Chapter 268 - Royal Jitters (1/2)

Lei Xing stood in the pavilion in the back garden of her new home, staring at the reflection of the moon on the surface of the pond, alone.

The ascension ceremony was tomorrow and so she had moved into the Empress's palace today. The place was just as huge as the Emperor's, it even had its own pond with some beautiful decorative fish swimming in it.

It was all very grand and imposing.

Xiao Ruo handled the move while Lei Xing only came over in the evening after having dinner with the Emperor in his study. As per custom, they were not to sleep together tonight and so Lei Xing spent quite a bit of time with him in his study before leaving him. The next time they would meet would be when she climbed up to him as his Empress the next day.

Lei Xing was having trouble sleeping that night. It was as if the gravity of all this had finally come crashing down as she laid on her new bed alone. Thinking about it, it was actually very daunting and she was suddenly feeling overwhelmed and so ended up coming out here to clear her mind and get some fresh air.

As she stared at the quiet pond, Lei Xing wished she had some stones to toss in to make the scenery more interesting and maybe wake up the fish.

She could probably go find some but she knew that even though she sent the servants away, they were still lurking about watching her. Picking stones was definitely not ”Empress-like” nor was playing bouncing stones to disturb the fish.

Lei Xing sighed again but then jumped when she felt arms wrap around her from behind.

”I thought you would be asleep...” The Emperor said with a smile as he nuzzled her neck.

Lei Xing instantly relaxed, held back her smile, and then went for a jab, ”If you thought I was asleep then what are you doing here?”

The Emperor let out a happy sigh and said, ”I couldn't sleep...” He had not actually tried to sleep yet. He had not even gone to his palace at all. He had been in the royal study working on this and that to pass time until Eunuch Li reminded him that he needed to rest for his big day tomorrow.

It was only then that the Emperor realized how late it had gotten.

It was just that since he was not going to bed to be with his Lei Xing, he felt no interest or urge to go to bed in his cold palace, where he knew nightmares awaited him. Regardless, he had to get some rest so he left.

But on his way to his palace, knowing that the Empress's palace was just a stone throw's from his, he stopped by to see her sleeping face to make himself feel better. But then he arrived to find her awake as well. It made him quite happy to see that she was also having trouble sleeping in his absence.

”I missed you...” The Emperor added as he turned her around to look at her face.

Lei Xing snorted and went, ”Missed? It's just one night...” The Emperor narrowed his eyes at her and Lei Xing swiftly added, ”I missed you too~” to humor him.

The Emperor smiled, ”Let's go inside~ I don't want you catching a cold...” But as he was about to move, Lei Xing pulled him back.

”You're not supposed to be here...” Lei Xing reminded.

The Emperor slightly knit his brows and went, ”It doesn't matter -”

”It matters to me. I don't want anyone criticizing you for something so simple.” Lei Xing swiftly interjected with a frown, then she let out a breath and softened her tone, ”Return to your palace and I'll see you tomorrow~ ” She finished with a smile.

The Emperor stared at her for a bit and then smirked a little and brought a hand up and caressed her face, ”...Sleep becomes very unappealing when it's not next to you...”

Lei Xing managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes as she snorted. This guy had become such a pro with these flirty lines. But she would not be moved tonight, she simply pat his cheek and went, ”Goodnight.”

”I mean it.” The Emperor said, grabbing her patting hand, ”Before I met you, I had always had restless sleep ever since I was little. Even if I was not haunted by ghosts from my past, my sleep was always restless and uncomfortable....until you, until you came to my side. My peace of mind relies on you, so when compared to you nothing else matters...”

Lei Xing blinked at him and then awkwardly went, ”You're my number one too these days - I mean, you're precious to me too.” Lei Xing quickly finished, covering up her little folly with a wide smile, reassuringly squeezing his hand.

The Emperor chuckled and then went, ”So let's go in -”

”Still a no..” Lei Xing stopped him again and seriously explained, ”As I said, you're precious to me too and so I won't have you - have US facing any avoidable problems...Regardless of the inconveniences, it's just one restless night, we can do it.”

{...You've lived through it before, stop acting like a spoilt baby! ( ￣^￣ )...}

As much as she liked the Emperor, sometimes he behaved like a spoiled child. The Emperor sighed and then went, ”Fine, I'll leave...”

”Great! I'll walk you out~” Lei Xing promptly said as she linked her arm through his and pulled him along with her, leading him to the exit.

The Emperor chuckled and lightly shook his head. When it came to their relationship, her level-headedness was sometimes a bit upsetting. But her thoughts of wanting to protect him were very heartwarming so he was pacified.

Lei Xing would have never expected this kind of lovers' stupidity from herself, but here she was doing it. She not only walked the Emperor to the exit, but she also walked him all the way to the doors of his own palace...and then he walked her back because the servants were apparently not enough to ensure her ”safe” return.

When they arrived at the entrance to her palace, Lei Xing promptly bid him goodnight before they ended up looking even more ridiculous to the servants who already seemed to be having a hard time containing their smiles.

The Emperor smiled and hugged her before she could scurry off. After a long warm hug, he released her and planted a soft kiss on her forehead with a quiet, ”See you tomorrow...”

Lei Xing's heart jumped at the word of tomorrow but she nodded, smiled and went, ”Goodnight...”

”Don't stay outside anymore...” The Emperor cautioned and Lei Xing nodded, ”I won't...”

And with that, they left each other to deal with their own anxieties.

But those few moments together comforted their hearts and made them feel better for the night apart and the sunrise to come.

The Emperor and Lei Xing tossed about for a long time, but the two eventually fell asleep and the long-awaited morning eventually came.

***

Lei Xing was woken up early to begin her preparations for the event. She really could not even stomach the thought of food and so she skipped breakfast.

Although the process was long and bothersome, Lei Xing quietly and cooly went through it all. While on the inside she was feeling increasingly anxious and fidgety.

Once the preparations were done and she looked at herself in the mirror dressed from head to toe as an Empress. Lei Xing blanked for a moment and just stared at her beautiful regal reflection in awe. But the only thought in her head was about how the headdress was heavy.

{...Too heavy...}

While Xiao Ruo and the other maids who had been serving Lei Xing all this time were grinning ear to ear, except Ah Jin who simply had a cool, rare smile. They were all very proud and happy for their mistress.