By the next morning, Xiao Feng had already returned to the bed after spending almost the entire night outside.
His body was tired, but his mind had refused to settle, even after hours passed. When he finally stepped back into the room, the quiet inside felt heavier than the night air he had left behind.
Li Yue was still asleep, her arms wrapped around Wang Yuan's waist. Yuan faced the other side, his back turned, his posture relaxed enough to look like someone who had slept well.
The sight made irritation rise inside Xiao Feng almost instantly.
But he stopped himself before it could grow.
He remembered what he had decided and promised himself just minutes earlier..
He had thought.. no, hoped, that Wang Yuan would follow him outside. That Yuan would notice his unsettled state, and absence . That he would come after him, even if it was just to ask where he was going.
But he didn't.
That made the night worse than it already was.
Maybe the real mistake Xiao Feng was making, which was causing him more pain was.. expecting too much.
Hoping too much.
Maybe what hurt him now wasn't Wang Yuan's silence, or the way he acted as if Xiao Feng were someone unfamiliar, someone he had never been close to.
As if they were strangers forced to start from the beginning, pretending nothing had ever existed between them.
The real pain came from how much Xiao Feng still expected Wang Yuan to value him the same way he did.
From how much he still hoped Wang Yuan wanted him the way he himself desperately wanted him.
And when that expectation wasn't met, it twisted into something ugly...
Rejection.
Pain.
Frustration.
It made him question himself. Made him wonder if he had imagined everything, if the bond he believed was deep and irreplaceable had only ever existed in his own head.
Maybe there had never been something special between them. Maybe it had never been mutual at all.
That thought hurt more than Wang Yuan's coldness ever could.
For so long, Xiao Feng had lived with hope tucked quietly in his chest, waiting for Wang Yuan to reach out, even in secret, even briefly. He had convinced himself that silence didn't mean absence, that distance didn't mean indifference.
But expecting anything from Wang Yuan had always ended the same way.
Disappointment.
And maybe that was the truth he had been avoiding all along.. not that Wang Yuan was cruel, but that Xiao Feng kept giving meaning to something that Wang Yuan no longer chose to hold.
That realization made him angry, not just at Yuan, but at himself. It made him hate how much he wanted something he wasn't meant to want.
It made him hate the desire he felt for another man.
It made him hate that no matter how much time passed, it still had power over him.
So he told himself he would stop. And this time he meant it.
He wouldn't try anymore.
He would focus mostly on the reason why he was there in the first place.
He didn't care how unpleasant what his father sent him to do was.
He would do it.
He would gain what he had been promised and forget everything else. Forget everyone else.
Starting this morning, he would act like he never cared after all.
He would make Wang Yuan doubt himself. Make him wonder if Xiao Feng had really desperately spoken last night, or if it had only been something his mind created. He would give him nothing.
Lying on the bed, Xiao Feng stared at the ceiling and suddenly questioned why he was still there. Morning had already come, he was not asleep like the others, so what was he doing lying in bed like this? Did he need permission from Li Yue to get up now?
The thought irritated him.
He shifted, ready to get off the bed.
But before he could move far, Li Yue's leg slid over his, trapping him in place. The movement was too precise to be accidental, her leg settling over him like she was making sure he wouldn't leave.
Xiao Feng froze.
What kind of woman was Li Yue, really?
He almost laughed at the thought, but no sound came out. He refused to believe she was the shy, innocent daughter of the Alpha Emperor.. the one who barely spoke, barely looked people in the eye. That image didn't match what he was seeing now.
Was it all an act?
And the way she tightened her leg when he tried to move… did that mean she was pretending to be asleep?
His eyes drifted unwillingly over her body. The thin, almost transparent fabric she had slept in still clung to her, revealing more than it hid.
He couldn't deny it, she was beautiful. Strikingly so. Her skin smooth, her shape soft in a way that drew the eye naturally.
But why didn't he feel the urge toward her?! Why didn't he want to touch her?
The question echoed in his head, unanswered, and the lack of an answer only annoyed him further.
A knock on the door cut through his thoughts.
Xiao Feng reached down and carefully removed her leg from his, even though she resisted slightly, shifting closer as if unwilling to let him go.
He grabbed one layer of his wedding robe and threw it on quickly before walking toward the door.
When he opened the door, a maid stood there. The moment she saw him, she bowed deeply. "Alpha Xiao," she greeted, then lifted her eyes.
For a moment, she seemed to forget what she had come to say. Her gaze lingered on him, roaming over his face, as if she had never seen anyone so striking, so impossibly good looking.
Every feature of his face seemed to hold her attention, and she stared longer than she even wanted to.
Xiao Feng cleared his throat.
The girl startled, realizing herself, and bowed again instantly. "Emperor Li requests your presence in the courtroom," she said quickly, her head lowered. "There is a case he needs you to assist with."
Before Xiao Feng could respond, a voice came from behind him.
"Both of us?"
Li Yue had approached quietly. The maid bowed to her instantly.
"Yes, Luna," she answered.
"Okay," Li Yue replied, her voice still rough with sleep. She didn't bother fixing her robe or adjusting her hair, or even make her voice sound clear.
The maid hurried away.
Li Yue turned toward Xiao Feng, a small, gentle smile forming on her lips.
"How was your night?" she asked.
"Great," Xiao Feng replied, forcing a smile of his own. "I've never slept so peacefully in my life. What about yours?"
Li Yue's smile widened.
"Same as you," she murmured. "Should we get ready and see what Father wants?"
Xiao Feng nodded and stepped away almost immediately, as if staying any longer would suffocate him.
He went to his room, where water had already been prepared. He washed quickly and changed into fresh white robes.
When he stood in front of the mirror, he paused.
Despite the sleepless night, his face showed no sign of it. His skin looked clear, his expression calm. The white robes blended almost too well with his light complexion.
He didn't like wearing white because of how it always made him look softer than he wanted to appear.
As he prepared to leave, he wondered why they were being summoned to the courtroom so early.
When he opened the door, he nearly walked into Li Yue, who had been raising her hand to knock. They exchanged a brief look, then walked together through the hallway toward the exit.
Outside, Wang Yuan was already waiting.
"Alpha Wang," Xiao Feng acknowledged.
"Mm," Yuan replied quietly.
Xiao Feng nearly scoffed at that reply, but swallowed it.
Together, they climbed into the waiting carriage. Their residence wasn't far from the other buildings in the palace at all. Xiao Feng wondered why a carriage was even necessary.
The ride began in silence.