Chapter 5 : “Sweets & Secrets”

The next morning, Shi Yue stood beside a stone path lined with flowering plum trees, his sleeves delicately rolled up and cheeks puffed as he tried to balance a tray of candied lotus petals.

“Steady... steady… you are elegance, you are poise—oh crap—”

The tray tilted. A sweet rolled off. Shi Yue gasped and lunged forward, catching it with his mouth just as soft footsteps approached.

He turned around, sugar still on his lip—and found himself staring into the curious eyes of the Crown Princess.

Her expression flickered. Just for a second. That little spark of amusement in her usually composed gaze.

“Concubine Shi,” she said, voice soft but measured. “You seem busy.”

Shi Yue straightened, lips glossy and eyes shining like honey in the sunlight. He smiled with practiced innocence. “Ah—Your Highness! I didn’t see you there. Would you like to try one? I made too many again…”

She hesitated.

Then, with a barely audible sigh, she reached out and took a petal between her fingers. Her lips brushed it delicately.

A pause. Then a nod.

“It’s... good.”

Shi Yue beamed. “I was trying to imitate the pastries from the Southern Province. I heard they were your favorite?”

That earned him a glance—a long one.

“You’ve done your homework.”

“Mmn.” He grinned wider. “I like to please.”

From that day, the two crossed paths frequently. Always by coincidence, always near peach blossoms, koi ponds, or quiet hallways. Shi Yue made sure he was where the Princess would be—never too eager, always with something sweet in hand.

“Why do you always have food?” she asked one day, accepting a wrapped rice dumpling.

“Because I get cranky when I’m hungry.” He licked his lips and sighed. “And I hate being cranky when I’m pretending to be cute.”

That made her laugh, quietly—then quickly stifle it.

He pretended not to notice the way she began to smile more around him.

> [Ding! Favorability with Crown Princess +8. Relationship Level: Neutral → Warm.]

> [0018: Reminder—Final Goal is to make her fall in love with Crown Prince, not you.]

“Yes, yes, nag later,” Shi Yue muttered in his mind, keeping his outer smile flawless as they strolled through the Imperial Garden.

He tilted his head. “Your Highness?”

“Hm?”

“Do you believe in justice?”

The Princess blinked, surprised by the question. “What sort of justice?”

He looked up at the sky. “The kind where people who were wronged get to write their own endings.”

She said nothing for a long moment. Then replied, “Yes. But that kind is the hardest to find.”

Shi Yue smiled gently. “Then I’ll just have to steal it.”

That night, the Crown Princess summoned her maid.

“Look into Concubine Shi’s background,” she ordered softly. “Discreetly.”

Three nights later, her hand trembled slightly as she stared at the report:

> “Eldest son, displaced. Family betrayal. Concubine by substitution. Illness suspected, but injuries covered up.”

The Crown Princess pressed her fingers to her temple. Her chest ached.

“You poor thing…” she whispered.

Back in his quarters, Shi Yue plopped onto his bed, satisfied.

> [Ding! Crown Princess: Trust Level Rising.]

[Warning: Avoid forming romantic entanglement.]

“Relax, 0018,” Shi Yue murmured smugly, eyes glinting. “I’m just the cinnamon bun bait. She’ll walk right into my hands.”

His lips curved.

Outside, petals fell silently in the garden—and somewhere deeper in the palace, General Li Zhen watched from a shadowed corridor, unreadable.

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