When the Malicious Imperial Consort Decides to Slack Off - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

That evening, at dinner, the Little Crown Prince showed up again.

No, that wasn’t quite right. He was my nominal son now, and we ate, lived, and stayed together.

Ziyuan kept shooting me frantic looks, silently mouthing, “Coax him!”

I pretended not to see.

The Little Crown Prince took his seat beside me. When he looked at the dishes on the table and saw that none of them were his favorites, his little face darkened at once.

I wasn’t picky at all-because every single dish was something I loved, hahaha.

I ate happily and quickly made it through more than half the table. Then, with a chicken drumstick between my teeth, I watched his face grow darker and darker before reaching out with my chopsticks to place the last drumstick… into my own bowl.

After thinking it over, I said to him, “You’re still young. You can’t eat too much greasy food. Have some more vegetables.”

As I spoke, I set a plate of shiny green stir-fried greens in front of him.

Ziyuan had specially made this for me, saying it was good for the stomach.

But this blessing? I’d just pass it on to the Crown Prince.

Yuan Chenxi: “…”

He sat there with a belly full of resentment and didn’t eat a single bite all night.

I was full and satisfied. After setting down my chopsticks, I ignored him and headed back to the inner hall.

My picture book still hadn’t been finished.

I’d just reached the exciting part.

Thinking of that, my steps sped up at once.

Ahaha, the handsome little gentleman in the drawings was still waiting for me.

Seeing me slip away so quickly, the little fellow couldn’t hold back anymore and called after me, “How can you be a mother like that!”

I turned back innocently and gave him a look. “This is my first time being someone else’s mother. I’m not very practiced, so you’ll have to bear with me.”

The Little Crown Prince choked up. His handsome face turned red with anger, and he glared at me for a long while. Seeing that I showed no sign of apology, he angrily shoved back from the table and stormed off to his room.

I: “…”

Right, the picture book. Back to the picture book.

In the middle of the night, Ziyuan, who was on night duty, yanked my blanket open in a hurry.

“My Lady, the Crown Prince sneaked into the small kitchen and almost set the place on fire!”

I was still half asleep. “Is the food all right?”

The instant the words left my mouth, the whole scene fell into a deathly silence.

Following Ziyuan’s line of sight, I looked toward the doorway and saw the ash-covered Little Crown Prince standing outside. Under the clear moonlight, the soot on his face made him look even more miserable.

Faintly, his eyes looked a little red too.

Only then did I realize what I’d just said. “Ahem, um… it’s dry and windy at night, so mind the candles and fire?”

Ziyuan: “…”

Little Crown Prince: “…”

“I absolutely do not want someone like you to be my Mother Empress!” The Little Crown Prince shot me a hateful glare, then turned and ran.

I almost thought I saw tears glint in his eyes.

Sigh. I resigned myself to getting out of bed. “Stop right there.”

He paused, stubbornly refusing to turn back and look at me.

Ziyuan helped me get dressed. Once I was properly clothed, I stepped outside and took the Little Crown Prince to the kitchen.

Well, well.

It really had burned. One whole wall was blackened.

Fortunately, the night watch attendants had been diligent, and the fire had been put out quickly.

The Little Crown Prince looked at me coldly, his face tight. “Even if you make something for me with your own hands now, I still won’t eat it.”

I: “?”

I pointed at the pot. “What are you thinking about? Weren’t you the one who wanted to cook? You do it, and I’ll keep an eye on things so we don’t start another fire.”

Wasn’t that thoughtful enough?

The little fellow was really hard to coax.

But the moment he heard me, his expression cracked open piece by piece. He could no longer keep up his act of composure, and he stamped his foot in fury. “I’m going to tell Father Emperor on you!!!”