When the two finally made their way back to Jing He’s palace, they both stopped in the distance and looked around, worried about running into Jing He’s father. It was the same every day now: They’d leave early in the morning to go over to Bai Fen’s palace, hoping that they wouldn’t run into him on the way and trusting in his wife’s ability to keep him out. In the evening, they’d return to Jing He’s palace, hoping that he had already given up waiting to catch his son there.

As ridiculous as it sounded, so far, it had always worked. This time … well, it was still the same. Nothing could be seen of the Heavenly Emperor and there were only the two familiar guards standing in front of the main gate, waiting for Jing He’s return. Those two had already spotted them but kept where they were. Anyway, they were also used to the song and dance of these three people by now and it wasn’t like they weren’t familiar with the Heavenly Emperor’s antics so they felt a certain way about it.

Jing He heaved a sigh of relief and looked up at Qiu Ling. He felt that all of this was his fault but he, unfortunately, couldn’t change anything about it. He could only hope that his husband-to-be would continue being patient.

Qiu Ling turned to face him and smiled, taking the opportunity to lean in and kiss his temple. “Seems like the coast is clear. Let’s go in. It was a long day.”

Jing He blushed and lowered his head as he nodded. It had indeed been a long day, although he didn’t feel tired. More so than the length of the day or them doing a lot, the content of what they had been doing was at the forefront of his mind. This day … while long, it had been very fulfilling as well. That was what he cared about most.

Qiu Ling tugged at his hand and led him over to the gate, nodding at Mu Kun and Huang Lan as they approached.

The two guards greeted them as well but otherwise stayed silent. These days, they felt that it wouldn’t be good to disturb the world of two that their crown prince and the dragon king were immersed in. They got little time such as this so they didn’t want to be the ones to disturb that.

The couple stepped into the palace and Qiu Ling silently closed the door before leading Jing He around the painted screen and into the main room.

“Ah, we’re back.” He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, almost sighing. “I guess it won’t be long before we’ll be able to stop sneaking around like this.”

Jing He nodded and turned to his fiance, looking up with heartache. “I am sorry that you have to bear this. It … should not be like this.” Qiu Ling was the proud king of the dragon race. Now, he was reduced to having to secretly scurry around with his own fiance. It simply wasn’t right.

Qiu Ling shook his head though. Reaching up, he cupped Jing He’s cheeks. “It doesn’t matter. Yes, I want it to end but … I care most about being with you. If this is what it takes, I am alright with it. Not to mention … I feel like I’ve taken a lot of steps forward.” He smiled brightly, even his eyes glittering with amusement.

Yes, how could it be said that he hadn’t managed to gain something? These days, while they had to hide away from Jing He’s father, their relationship was still official not just between the two of them but also in front of the rest of their families. There were even some outsiders who could be trusted who had been made aware of it. And soon, their wedding would be held. Before Jing He’s return, this would have been impossible to imagine. And also …

Qiu Ling licked his lips and slowly let go of Jing He’s face, unable to look him in the eyes as another thought crossed his mind: These days, he had actually spent the nights at Jing He’s palace. Whether it was his beloved or him, neither of them wanted to stay alone after being separated for so long. No, they longed to be together, no matter in which way.

While Jing He didn’t dare to share a bed with him for the whole night, they were still in the same building and even in the same room. If he looked through the darkness at night, he could still see Jing He’s silhouette on the bed on the other side of the room and he could hear his calm breathing throughout the night. It was a special kind of reassurance to experience both.

Of course, while Jing He had agreed to this and obviously loathed to part with him as well, he was still self-conscious about it so it was better not to bring it up. Some things were meant to be enjoyed in silence rather than harping on them over and over again.

Qiu Ling reminded himself not to show his wandering thoughts and instead motioned over to the study. “Do you want to go to the study to look at the map or would you rather do it here? We could also have a cup of tea. We’ve been out pretty long and you might be tired … are you?” He turned back around. Seeing his beloved behind him, he was unable to restrain himself and directly pulled him back into his arms.

Ah, after they were married, he might just stick to him every second of the day. Hopefully, Jing He wouldn’t grow tired of him. This was definitely normal behavior among dragons but his past experiences told him that the gods would likely be less … openly enthusiastic about just having gotten married. While they might enjoy it just the same, they probably didn’t show much of those thoughts. In the worst case, Jing He might feel terribly self-conscious or even embarrassed when other people were around and saw them like this. He had to keep that in mind.

What would happen after their wedding ceremony still remained to be seen but at least at this moment, Jing He didn’t even notice Qiu Ling’s fervor. To him, this was honestly nothing new. When had his husband-to-be not tried to get close or used his words to bridge the gap when he wouldn’t allow him to in the far past? To him, this simply seemed like the obvious thing to do and he didn’t dislike being embraced by Qiu Ling. Why would he mind? Especially in the solitude of his own palace where nobody else could see them?

He quietly pondered Qiu Ling’s question and finally motioned to the table close by. “Let’s do it here. We can open the door and let in some fresh air. The night view will also be nice.”

“Mn …” Qiu Ling happily went and opened the door as his beloved had asked before returning to his side and pulling him back into his arms. “Can I take this as you demanding an even more romantic evening? Then I don’t think we should be looking at maps. How about that book of love poems you’re keeping instead?” He chuckled and kissed Jing He’s cheek again. Inside, he couldn’t help but feel that maybe the excruciating wait before the wedding ceremony wasn’t all that bad. It sure was a time to flirt even more than usual. After all, there was a special flavor to it now that the wedding was already in sight.