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The morning sun rose with quiet gentleness, its golden light slipping through the velvet curtains of the prince's chamber. Birds chirped softly outside, but inside, the room was still—except for the two figures tangled together atop the wide bed.
Prince Xìn Xuān—still in Shèng Lín's body—lay draped over his own sleeping form, his arms loosely wrapped around Shèng Lín. Their breaths were calm and steady, two heartbeats beating out of sync in each other's skins.
A loud knock shattered the peace.
"Your Highness," came a voice from behind the door. "Princess Lù Zhāo has come to see you."
Both of them jerked awake.
Xìn Xuān blinked rapidly. "Wait—what?"
"Get off!" Shèng Lín hissed, already trying to shove the prince aside.
"I was comfortable!" the prince protested, but quickly rolled off, fixing his robes and ruffling his hair to look appropriately disheveled. "No time to fight. Just… act normal."
The door opened, and Princess Lù Zhāo entered with slow, composed steps. Her elegant robes flowed behind her, and her expression was gentle—but sharp eyes flicked around the room instantly.
Her gaze stopped on the rumpled bed, the bowl of water, the slightly flushed knight standing to the side.
"…Good morning, Your Highness," she said, bowing slightly to Shèng Lín (in the prince's body).
"Good morning," he said, too quickly.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I heard about the injury during training," she said smoothly. "I came to see if… your knight was recovering."
"Ah, yes," Shèng Lín nodded, trying to keep his voice steady. "He… was careless."
The real prince shot him a glare.
"I see." She turned to Xìn Xuān (still in Shèng Lín's body), her head tilting slightly.
"You must be in pain," she said softly. "But still able to share your prince's bed, I suppose?"
Xìn Xuān choked slightly. "What?"
Her lips curved just a little. "I meant you must be close. To be allowed into his chambers so freely."
Shèng Lín stepped forward. "He's here only because I gave him that order. He's recovering under supervision. That's all."
"But it is the second time, is it not?" she asked, her gaze glinting now. "I've heard whispers. I didn't believe them, of course… but it's rare for my future husband to give such special permission to a knight."
The room turned quiet.
The prince—uncharacteristically—stayed silent.
After a long pause, the princess gave a soft smile.
"I trust you'll tell me if there's something I need to know, won't you?"
Shèng Lín bowed slightly. "Of course."
She turned to leave, but paused by the door.
"Take care of yourself, Your Highness," she said, eyes still unreadable. "And… your knight."
With that, she swept out of the chamber.
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The door clicked shut.
The prince exhaled hard. "She suspects."
"She's not a fool," Shèng Lín muttered.
"We have to be more careful from now on."
"I told you sleeping together would cause problems."
"You didn't stop me," the prince said with a smirk.
Shèng Lín rolled his eyes. "Next time I'll kick you onto the floor."
"…Tempting. But I prefer your chest."
Shèng Lín glared.
But beneath the tension and teasing… a new anxiety stirred.
Because if Princess Lù Zhāo started asking the right questions—
Everything could fall apart.
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