-light against my skin.

I couldn’t wake that sweet face, soft as peach blossom, so I thanked fate for the towels I’d stacked by the pool like folded clouds.

I took two towels, wrapping Lixue’s slender body first like swaddling moonlight, then handled my own, clean as a wind-swept stone.

In the changing room, I dried her gently, like wiping dew from petals, and slipped her into a bath robe, while the underthings remained a locked gate she’d open when she woke.

Once my own clothes were set, I lifted Lixue as if carrying a slice of moon, and stepped out through the thinning steam like walking into clear sky.

“Looks like the herbal soak worked. Little Emperor, both your states have recovered,” Heartvoice said, her glance passing over Lixue in my arms like a soft brushstroke.

“Thanks,” I said, my tone even as still water.

“No need; it’s what I should do,” Heartvoice replied, her voice calm as a shaded grove.

She led us down cool halls for a few minutes, our footsteps light as falling petals, and we entered a room where my gaze flew like a kite.

A generous bed sat like a soft island, a bookcase brimmed like a field of spines, and the wardrobe, desk, and chairs stood in clean air like well-placed stones.

The room was wide and well-ventilated, and the decorations were intricate as carved jade, with wall and ceiling flower-lanterns delicate as living art.

I set Lixue on the bed’s right side, stepped back like a coiled spring, then ran and leapt forward.

Thump. I fell into an ocean of softness and rolled like an otter at play. Ah—life is sweet as ripe fruit.

Heartvoice’s laugh rippled like a stream. “Didn’t expect such a cute side, Little Emperor. Rest well; I’ll check on lunch.”

“Got it, Heartvoice. Take care,” I said, my words floating like a light leaf.

Herbal warmth lingered like embers, a soft bed beneath me like cloud, a beauty sleeping beside me like a painted fan—one of life’s quiet heavens.

Drowsiness pooled like honey, and my eyelids grew heavy like stone gates.

I don’t know how long I slept; my body rocked like a boat on mild waves, and I forced my eyes open through the haze.

Heartvoice was nudging me with a hand light as a breeze, and Lixue was awake, poking my cheek with long pretty fingers like dragonfly legs.

“…How long was I out?” I asked, sitting up with a stretch like a cat and letting a yawn drift like smoke.

“About an hour and a half. Lunch is ready, Little Emperor and Lixue; get up,” Heartvoice said, voice clear as a bell.

“Oh, oh—coming,” I answered, brisk as a sparrow’s hop.

“Mm, perfect timing; I’m hungry,” Lixue added, her words neat as a folded napkin.

We slipped off the bed and into our shoes, quick as two fish, and followed Heartvoice toward the hall like geese in a line.

On the way, Lixue tugged my sleeve and leaned close, her whisper warm as breath fogging glass. “Emperor, why didn’t you put on the inside for me?”

“That’s better for you to handle,” I said, waving it off like a buzzing bee. “It’s honestly too hard for me.”

Don’t keep teasing; it’s murder on my heart, I grumbled inside, thoughts rattling like pebbles in a gourd.

“For a boy, Emperor’s unexpectedly reserved,” Lixue said, her tone curious as a tilted head.

“It’s not about being reserved,” I replied, firm as a straight blade. “You should be more guarded—you’re a girl.”

At first, I thought Lixue was cool and serene, like frost on bamboo, but as we grew closer, she lowered every gate with me like a garden opening at dawn.

Sometimes she drops lines that invite misunderstanding, petals falling where they will, and it stirs the air like a sudden breeze.

“Do I need any guard in front of Emperor?” Lixue asked, tilting her head like a sparrow.

I left it unsaid, swallowing words like stones, because pushing further only spins me tired, though being trusted like this fills me with warm light.

“You two have such a good relationship,” Heartvoice called from ahead, her words floating back like chimes, and anyone hearing us would think the same.

We reached the hall, and rich aromas surged like a tide, revealing a table set with dishes and drinks arrayed like a feast-picture.

Maids stood on both sides and bowed like bending reeds, then moved to set our tableware, cleansing it with a quick sparkle of purification magic like rain over silver.

“Little Emperor, Lixue, go wash your hands,” Heartvoice said, gentle as a guiding hand.

“Okay,” we answered together, voices aligned like two strings.

Then we sat and enjoyed our first lunch in Heartvoice’s home, flavors unfolding like a garden in bloom.