Shh~! Auntie, Don't Make a Sound (Image Replaced)

However...

The two of them slept soundly, while Ice Empress alone lay in the corner.

Ice Empress had not slept here for a long time, so she woke up again soon after falling asleep.

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

"..."

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

Yet after one sleep, Xue'er's warm embrace had been claimed by that little burden again!

Ice Empress had just wanted to snatch Snow Emperor back when she withdrew her hand halfway.

Because she saw Ling Xiao's expression.

The corners of Ling Xiao's lips were slightly raised in a smile of complete peace.

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

It was utter trust and dependence.

Ice Empress's hand hung in midair.

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

"Hmph."

She gave a soft snort.

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

They had promised to be close sisters, yet in the end, she was the outsider.

The next morning.

On the ice crystal bed inside the Ice Crystal Palace.

Ling Xiao shifted slightly in his sleep, suddenly feeling that it was a little difficult to breathe.

"Mmph..."

Ling Xiao frowned faintly as his consciousness struggled between sleep and wakefulness.

That feeling was like...

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

A warm, soft pressure pressed directly against the front of Ling Xiao's face, firmly blocking both his nose and mouth.

Ling Xiao found it increasingly difficult to breathe.

Driven by the instinct to survive, he suddenly exerted himself and yanked his head free.

"Gasp! Gasp! Gasp!"

Ling Xiao gulped down huge breaths of air, his chest heaving violently.

His face was flushed bright red.

Half because he had been unable to breathe, and the other half because...

Ling Xiao finally came back to his senses and slowly lowered his gaze.

Then his face turned red with a whoosh, like a fully ripened apple.

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

Snow Emperor's skin was still snow-white.

Snow Emperor's breathing remained steady. Clearly, Ling Xiao's movements had not awakened her.

"..."

Ling Xiao's mind went blank.

He instinctively scooted back a few times, putting some distance between himself and Snow Emperor.

He secretly rejoiced inwardly.

Thank goodness... Mother Snow Emperor doesn't know... 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 at Ice Empress's sleeping spot and found that she had long since disappeared.

"Hm?"

Ling Xiao froze slightly.

Where was Auntie?

He looked around the 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 drooping slightly, her eyes half-open and half-closed. She looked like she had not slept well.

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

Seeing Ice Empress like that, Ling Xiao felt a trace of guilt rise in his heart.

"Auntie?"

At Ling Xiao's soft call, Ice Empress slowly lifted 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 responded listlessly, then buried her head back in her hands.

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

"Auntie, didn't you sleep well last night?"

"Mhm... You two were hugging so tightly that there wasn't any room left for me..."

Ice Empress's voice carried a hint of grievance.

"Auntie, I'm sorry..."

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

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 they do it now?

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

It was another princess carry.

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

Ice Empress was already petite and weighed very little. After taking human form, this was even more so.

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

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

"Wahh~!"

Ice Empress's large eyes widened 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. Anyway, he isn't as handsome as you readers.)

Ice Empress's voice was rushed and flustered, and a suspicious blush appeared on her cheeks.

Last time, it had been from anger.

This time, it was definitely from fright.

Ice Empress had never expected this either.

When Ling Xiao had still been a baby, she and Snow Emperor had taken turns holding him and feeding him soul power.

She had always been the one holding Ling Xiao before. Who would have thought that things would now be completely reversed?

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

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

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

But Ice Empress did not see it that way.

By now, Ice Empress's face was already bright red, and even her words became somewhat incoherent.

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

Ice Empress struggled as she spoke, trying to jump out of Ling Xiao's arms. But Ling Xiao was very strong, and no matter how she struggled, she could not break free.

If Snow Emperor saw her like this, she could just find an ice crevice and crawl into it.

"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 jade-green eyes full of conflict. She neither wanted Ling Xiao to hold her like this nor wanted to wake Snow Emperor.

She made a difficult decision.

She buried her head in Ling Xiao's chest and used 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 darted beneath the covers as fast as she could.

"..."

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

She saw Ling Xiao sitting on the chair, as well as Ice Empress, who for some reason was sleeping especially quietly.

Snow Emperor paused slightly.

She vaguely felt that something was off, but she could not say what it was right now.

"Morning."

Snow Emperor's voice was soft.

"Morning, Mother."

Ling Xiao replied softly as well.

Snow Emperor slowly got down from the ice crystal bed and tidied her somewhat messy long hair.

"Ice, still not awake?"

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

Snow Emperor could not help but sigh upon hearing that. She gently shook Ice Empress's shoulder.

"Ice, it's time to get up."

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

Snow Emperor raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Ice, if you still won't get up, the two of us are leaving without you."

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

"What?! Leaving without me?!"

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

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

Snow Emperor smiled somewhat smugly.

"Awake now?"

Ice Empress scratched her head awkwardly.

"Mhm..."