THE NIGHT EMPEROR: 夜安王 【The Night Emperor Book 1】| ✔️

Chapter 44 Sincerity

Maybe it was because of the dying flames of the candle that was reflected of the tears that were barely hanging onto the edges of Xi Chen's eyes. Or the way the shadows of the swaying willow caressed his moonlit skin. Or the quiet susurrus of autumn forming a protective cocoon around them. It might just be the combination of all of those things that made Ye An lean in as her eyes softly fluttered shut.

Both of them stayed like that for a while. Dry lips on broken lips. 

Xi Chen's eyes were wide open from surprise during those few seconds that felt like an eternity. Until Ye An's unwelcomed sensibilities washed over her like ice-cold water. She quickly pulled back, her eyes blinking wildly. "Uh.."

However, before Ye An could pull back from him completely, Xi Chen unraveled his body and let his fingers run through her dark unpinned hair. He held her head steady before placing the gentlest kiss on her lips. This time, Xi Chen was the one who had his eyes closed while Ye An's eyes widened. But she was quickly entranced into closing her eyes by Xi Chen's gentle persuasion.

Unlike the previous kiss which was more of a peck, the kiss this time was deeper and longer. Xi Chen took his time nibbling at Ye An's lips as Ye An tasted blood from Xi Chen's broken lips when her tongue ran across the wound.

With one hand still in Ye An's long dark hair, Xi Chen laid her down gently on the wooden floor without breaking their kiss. Then, he had both his arms on either side of Ye An, trapping her in his embrace as he deepened the kiss between them.

They didn't know how much time had passed until both of them were out of breath and finally broke the kiss. By now, the flames from the candle had already died out. Xi Chen held his forehead against Ye An's as he said hoarsely. "I think it's better if you leave now. I don't think I could promise to be a gentleman if you stayed."

Ye An had never seen Xi Chen this close before. His usually light eyes were intensely dark which mesmerized her. "Oh. Alright."

Xi Chen swallowed and got off Ye An as she hurriedly left the room. "Have a good night, Lieutenant Yun."

Xi Chen's brows furrowed at the usage of his formal title as the doors closed. Once he was sure that Ye An was out of earshot, he let out a curse harshly before burying his face into his hands.

*******

The next day, Xi Chen made a request to exchange his place with Ah Lin during the entourage back to the capital.

"Huh? You want me to ride in the royal chariot with His Imperial Majesty? Why? Did you make a mistake last night? You did, didn't you? What did you do?" Torrents of questions were directed at Xi Chen as Ah Lin got down from his horse.

"It's not a mistake. At least not on my side. Please don't ask for details and just switch with me." Xi Chen replied quietly.

Ah Lin sighed before he mumbled. "Alright, alright. You know how much I had to deal with to get the others away so that you can have some alone time with His Imperial Majesty? I guess all my efforts have gone to waste."