The Crown Prince

The next morning, the arrival of the Crown Prince was unexpected, almost too quiet if anything. It was as if this supposedly important heir of the empire suddenly materialized out of thin air.

One moment, Kesi had been trying to sort through her belongings and navigate through this new Eastern Palace, and the next moment, the Crown Prince appeared at the door.

There were no lavish announcements, no blasting of trumpets, and no entourage of servants. Simply, he was just there, all by himself. He didn't even have a bag or luggage with him.

He emerged from the shadows, a crisp yellow leaf lodged into his careless hairdo. And while he wasn't dressed in rags anymore, his clothes were nowhere near the rich silks that other people in the palace wore either.

Seeing Kesi from the doorway, his face lit up with a bright smile.

"Eh… Eh Kesi!"

As fast as his somewhat stubby legs could carry, he flung himself at her, trying to wrap his short arms around her waist. If Kesi hadn't literally seen the boy merely a day ago, she would have surely thought that they bid farewell in a past lifetime.

Although his face was no longer covered with soot and grime, the kid's embrace was familiar, the telltale warmth of his touch sending tingles down her skin.

Kesi tried to pry the little octopus from herself, pressing one palm against his forehead to keep him from charging at her again.

"Kesi, I missed you."

Mu Luming's words were soft, and she looked down at the set of doe-like eyes. His little fingers tugged on the corners of her clothes as he sulked.

Before, even though his face was mostly obscured by the dirt, Kesi could vaguely make out its outline and the features hiding underneath. But now that it seemed like Mu Luming had the chance to clean himself before entering the palace, even Kesi couldn't help but think that he had good features.

With those large fawn-like eyes of his coupled with a proportionate nose and well-shaped lips, he would be sure to win over the hearts of many girls when he was older.

"What are you doing here?"

Although she asked the question, she already knew the answer.

There would be no other reason for a boy of that age to be in the palace, much less a boy dressed in faint yellow robes to be in the palace meant for the Crown Prince.

"I told you that I would find you." Grinning, he tried to reach for her again.

Kesi's brows knitted together. Mu Luming was literally the clingiest kid she had ever encountered in her life, or even two lives. All she had ever known in her own childhood, if you can call the intensive training at the agency a childhood, was coldness and distance, so the little boy's act caught her off guard.

She took a step back, grimacing as the wound on her leg brushed against her long robes since she tried to move too quickly. Only then did she realize that despite how quickly Mu Luming had lunged for her, he never once touched her wound and instead carefully distanced himself from that particular area.

"Is your wound healing?" Suddenly reminded, she threw the question out into the air, turning her head to the side to hide her guiltiness at not immediately remembering as he had.

"Of course. As the Crown Prince of the great empire of Hui, wounds are nothing to me!" He proudly exclaimed, batting his eyes at Kesi. "You didn't suspect a thing, did you. I hide my identities pretty well."

A flicker of deviousness flashed before his chocolate eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

All Kesi could think was that things were worse than she had previously imagined. Especially, glancing around this supposed Eastern Palace, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the little kid in front of her.

The few pieces of furniture were covered in dust, and it was apparent that no one had lived here in many years. No one was in sight from the door, and not even the packs of maids and servants walking through the palace were willing to walk this far to the outskirts.

This place was no Eastern Palace fit for a Crown Prince, much less even a home meant for any child.

"The Crown Prince hasn't been back in the palace for years, and he was a mere infant when he had left. Nanny Rong, I'm trusting you to take good care of him when he returns in a few days." The Empress's haunting words echoed in her mind.

He should have just stayed on the streets. He wouldn't survive here, not when there were already assassins sent out to kill him before he even came back.

Since he was the son of the former Empress, the current one wanted him dead. And it was obvious that the Emperor had no care for him.

Suddenly, his previous words made a lot more sense. "One is dead, and the other wants me dead."

So Mu Luming knew. Seeing the bright smile on his face, she wondered how he could still laugh so openly after knowing all of that. Perhaps that was why he acted so far beyond his actual age.

What kind of darkness and pain hid behind his beaming mask?

Without meaning to, her hands moved on their own as she picked the stray leaf from Mu Luming's hair. His hair was a bit dry from malnourishment, and the black color was tinted with a hint of dark brown. Twirling the leaf in her hands, she let it fall to the ground in the middle of the courtyard.

"Mu Luming, we met before, but let me do a formal introduction. My name is Kesi." She extended her hands out, offering a handshake. "Let's try to survive here in the palace."

He took her hand, giving it a small squeeze.

"Together…" He added. "Let's try to survive here in the palace together."