One of the first things the new emperor did was write an edict that demanded the youngest prince upon providing an heir to the throne. So that meant calling prince Julong back from his mission to perform a ceremonial bedding to impregnate his wife.

Yuan argued that this was his father's wish before he died and he's simply following through what his father wanted.

An heir to the throne is needed and now is the time for it more than ever. The imperial family lost two of their kins, leaving the new emperor and the youngest prince.

Since emperor was unable to have children, so it was left to the youngest prince to provide one. But the fact that prince Julong had not gotten wangfei Yu Yan pregnant even after over a year of marriage caught the emperor and most of his adviser's attention and left them worried.

The bloodline must be secured, and an heir could no longer wait. It became a sudden priority to the emperor.

A messenger was dispatched to the southern region of the county to escort the third prince back to the palace.

Prince Julong arrived at fortnight a few days later. There wasn't any warm welcome or celebratory feast typical of his father's. Instead, prince Julong rode the long stretch of the entrance escorted by a few of his soldiers, a thin parade of people.

I hid behind a pillar as I surveyed the prince strutted on his way to the palace.

My heart skipped because even as I hid away from him, I knew his eyes wandered looking for me in the courtyard, by the entrance, all my little favorite spots. And just when I thought it was safe, that he had passed without as much as noticing me, I risked a peek only to find him on the other side.

I should have known better than to hide from prince Julong since he had the keenest eyes for me. It was as if he smelled my scent from yards away and tracked me expertly with his immaculate nose.

I gasped, but I didn't step back. I held still and stared at him trapped in his beautiful face, wishing he would hold me without suffering any consequences. But even a hug can result in death in this palace these days.

Something inside me shattered as I remembered that morning when he left and slipped away from my grasp all because of a huge misunderstanding. I heave, unable to control my fret. I thought that he loved me, I thought that he would never leave me, I thought that we will be together.

"Jasmine..." Prince Julong murmured my name with heartbreaking tenderness as if his own heart shattered at the sound of it. I saw the pain in his eyes as he stared at me, and for a moment, I entertained asking him a question if he regretted leaving me behind.

I forced myself into a bow. "Welcome back, prince Julong."

Maybe this wouldn't hurt more if I didn't know the reason for his return, and if I wasn't to be one of the witnesses for his bedding ceremony. I could still recall the uncomfortable conversation with Yuan a few nights ago when he presented the news to me as a surprise.

"Y-you wanted me to be a witness?" I couldn't understand why the emperor would do something so cruel.

"It's my gift to you." Yuan said with a malign twist on his lips, I never knew that Yuan could smile before and once I found those smiles, I wish I never saw them because the emperor never smiled unless it was for his gain.

"You wanted me to watch them?" My voice danced on the verge of breaking in front of him.

"Now, now, why would I do something like that to you, Jasmine? Having you witness a private intercourse between Julong and Yu Yan is immoral. I could never do such a thing. What I want is for you to witness history. I wanted you to see how the future emperor is conceived."

"Couldn't you pick someone else? Please, Yuan. I don't want to do this."

"No, Jasmine. I wanted you to be there with me."

"Does prince Julong knew about this?"

Yuan's smile parted uncharacteristically cruel, and yet it made him even more handsome. If he wasn't so malicious, I think falling in love would have been easy. "Julong don't have time to know who's going to be the witnesses."

I knew what's Yuan's intention all along. He wanted to toy with me, he wanted to toy with his brother, he wanted to put us in the same room together and make us uncomfortable. He knew this would hurt me, and this is exactly what he wanted.

if I were to see prince Julong and Yu Yan together, it would etch an unbearable wound in my heart so deep that it will never heal. This was Yuan's perfect opportunity aware of our unrequited feelings for each other.

His fingers skimmed on the back of my neck, playing with some of my hair loosely. His dangerous touch felt so natural, so unpracticed that he was so used to touching me so casually. His fingers clamped on the back of my neck like a predator's teeth, it sunk and prevented me from moving. "When I said, I wanted you with me, I wanted you to get over both Hoon and Julong."

I clenched as every muscle in body tensed. "I understand, your highness."