Disguised as a Noble Consort (MxM)

5

Butterfly Pavilion

A day has passed and Jin was starting to put his plans into actions, and while on it, he also acquired a bunch of handy information about his sister, the Emperor, and why the Empress is quite close to his beloved sister somehow.

From the servant's gossips, it seems that the Empress and the Emperor are blood related; siblings to be exact. They were brought upon together by there parents to keep their Royal bloodline pure, yet some say that they don't like the idea of having incest with one another even though it's their family's tradition in the past generations, it had always been like that so as much as both of them hated the idea, they still agreed to it in the end for the sake of their family's reputation.

Yet those were just a bunch of rumors the servants heard from other consorts and concubines, but to him it can still be considered as a handy information as long as he got some proof.

That's why right now, Jin was sitting on the opposite side of the table where the Empress currently sits, holding a teacup in her hand as he and the Empress are having a peaceful tea together in the garden.

"Isn't this quite a lovely garden Mai? The flowers are ones that I haven't seen before around the palace perimeter, are this from your hometown?" the Empress asked, eyeing the different colored flowers blooming all around them with amazement, a soft gentle smile on her face.

"Yes, it also has a unique scent that keeps me feeling peaceful Lady Khang" Jin answered honestly, glancing around the garden as a small smile also found its way into his normally always neutral and playful features.

Earlier this morning, he decided to water the flowers even though that wasn't his job and he was surprised to see the servants praising him about how much he took care of the flowers everyday till now that it became a beautiful garden. It must've meant that his sister has been the one that made this garden. Now that he thought about it, he also saw the same kinds of flower around this garden inside his sister's room back at their home. Mai loved gardening so it's no surprise to him if in fact she was the one who planted the flowers here and tended to it everyday since the day she was brought upon the palace to be a Noble Consort.

"How are things going with you and my Brother?" the Empress suddenly asked out of nowhere, making him gaze at her curiously. Jin thoughtfully wondered if the Empress did not approve of it, but if that may be the case wouldn't the empress treat his sister none too kindly. That's one of the things he needed to find out, but what kind of answer should he say.This will be difficult for him.

"I don't know how to explain it, but he's not really causing any trouble for me" Jin answered quietly, watching the Empress hum, tapping her fingers on her tea cup before her eyes narrowed, making him swallow.

"If he do something you dislike, tell me and I'll beat him up" The Empress stated firmly, winking at him before she moved her sight back to the flowers, her expression getting serious once again.

"Protect your pride and dignity as a woman, do not throw yourself on such a man like him who makes big promises that won't happen" the Empress mumbled, watching the flowers sway along the gentle breeze, a few petals getting carried away by the wind as Jin stared at the Empress, a brewing curiosity eating his insides. He wanted to ask a lot of things so bad, but he can't be hasty. He needs to focus on the task at hand, but knowing some extra information wont hurt, especially if it's about the emperor and the royal family.

They say curiosity kills and Jin believed that saying, but maybe this time, letting his curiosity overwhelm him might be worth it, as long as he stayed on down low.

'Looks like my stay here will be a little longer' Jin thought grimly, but the sides of his mouth curved up in a small smile, knowing that his stay here would be more worth it than what he intended. He slowly looked up, smiling sweetly at the Empress's way, watching the Empress cock her head his way curiously.