“Well, if I said it outright and then Your Highness refused — refused, refused — what would I do?” Yan Yunning leaned close to him, her lips brushing lightly against his for just a moment.

“I won’t. This Palace will carry you on my back. Where do you want to go?”

“Your Highness, do you know how to ride a horse?” Yan Yunning asked with curious eyes.

“You want to ride a horse?” Xuan Yanyu said with a smile.

“Mm-hm. Your Highness, will you take me riding? I’ve never ridden a horse even once.” Yan Yunning playfully shook one of Snowball’s little paws, tilted her head to the side, and made the most adorable expression with her soft, fair face.

Xuan Yanyu let out a soft laugh. “All right. We’ll go to the Imperial Stables.”

“Mm.” Yan Yunning set Snowball down on the ground and smiled as she opened her arms wide. “Your Highness, let’s go~”

“Very well. Up on this Palace’s back, my little lazybones — off to ride horses.” Xuan Yanyu chuckled softly, though his long lashes trembled.

Sensing the slight tremble in the man’s arms, Yan Yunning wrapped her arms around his neck, steadied her emotions, and giggled. “Your Highness, carry your little lazybones properly — don’t drop her.”

The man seemed to smile as well. He said in an unhurried voice, “Admitting to being a little lazybones now? Did you not ask this Palace just recently who was the little lazybones?”

“Ahem.” Yan Yunning patted Xuan Yanyu on the head, turned her face toward him, and said, “Oh come on, let’s just go.”

“Right, yes, let’s go.”

The warm sunlight fell upon them as the man slowed his steps and walked forward. Yan Yunning squinted her eyes contentedly, watching the shadows cast on the ground, the corners of her mouth curling into a quiet smile.

On the blue-grey flagstones, a tall, broad-shouldered man carried a slight young woman on his back. The jade pendant at the man’s waist and the phoenix hairpin in the woman’s hair swayed in gentle correspondence. Not a word was spoken between them, yet the scene was extraordinarily warm.

“Whimper~” A small figure crept into the shadow. Yan Yunning looked down, blinked at the little creature, and said, “Your Highness, Snowball wants to come too.”

Xuan Yanyu glanced at the little thing, and Qiuci quickly stepped forward to scoop Snowball into her arms.

“Whimper~” Even after they had walked out of the Crown Prince’s Manor, Yan Yunning could still hear the little creature’s pitiful cries.

At the Imperial Stables, Ye Chen and Ye’an — having arrived a step earlier — had together led out Xuan Yanyu’s horse, “Xuan Yan.”

The fine stallion’s coat was pure white. It held its head high with an imperious air, unwilling to be led by Ye Chen and Ye’an, its eyes fierce, its entire bearing radiating an untouchable majesty.

Yan Yunning pressed her lips together. Was it not said that white horses were gentle and docile in temperament? Why was this one so dreadfully haughty?

Then Xuan Yan caught sight of Xuan Yanyu. The horse, which had been holding its head high a moment before, no longer needed Ye Chen and Ye’an to strain at its reins — it let out a whinnying sound that resembled a coquettish plea, shook itself free from Ye Chen and Ye’an, and trotted right up to Xuan Yanyu, lowering its proud head.

The man stroked its mane. Xuan Yan swished its tail contentedly.

Yan Yunning glanced at Xuan Yan, then at Xuan Yanyu, and understood in an instant why the horse had been so utterly imperious just now — because it had a noble master.

Xuan Yanyu bent down. Yan Yunning jumped to the ground and pointed at herself, narrowing her eyes with a smile. “Will it let me sit on its back?”

She could see it was quite proud and aloof — most likely, aside from Xuan Yanyu, no one else was allowed to touch it.

“Of course.” The man patted Xuan Yan on the head, swung himself up onto the horse, and said, “Come up.”

Yan Yunning placed her hand in his palm. Xuan Yanyu’s long arm swept around her, and before she could react, she had been pulled up onto the saddle. “Hold the reins.”

“Oh, alright.”

“Sit properly.” The man nudged his heels against Xuan Yan’s flank. Perhaps because Xuan Yanyu had not been to the stables in a long while, Xuan Yan bolted with wild abandon.

The billowing dust and flying bits of grass plastered themselves across Yan Yunning’s face.

A teasing laugh drifted to her ears from the man behind her. Yan Yunning opened her eyes and shot him a sideways glance.

Rounding a pile of fallen leaves, Xuan Yan began to move in short, light steps. Yan Yunning rubbed her eyes and carefully reached out to stroke Xuan Yan’s mane. “Xuan Xixi, if you weren’t here — would it throw me off?”

The man rested his chin on her shoulder and said lazily, “How about this Palace jumps off and you test whether Xuan Yan would throw you?”

“Absolutely not — what if you got hurt from the fall?”

Xuan Yanyu said with a half-smile, “Not a chance. This Palace would catch you before you hit the ground.”

“Please don’t — I’m afraid we’d both end up falling, and then Xuan Yan would step on us for good measure.”

“You don’t trust this Palace?” The man gave her earlobe a pinch in mild punishment.

“I trust you, I trust you, I trust you.” Yan Yunning smiled sweetly at him, then said suddenly, “Xuan Xixi, did you just say it’s called Xuan Yan?”

“Yes. You don’t like the name? Then you give it one.”

Yan Yunning blinked in surprise. “What — me? You’d just change its name like that?”

“Mm. Whatever you like, you can call it that.”

Xuan Yanyu said it casually, having apparently forgotten that when he had originally come up with the name “Xuan Yan,” he had spent several days deliberating before settling on it.

“I like Xuan Xixi — so how about we call it Xuan Xixi?” Yan Yunning turned her head, deliberately leaning close to his ear, and drew the words “I like Xuan Xixi” out slowly and sweetly.

“Mm?” The man pressed close to her ear in turn, and murmured unhurriedly, “Is that ‘like Xuan Xixi’ meaning you like the name Xuan Xixi — or that you like Xuan Xixi himself?”

“Just the name~ Your Highness, don’t misunderstand.”

Xuan Yanyu’s long, slender fingers reached through the fabric of her clothing and tickled her at the waist.

“Ha ha ha… I was wrong, Your Highness.” Yan Yunning laughed until tears sprang to her eyes. Begging for mercy, she said, “Whether it’s Xuan Xixi the person, or the name Xuan Xixi — I like them both. I like the name Xuan Xixi because I like Xuan Xixi.”

“A passable answer. This Palace will let you off this time. Come up with a different name.”

“No, I actually think Xuan Yan is a perfectly good name. I was just curious — I didn’t expect Your Highness to play favorites.”

“Falsely accusing this Palace again?”

“Not at all. Look — I called Snowball ‘Xuan Snowball,’ and you weren’t happy, and asked me why I had to add a surname. Yet Xuan Yan is perfectly fine. Doesn’t Your Highness play favorites?”

Xuan Yanyu defended himself. “Xuan Yan is so well-behaved. Snowball barks the moment it sees this Palace.”

“…Xuan Yanyu, have you ever considered that it’s because you’re always teasing Snowball — dangling strips of meat in front of it and then never letting it have a taste — that Snowball has come to view you as its greatest enemy?”

“That is not a reason.” The man said flatly.

“…Your Highness, is it not possible that, from Snowball’s perspective, after all that teasing, it has simply come to regard you as its greatest nemesis?”

“Not possible. It just dislikes this Palace for no reason.”

“…Xuan Xixi, you can’t go picking quarrels with a little puppy, can you?” Yan Yunning accidentally tugged at the reins, and Xuan Yan immediately halted on the spot.

“See how well-behaved Xuan Yan is.” Xuan Yanyu took Yan Yunning’s hands in his, patted the horse’s flank, and Xuan Yan flicked its tail and began ambling forward again at a leisurely pace.

Yan Yunning gave a light cough. “When we get back, I’ll give Snowball a proper lesson.”

“This Palace will be watching. Let’s see whether the Crown Princess can teach Snowball to have some manners.”

“Of course. I guarantee that next time Snowball sees you, it won’t bark at you.” Yan Yunning patted the back of the man’s hand. “Don’t worry — my Yan Snowball is actually very well-behaved.”

“Very well-behaved? This Palace hasn’t noticed that.” He paused half a second, then Xuan Yanyu added quietly, “Smarter than Ye Chen, though — that this Palace did notice.”

Yan Yunning: “…”

Ye Chen, riding behind Xuan Yanyu and Yan Yunning, twitched at the corner of his mouth.

That second half of the sentence was entirely unnecessary, Your Highness.