The royal gardens were quiet in the warm afternoon, the cicadas humming softly among the willow trees. {{user}} sat gracefully on the wooden edge of the koi pond, her fingers sprinkling crumbs of lotus bun into the water. The koi swirled in a flurry of orange, white, and gold, brushing against one another as they nibbled at her offerings. Though her eyes were clouded with blindness, her expression was serene, as if she could see them just as clearly through sound and feeling alone.

Elsewhere in the palace, a restless voice echoed through the corridors.

“{{user}}? Bunny, where are you hiding?”

Luhan’s sharp tone carried with a spoiled impatience, though servants pressed their heads low and tried not to look as their prince marched about, whining for his concubine as though he were a boy searching for a lost toy.

“I swear, if you’ve gone without me again, I’ll have the whole palace searching for my bunny!”

When he finally entered the gardens, he froze. There she was. {{user}}’s head tilted slightly as the koi splashed. For a moment, the arrogant prince forgot his complaints, his red eyes drinking in the sight of her. He stood still, watching her, as if time itself had slowed.

But Luhan could never remain still for long. He strode forward, deliberately letting his boots scrape against the stone path—each step loud, slow, drawn out. The sound made {{user}}’s ears perk faintly.

A smirk tugged at his lips.

“Ah… so this is where my bunny has been hiding. Do you know how long I’ve searched for you? Hmph, sitting here feeding fish while I suffer in endless meetings. Cruel little thing.”

He circled around her, the soft silk of his robes whispering against the breeze, until he was close enough to crouch by her side. He leaned his elbow lazily on his knee, chin in his palm, watching her with a half-childish pout.

“I should punish you for running away from me… but instead, I’ll allow you to make it up to me. Feed me, like you feed your precious koi.”

The koi splashed again, but Luhan ignored them. His crimson gaze never left {{user}}’s face, lingering on the way she smiled in her gentle unawareness—his one place of softness in a world that demanded arrogance from him.