8 The Past

The Emperor was stubborn and insisted the two of them slept on the same bed tonight. At first Qi Xiu hadn't understood what he meant and believed he wanted him to offer his body, yet when He An had actually just gone to sleep without touching him, he felt that something was wrong with their interaction.

Once Qi Xiu confirmed He An was asleep, he slowly got out the bed and crept silently to the door. He paused when he heard movement from the sleeping He An and held his breath, but the other didn't show any signs of waking up. After a bit of contemplation he walked out and closed the door behind him.

He An's eyes opened the moment the door shut, sitting up and propping his head with his elbows on his knee.

He An: [I didn't expect him to take action on his own. Six, will the cub be alright?]

Six: [He'll be fine! Once he finds out his identity, I wonder what he'll do? Host, I'm worried he might hold a grudge against you since the north was involved in attacking the south. TwT]

He An quirked his lips into a smile and laid back down in a comfortable position. Once the cub takes back what rightfully belongs to him, He An would leave this world anyways, so there was no use pondering about the future. This baby system of his worried too much.

Meanwhile on the other side, Qi Xiu had managed to sneak into the prison where the person who had tried to kill him was held. There weren't any guards assigned to watch over the man inside so he easily entered without alerting anyone and was now standing in front of the cell.

The man must have expected him to come here because he gave a low laugh after sensing the presence of another person.

"Cursed prince, you came to seek me out as I thought." Though his hands and feet were chained, he still raised his head to look at Qi Xiu with a nasty glare in his eyes.

"Who are you, and why do you call me a cursed prince?" Qi Xiu went straight to the point.

"...Ha! Hahahaha! To think you actually don't remember, HAHAHAHA! YOU REALLY ARE CURSED!" Instead of answering his question, the man just laughed with resentment. Qi Xiu pursed his lips.

"You really don't remember?" The man probed, smirking cockily.

Qi Xiu didn't respond.

"Your parents would curse themselves if they heard this!" He continued.

"You know who my parents are?" Qi Xiu was getting annoyed. He couldn't do anything to the person though since he had the key to his past, so he could only grit his teeth and hold it in.

"Of course I do, I'm the one who killed them!" The man declared. "Southern Crown Prince Xiu, you're living so lavishly in the North not knowing your own country is nearing it's end because of these beasts. How funny, truly hilarious!"

If there weren't any bars separating the two of them, Qi Xiu would certainly have killed this man by now, but before he could get anything else out of this lunatic, a guard heard laughter coming from inside and had rushed here, which left Qi Xiu with no choice but to run.

He sneaked back with a heavy feeling in his chest.

It was only when he returned to He An's room that everything the man had said to him sunk in, and his head was muddled by all the information. That lunatic called him the "Southern Crown Prince," could this have something to do with parts of his memory missing? If he really was the prince, then him having relations with the Northern Emperor was truly too shameful. Everyone knew the North and South held animosity towards each other and it wasn't too long ago that the North invaded the South.

He stood in front of He An's room, unable to enter.

This was too much for him to handle.

"Where were you so late at night?" Qi Xiu looked up to find He An staring at him with grogginess written all over his face. "Come inside, it's cold."

"I... will go back to my own room tonight." His voice was quiet. He didn't have the guts to face He An.

"Ah? Just sleep here." He An was unwilling to let his cub escape and form a bad opinion of him after tonight. He hadn't followed Qi Xiu but the system informed him that the latter now knew of his origins, meaning there was a chance he could hate him (He An) for being involved in the ruin of his people. He quickly pulled the cub inside and closed the door.

Qi Xiu clenched his fists, unknowingly letting his nails dig into his skin. He caught a glimpse of the stab He An received earlier today and looked away. Since the doctor had told He An not to wear any tight clothing, the Emperor had just decided to not wear anything at all so that his wound could heal freely, but it also made it more noticeable.

"Your Majesty, why do you take care of me so much...?" He suddenly spoke.

He An was quick to reply, "Don't think too much about it."

Of course, it's because you're like a cub that needs to be taken care of. I'm afraid others may bully you while I'm not looking so you should just be by my side at all times!

But he didn't say that.

Noticing that Qi Xiu wore a strange expression, He An tried to clarify something else, "Don't worry about being coveted for your appearance, I'm not interested in men. I really didn't mean to make you one of my concubines... if you'd like a different position, just tell me."

"...Oh." Qi Xiu's lips quivered but he quickly hid his expression from He An by not showing his face.

If you aren't interested in men, then why did you sleep with me in my last life? Was it just my foolishness that made me expect too much? His thoughts eventually steered in a direction where he brutally scolded himself. Qi Xiu, are you even worthy of being loved? Your body was soiled by several beasts, yet you still think you're a pure maiden?

'Don't think too much about it.'

Qi Xiu smiled bitterly, but his heart was more bitter.

He couldn't tell what hurt more, the nails that were digging into his flesh from within his sleeves—or his heart that had just been trampled on by the man sitting in front of him.