The youngster walked to the window by the balcony and stood there . Liu Yue was leaning on the railing and in a daze .

“Struggling to sleep, Your Highness?”

Liu Yue was admiring the flower garden below and humming a tune from her homeland . She supported her head in her hand . Her body exuded the scent and moisture from just having come of the bath . She turned her head around when she heard the youngster’s voice . She twirled her tail then smiled bashfully: “I came out for some fresh air . I just finished having a bath . I, therefore, felt too hot to sleep . ”

“You should be careful . The coronation ceremony is tomorrow . It is dangerous for you to be by the window . Plus, you could catch a cold . ”

The youngster removed his cloak . Liu Yue didn’t refuse his polite and kind gesture, so she draped his cloak on . The youngster’s smell was so faint that she virtually couldn’t smell it . Instead, she smelt the fumes in the imperial palace . She intuitively tugged on the cloak . The youngster inquired, “You plan to stand here for a while, correct?”

“What made you think I won’t head straight back in?”

“Because you will not be able to sleep before events, isn’t that right?”

The youngster smiled noticed that some time ago . He just didn’t explicate it .  Liu Yue’s face went a little red . Softly, she said, “Busybody,” before turning back to look at the flower garden .

“Is it all right for you to be standing next to me? You don’t stand next to others you guard . I know that I’m a pretty and nice girl, but I already have somebody I like, so you can quit while you’re ahead . ”

The scene below was just a field of darkness to the youngster . There was light down there, but it wasn’t enough to light up the entire garden . The flowers that competed with each other during the day were engulfed in darkness . Liu Yue possessed superior vision thanks to her fox genetics, though . She was out there for fresh air, since she couldn’t sleep due to excitement, but that wasn’t the case for the youngster . That was her reason for teasing him .

The youngster choked on his words, and then he hopelessly smiled: “Sorry, Your Highness . While you are correct about that, I do not have the courage to have such feelings for you . I think your sisters, Miss Ying and even King Troy would not spare me, right? Daisy alone is more than I can handle, let alone even more people . ”

Liu Yue pursed her lips into a smile: “My sisters won’t be angry as we do have a bit of a problem between us despite how close we are . That’ll depend on whether I want to mention it or not, though . I’m just kind of worried about tomorrow . I know it’ll be a grand event, but that’s precisely why I’m worried . We came under attack last time, so wouldn’t there be even more attackers this time? Wouldn’t it, consequently, be more dangerous?”

Liu Yue turned to the youngster: “I’m not worried about myself but my sisters . If some mishap were to befall them here, I’d never be able to forgive myself for I was the one who brought them here . I’m now feeling afraid . I’m very worried about my sisters meeting with misfortune… If something happens to them, I’ll never be able to forgive myself . I… I’m truly scared . ”

A gentle breeze blew in . It was soothing but different to the way it felt during the day . Liu Yue, therefore, tightly wrapped the cloak around her and a.s.sumed a hunch posture . The youngster looked at her . She appeared so small and helpless right now .

“She’s worried and scared, which is different to how she was before . Her concern and fear could crush her,” realised the youngster .

Hesitant, the youngster said, “Miss Liu Yue, can I hug you? I’m afraid of tomorrow . My mom always hugged me, and so would Miss Vera . I would feel much more rea.s.sured afterwards . Of course, I know my request is problematic…, but this is the only solution I know of . ”

Liu Yue was rendered dumbstruck . She slapped him across the face . He stumbled as a result . She backed off and tightly grabbed onto her clothes . She exclaimed, “What do you want?! You bully! Pervert! h.o.r.n.y animal! You want to violate me in this situation?! I can’t believe you would say that!! n.o.body has ever said something so filthy to me before!”

“It is… just a hug…”

“What…?”

According to Liu Yue’s memory, whenever her mom and dad did that, her mom would tell her dad to hug her at night, which was why she understood a hug as that . Liu Yue hadn’t come of age yet, but she was one among the students who understood mature subjects . That was why her first reaction was to slap the youngster without any hesitation .

Liu Yue apologetically gave the wronged youngster a light hug . He smelt her scent and felt her warmth, wiping his mind blank . His thinking capacity instantly malfunctioned . His hands by his side froze in mid-air . He didn’t know if he should reciprocate the hug or not . He wanted to, but he wasn’t bold enough to . The same could be said for Liu Yue . His scent, warmth and wide chest rendered her embarra.s.sed . She hugged him feeling guilty, but she blushed .

Liu Yue soon released him: “Hehe, sorry, hugs aren’t such a pure thing in my mind . Though I don’t know how this alleviates fear, I think it can help distract me, I guess… Geez, I’m already worried about my sisters, yet now I have another thing to worry about . Still, thank you and sorry . ”

“Ah, no, it is all right . ”

Liu Yue helplessly smiled then turned around . She didn’t know what changes were coming in the future, but her steps felt a lot lighter .