As they entered the palace again, Jiang Yao turned to the servants that were positioned at the front door. “Draw up a bath for Xiaoxiao and bring some of the new clothes I ordered.”
The servants cupped their fists before they withdrew to comply with the orders. Although they were quite curious about Luo Xiao, none of them showed this in front of Jiang Yao; they understood that if they did, it was likely that they would end up dead.
Turning to Luo Xiao, Jiang Yao had a gentle smile on his face and reached out to hold the younger man’s hand, “When we go out you ought to look stunning,” he said as if to explain why he had ordered the servants to prepare a bath for him.
“I had some servants enter Royal Cloth earlier to get some robes for you that will let you shine as bright as a star and make it impossible for people to ignore you,” he said, but the truth was that his heart was quite torn in this aspect. He understood that if Luo Xiao wore clothes from Royal Cloth it would be obvious that he was of a certain rank within Cloudsoar City, as only certain people were allowed to enter Royal Cloth and buy their fabrics, but at the same time, he was not keen on showing off his little lover. He wanted Luo Xiao to only be seen by him.
Still, he decided to enroll him into the Royal Academy so he wanted to help Luo Xiao in every way possible. Bringing him clothes from Royal Cloth was a good decision, as it was an easy deterrent towards the weaker nobles that might decide to bully him otherwise.
Jiang Yao just realized that he was starting to worry excessively about Luo Xiao’s future. He even began worrying over whether the decision to bring him to the academy was the right choice as he couldn’t be right by his side to protect him.
After hearing his brother’s words earlier that day, he understood that his fourth brother wasn’t someone who would let go of an easy target that could be used to take some advantages against him. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but frown.
While Jiang Yao was deep in thought, Luo Xiao was just walking by his side, their hands holding each other’s. Luo Xiao looked at the older male from time to time in confusion, but never said anything, not even when he saw that Jiang Yao’s brows furrowed into a frown.
Luo Xiao and Jiang Yao made it back to Jiang Yao’s living quarters and here they continued into the connected washroom. Two big barrels of steaming hot water had been prepared with a wooden screen between them, separating them from one another and making it so that one couldn’t see what was happening on the other side.
The water was steaming hot and rose petals had been spread all over the surface of the water. A lingering scent of sandalwood could be smelled in the room - a scent which reminded Luo Xiao of Jiang Yao.
Jiang Yao reached out his hand and wrapped it around the slender waist of Luo Xiao, dragging him into an embrace. RIght after pulling him closer he placed his lips on top of his head, planting a kiss on his dark black hair.
“Xiaoxiao, I don’t want to let you go,” he mumbled into his hair. Taking a deep breathe, he closed his eyes while smelling the unique scent that belonged exclusively to Luo Xiao.
His heart was beating strongly, and Luo Xiao could feel it through his back as he was being embraced by Jiang Yao. His own heartbeat was starting to become erratic, his face flushed slightly red, and his eyes shut themselves as he allowed himself to sink into the warm embrace, accepting Jiang Yao’s tender show of affection.
Luo Xiao hadn’t heard the words muttered by Jiang Yao, all he could hear was his own rapid heartbeat and the blood that was rushing through his veins as he felt the hand holding his waist and the lips caressing his hair. Every touch left him feeling as if he was being electrocuted, a fierce fire was ignited with each touch.
Feeling Luo Xiao go soft in his arms, and sensing that he was leaning against him, Jiang Yao felt indescribable joy. He knew that at the start Luo Xiao was only cooperating with him because he had sold his soul to Jiang Yao so he couldn’t go against his orders, but the more he showered him with his tender affections, the lower Luo Xiao’s defenses became to the point that he even accepted him willingly now.
Jiang Yao was unaware of whether or not Luo Xiao loved him, but he knew that he held a strong presence in the younger man’s heart which was a good enough start.
Jiang Yao breathed in deeply and went towards one of the bath barrels where he reluctantly released Luo Xiao and placed him on a chair. “Take a bath,” he said softly, “I will bathe on the other side of the screen. When you are done dress in this robe,” he pointed at a beautiful white robe that was adorned with embroideries on the sleeves and around the bottom that resembled cloud embroideries made with silver thread.
The fabric of these robes was of the same quality as the ones Jiang Yao always wore, and Luo Xiao’s eyes widened in surprise. These couldn’t have been cheap.
Seeing Luo Xiao’s stunned expression, a smile flittered across Jiang Yao’s lips and he chuckled slightly. He loved to see the many different expressions that Luo Xiao showed, and he was eager to see the young man dressed in this beautiful robe. He would become like a jade carving and in no way have looks inferior to spirits or demons.
Giving a last glance at Luo Xiao, Jiang Yao went to the other side of the screen. Although they had slept together for a long time, both of them were always sleeping in their inner robes, and whenever Luo Xiao was changing clothes he would do so when Jiang Yao wasn’t looking.
It was obvious that Luo Xiao was easily embarrassed, and knowing this, Jiang Yao had ordered the screen between the two barrels. Although he wanted nothing more than to see the naked splendor of Luo Xiao, he knew better than to rush things.
Luo Xiao was very grateful to Jiang Yao. He smiled brightly as his finger ran across the surface of the water, stirring up the petals. The temperature was just perfect and the barrel was big enough to seat more than one person, so he quickly stripped off his clothes before he descended into the steaming hot water.
He had taken a bath the day before, but that had been quite different from this one. Knowing that Jiang Yao was on the other side of the barrel was enough to make him nervous. When he heard the rustling of clothes, he further dove into the water, trying to convince himself that the reason his face was red was because of the warm water.
“Are you excited to begin your studies at the Cloudsoar Royal Academy?” Jiang Yao asked with a content voice as Luo Xiao heard the water splashing slightly on the other side of the screen.
“I am,” Luo Xiao bit his lip hard trying to make sure that his voice wouldn’t shake. “I have spent most of my life in a bed because I was weak since birth,” Luo Xiao continued. “All the young ones around my age would go out and train with the Overseers of the village. They would go there and would make friends. Although I knew them, and sometimes talked with them, I never really made a true friend.”
This was the first time Luo Xiao spoke about himself like this, and Jiang Yao’s heart was both sour and warm. Warm, because he felt that Luo Xiao was finally opening up to him, but sour because he understood how sad Luo Xiao’s life used to be. It was no wonder that he put so much value on his father that he was willing to sell his soul for revenge.
“Don’t worry,” Jiang Yao said instantly, “you will make many new friends and you will start your life anew. And don’t worry. If anyone dares to bullying you, just tell me, I will make sure that they won’t dare to for long.”
Hearing this Luo Xiao couldn’t help but giggle. Jiang Yao was incredibly protective, so he could imagine that if he ever told him about bullies, then the bullies would end up as corpses quite fast.
“I am not a child anymore,” Luo Xiao smiled contentedly as he leaned back against the barrel’s edge and looked at the ceiling. “Although I’m still weak, I’m not unreasonable,” he tried to argue. “I won’t seek out trouble, and I’ll try to avoid bullies, you don’t have to worry about me.”
Although Luo Xiao said so, Jiang Yao was even more worried. After the warning earlier today he was filled with thoughts of disaster. Even thoughts of him getting run over by a carriage were suddenly possible in his mind.
Luo Xiao could sense Jiang Yao’s hesitation, and he couldn’t help but shake his head and smile wryly, “don’t worry, if I cannot handle it myself, I’ll come running to you,” he promised. “I know you are very good to me - no one is as good to me as you are,” he continued, and suddenly Jiang Yao’s many thoughts of disaster vanished. He felt as if sunshine were shining on his body; he felt elated.
The two sat down in silence for a bit, soaking in the water. The water turned colder, and as the heat started to vanish, both of them exited the water.
Jiang Yao quickly dressed - he was used to these kind of clothes, but Luo Xiao usually wore simple clothes, so when he saw the exquisite robe in front of him, he couldn’t help but frown slightly.
He quickly put on his inner robes before he started attempting to put on his outer robes. Fortunately, it wasn’t as difficult as it seemed. After some trial and error, it finally seemed to succeed.
When he left the other side of the screen, he saw that Jiang Yao was staring at him with fervor in his eyes, looking as if he would gobble him up. It was clear that such clothes truly made a difference. He seemed like a refined and elegant young nobleman now. His aura was pure like snow, and his entire body and face looked as if they had been carved from jade.
Jiang Yao had already thought that it was impossible to make him speechless. In his world, no one was more attractive than Luo Xiao, but seeing him wearing these clothes, Jiang Yao was turned speechless and his heart started beating fast.
“Jiang Yao?” Luo Xiao couldn’t completely understand the gaze that Jiang Yao was giving him. He feared that he had dressed wrongly or that something had gone awry, but the moment he spoke, Jiang Yao awoke from his stupor and smiled warmly. He reached out his hand and rested it on Luo Xiao’s waist before pulling him once more into a tight embrace.
“You look stunning,” he said with a hoarse, raspy voice next to Luo Xiao’s ear. His breath was so hot that it tickled his skin, “don’t be led astray by others at the academy,” he warned him. “Remember, you belong to me.”
Luo Xiao’s face was as red as a tomato, but he didn’t shy away; instead, he looked at Jiang Yao, and then, after a slight internal debate, he tiptoed as he reached up. He placed his hands at the lapels of Jiang Yao’s robe, dragged him down, and placed his lips atop Jiang Yao’s.
He said nothing and just delivered his emotions to the older man by imitating the kisses he had given him time and time again.
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