Shh~! Auntie, Don't Make a Sound

However...

They slept soundly, while Ice Empress alone lay forlornly in the corner.

Since Ice Empress had not slept here in so long, she woke up again shortly after falling asleep.

She cracked her eyes open and saw the two of them tightly embracing.

"..."

Ice Empress's lips twitched slightly. Just moments ago, she had clearly been sleeping with Xue'er!

Yet when she woke up, Xue'er's warm embrace had been taken by that little burden again!

Ice Empress was just about to snatch Snow Empress back when she withdrew her outstretched hand halfway.

Because she saw Ling Xiao's expression.

The corners of Ling Xiao's lips were slightly raised in an exceptionally peaceful smile.

He was curled up in Snow Empress's arms like a child who had found his home.

It was complete trust and dependence.

Ice Empress's hand hovered in midair.

She could only silently pull her hand back, then turn over to face the wall.

"Hmph."

She gave a soft snort.

There was a trace of dissatisfaction in her voice, along with a hint of envy that only she herself knew about.

They had said they were close as sisters, but in the end, she was the outsider.

The next morning.

On the ice crystal bed in Ice Crystal Palace.

Ling Xiao shifted slightly in his sleep, suddenly finding it a little hard to breathe.

"Mmm..."

Ling Xiao's brows furrowed slightly as his consciousness struggled between sleep and wakefulness.

That feeling was like...

Something was covering his nose and mouth, preventing him from breathing properly.

A warm, soft pressure came straight at Ling Xiao from the front, tightly blocking both his nose and mouth.

Ling Xiao found it harder and harder to breathe.

Driven by his instinct for survival, he suddenly exerted himself and pulled his head free.

"Gasp! Gasp! Gasp!"

Ling Xiao panted heavily, his chest heaving violently.

His face was flushed red.

Half of it was from being unable to breathe, while the other half was because...

Ling Xiao finally came back to his senses, and his gaze slowly moved downward.

Then his face turned red in an instant, like a ripe apple.

Because he finally saw what had been blocking his nose and mouth just now.

Snow Empress's skin was still as white as snow.

Snow Empress's breathing remained steady. Clearly, Ling Xiao's movements had not woken her.

"..."

Ling Xiao's mind went blank.

He instinctively scooted backward several times, putting some distance between himself and Snow Empress.

He secretly rejoiced inwardly:

Thank goodness... Mother Snow Empress didn't find out... No one knows yet...

Only after taking several deep breaths did Ling Xiao barely manage to calm his heartbeat.

Then, he carefully sat up, trying not to make any sound.

He glanced toward Ice Empress's sleeping spot, but Ice Empress had long since disappeared.

"Hm?"

Ling Xiao froze slightly.

Where was Auntie?

He looked around Ice Crystal Palace and quickly spotted Ice Empress.

Ice Empress was sitting on a chair in the corner.

Her hands weakly supported her chin, her twin ponytails drooped slightly, and her eyes were half-open. She looked like she had not slept well at all.

Clearly, he and Snow Empress had slept soundly, while Ice Empress alone had not.

Seeing Ice Empress like that, Ling Xiao felt a twinge of guilt.

"Auntie?"

At Ling Xiao's soft call, Ice Empress slowly raised her head.

Ice Empress looked drowsy, clearly not fully awake yet.

"Hm? Little Ling Xiao?"

"Why are you up so early?"

Ling Xiao scratched his head awkwardly.

"I couldn't sleep anymore."

"Oh..."

Ice Empress answered listlessly, then buried her head back in her hands.

"Then I'll sleep a little longer..."

"Auntie, did you not sleep well last night?"

"Mm... You two were hugging too tightly. I was squeezed so much that I didn't even have any room..."

Ice Empress's voice carried a trace of grievance.

"Auntie, I'm sorry..."

"Mm... It's fine... Next time, just let Xue'er hold me instead..."

Ice Empress's voice grew quieter and quieter. At this rate, she would soon fall asleep again.

Ling Xiao suddenly thought, why wait until next time? Couldn't he do it now?

So Ling Xiao walked over, bent down slightly, and swept Ice Empress into his arms.

It was another princess carry.

One hand supported the bend of Ice Empress's knees, while the other steadily held her back.

Ice Empress had always been petite and light, and after taking human form, even more so.

With Ling Xiao's current height, carrying her was as easy as holding a kitten.

Ice Empress suddenly lost her footing and was lifted into the air, instantly scared fully awake.

"Wahhh~!"

Ice Empress's large eyes went round as she instinctively flailed her hands about.

"Little Ling Xiao, what are you doing?! Put your auntie down right now!"

(The protagonist's appearance will have to do. He is not as handsome as any of you readers anyway.)

Ice Empress's voice came out fast and flustered, and a suspicious blush appeared on her cheeks.

Last time, she had been angered.

This time, she was definitely just frightened.

Ice Empress had never expected this either.

When Ling Xiao had still been a baby, she and Snow Empress had taken turns holding him and feeding him Soul Power.

She had always been the one holding Ling Xiao before, yet now it had completely reversed.

She was the mighty Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, the second Heavenly King of the Extreme North, yet she was being carried in this position by him. What kind of propriety was this?!

"Auntie, sleeping in a chair is uncomfortable. I'll carry you to the bed."

Ling Xiao's voice was utterly serious, as if he were doing the most ordinary thing in the world.

But Ice Empress did not see it that way.

By then, Ice Empress's face was already scarlet, and even her voice had become somewhat unsteady.

"Put me down! I-I can walk over myself!"

Ice Empress struggled as she spoke, trying to jump out of Ling Xiao's arms, but Ling Xiao was too strong. No matter how she struggled, she could not break free.

If Snow Empress saw her like this, she could crawl straight into an ice crevice.

"Shh~!"

"Auntie, don't make a sound. You don't want to wake Mother while she's still sleeping, do you?"

"..."

At those words, Ice Empress immediately stopped struggling.

Ice Empress bit her lower lip tightly, her emerald eyes full of conflict. She neither wanted Ling Xiao to carry her like this nor wanted to wake Snow Empress.

She made a difficult decision.

She buried her head against Ling Xiao's chest, using her twin ponytails to hide her thoroughly flushed face.

"Then, then hurry up..."

Ling Xiao placed Ice Empress on the bed.

The moment Ice Empress touched the ice bed, she ducked beneath the covers as quickly as possible.

"..."

About half an hour later, Snow Empress slowly woke up as well.

She saw Ling Xiao on the chair and Ice Empress, who for some reason was sleeping exceptionally quietly.

Snow Empress paused slightly.

She vaguely felt that something was off, but she could not put her finger on it right now.

"Morning."

Snow Empress's voice was soft.

"Morning, Mother."

Ling Xiao replied softly as well.

Snow Empress slowly got down from the ice bed and tidied her slightly disheveled long hair.

"Bing'er still isn't awake?"

"Mm, Auntie seemed not to have slept well last night."

Snow Empress could not help sighing at that, gently shaking Ice Empress by the shoulder.

"Bing'er, it's time to get up."

"Mmm... Let me sleep a little longer..."

Snow Empress raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Bing'er, if you still won't get up, the two of us will leave without you."

Snow Empress's words worked remarkably well. Ice Empress woke up instantly upon hearing them.

"What?! Leave without me?!"

Ice Empress sprang up from the ice bed, her twin ponytails whipping sharply from inertia.

"Who said you were leaving without me?! Who dares leave without me?!"

Snow Empress smiled somewhat smugly.

"Awake now?"

Ice Empress scratched her head sheepishly.

"Mm..."