Linyue lowered her gaze, her lips pressing into a thin, thoughtful line. When she spoke, her voice stayed calm, but there was a faint edge of guilt hiding underneath. "I didn't know it was you," she said. "The people I killed that day… they were looking for something. Someone. I thought they were looking for a demon. A real one. I didn't realize they were after you."
For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then Shu Mingye gave a low chuckle, the sound caught somewhere between wounded and amused. "So," he said slowly, almost lazily, "you mean I looked like a demon?"
Linyue met his eyes, her tone perfectly serious. "At that time? Very much yes. If anything, I was being polite."
That earned her a look. A long one. The kind that said he was deciding between being offended or entertained. His expression shifted once, twice, and then he laughed. Not a polite chuckle. Not one of those quiet, restrained smirks he used when he was pretending to be civilized. This was a full, unguarded laugh. Deep, rich, and startlingly real. His head tilted back, shoulders shaking as the sound rolled out of him and filled the room.
Linyue blinked, caught completely off guard. It was rare to hear him laugh like this—without sharpness, without control, without that faint edge of danger that always clung to him. It sounded… warm. Alive. Human. And to her own annoyance, she felt something strange flutter in her chest. The sound of his laughter seemed to chase away some of the cold air between them, leaving something warmer in its place. Something that made her want to smile too.
…Which was ridiculous, obviously. Entirely unreasonable. She told herself that very firmly.
When his laughter finally faded, it left a soft hush behind. Shu Mingye looked at her again. The sharp amusement in his eyes had melted into something gentler. "…What happened to your voice, Pie?" he asked softly. "I remember it clearly. It wasn't like this before."
Linyue didn't seem bothered by the question and answered plainly. "Oh. I ate something that happened to be poisonous and lost my voice."
Shu Mingye's smile slipped away. His brows drew together and his face darkened. "What do you mean?" His voice had gone tight. "What did you eat? Who gave it to you?"
"No one gave it to me," she said simply. "I was hungry. It looked delicious. So I ate it."
Shu Mingye stared at her like she had just told him she fought a dragon with a toothpick. His heart twisted painfully. She had eaten something poisonous… because she was hungry? He remembered that flaky, warm pie she had handed him in the snow. It had tasted like heaven. But if she had food to give a half-dead stranger, then why… why hadn't she had enough for herself?
His voice softened, trying to understand. "Didn't you give me pie before? Why… why eat something if you didn't even know what it was?"
Linyue tilted her head, thinking. "I told you. I didn't go inside the wall. Sometimes people gave me food because I helped them fight demons. The pie and that water, they were something they gave me."
She had just… casually fought demons and gotten paid in snacks?
He remembered her saying she lived outside the wall. But why? Why stay out there?
He studied her face. Her voice was calm, her expression quiet, but there were things she wasn't saying. Things that hung in the space between them. Something twisted deep in his chest again—tight, warm, helpless. He didn't like this feeling. It made him want to grab her, wrap her in thirty layers of fur blankets, and keep her in his arms forever.
"…Are you okay now?" he asked quietly. "Was that why your hand and body were so cold?"
She gave a small nod. "Yes. Master Yin Xue treated me, though my voice changed. I don't think it's a big deal."
Shu Mingye frowned. She had eaten something poisonous, lost her voice, probably almost died… and she just shrugged it off like it was nothing?
Then she added, "And the cold. It's not because of that."
His eyebrows lifted. "It's not?"
She shook her head. "No. Master Yin Xue said the same thing. It's not an illness."
She was cold like winter snow, had the calm of a thousand-year-old sage, and fought demons in exchange for pie. Now she was casually telling him her whole body was unnaturally cold for no medical reason.
"I had the palace physicians examine you when you didn't wake up last time," Shu Mingye said, his voice tight with quiet, terrifying calm people got right before flipping a table. "They said there was nothing wrong. But I was still worried."
"I don't know either."
That was it. That was her entire explanation. Shu Mingye stared at her, absolutely baffled. "So, you're just… cold?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"Since when?"
She thought for a moment, then answered. "Three years ago."
So it wasn't something she was born with. Something had happened. Something big enough to change her entire body. Poison? Injury? A strange cultivation accident? Even Master Yin Xue didn't know? That was bad. That was very bad. Should he drag the palace physicians out of bed? Hunt down every herb in Shulin until he found an antidote? Build her a personal furnace and lock her inside forever?
No. Not now. He took a slow breath, pushing away the flood of anxious thoughts and wild medical theories. She was here. She was breathing. She was cold, yes, but talking and upright. That was enough. For now.
He lifted her carefully off the table and set her on the floor. His hands lingered a little longer than necessary, as if reluctant to let go.
"Let's go, Pie," he said at last. "What do you want to eat?"
Linyue's eyes lit up. Fried dumplings. Sweet tofu. Pancakes. Pies. The list exploded in her head faster than her appetite. She was ready to march straight into the royal kitchen and—
Wait.
She raised her hand and stretched it out toward Shu Mingye. Not for a handshake. Not to hold hands. She was asking for her hair tie. The black one with golden embroidery. The one he still hadn't returned. Did he think he could distract her with food? Bribe her with pastries?
...Maybe. Sometimes. On occasion. But definitely not this time.
Shu Mingye stared at her outstretched hand. Then, with all the shamelessness of someone who knew exactly what he was doing, he placed his hand on hers. Very gently. Very confidently. As if that had been the plan all along.
At the same time, his other hand began to quietly slide the black hair tie toward the safety of his inner robes. Slow, subtle and criminally sneaky. But before he could hide the evidence, Linyue suddenly tiptoed and leaned in. Her face came close. Far too close. Her forehead nearly brushed the tip of his nose. Her breath was soft against his lips, and the scent of gardenia wrapped around him.
He froze. His brain completely shut down. His heart decided that now was the perfect time to become a drum. A very loud drum. It boomed in his chest like it was announcing something very serious. Like the end of reason. Under all that royal pride and centuries of icy self-control, panic bloomed. What was she doing? Why was she so close? Did she even know what she was doing? More importantly, did she know what she was doing to him?
He stared into her eyes. Wide-eyed. Breath held. Absolutely motionless.
Meanwhile, Linyue… simply reached out with two fingers and plucked the hair tie right out of his frozen hand.
"…That's mine."
Linyue smiled in quiet victory. She smoothly took the black hair tie from Shu Mingye's hand and slid it into her sleeve like it belonged there (because it did). She straightened her back and turned slightly, already wondering what snack she should ask for. Sweet lotus buns or pan-fried dumplings?
Unfortunately, she didn't get far. Before she could take a single step, Shu Mingye's arm wrapped around her waist again—fast and firm. In one swift pull, he drew her back in, close enough that her back hit the edge of the table behind her, and her front hit something much warmer, much firmer.
Him.
His tall frame loomed, his robes brushing hers as his heat pressed against her cold skin. He tilted his head down, closing the space between them. Way too close. Dangerously close. His breath fanned against her cheek. His dark eyes locked on hers. Her heart gave an unhelpful thud-thud-thud. Loud and rude. It was supposed to be calm. Focused. But no, it had chosen violence. Or at least, embarrassment. Maybe she shouldn't have provoked him. But, well… too late now.
Then Shu Mingye did something she absolutely did not expect.