Lilan was still in the garden behind the monastery, so I approached the man with the bag of peaches swinging at my side.
I stopped three feet away and bowed at my waist. “Welcome, sir, to the Moon Cloud Monastery. I’m the head priestess here. Would you like me to take your horse while you visit the grounds?”
“I don’t believe I’ve ever heard you speak so politely to me before. I’ll admit it’s rather strange.”
I froze at the voice—familiar and imbued with humor. I slowly lifted my head and stared at the figure before me, like a specter conjured from my dreams. My eyes traveled up the robe of green silk brocade and the sweeping cloak stitched through with curling gold patterns. His hair was only half swept up, the knot pinned by a delicate gold crane, whichmatched the embroidered crest on his chest. He looked nothing like a corpse and everything like a prince, down to the cocky smile stealing across his lips.
Heavens, how I’d missed that smile.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, smoothing the shock from my face. “You should be at the palace. You have so much work—”
“I completed two weeks’ worth of work in advance to come here,” he said, nonchalant. “The officials will be fine without me.”
Itsked. Leave it to Ren to find a way around his hectic schedule so he could make time for leisure.
“But why did you come here?” I asked, my gaze sliding to his horse. It nuzzled Ren’s hand as he stroked its head absentmindedly.
“Isn’t it obvious?” he said. “It’s been a long six months, and I’ve been desperate to see you.”
My cheeks warmed. He’d come all this way for me?
“How long are you staying?” I asked, a little too quickly. A blush prickled my back.
“At least a week,” he said, beaming. “Lady Ming is in town too, isn’t she? It’ll be nice to have us all together again.”
I glanced down at the peaches, wondering if the wisewoman had known he’d be coming. I wouldn’t put it past her to keep a secret for Ren so he could surprise me like this.
I bit the inside of my cheek. “Is it safe for you to be here? Where’s your entourage? Your guards?”
He shrugged. “Waiting for me in the village. I assured them that as long as I’m with you, I’ll be where I’m safest.”
His words rooted in my chest, blooming into something hotand golden. To distract myself from the sensation, I gestured toward the residence and started walking past him. “Come inside, then. I was planning to boil a kettle for tea anyway.”
“Excellent,” he said, following. He patted the satchel strapped across his body. “I brought a jar of ginseng.”
I stared at him, shifting the peaches to my other hand. “You despise ginseng.”
“You seem to like it well enough.” He smiled crookedly, scratching his cheek. “And I’ve… acquired more of a taste for it. It did save my life many times.”
At that, I smiled. “My, you’ve certainly grown, Your Highness.”
He paused to tie his horse’s reins around the banister outside the temple. “Why are you calling me that?”
I leaned against the railing. “Calling you what?”
“‘Your Highness.’ I thought we’d moved past that.”
“And I thought you wanted me to speak to you like royalty,” I said, referencing our last conversation at the palace. I ascended the first step and turned to face him. “You’ve earned it,Your Highness.”
He crossed his arms, considering me with a mischievous glint in his eye. “I’ve changed my mind. I don’t like it after all.”
“A king shouldn’t be fickle, Your Highness. Your people need you to be steadfast.”
“And what do you need, Kang Siying?”
“Pardon?” I stammered, caught off guard by the question. From atop the step, I stood at the same level as his eyes, which gazed back with that persistent warmth.
“I once promised to help you feel safe in your own state,” he said, suddenly soft. My heartbeat shot into a sprint as he stepped close. “I know there’s still much for me to do in termsof healing the nation of Sian and protecting every person who lives here. But tell me, Siying. Do you feel safer?”
