Ch85 - (II). No one in this palace liked him

To ensure the purity of the bloodline, the royal family only allowed intermarriage within the wolf clan.

Yan An, therefore, was a purebred wolf as well. Her strength was formidable, so strong that Rong Jun could neither break free nor move.

Even though the two servants had received strict orders, they dared not use force against the princess. They tried gently, sweat pouring down their faces, unsure how to handle the situation.

In the end, Yan Hong himself had to intervene and physically separate her from Rong Jun.

“Let me go! Brother! Brother!!” Yan An screamed as the servants dragged her out, one on each side.

Her sharp, high-pitched voice echoed through the corridor. Passersby calmly murmured, “Your Highness,” bowed slightly, and continued on their way.

Yan Hong rubbed his throbbing temples and sank into his chair, feeling slightly weak. After a moment, he looked up at Rong Jun.

“I’m sorry you had to witness that. Don’t take her words too seriously.”

Rong Jun touched his arm, which still throbbed painfully from where it had been constricted. He offered a faint smile, pretending not to care. “It’s nothing.” But in his mind, he had already added Yan An to the list of people he would never associate with again.

“Your Highness, there are still people waiting for this document,” Rong Jun reminded him. It was long past closing time, and if Yan Hong didn’t hurry, Yan Chen would be returning to the palace.

Yan Hong picked up the pen and quickly flipped through the document.

By the time Rong Jun finished signing and handing the documents over to the relevant department, it was completely dark. Winter nights fell quickly, and the cold bit sharply at his cheeks and ears.

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“Then I’ll go in first.”

Yun Cheng pushed open the inner door. “I’ll have someone prepare dinner.”

“Okay.”

As soon as Rong Jun entered, Yan Chen pounced on him.

“Didn’t we agree not to work overtime?”

“There was one last document that needed processing,” Rong Jun explained. After confirming that Yun Cheng had left, he closed the door with his foot and wrapped his arm around Yan Chen’s waist.

But then he noticed Yan Chen’s expression darkening, he grew wary.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Yan Chen’s gaze narrowed. “Why do you smell like Yan An?”

Rong Jun’s heart skipped a beat. “She came to your brother’s office today.” He grabbed Yan Chen’s clothes and sniffed them but detected nothing unusual.

Yan Chen’s golden eyes turned sharp, the coldness in them freezing his expression. “A brief, casual conversation wouldn’t leave such a strong scent. Did she run into you?”

“…I just accidentally bumped into her.” Rong Jun’s voice betrayed his guilt and unease. Realizing it, he hugged Yan Chen tightly to prevent any impulsive reaction.

Yan Chen didn’t want to put him in a difficult position. So he asked patiently, “What happened?”

Rong Jun hesitated, then obediently explained, omitting the part where Yan An had mistaken him for Yan Hong’s lover to avoid further complications.

“She’s really grown more annoying over the years,” Yan Chen said, his tone dripping with disdain. “Don’t have any contact with her in the future. And she had gotten your clothes dirty, tsk!”

He immediately removed Rong Jun’s suit and tossed it across the room, then wrapped him in his own clothes.

“Don’t wear this one. I’ll have another one made for you tomorrow.”

Although Yan Chen’s behavior was childish, Rong Jun indulged him. “Do as you please.”

Yan Chen, hearing him accept it, smiled again. Taking advantage of the moment, Rong Jun finally asked a question that had long troubled him.

“Yan Chen, why don’t you want to come back here? Is it just because of your sister?”

Yan Chen fell silent. He didn’t want to discuss it, but Rong Jun, wanting to understand his past and share the future with him, remained patient. Seeing the seriousness in his eyes, Yan Chen sighed.

“Go into the bedroom and change first. I’ll tell you after you’re done.”

…

Background of the royal family:

There are three children of the royal family: Crown Prince Yan Hong, Third Prince Yan Chen, and Princess Yan An.

Yan Hong, the eldest son and legitimate heir, was highly regarded by the emperor and personally tutored from a young age. His marriage to the empress was political, and the two were incompatible. They fulfilled their marital duties and produced purebred wolf offspring for the empire. Consequently, the emperor paid little attention to Yan Chen or Yan An.

The Empress had wanted a daughter and was disappointed when Yan Hong was born. She resented the emperor for having a child with a concubine and gave up her plans for further children until she had Yan An years later, whom she doted upon entirely, moving to another palace to raise her.

Yan Hong, understanding his mother’s nature, took Yan Chen under his wing. At first, he could care for him personally, but as his responsibilities grew, he entrusted Yan Chen to Yun Cheng.

Yan Chen remembered only that his brother had left him to someone else. He gradually forgot the details of his childhood and where he had grown up. He tried to seek attention from his parents, but the emperor’s favoritism toward Yan Hong made him wary, even warning Yan Chen not to covet his brother’s position.

The Empress, doting on Yan An, allowed her to indulge in playful mischief. Yan Chen would occasionally seek her attention, picking flowers from her garden and hoping for gentle praise, but instead was scolded and slapped publicly.

Over time, Yan Chen accepted his reality, he was not favored, he was different from Yan Hong and Yan An, and nothing in the palace truly belonged to him.