184 A Fool With A Kind Hear (2/2)

She nonchalantly placed her hands behind her back, her smile sincere and gentle enough to make one's heart melt. The smile on her face was like the sun, casting away the gloominess hanging over him.

Though he wasn't smiling, An Sun's eyes glinted with gratitude by the time she finished speaking.

”Thank you, Bai Rin.”

Rin's lips lifted. ”Of course.”

The two went silent once again and simply gazed up at the sky.

After a short moment, Rin asked, ”Would you like to enter the venture city with me tomorrow?”

With his arms crossed over his chest, An Sun's eyes widened. ”Are you serious?”

Rin blinked her eyes. ”Do you not want to?”

An Sun cleared his throat. ”It's not that I don't want to, rather I'm a little surprised you asked me to come with you. Wouldn't you want to go with that kid or your grandfather?”

Rin hummed, her head tilting as if she were carefully thinking. ”True, but I think it would better if we both took a break and explored together. Don't you agree?”

The eyebrow on An Sun's face rose. ”Have you not lived here long enough to have explored everything already?”

Rin smiled and shrugged casually. ”I rarely got out thanks to my grandfather. When I did, it was out of the empire.”

”Right…” An Sun nodded in understanding. That protective old man really was something.

In silence, he thought quietly to himself, his lips formed in a thin line. At long last, he sighed in defeat.

”What time do you want to leave?”

The corners of Rin's lips curved in satisfaction. ”I have training in the morning, so why don't we leave after that?”

”Very well then.”

Rin nodded with a content hum. An Sun looked at the girl with a pleasant curve in his eyes, and the corners of his lips were rising up uncontrollably. He couldn't help wanting to smile. He sighed helplessly and stared at the night sky, a soft wind brushing past their clothes.

…

In the blink of an eye, it was morning.

For today's outing, An Sun was dressed in a dark blue round-collared robe with a matching dark blue belt tied around his waist. Other than a sword and the long silver cuffs on his sleeves, he hadn't worn anything extravagant.

While the purpose of the clothing was to make him blend in, his broad shoulders and narrow waist, carried the robe well and made him stand out instead. Beneath his round collar, an inner piece of white fabric extended beyond the collar and wrapped around his throat, giving him an air of restraint.

His long, jet-black hair was put up in a simple bun. The man's features were absolute perfection. Paired with his fair skin, he didn't stand a chance of blending in.

Waiting in the Bai Manor's garden, An Sun adjusted his cuffs with an irritated expression.

”These clothes are too damn tight.” He muttered.

He had always been used to wearing loosely fitted clothing during casual outings. Yet with these clothes, not an ounce of skin or availability to breathe was provided.

An Sun swept his icy gaze to the maidservant behind him.

”By the way, how long do I need to wait? I'm getting tired of standing here.” An Sun complained, his tone cold.

The maidservant trembled a bit from the pressure in his voice. She nervously lowered her head.

”The young mistress just finished her training, she should be almost done getting ready.”

An Sun clicked his tongue. Before he could say anything else, the sound of footsteps caught his attention.

”Took you long—” The moment he turned around, he halted.

Walking toward him was Rin. However, compared to her usual appearance, she looked different. Very different.

She was dressed in a peach dress with a plum outer layer embroidered with flowers. The dress's long sleeves concealed her hands settled in front of her, but her fingers were faintly visible. They looked long and slender.

There was a floral hairpin with gold inlays nestled in her hair and a ruby headband on her forehead. The peach blossom pattern of the lining suited her complexion as well. The small birthmark under her right eye gave her extremely beautiful face an extra layer of uniqueness.

When her extremely light pupils, so light that they were nearly non-existent, swept towards the man standing in front of the garden, a trace of emotion finally rippled across their depths. The corner of her mouth raised a little into a smile.

”I'm sorry I've made you wait long.” Rin approached him, her maidservants behind her.

An Sun remained stunned for a second before recovering his sense. This had been the first time he had seen Rin in women's clothing.

”Your hair…it's long again.” He frowned somewhat, looking utterly confused and slightly curious.

Rin held back a giggle and explained casually, ”For appearance sake, I'm wearing a wig.”

An Sun sounded an 'ah' sound in understanding.

A smile surfaced on her lips as Rin said, ”So, shall we go?”

An Sun glanced at her appearance and the look in his eyes dimmed. However, he remained silent and nodded his head.

Rin laughed light-heartedly. Taking a veiled hat from the maidservant behind her, she set it on her head. Only a modest portion of her rosy, soft lips was revealed. ”Let's go.”

Not waiting for him to respond, Rin walked in front, her posture elegant and straight. An Sun watched her petite figure and a hint of a smile flashed through his eyes, but it was quickly hidden.

That girl…was far too interesting.

He stepped forward and closely followed behind her. Thus, the two began their exploration of the Northern Empire's city.