Phoenix in the Moonlight

This grip of his would hurt a fragile woman, and it was only fair that she subtly reminded him.

He pretended not to know what she meant.

"I don't mind it," he said. "It is a hot night. Maybe we should ask the kitchen to prepare some cooling soup."

'Oh, yes. Just pester the servants because you can't sleep. Such entitlement!' she laughed internally.

"It's late, consuming cold foods at night will cause indigestion." He guffawed at her words.

"How can you be so crass and cute at the same time?" It was a rhetorical question, but she couldn't help but get the last word.

"There is nothing crass about our body and its functions. I am concerned about Young Master's health, I had no other intentions."

"Your words become fiery when you are angry," he commented out of the blue.

Angry? Did that what he think she felt at the moment? She was mildly inconvenienced, but nothing like anger.

"You may leave," he proclaimed in a loud voice. At first, she was confused at what he meant, but a second later she realized that he had dismissed the guard. Her stomach churned. She had been a little uncomfortable with someone following her as it was her job to evade.

But this dismissal could only mean two things: either he trusted her, or he knew that he could kill her without blinking his eye. A twisted part of her wanted to know which it was. Either way, it would be interesting.

"Are you happy?" he asked after a while.

"Mm." They didn't speak for the rest of the walk. When they entered the courtyard, he took her to the room and placed her on the bed. There was no urgency or arousal in his touch, just the need for someone to hold to at night.

She saw her need to be loved reflected in him. When she was younger, she had craved the love of her parents and their embrace. He was from a noble family, and relations were never strong among those people. There were always deception and conspiracies. Every man was alone in their family, fending for themselves, climbing to the top while pulling others down. He mustn't have been any different.

She stroked his head like she would a child, comforting him and humming a tune she had heard in some other city. She didn't remember which.

He stared at her for a minute before fluttering his eyes close, pulling her closer and pressing his head into the crook of her neck. He fell asleep with her in his arms, the plethora of plots running through his mind. Slowly they disappeared and he fell back into a restful sleep.

Her humming stopped, as did her fingers running through his hair.

- - -

Wang Yifeng awoke in the wee hours of the morning. He yawned intelligently, before remembering that there was a woman beside him. He stiffened and looked down to where she was supposed to be.

The fragrance of her skin still lingered in the sheets, it had soaked into the linen and surrounded him throughout the night. He didn't know what it was, but something about her calmed him down last night. It was one of the best nights of sleep he had in a long time.

No dreams pervaded his sleep, neither did he restlessly awaken at night. He was almost horrified for curling up around her all night despite the heat. She must have been uncomfortable, but as far as he knew, she didn't push him away. He would have known.

Just like when she had left, he had awakened instantly and blankly stared at the ceiling wondering what had happened to him. A strange sensation gripped the hand she had held as he went off to sleep.

Blinking away his thoughts, he stretched and rose from the bed. Her side of the bed looked untouched, while his was crumpled, a clear sign that he had been on that side seconds ago.

He gently thought that she must be a still sleeper, not moving around. He smiled and called in the eunuch to help him into more formal clothing.

On the other side of the house, in the courtyard she shared with Mian Mian and Bai'er, the kids gave their daily report.

"The Young Master is from the capital and highly placed at that," Mian Mian began as Xin undid her hair and ran her hand through it to get rid of the knots. She had rested her head on his arms and the friction had roughened patches of hair. She winced as she pulled at a tangled strand of hair.

"Continue," she murmured as she reached for the wide-toothed comb on the dresser.

"I have tasted the food prepared for the young master. Even though he seems to enjoy the food the Miss cooks, he has brought his personal chef with him from the Capital. His skills are not poor, and from what I gathered, the old cook worked in the imperial palace before. The Young Master's identity must not be small." She paused and stole a glance at Xin. "The servants all respect him immensely, and there seems to be an underlying fear in their eyes. The house is in impeccable order and the man at the Young Master's side keeps tight control over each and every servant."

"I had to be very careful while I walked around. There seem to be eyes on every wall and the servants are hard to approach." Xin raised her eye. Mian Mian had an innate charm which made people want to talk to her. For these servants to be so tight-lipped, she could imagine the punishment that was handed out for flouting rules.