In a narrow crack between the fake rocks, their bodies were very close together. Liliana stretched her head out, curiously eavesdropping.
"Whose pouch is that really from?"
Not far from the rocks, a man dressed like a guard grabbed a fast-walking eunuch, his voice filled with anger.
Liliana looked and thought, isn't this the same couple I bumped into yesterday while they were fooling around?
"I told you already, I'm not in contact with him anymore," said the eunuch, stopping to explain.
"Then why are you still carrying his pouch?" The guard didn't believe him at all, completely lost in his own anger.
Liliana clicked her tongue and shook her head. This was turning into one of those dramatic love triangles.
She tilted her body, forgetting that Cassian was still right beside her.
The rock crevice was really narrow. Even though Liliana, as a ghost, could easily pass through, Cassian was the emperor and didn't need to hide from anyone in the palace. He could have come out and ordered the two arguing servants to be executed for disturbing the royal gardens.
But he still chose to hide with the ghost girl. The space between them was too tight. It seemed like she had just bumped into him.
The scent of pine from Liliana's body slowly mixed with the sandalwood scent Cassian carried. The girl in front of him was leaning forward curiously, listening in with such an adorable look. She reminded him of a little white cat he once saw in the royal garden as a child. Curious about everything but too shy to touch anything.
The way they were standing now, Liliana was completely covered by Cassian's body, almost like he was hugging her from behind.
"I gave you all my monthly salary. Whatever food you wanted, I risked breaking palace rules and secretly bribed someone who could leave the palace to buy it for you. When you got upset, I let you hit me or yell at me. What more do you want? If you're still keeping that pouch, do you still have feelings for him?" the guard asked, grabbing the eunuch's shoulder. He looked both angry and heartbroken.
Liliana was enjoying the drama like it was a soap opera. Life had been boring ever since she came to this strange world.
She didn't notice anything odd about the man behind her.
Cassian seemed to be enchanted by the scent coming from Liliana. Even though he couldn't physically touch her, this close posture made his thoughts wander. If she had a real body, he imagined how it might feel to…
His blood felt hot and his throat dry. He suddenly wanted to touch her hair. Maybe it felt just like that kitten's soft fur.
"I told you already, I haven't contacted him since I entered the palace. After meeting you, I completely cut ties with him."
"You say there's no contact, but have you really told him you've moved on and found someone else?"
Wow, this was really a cheating scandal turning into a love triangle.
"I... I…" The eunuch stammered, unable to say anything clearly.
"You cheated on him with me. Maybe one day you'll cheat on me with someone else. What am I to you? Just a dog that comes when called and leaves when told?" The guard became emotional, his voice rising.
The eunuch got scared someone might hear them and quickly covered the guard's mouth.
"Keep your voice down. If someone hears us, we could be executed. Let me explain everything to you when we're back. You're the best." His voice turned soft and sweet, making Liliana cringe.
The guard looked down at him. Though his face couldn't be seen clearly, he probably looked pretty hurt. But after that flirty act from the eunuch, his angry look faded.
"You think I'd sleep with you if I didn't love you?" As their conversation continued, Liliana started to feel it was really inappropriate to listen.
Cassian frowned. He didn't expect palace servants to act like this or speak so crudely in broad daylight.
The girl in front of him, though, was still enjoying the drama.
Liliana finally turned around, realizing that she was hiding in a tight rock crevice with none other than the emperor himself.
He was leaning down, his lips almost brushing her ear. His voice was rough.
"Was that fun to listen to?"
She had been too focused on the gossip to notice him. Cassian felt a bit annoyed but also wanted to tease her.
His warm breath touched Liliana's ear, creating a strangely intimate feeling between them.
Liliana didn't know what to say. She'd lived for twenty-six years. Even if she hadn't experienced it, she'd seen enough to know—this man was trying to flirt with her.
But then she thought, I'm a ghost. He's the emperor. Why would he be interested in a ghost?
At some point, the arguing couple outside had gone. It became quiet inside the fake rocks.
The man's arm rested against the rock, and Liliana stood completely within his shadow.
The sunset light came through layer after layer, casting a soft glow over Cassian's figure.
Liliana looked up and could only see his clear silhouette. Below that was his Adam's apple.
She stepped back and unintentionally passed through the artificial rock.
Liliana looked a little flustered.
Cassian watched her leave and felt a flicker of disappointment. Just now, he actually wished that moment could have lasted a bit longer.
But all his life, his rational mind had told him not to allow such thoughts. As the emperor, he must not have feelings, must not get emotionally involved, must not leave any weakness or evidence that could be used against him.
Cassian had always done well with this. But ever since the little ghost girl appeared, his heart had started to feel unsettled.
He wouldn't allow this to continue. He told himself that he simply found her amusing and cute, like how someone might like a kitten or a puppy. Nothing more.
Liliana stood outside for a while until Cassian finally came out. His expression was cold, and his eyes showed no emotion, as if he wasn't the same person who had just whispered in her ear.
Liliana found it strange. Why were men so changeable? She tried to figure out if she had done something to upset him.
But no matter how she thought about it, she couldn't find the reason. So she gave up. Thinking too much only adds stress.
She followed him to the imperial study and quietly stayed in the corner. Since he didn't want to speak to her, she wouldn't force any interaction either.
Chief Eunuch Kerian entered, and Cassian spoke. "Check who entered the imperial garden during the Shen hour. If it was a eunuch and a guard, arrest them immediately and throw them into the death prison."
His voice was powerful, emotionless, and just like that, he ordered the death of two people.
Liliana had always known that in a feudal world like this, human life meant very little. The one in power held the absolute right to decide life and death.
She had never dreamed of challenging feudal power like heroines in novels. That was just fiction.
But now, seeing it for the first time with her own eyes, how a simple sentence could take someone's life, she felt shaken.
Liliana suddenly realized she had been too reckless lately, relying on the fact that she was already dead. She thought it was better to stay low and cautious, waiting for the ghost messengers to find her and help her reincarnate.
After the eunuch left, the room became silent except for the sound of candles burning and Cassian reviewing official papers.
Cassian noticed the little ghost girl was too quiet. She stood in the corner, head down, not moving at all.
Yesterday, though she had behaved obediently, she had also looked around with curiosity, secretly glanced at the furnishings, even tried to tug on his sleeve a little.
But today, she was overly quiet. Cassian felt that wasn't like her. He closed the papers and asked, "Where do you go at night?"
Liliana, who had been quietly trying to survive in the corner, answered, "Your Majesty, I don't go anywhere special at night. I just find a random place to rest."
"Then do you want to..." Cassian thought about asking her to stay with him, but then remembered that an emperor must remain distant. Seeing how respectful and formal she had been earlier, he swallowed the words.
"You can go."
"Yes." The atmosphere was so heavy that Liliana immediately floated through the wall and left. Today, she truly saw the authority and coldness of the emperor and the heartlessness of this feudal system.
That little boy at the Crown Prince's hall would one day become an emperor too. Would he turn out the same?
Cassian was left alone in the imperial study. He sat in his chair, staring at the spot where Liliana had disappeared. His mind went back to the childhood lessons about how an emperor must not love.
But his heart kept replaying the image of the lively little ghost girl in the rock garden.
He rubbed his forehead and looked away, trying to focus on the papers in front of him, but not a single word would stay in his mind.
Mini Theater:
Cassian: I think I did something wrong. I think I scared my wife. What should I do? Need answers now. This is urgent!
Prince Allennon: Don't worry, my wife. I'd never act like that. I'll always be your loyal dog!