Soaking in a hot spring should be rest. Why do I feel more tired, on every front? Mostly because Lixue has zero guard. She didn’t even drape a towel. Although slipping into gentle water with a towel looks odd, there’s still the matter of men and women. Being this bare-honest—are we really fine?

—Alright. Lixue saw no problem, like a cat pawing yarn. My panic amused her, and she teased me between curtains of steam. I didn’t hate it, but it wore me out. Body and mind both throbbed like drums.

Thank heaven the spring wasn’t clear as glass. Otherwise my restraint would’ve snapped like a string. Ugh! So I suffered and enjoyed, steeped for near an hour. Lixue’s rosy face bloomed like a peach under mist. Maybe she was a little shy too. She is a girl, probably.

...

Changed into pajamas, I fell onto the soft bed like a leaf on snow. I rolled once or twice, and comfort rippled through me. Life felt golden in that warm tide.

“Eh, Lixue, why are you hugging me again? Didn’t you get enough back in the spring?”

She shut the door, nightgown swaying like moonlight, and came to the bed. I had barely lain down when her arms circled me again.

Not good. I had just calmed my racing heart, yet her hug pulled me back to that steamy closeness. Our faces drew so near the breath between us mingled.

“Mm. It’s rare to be alone with Emperor. I think I got a little too excited.”

“...Huh?”

In my memory, Lixue wasn’t like this. With everyone around, she was always calm, cool as frost.

“You’re a girl, you know. Is this really okay? You’re drifting toward Lingxiao and Lingsaki’s level.”

I grumbled while my fingers combed her slightly messy hair, silky as flowing water. My heart didn’t mind, not really.

I’m a guy, after all. I won’t reject this kind of warmth. But too much of it is... hard work.

“I don’t mind. Don’t you like it this way, Emperor?”

“It’s not that I don’t. I’m just saying what I feel.”

“Before I met Emperor, I had no experience dealing with men. You’re the first boy I met and befriended. So I don’t quite know the right distance.”

“It’s fine. Just do what feels right to you, Lixue.”

To escape the rising heat in the air, I veered the topic like a boat changing winds. “Where do you want to go tomorrow? We’ve about finished Haisha Town.”

“Wherever Emperor goes, I’ll go,” Lixue said, hugging me like ivy.

“Then I’ll check what’s worth seeing near Haisha Town.”

I sat up, climbed off the bed, and went to the wall shelf like a moth to a lamp. I found a book on the geography and culture of the Clear Sea Domain. Then I returned to Lixue’s side. Under her gaze, I flipped pages like leaves in a breeze.

The surroundings are villages or small cities, scattered like shells. This town’s fame comes only from the sea at its doorstep. I kept looking, yet nothing stood out, except the belt around the domain’s capital.

As the domain’s capital, Clear Sea City is the largest city in the Clear Sea Domain. Its bustle rolls like a tide no small town can match. We can’t spend too long on play. Other regions still wait like distant shores.

So after we tour the Clear Sea City area, we should leave for the next region. I told Lixue my thought, and she nodded like a quiet willow. No objections at all. Truth is, she felt the same. Lingering in the Clear Sea Domain is a waste of daylight.

I skimmed the book and closed it as the clock neared ten. Outside, the beach’s shows ended like lanterns dimming, and the shore eased toward quiet.

The moon was round and large, a silver plate above dark water. I shelved the book and drifted to the balcony for a sip of night. A breeze brushed my cheek like a cool hand, salted with the sea.

Grass and banners rustled, a whispering symphony in the dark. I looked out. Thin clouds, a sky full of stars, and a round moon like a ring. The heaving sea mirrored flecks of moon and starlight. Light moved as the water breathed, a thousand shards glittering. It shifted and dazzled like a living painting. People thinned out. Some returned to inns, some pitched tents, some sparked a fresh round of fun. No peak-hour roar, but the last fireworks of the night. Quiet cradling noise.

Slowly, my eyes slid shut, lulled by the wind like a cradle. I let my body drink in the cool sea air. Minutes drifted by. When I came back to myself, Lixue stood at my side like a shadowed lily. She kept me company, and we watched the night together.

“The view’s pretty good. Perfect as a bedtime tonic.”

“Yeah.”

Seeing me ‘wake’, Lixue smiled, soft as dawn, and rested her head on my shoulder. We said nothing. We sank into the beauty for half an hour, then moved to get ready for sleep.

...

We locked doors and windows, set a ward like a thin glass dome, killed the lights, and climbed into bed. Drowsiness spread through me like a warm tide. I stretched lazily, drunk on comfort. Money really does smooth the road. Good thing the bracelet’s space holds a pile of Purplegold Coins. That’s why we can rest in such luxury now.

“Lixue, did you have fun today?”

Soft moonlight spilled through the window and painted her flawless face with a hazy veil.

“Very. Come to think of it, this is my first time going out shopping with just Emperor.”

“Same here... Eh? Lixue, why are you hugging me again?” “It’s more comfy to spread out when sleeping.” “And this bed’s huge.”

As I spoke, Lixue hugged me again and tucked her head into my chest, like a cat into cushions. Ugh! I had just calmed my heart, and now it fluttered like a caged bird.

“Before, Lingxiao and Lingsaki liked to sleep hugging Emperor. It’s a rare chance, so I want to try it too.”

“...Uh.”

For a moment, I had no words. Reason told me to push Lixue away, to keep a little distance like a line in sand. But I didn’t want to spoil her mood. And I liked the feeling of a beauty in my arms, like spring warming stone.

I also noticed her nightdress had a deep V back, a falling line like water. If I let my eyes drop, I’d see her smooth, pale back. Calm down. Breathe. I pulled the quilt up, covering us like a cloud, and that finally hid the view.

“It tickles. What are you touching, Emperor?”

“Ah... sorry. My hand accidentally brushed your back.”

Truth is, my hand couldn’t help stroking the soft skin there a couple times, like testing silk. Unconsciously. Yeah.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

“...”

How am I supposed to get through this night? Her scent curled around me like a flower-laden breeze. There’s no way my heart stays still. ...