Ming Jian Tang gazed at him through the darkness. With how much time they had spent talking and … enjoying each other’s company, the sky outside was slowly brightening. It wasn’t by much but he could make out more of Lu Yan Xin’s expression. The boy seemed serious about this.

He raked his fingers through his hair and sat up. "Why? Why go so far for a man you’ve hardly known for a year? If we do elope, then you would be a traitor. You do understand that, don’t you?"

Lu Yan Xin smiled, turned around, and leaned against the headboard next to him. He reached out and interlaced his fingers with Ming Jian Tang’s, giving a rare sweet smile. "You don’ understand even now? Being the second son of the Lu family is nothing good. Leading this life … if I could choose, I never would have wanted to be born into it. Meeting you was the best thing that has happened to me in a while." He looked over and chuckled. "And I’m saying that knowing full well that you are my family’s enemy. In the beginning, I am sure you would have killed me without thinking twice if I had given any indication that I knew. It’s laughable when you think about it like this."

"But you still showed me tonight that you knew."

"I trust you. I know I shouldn’t. It’s stupid and I never do anything stupid. But I hate this place and I disdain the people living here despite some of them being my family. I … I only care for you. You’re … my pillar of strength, my safe haven, my salvation. I don’t care who you really are. Even if you never let me know, I still think it’s the right thing to do. I … will trust in my heart instead of my mind just this once. If I got it wrong, then I deserve to die."

Ming Jian Tang nodded. "Very well." He got up and took a last look at the boy. He had never planned for this. But considering his own feelings and with these sweet words lingering in his ears, he really couldn’t bring himself to reject him. Anyway, the boy might still get killed later on but, for now, he wanted to bring him with him.

He turned away and put on his clothes again. Looking at the uniform of the guards, he couldn’t help but feel ridiculous. Really, just what had he thought when he started this mission? Every rule there was had been broken by him. He had gotten attached and lost his heart. He had even revealed himself in the end. Actually, maybe he should rather worry for his own life before he started to care about what might happen to Lu Yan Xin.

He sighed and turned back to the bed, motioning at Lu Yan Xin. "If I leave you here, it’ll just make them doubt what you’ll do in the time that I’m away. They’ll suspect both of us. So get up, put on your clothes, pack a few things, and then we’ll leave together."

Lu Yan Xin raised his brows but still got up and picked up his clothes as he had been told. "Will they hold me hostage?"

Ming Jian Tang nodded. "For a while." There was no doubt about that.

The boy just nodded as if he had expected as much. Well, he had long thought about how things might turn out when he finally told Ming Jian Tang that he had seen through him. This was already the very best outcome he could have hoped for.

He turned back to his lover without taking anything and walked over, hugging his waist. "There’s nothing I need to pack. This place … Even though it was my home, it holds nothing special to me. Let’s just go like this. If we’re lucky, it might look like it was a decision we made in a split second."

Ming Jian Tang laughed. In the end, this boy was still thinking too simply. There was no way it would be that easy. There would be lots of questions waiting for him when he got back and also a lot of questions for Lu Yan Xin. The worst was that as soon as they left the castle and went back to one of his organization’s hideouts, they would likely be separated and kept as such until his organization was sure that he hadn’t shared anything he shouldn’t while lying next to this beauty naked.

Well, considering his behavior so far, it might be good that they made sure.

Ming Jian Tang shook his head at himself and then leaned down, kissing Lu Yan Xin’s lips. "Let’s go then." He took his hand and led him outside, through the corridors of the castle and outside to the spot where he usually met up with the Nightingale.

The gaze they were greeted with was anything but friendly but Ming Jian Tang just sighed. Anyway, this was as expected. Now, they just had to slowly deal with the aftermath. At the very least, when they got through this, the familiar bliss would await them that they had already indulged in for the past year.