The Third Prince regarded him impassively.
“Why have you come?”
Seeing no trace of joy, Mu Xueshi softened.
“I was worried about you. I didn’t want you to be alone… afraid you might overthink things.”
The prince looked at his foolishly earnest face—and unexpectedly felt warmth seep into his chest.
At this moment, Mu Xueshi seemed less infuriating than usual.
Though keeping him in the palace had been purposeful, the prince could not deny moments of hesitation.
When silence lingered, Mu Xueshi urged, “Eat while it’s hot! Cold food isn’t good for you. And you don’t have a microwave here…”
Though he understood nothing of the last remark, the concern was clear.
Unexpectedly, the prince accepted the bowl from his hands.
Mu Xueshi beamed, squatting beside him to watch him eat.
After a while, he murmured dreamily, “Your Highness, even eating suits you so elegantly. Watching you makes me hungry.”
Receiving no objection, he searched for another bowl.
There was only one.
He noticed a fine silver bowl before the spirit tablet, filled with fruit. Out of respect, he suppressed the thought—
But the prince suddenly rose, poured the fruit onto the table, filled the silver bowl with rice, and handed it to him.
Mu Xueshi was moved speechless.
They ate together.
The prince observed him devouring the food with abandon and thought—
This was no longer the Mu Xueshi of old.
He was guileless as an unschooled child, every gesture brimming with unguarded kindness and reckless sincerity.
Whether that was good or ill… even the prince could not say.
In the days that followed, Mu Xueshi returned in the same manner. Eventually he stopped leaving altogether, lingering at the prince’s side.
If he dozed at night, he would jolt awake, ashamed—for since his arrival, the Third Prince had not once closed his eyes.
At last, the final day of mourning arrived.
And for the first time, Mu Xueshi did not appear.
Strangely—
The Third Prince found himself unsettled.
Once, he had never been swayed by others.
Now, the mere absence of one troublesome shadow left his thoughts lingering in quiet disquiet.
Futile Devices Scans 
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