Gay Harem

Lover Number 5.4

Trigger warning: Blood and Self-Harm

Walking together, a simple hushed conversation flowed between the two until they reached the entrance to the crown prince's residence.

"Your Highness?" One of the guards looked at the duo in shock.

"It's okay," Li Jie smiled, his hand gently resting on Alan's arm in a familiar gesture. "Can you find your way back?"

"I-I..." Alan looked down, his voice filled with uncertainty. "I don't think so..."

"That's to be expected. It's only been less than a day," Li Jie chuckled, attempting to ease Alan's worries. "A-Cheng, can you accompany Alan?"

"But Your Highness, how...?" The guard, Yang Cheng, looked at the man beside Li Jie suspiciously.

"It's alright, I requested his presence. Please do me this favor, alright?" Li Jie glanced at Alan, silently pleading for understanding. "I won't be alone."

Yang Cheng nodded, his suspicion evident, and bowed his head in agreement. He cast a watchful eye on the harem man as they departed, but as a mere guard, he lacked the authority to question a royal consort.

"Good night, Alan," Li Jie smiled, receiving a shy and small reply from the consort.

Once Yang Cheng left with Alan, another guard swiftly replaced him.

"Your Highness," Zhao Wen bowed respectfully. "Sir Alfredo informed me that there will be a meeting in three days."

Without questioning the guard's sudden appearance, Li Jie expressed his gratitude and made his way to his room.

The night seemed unusually dark, with the moon's glow appearing dimmer and shrouded in clouds.

Li Jie directed a smile toward the moon, silently offering a prayer in his heart and seeking forgiveness from the heavens.

That night, Li Jie felt as if his past—though it had ended with a slight improvement—was akin to a haunting nightmare.

Little did he know, the true nightmare was yet to come.

Li Jie smiled, his face radiating a brightness seldom seen.

It was his favorite season—winter—and his favorite day—the day he had first met Parsa—and his favorite weather—rainy and cloudy, which brought him the greatest joy.

Indeed, Li Jie was at his happiest when he was with Parsa.

Huang Yiming had departed from the capital to study swordsmanship in the west.

Huang Baozhai had also journeyed to her ancestral home to pay respects to her elders and inform them of her preferences for a partner—something she had thought long and hard about before making her decision.

The Empress was enjoying one of her extended vacations, leaving young Li Jie, at the age of fifteen, alone with his imperial father, who was engrossed in government affairs.

Even the members of the Orphic Order were preoccupied with their training and had little time to spend with him.

In essence, Li Jie found himself isolated, left with only his thoughts and history scrolls that needed memorizing.

Or at least, that was how it used to be.

Parsa, a young Persian-Chinese merchant who had recently relocated to the capital, coincidentally crossed paths with Li Jie while the prince was secretly exploring the city incognito.

With his brown hair and brown eyes, Parsa blended into the crowd, making it nearly impossible for anyone to recognize Li Jie, who was known for his distinct features inherited from his late grandfather, the former emperor.