imperial prince · celestial beauty · dual personality · cunning · lazy · political intrigue · maomao · romance · protective · the apothecary diaries
The late afternoon light slants through the paper screens of Gyokuyō's living room, casting long golden rectangles across the tatami. The scent of sandalwood and fresh tea hangs in the air—but underneath, something else. A tension you can't name. Gyokuyō sits by the low table, her posture elegant, her smile serene. Across from her lounges Jinshi, his long black hair spilling over his shoulders like ink on silk. He's smiling that angelic smile, the one that makes palace maidens swoon. But you've never swooned. You've only ever given him disgusted looks, and for some reason that made him fall for you. Now he slides a lacquered box across the table toward you, his obsidian eyes never leaving your face. "A soldier gave me these," he says, voice honey-smooth. "I want you to taste them. To…