The early morning light slipped through the curtains, pale and soft.
Linyue stirred. Her lashes fluttered, her breathing deepened once before her eyes opened slowly. For a moment, her brain was too foggy to process anything. No canopy above her. No silk pillow beneath her cheek. No familiar ceiling. Instead, her entire field of vision was filled with one thing.
Chest. A warm, solid, suspiciously muscular chest.
Her brows twitched. Her sluggish thoughts tried to make sense of it.
Chest. Barely hidden beneath the folds of a robe. Definitely Shu Mingye's.
Her heart gave a sharp, traitorous thump. When had he come back?! She hadn't even heard the door open. Had she really fallen asleep that hard?
She tried to breathe slowly. Calmly. Quietly. Maybe if she moved carefully, she could sneak away without—
An arm tightened around her back.
Ah. Right. His arm was around her. Holding her securely in place.
Wait. WAIT. Had he hugged her? Or worse, had she been the one to hug him first?
Her brain screamed for answers. To test the situation, she tried a very careful, microscopic wriggle. The response was immediate. The arm around her tightened again. Not rough. Not threatening. Just… protective. Possessive, even.
Her eyes flicked upward. Shu Mingye's eyes were still closed. His face calm and peaceful. His breathing slow and steady. Asleep? Maybe. Or maybe the Demon King was faking sleep just to torment her.
She debated furiously with herself. Elbow him? Whisper his name? Or shut her eyes and pretend none of this was happening? Every option sounded terrible. The only thing worse was admitting the truth, he was warm. Incredibly warm. Like a personal fireplace. If fireplaces were smug, dangerous, and far too muscular for anyone's good.
Her gaze betrayed her and slid downward. His robe collar had slipped just a little, revealing a stretch of skin and the sharp line of his collarbone. Her cheek was dangerously close to touching it. If she shifted even an inch—
Her breath caught.
Wait. Had he done that on purpose? Was he seriously tempting her now?
Her cold fingers, acting entirely on their own, curled into the fabric of his robe. Before she could stop herself, her cheek brushed against his chest. Just a little. The robe was soft. The muscle beneath was firm. Altogether, it was dangerously comfortable. A tiny sigh escaped her lips, traitorous and far too honest. Honestly, it wasn't bad. Maybe she could stay like this for a few minutes. Maybe no one had to know.
Her eyes grew heavy. Warmth wrapped around her like a blanket. Just as Linyue was about to fall back asleep—warm, comfy, and pretending she had absolutely not just snuggled into the Demon King's arms on purpose—Shu Mingye's deep voice rumbled above her head.
"Pie, are you trying to act innocent?"
Her eyes flew open. Her head tilted up, heart racing. She gave him the sweetest, most innocent smile she could manage. The smile screamed, What? Me? Snuggle? Never.
"Good morning," she said sweetly, as if he had not just caught her rubbing her face against his chest like a sleepy cat with no shame.
Shu Mingye stared down at her. She was smiling, all innocent and sweet. Even her dimples showed. Dangerous. Lethal, even.
He forgot the yelling part again. He had meant to scold her, to say something sharp, maybe even dramatic. But no. Curse those dimples. He was done for. Absolutely finished. What could he even say when she smiled like that? His brain just stopped working properly. But he definitely wasn't going to forget the marriage part. Especially not when she looked this smug while pretending to be innocent.
His lips curved slowly. A grin, dangerous in its own way. His dark eyes narrowed slightly. "Pie…" he said, drawing out the name like a threat. "Didn't you promise to marry me?"
"Huh?"
She frowned. "Marriage? Promise? When did I promise that?"
Shu Mingye's grin widened dangerously. "A long time ago," he said cheerfully. "You promised my mother, didn't you?"
Linyue stared at him, horrified. Marriage??
Her mind scrambled backward through the years. And then… oh no. She did promise Queen Shu something when she was six. But that didn't count! She was a child! A tiny, pastry-loving fool! Queen Shu had asked her that and she—foolish, pastry-bribed child that she was—had nodded eagerly in exchange for a lifetime supply of pie. How was she supposed to know royal proposals came with legal consequences?
Her eye twitched violently. But wait… how did he even know about that? She had almost forgotten herself. She squinted suspiciously at him.
"Did Shanjun tell you?" she asked slowly.
Shu Mingye didn't answer. Instead, his dark eyes softened, almost unfairly gentle. He lifted one hand and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing across her skin in a warm, lingering stroke. Calm. Tender. Dangerous.
"Boyi told me stories about my mother," he said quietly.
Linyue's brain short-circuited a little. "Oh," she replied weakly.
Right. Of course. Boyi, Queen Shu's personal bodyguard. He had been there every single time Queen Shu visited the imperial palace. Always standing in the background, quiet, watchful, and probably memorizing every embarrassing thing small Linyue ever said. Of course he told Shu Mingye.
Shu Mingye tilted his head. That infuriating smirk was back, curling at the edges of his mouth. "Just oh? Didn't you come here to fulfill that promise?"
"I was young," she blurted out, heat rising in her face. "And she promised me a lifetime supply of lotus seed pie. So… I agreed. But I didn't come here for that!"
He leaned in closer, and the smile turned positively evil. "So you admit it," he whispered. "Good. Because I can give you a lifetime supply of lotus seed pie…"
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"…and a lifetime supply of warmth," he added smoothly. His other hand was still on her back, pulling her closer.
Her suspicion deepened into full alarm.
He leaned in one last inch, lips brushing her forehead now. Warm. Teasing. Dangerous.
"And," he said, voice dropping lower, wicked enough to make her breath catch, "a lifetime supply of me."
Linyue choked on air.
It was still early morning. The palace was quiet. Peaceful. Birds probably chirping outside. And yet somehow, she was already losing the argument in bed, to a man who had weaponized pastries and snuggling. Unbelievable.
She let out a slow breath, trying to regain control of her thoughts, but a new one slipped in quietly. If Shu Mingye knew about the pie-bribe-promise from Queen Shu, then he probably knew who she really was. And yet… he hadn't said a word. No questions, no pressure, not even a hint. Was he… being considerate?
Linyue frowned, lost in deep thought.
Shu Mingye noticed immediately. His thumb paused on her cheek, and he gave a long sigh. He had only meant it as teasing. Maybe half-serious, maybe not. But looking at her face now, something in him dimmed.
"Pie," he said softly, voice suddenly smaller than usual.
She looked up at him, surprised.
"I'm not trying to force you," he said, his voice a little rough, a little quiet. His gaze dropped away from hers, like he couldn't quite look her in the eye.
"I know you came here because of my mother," he murmured, "Not me. I know it's too early to talk about… that."
His voice trailed off. It was quieter than she had ever heard it. That teasing tone of his was gone. No smirk. No sarcasm. No smugness. Just him, uncertain and maybe even a little… sad?
They were still lying sideways, tangled together, her head nestled near his chest, his arm wrapped around her. His other hand still gently stroked her cheek, warm and comforting. The morning sun was creeping through the window, soft and golden. And inside that quiet moment… he looked disappointed.
Something inside her gave a little squeeze. She stared at him, heart beating a bit too loud for her liking. Then, very quietly, she said, "Queen Shu is the reason I came here."
His hand stilled.
"But she's not the reason I'm staying."
Shu Mingye's eyes lit up instantly. "Then…"