CH 16

“Bastard! Big Brother, you, villain! You, damn bastard! Why didn’t you come to clarify? Do you know how painful it was for me all those years of being ignored? Imperial Father had passed away; Mother Queen also died, and we suddenly became estranged. I had no idea what I did wrong.” Despite having her hands restrained above her by Lan Ziyu, she turned her head to the side and softly whispered her grievances. Although it sounded like it was criticizing her brother, she was, in fact, mocking her foolish self.



“Later, I found Mother Queen’s secret letters and learned of her schemes – her involvement in Imperial Father’s assassination and how she planned to kill us. What was once beautiful had suddenly shattered like broken illusions. At that time, I want to meet you, but you no longer hold any love for me and no longer need a crybaby and spoiled little sister around. After thinking, I believe that such a disgusting matter shouldn’t be disclosed. There was no need to let my happy and blessed big brother knows of it.”



From the corner of her eyes, she could see his shocked expression. She coldly scoffed, “Therefore, I became more and more taciturn and quiet, detaching myself from you. All of this is because you were the first one who chose to let go of me.”



Lan Ziyu suddenly released her hands. He stepped back while looking at Zhou Min with incredulity. Slowly, Zhou Min leaned on the door and slid to the floor. Her head drooped. “But my worries superseded those convictions, and I kept paying attention to everything relates to you despite being convinced that your days will continue to pass by smoothly. Then, that night… I saw your unstable gait and hurried steps, dashing to that side palace. My anxiety rose, so I decided to follow you. Yet, y-you…”



When she raised her head to look at him, her expression was complicated – a tangled mess of sadness and contradictions. In the end, her last words failed to be voiced.



At that moment, Lan Ziyu was greatly shocked. He thought she was the one who abandoned him first. He thought that he had concealed well those secrets he didn’t want her to know, but she knew everything. It was beyond him and for a moment, he couldn’t accept the reality of her confession.



He turned to face the window in panic and jumped out, wanting to escape this situation. In his panic, he forgot that he was in his bedchamber and had no need to exit through the window. Despite the chaotic thoughts overtaking his brain, he still remembered to instruct his shadow guards to send the princess back to her palace hall.



Then, he ran all the way to the highest observation tower of Mist Empire. He took in the refreshing night breeze that was gently blowing, clearing his mind and calming his heart from the turmoil of thoughts and emotions.



“Qing Ge!” His voice regained its usual cold and calm. “Did you hear everything earlier?”



“Yes, Your Majesty!” Qing Ge’s emotionless was heard behind him.



Lan Ziyu turned to the source of the voice, “Then, you should know what to do?”



“Yes, I know!”



Lan Ziyu nodded. The origin of their misunderstanding stemmed from that person who told him that the shadow who escaped at that time was Lan Min. Although he did have some doubts, in the end, he became convinced when Lan Min started to avoid him. Later, he treated her even more coldly when that person told him that Lan Min dreads and fears him. However, today, what Lan Min told him surprised him.



That person lied to him! He had no doubt about his sister’s words because when he observed her expression earlier, her eyes were clear and pure as when she was young. Therefore, when she questioned him, he couldn’t stand it and had to run away. More than the shock, it was the hurt in her; He cared too much for her to withstand her accusations.



Yes, he cared for his little sister! Before, due to their misunderstandings, her hate only made him want to conquer her out of spite. There was no need to care about her feelings. But what about now? How should he treat her now that everything has been clear? Could he still treat her like earlier regardless of her feelings?



He only felt his heart welled up with frustrations! The more he wanted to repress his love for her, the more he desired her. In this world, the only person left who could make him genuinely care for his Lan Min.



That night, he stood, desolate, facing the nightscape of his empire. As the darkness was about to retreat, leaving place for daylight, he left the tower to Misty Flower Hall, Lan Min’s residence. When he arrived, the attending maids and eunuchs could only tally up to five persons. Moreover, the inside decoration was quite simple and plain. It didn’t even live up to her status as a princess.



He slightly frowned and lightly pushed open the door of a room. Inside, there was no shadow of a maid keeping vigil. He walked to a table and touched the teapot on it. The pot had long turned cold. There was no scent of burning incense and the pearl curtain separating the inner room from the outer room was missing. As his eyes explored the inside, he noticed a hazy figure leaning against the wall on the bed. The sight of that person stunned him in an instant.



“Now, you know what my life looked like these years.” Bewildered, he suddenly recalled her teary face and her sobs as she questioned him, then he looked back at the destitute state of her palace when he entered. Long ago, this place had shown another scenery. At that time, the previous Emperor was fond of the once lively little girl, showering her love. She was living free from the scorn of others.



Misty Flower Hall was once sumptuous and refined. Since young, Lan Min was very fond of sparkling and translucent toys and curios which were abundant within the place and each was incomparably expensive, but at present, her palace was completely devoid of such objects.



He knew the harem was a place where people only strived by stepping on others. If that person fell out of his favor, their days would be incomparably difficult. However, Lan Min’s identity was different from those concubines. She was a princess. Even though he knew that she was neglected and even her food and clothing were embezzled by the others, she had never complained to him neither did she do anything to rectify it. Regardless of how much ordeals she experienced, she remained a passerby of her life despite losing much more every time.



He mistakenly thought that even without his favor, she wouldn’t be taken advantage by others in such a way. He had believed that those people in the harem wouldn’t dare neglected her as this empire’s princess with his reminder. However, despite the past half month during which he sent her some things to let them know that he still cared about his little sister, nothing had changed. Her palace and the residents inside remained as destitute as ever.



He could tell that besides being saddened and hurt by him, she had to live her life under the scornful eyes of others and experienced their indifference. When he thought of her past, he could only feel sorrow, even more so now that their relationship was no longer that of pure siblings.



He lusted for her. He wanted to force her under him every time he saw her, unable to let her go, prisoner of his own painful desire.



He couldn’t free himself through reason, unable to explain his behavior.



He dreaded her resistance, her rejection and her disgust because he knew there was no one else like him who cared so little about moral. Since that day when he personally killed his biological mother, morality had become a laughable concept to him, perhaps it was in his blood, contaminated by that evil woman which was his mother. His mother had not only poisoned her father, but her real love was none other than her own little brother, his uncle. This could explain the attraction and feelings he had for his little sister.



He slowly moved, crossing the distance between him and Zhou Min until he was in front of a partitioned screen made of purple wooden frames, looking at the blue satin curtain which hung above her bed. It was already autumn and the night had long stopped being warm. In normal times, a fire should have been started in a stove to heat the room, but despite being inside here for a long time, Lan Min’s room remained cold and even chilly.



Through a small window, a slight breeze, bearing the leftover chill of the night, infiltrated into the room, lifting the curtain in its passage. Without the obstruction of the curtain, his sight could finally take in clearly the lovely and petite figure lying inside the bed. She was currently lying sideways against the wall, her back facing him.



Due to the cold temperature inside the room and the inadequate thin summer quilt, the person inside the bed was tightly wrapped while shivering. Lan Ziyu approached her but closed the window before walking to the bed. He gently lifted the curtain and a floral fragrance fluttered into his nose. It was exquisite and light unlike those strong and messy perfume from those other women.



He closed his eyes but suddenly discovered that his little sister didn’t have any scent. It appeared her body scent changed according to her body temperature. The hotter she felt the stronger and more alluring that exquisite floral scent would be emitted. However, even without it, she remained sexy to him. He breathed in deeply, avidly taking in her fragrance. His mood uplift just like this and his expression deepened accordingly. “Little sister~ Little Min’er… Lan Min~ Lan Min…”