As the girl's soft, fragrant body nestled in his arms, a wave of tenderness washed over Lu Yang, followed by a strange pang of heartache.
He raised one hand and gently stroked the girl's back. "I'm sorry. I came too late."
Inside the pocket dimension, the Empress watched the tender scene before her with a smile, making no move to intervene.
The girl was caught up in a tangle of joy and sorrow. Only after a long while did she notice that there were others in the pocket dimension. When she saw the Empress in particular, her face turned deathly pale.
"Mother, I—I..." Ji Qingyi tried to explain, but for a moment, she couldn't think of what to say.
She feared her actions might affect Lu Yang.
Yet the Empress, who had always been rather strict with her—even disliking her—was now smiling at her, showing no sign of anger.
This took Ji Qingyi by surprise.
The Empress before her seemed like an entirely different person from the one she had known all these years.
But her face, her aura, and the pocket dimension around them were all unmistakable.
At a loss as to what was happening, Ji Qingyi could only look at Lu Yang questioningly.
Lu Yang smiled and shook his head. He had no idea what was going on, either.
A little over half a month ago, he had only learned in passing from Li Fei that the Empress's so-called house arrest of 'Ji Qingyi' was actually a form of protection.
As for why the Empress, who had always resented Ji Qingyi's birth mother, Consort Xu, would protect Ji Qingyi, Lu Yang truly didn't understand.
The Empress smiled faintly. "Heh. There's no need to explain. I know everything about the two of you."
Ji Qingyi hurriedly broke free of