Love Under the Moon, The Ice Empress's First Time

After dinner, Huo Chen sat in the courtyard for a while.

As the night deepened, moonlight spilled across the bluestone paving like a thin layer of silver frost. The evening breeze carried the chill of early autumn, stirring the branches and leaves of the plum tree in the corner of the yard with a soft rustle.

He held a cup of tea that had long since gone cold, yet did not drink it. He merely gazed at the bright moon on the horizon, as though lost in thought.

The door behind him creaked open.

He did not turn around, but the footsteps told him who had come. They were light and steady, carrying a distinctive rhythm—neither hurried nor slow—as if their owner had long been accustomed to walking steadily through ice and snow.

"Why are you still up so late?" Ice Empress's voice came from behind him, carrying its usual coolness, though that chill seemed to have softened somewhat in the night.

"Moon-gazing," Huo Chen answered without looking back.

Ice Empress walked over and sat on the stone bench beside him. Following his gaze, she glanced at the moon overhead before withdrawing her eyes to the teacup in his hand. "What's so interesting about the moon?"

"Whether the moon is beautiful isn't important. What matters is who you're watching it with."

Ice Empress's hand holding the cup paused slightly. Then she lowered her head, pretending not to have heard him, and took a sip of tea. But Huo Chen noticed that the tips of her ears had taken on a faint pink hue beneath the moonlight.

The two of them sat quietly like that, neither saying a word. The evening breeze brushed past them, carrying the fragrance of distant flowers and grass mixed with the scent of earth and dew.

Several autumn insects chirped softly from the grass in the corner of the yard, their calls rising and falling as though they were playing a soothing nocturne.

After a while, Ice Empress broke the silence. "What did you say to that pink-haired girl today?"

Huo Chen knew she meant Wang Dong, so he briefly told her about Wang Dong coming to see him that afternoon. Ice Empress fell silent for a moment after hearing it, then said evenly, "That girl has feelings for you."

"She's still a child."

"Eleven isn't that young." Ice Empress's tone remained calm. "When I was her age, I was already hunting thousand-year soul beasts alone in the Extreme North."

Huo Chen turned to look at her. Under the moonlight, the lines of her profile were distinct yet gentle. Her gaze rested on the darkness in the distance, revealing no emotion.

"What are you worried about?" he asked.

"I'm not worried about anything." Ice Empress raised her cup and took a sip, her tone indifferent. "I'm only reminding you not to wait until things become impossible to fix before dealing with them."

Huo Chen was silent for several breaths before nodding. "I understand."

Ice Empress did not pursue the subject. She set down her teacup and stood. "I'm sleepy. I'm going to bed first."

"Alright."

She took two steps, then stopped. Without turning around, she spoke more softly than before. "You should get some sleep too."

"Mhm."

She hurried into the house, and the door closed softly behind her.

Huo Chen remained seated alone in the courtyard, gazing at the moon. He finished the last sip of cold tea in his cup, then rose and returned indoors as well.

After washing up, he lay down in bed but did not fall asleep immediately. Moonlight filtered in through the window, casting a hazy patch of light across the ceiling. His eyes were closed, yet his mind replayed everything that had happened that day—Ning Tian's letter, Wang Dong's questioning, and Ice Empress's words beneath the moonlight: "You should get some sleep too."

Before he knew it, he drifted into a drowsy sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint sound startled him awake.

Huo Chen opened his eyes and listened quietly in the darkness for several breaths. The sound was very soft, as though someone was moving about in the next room. The footsteps had been deliberately muted, but he still caught them in the silence of the night.

It was Ice Empress's room.

He did not get up, only listened quietly. The footsteps paced back and forth through the neighboring room a few times before stopping.

Next came the soft scrape of a chair being pulled out, then silence again. After a while, the footsteps resumed, this time heading toward the door.

There was a soft knock on Huo Chen's door.

The knock was so light that it seemed uncertain whether it should be made at all, filled with hesitation and probing.

Huo Chen got up, walked to the door, and opened it.

Ice Empress stood outside.

She wore a white nightgown with a robe casually draped over it. Her short ice-blue hair was slightly messy, as though she had spent a long time tossing and turning in bed.

Moonlight streamed in through a small window at the end of the corridor, illuminating her profile. Her expression seemed calm, but Huo Chen noticed that her fingers were lightly clutching the hem of her robe.

"...I can't sleep," she said.

Huo Chen did not ask further questions. He merely stepped aside and made room at the doorway.

Ice Empress hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and walked in.

She sat at the edge of the bed, her hands resting on her knees, her gaze fixed on her interlaced fingers. She said nothing. Huo Chen sat beside her without speaking either, simply waiting quietly for her to open up.

After a long while, Ice Empress finally spoke, her voice lower than usual. "Huo Chen, what you said before... does it still count?"

"Which thing?"

She did not answer, but her fingers tightened slightly.

Huo Chen looked at her lowered profile. The moonlight cast a small shadow across her eyelashes. He reached out and gently took her hand.

Her fingers were somewhat cold, but in his palm, that chill gradually began to warm.

"Every word I said still counts."

Ice Empress raised her head and looked at him. Moonlight streamed through the window, reflecting two cool points of light in her eyes.

There was hesitation in her eyes, and nervousness, but more than anything, there was the resolve of someone who had already made up her mind.

"Then tonight... don't leave."

Her voice was soft, so soft it was nearly drowned out by the chirping insects beyond the window. Yet in the quiet night, every word fell clearly into Huo Chen's ears.

Huo Chen did not answer.

He merely tightened his hold on her hand, then gave a gentle tug and pulled her lightly into his arms.

Her body was a little stiff at first, but she soon relaxed against his chest, burying her face in the hollow of his shoulder.

Her breathing was warm and even, carrying a faint fragrance—not the scent of flowers or perfume, but something uniquely hers, as fresh as melting snow and ice.

Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a silver-white glow across the floor. Even the insects outside seemed to quiet down, as though they too could not bear to disturb the peace of this moment.

(P.S.: Use your imagination.)

The next morning, dawn had only just begun to break.

When Huo Chen woke up, he found that Ice Empress was already awake. She lay on her side beside him, one hand beneath her cheek, quietly watching him.

Morning light filtered through a gap in the curtains, outlining her profile in a soft glow.

"Awake?" Her voice carried the slight huskiness of someone who had just risen, less cool and detached than usual, with a touch more languidness.

"Yeah." Huo Chen looked at her. "When did you wake up?"

"Not long ago." Ice Empress's gaze lingered on his face for a moment before shifting away. In an even tone, she said, "Your sleeping posture isn't very good."

Huo Chen froze for a moment. "...Am I that restless when I sleep?"

"It's not too bad." Ice Empress paused, the corners of her lips curving slightly. "You just talk in your sleep."

Huo Chen felt a little embarrassed. "What did I say?"

"You called my name."

Huo Chen fell silent for a moment, then could not help but laugh. "Isn't that perfectly normal?"

Ice Empress did not respond, but the curve of her lips deepened a little. She sat up from the bed, draped an outer robe over herself, and padded barefoot across the floor to the window, where she pulled open the curtains. Morning light flooded in, making the whole room bright and warm.

She stood before the window, gazing at Shrek Academy in the distance, shrouded in morning mist. After a moment of silence, she spoke. "Huo Chen."

"Mm?"

"About last night... I won't regret it."

Huo Chen walked up behind her and gently wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin atop her head. "And I won't let you regret it."

Ice Empress said nothing, but she leaned back slightly, softly resting her weight against him.

The morning light grew brighter and brighter, stretching their shadows across the floor into a warm silhouette. Outside, a few early birds chirped from the branches. A new day had begun.

After a while, Ice Empress straightened up from his embrace, turned to face him, and reached out to smooth his somewhat rumpled collar. The movement was so natural, as if she had done it countless times before.

"Do you have class today?"

"One class in the morning."

"Then why aren't you going to wash up? Are you planning to go to class looking like this?"

Huo Chen lowered his head and looked at his wrinkled pajamas, smiling helplessly. "Got it. I'm going now."

He turned and walked out of the room, then looked back at her once more from the doorway.

Ice Empress stood by the window, the morning light gilding her outline with a golden halo. A faint smile rested on her lips, and she looked far gentler than usual.

"What are you looking at? Go on already," she urged.

Huo Chen smiled and shook his head before turning toward the washroom.

By the time he had washed up and changed clothes, Ice Empress was no longer in his room. He went into the main hall and saw breakfast already laid out on the table.

Ice Empress sat at the table with a bowl of porridge in her hands, slowly drinking it with her head lowered. When she saw him come out, she lifted her eyelids slightly. "What are you standing there for? Sit down and eat."

Huo Chen sat at the table, picked up his bowl of porridge, and took a sip. It was just the right temperature, and the rice had been cooked until soft enough to melt in his mouth.

"Is it good?" Ice Empress asked in an indifferent tone, but Huo Chen noticed her eyes sneaking glances at him, as though waiting for his verdict.

"It's good."

Ice Empress gave a quiet "Mm" and lowered her head to continue drinking her porridge, but Huo Chen noticed that the small curve had returned to her lips.

After breakfast, Huo Chen gathered his lesson materials and prepared to head to class. Just as he reached the door, Ice Empress's voice came from behind him. "Will you be back for dinner tonight?"

He turned back and saw her standing by the table, clearing away the dishes with movements so natural that it seemed as though she had lived here for a very, very long time.

"I'll be back."

"Then I'll make two more dishes."

Huo Chen stood in the doorway, watching her busy silhouette in the morning light, and an indescribable warmth rose in his heart. He said nothing more and simply turned to walk out the door.