Shen Yangge bowed with his hands clasped. "Your Highness, I know my lowly presence offends your eyes. Please permit me to withdraw."
As the young man bowed, his hair fell forward on either side, strands catching in the folds of his blue-gray sleeves. There were small wounds on his wrists, along with a large patch of purple bruising.
They stood in stark contrast to his fair skin.
The crown prince's gaze drifted involuntarily to the young man's slender neck. The marks there were still shocking to see, inevitably bringing back the sensation of that skin in his mouth.
Shen Yangge was about to burst. His expression strained, he ventured again in a small voice, "...Your Highness?"
The crown prince said, "Granted."
Shen Yangge breathed a sigh of relief, then turned and strode away. Once outside the hall, he quickened his pace, only to realize halfway along that he had no idea where the privy was. His face went green.
He glanced around, spotted several palace maids hurrying away from the corridor where they had been stationed, and turned to run toward them.
The maids had been walking along normally, but their faces went white when they saw Shen Yangge charging toward them. They looked around frantically, then dropped to their knees with a thud when they realized he was coming for them.
Shen Yangge said, "No need to bow. I only want to ask you something."
A maid answered shakily, "Please go ahead, my lord."
"...Where's the privy?"
It was a little embarrassing to ask, but he couldn't afford to worry about that now.
The maid said, "My lord...p-please follow me."
One maid volunteered and slowly stood up. After seeking Shen Yangge's permission, she walked ahead to lead the way.
He arrived without incident, but inside the privy, Shen Yangge nearly cried as he struggled to undo his complicated robes and trousers.
Once he had relieved himself, he opened the wooden door and discovered that the maid who had brought him here had already left at some point. Shen Yangge was speechless.
He had been in too much of a hurry to remember the way back. This place was as deserted as a forgotten palace, and he wasn't likely to find anyone anytime soon.
[System, do you have a map or something?]
System 615: [...No.]
Waiting around wasn't a solution, either. Shen Yangge decided to try walking around. Maybe something would jog his memory.
He walked for nearly an hour. Aside from the changing scenery, nothing looked familiar. Going back would only waste time, so Shen Yangge had to find another way.
He headed toward the busier paths and asked anyone he encountered for directions.
Most of the palace maids knew exactly where the main hall was. Only a handful shook their heads.
When he finally returned to the main hall and saw the familiar buildings, Shen Yangge realized he had never wanted to come back this badly in his life.
"My lord, y-you're finally back."
Hm?
A shifty-looking eunuch wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, trembling, "Please hurry inside. His Highness is looking for you."
The crown prince was looking for him?
Fair enough. He had been gone so long that it was only natural to look for him. But he wasn't the man's mother. Was he not weaned yet? Why did he need to ask after him wherever he went?
Shen Yangge held his breath, then took a deep breath to relax before stepping into the hall.
"This subject pays his respects to Your Highness."
There was no response. The hall was utterly silent. Shen Yangge furtively swept his gaze around and finally spotted the crown prince standing by a window. He was looking toward...
A stretch of path Shen Yangge had passed along on his way back.
The implications were terrifying.
Shen Yangge's brow twitched, and his scalp prickled. He swallowed, his expression unusually tense.
The main problem was that he knew this bastard didn't want to kill him, only torment him. Never mind the original owner's fear of the male lead-he was scared, too.
A few days ago, when he had been too inexperienced to know fear, he might have managed to muddle through. But now that he had seen the male lead's various fits of madness and the ruthless way he killed, Shen Yangge didn't think he could keep this up.
[-Maybe I should pick another target. Find someone who can kill me outright, so I won't have to live in terror under this bastard's nose. At least I'd die happy.]
Yet barely two seconds after that thought formed, the crown prince turned from the window and fixed him with a dark, unfathomable gaze. His pale, cloud-patterned sleeves stirred as though brushed by a breeze, carrying a solemn chill.
He said, "Scribe Shen, what did you say?"
"Your Highness?"
[-What did I say? All I did was pay my respects. I didn't say another word. Are you so sick you're hearing things now? Ugh, you won't take any of the medicine the imperial physicians give you. No wonder you're hallucinating.]
The crown prince beckoned for him to approach.
"Come here."
Could he refuse?
With the original owner's established personality to maintain, he couldn't even think about refusing.
When Shen Yangge was only three steps away, the crown prince raised his hand. His broad sleeve slipped down, smooth and exquisite.
His innate nobility shone through, leaving Shen Yangge briefly dazed.
Then a few icy fingers caught his chin and tipped it upward.
Caught completely off guard, Shen Yangge found himself staring straight into the deranged crown prince's eyes.
"...Your Highness."
The crown prince had sharp brows, bright eyes, and handsome features quite unlike either the emperor's or the empress's. His beauty seemed inborn, of a kind Shen Yangge couldn't find words to describe.
Little did he know that, in someone else's eyes, the same was true of him.
"Shen Zhuanxie, what are you thinking?"
"I was wondering...why Your Highness was so eager to find me."
[-Stand up straight and talk properly. Stop pinching my face!]
[-Anyone who saw us without knowing better would think I really was your little lover.]
[-I should have cut those two assassins' dicks off last night. Blind fools don't deserve a third leg.]
The crown prince rubbed his thumb over Shen Yangge's chin. The cold touch, coupled with the chill of his thumb ring, made Shen Yangge want to retreat.
"I do not want Scribe Shen speaking at length with anyone other than me. Every time I catch you doing so, you will lose an organ."
[-Holy shit, you fucking pervert. You're actually after my organs! Despicable, shameless, vile!]
[-If you've got the nerve to covet my organs, why don't you have the nerve to kill me? Once I'm dead, what part of this body wouldn't be yours?]
Pale-faced, Shen Yangge answered, "Your Highness, I will certainly refrain from speaking at length with others. Please rest assured."
[-Even if I don't talk to other people, can't they come and talk to me? You don't even understand something that simple, and you're supposed to be the future emperor.]
Just then, the crown prince's sinister voice reached his ears again. "Others may not speak to you, either. If I catch them, I will cut off your ears. Do you understand, Scribe Shen?"
He truly couldn't understand how this bastard had become the male lead. And the author had even given him such a huge harem. Shen Yangge didn't dare imagine those three thousand beauties nestled intimately against the crown prince.
Could all of that be fake?
"Your Highness, I am entirely innocent. I cannot stop others from speaking to me..."
"Then I will cut off their ears as well."
[-You're ruthless!!]
Shen Yangge wanted to cry but had no tears. This bastard was far too good at tormenting people.
Before you continue