The Cannon Fodder Was Pampered By The Tyrant - Chapter 13

Does Si Yan like girls?

Lin Yutian took several days to barely recover. She practically monopolized Si Yan’s soft, large bed, refusing to budge. Seeing Si Yan staying by her side the entire time, she eventually whispered cautiously, “Maybe I should sleep somewhere else.”

Otherwise, Si Yan could only lie down by the edge of the bed every day, which made Lin Yutian feel a bit guilty.

Si Yan was busy writing a meal plan for her. “Don’t even think about it.”

Lin Yutian was puzzled. “Why?”

“I should be asking you why,” Si Yan replied without looking up. “Why did you have to run out when everything was fine?”

Lin Yutian choked on her words. What did she mean by “fine”?

Aren’t they currently in an assassin and target relationship? Isn’t it bad to be this close?

It was impossible for Lin Yutian to tell Si Yan her true thoughts. After a moment of consideration, she lowered her voice and said, “But if I keep staying here, you’ll be in danger.”

“Oh?” Si Yan’s eyebrows arched slightly. “For example?”

Lin Yutian deliberately tried to scare her. “Actually, my mission failed and the organization found out. They’ll definitely want to kill me. If you don’t kick me out now, and other assassins enter the palace, both you and I will be in danger.”

After all, Tang Yu had said that Si Yan had zero tolerance for assassins.

“I see.” Si Yan smiled. “Then why don’t you just tell me who you work for?”

“I’ll just wipe them all out at once and give you a share of the spoils.”

Lin Yutian thought Si Yan actually believed her, so she pressed on. “No need for all that trouble. If you just let me go, they won’t prioritize killing you.”

She put on a grand act of being concerned for Si Yan’s life.

Si Yan sometimes felt that Lin Yutian was truly, adorably foolish. She purposely went against her wishes. “I don’t like things that lack challenge.”

“I’d like to see if they actually have the ability.”

Seeing she couldn’t win the argument, Lin Yutian slowly burrowed back into the quilt. This time, she curled up deep inside and said muffledly, “…Then don’t blame me if you feel crowded when you sleep tonight.”

Si Yan turned her head and laughed, teasing her on purpose, “So, you’re complaining that the bed is too small.”

Lin Yutian whispered, “I am not.”

Hearing Si Yan’s soft chuckle again, Lin Yutian simply turned her back, her ears turning red as she pretended to fall asleep.

The imperial physicians might actually have been useful. In the past, Lin Yutian would be tormented for over half a month, but this time she was mostly recovered in just ten days.

During her period cramps, she had sworn countless times never to drink cold water or eat ice cream again. But the moment she felt better, she forgot.

Unfortunately, her daily diet was now under Si Yan’s personal control. Lin Yutian soon discovered that all her favorite cold desserts had vanished.

At first, she was too embarrassed to bring it up with Si Yan. So, she waited until Si Yan left and sneaked off to the Imperial Kitchen to find an opportunity.

The head chef of the tea room was in the courtyard inspecting a new batch of peach blossom wine, wondering what pastries to make. She had recently developed some new items, but no one was willing to try them.

As she looked up, she saw someone acting suspiciously at the entrance.

The head chef only cared about her culinary skills and was almost entirely deaf to palace gossip naturally, she didn’t recognize Lin Yutian.

“You,” she said. “What are you doing standing there?”

Lin Yutian was caught red-handed, but she had to push through. She stepped forward, her brain working rapidly, and said, “I am a personal maid by His Majesty’s side. His Majesty wishes to eat red bean ice curd.”

The head chef scrutinized her. “Someone from His Majesty’s side?”

“How come I’ve never seen you before?”

A cold sweat broke out on Lin Yutian’s back. “This servant has only recently started serving His Majesty.”

The head chef sneered. “I don’t think you’re from His Majesty’s side. You look more like an assassin.”

“Men!” she barked. “Seize this person and take her to His Majesty for personal interrogation.”

Lin Yutian panicked. “I’ll leave right now! Can you please not take me there? I beg you.”

This was too embarrassing, Si Yan absolutely could not find out.

The head chef remained unmoved. “Begging me is useless. Go talk to His Majesty.”

Inside the hall, Si Yan had just finished discussing matters with her trusted ministers when she heard a voice outside.

The head chef’s voice was powerful. “Your Majesty, I have caught a thief for you!”

After Si Yan ascended the throne, there was a rule: any suspicious person had to be brought before her for questioning.

Si Yan signaled the maid beside her to open the door.

When she saw who the “thief” was, Si Yan’s expression became quite subtle.

Lin Yutian kept her head low, truly wishing she could just disappear.

After dismissing the ministers, Si Yan asked in a neutral tone, “How did you discover this thief?”

She put extra emphasis on the word “thief.”

The head chef said indignantly, “She impersonated your personal maid and said you wanted red bean ice curd. But lately, Your Majesty has always sent someone with a specific meal plan. This person came with nothing. I suspect she intended to poison Your Majesty!”

Lin Yutian said weakly, “I didn’t…”

“If you didn’t, why is your voice so faint?”

Lin Yutian: “……”

Si Yan raised her hand to hide a smile she couldn’t suppress. “I understand. You may leave.”

She stood up and said casually, “I will handle this thief myself.”

Once the head chef left, Lin Yutian kept her head down.

Si Yan simply knelt down in front of her, using her folded fan to pat Lin Yutian’s cheek. “Why don’t you dare look at me?”

“You’ve even learned to use my name to sneak ice curd from the Imperial Kitchen. You’re quite bold.”

Lin Yutian finally looked up slowly and argued guiltily, “I didn’t want to sneak a snack!”

“Then you really did want to poison me?”

Lin Yutian nodded solemnly.

“Where is the poison, then?” Si Yan asked.

Lin Yutian had no idea where it would be; she didn’t have any to begin with. But she couldn’t lose her momentum.

“I won’t tell you,” she said, staring directly at Si Yan.

To her surprise, Si Yan laughed. “It’s alright if you don’t tell me.”

Lin Yutian had a feeling she was about to do something. Sure enough, in the next second, Si Yan began to untie her sash.

Lin Yutian hurried to stop her. “What are you doing?”

Si Yan looked innocent. “Since you won’t tell me, I have to search you myself.”

As she spoke, her fingers slid up Lin Yutian’s leg.

“Don’t…”

“Ayu, you’d better be quiet,” Si Yan whispered in her ear. “The soundproofing in this room isn’t that good. Your voice might be heard clearly outside.”

Lin Yutian couldn’t bring herself to admit she just wanted to sneak some ice curd. But as Si Yan’s actions became more forward, she had to tell the truth. “I didn’t want to poison you.”

With red ears, she confessed, “I… I just didn’t get enough to eat at lunch and wanted some dessert.”

Si Yan was only teasing her. She had recently realized that Lin Yutian hated telling the truth. You had to push her to the limit, until her eyes were as red as a rabbit’s, before she would reveal her true thoughts.

“If you wanted dessert, why didn’t you just tell me?” Si Yan looked at her.

Lin Yutian hummed softly. “I can do these things myself.”

“And then get caught and brought to me?”

Lin Yutian’s voice got even smaller. “How was I supposed to know she’d bring me here?”

Si Yan watched her. “How is it that after being in the palace for over two years, you still don’t seem to know the rules?”

“How exactly did you end up by my side, Ayu?”

She keenly noticed Lin Yutian’s body stiffen instantly.

Lin Yutian couldn’t possibly tell Si Yan her true origins. She could only lie through her teeth. “I just… suddenly forgot.”

“Your memory is quite selective then,” Si Yan said pointedly. “You forget everything else, but you don’t forget your red bean ice curd. Quite miraculous.”

“……”

Lin Yutian, having been caught, didn’t dare speak. “So… can I eat it?” she asked softly.

Si Yan felt that Lin Yutian had a strange perseverance when it came to food. She pinched Lin Yutian’s cheek. “No.”

The wound had barely healed before she forgot the pain.

“When your period stops hurting, then you can come negotiate with me,” Si Yan said heartlessly. “Otherwise, don’t even think about it.”

“But that will take so long,” Lin Yutian couldn’t help but say.

Si Yan followed up, “As long as you can refrain from cold drinks for half a month, I will allow you to eat it once.”

As expected, Lin Yutian’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Really?”

Si Yan chuckled. “When have I ever lied to you?”

From then on, Lin Yutian truly began to quit cold drinks. She had to go home eventually, but she wanted to eat it one last time before leaving.

However, Lin Yutian wasn’t doing nothing. She found some books on Si Yan’s shelves, many with pictures that were ancient texts on punishments. Most had illustrations and were easy to understand.

But the more Lin Yutian read, the more terrified she became. They were all such horrific ways to die. It would hurt so much.

Life now had a strange harmony. When Si Yan was at court, Lin Yutian would read in the room, trying to find a way to die that wasn’t so painful. Occasionally, when she felt brave, she’d go to the lakeside. She thought optimistically that maybe one day she’d have the courage to end it.

But every time she went to the lake, she felt like someone was watching her.

Finally, after half a month, Lin Yutian finally got the dessert she had been longing for.

It happened to be a nice day. Si Yan returned early from court to review official documents. Lin Yutian lay beside her, and after a few bites, she asked, “Si Yan, do you have any leisure books here?”

Hearing this, Si Yan’s eyes shifted slightly. She pointed to a small bookshelf in the corner. “There are some over there.”

Lin Yutian ran over, pulled out a few volumes, and sat back in her spot. Unsuspectingly, she opened a page and started reading. It was a picture and text book, very easy to read, and the protagonists were two very beautiful girls. It was quite pleasant to look at.

Lin Yutian ate her ice curd while reading, until the art style started getting a bit strange.

Because as she watched those two girls, their lips suddenly met. As she flipped further, the content became even harder to look at.

It was only then that Lin Yutian realized, is this a girl-love (yuri) story?

But why would such a book be in Si Yan’s room?

Could it be… could it be that Si Yan likes girls?

She tried to remain calm and opened another book. The result was the same.

Lin Yutian’s reading posture changed from spreading the book flat on the table to almost curling up underneath it. She had picked up four books, and the content of all four was like this.

A blatant answer appeared before Lin Yutian it was highly probable, almost certain, that Si Yan liked girls.

She had originally thought Si Yan just found her amusing; that the kiss was just a tease, and that night in bed was just an accident. After all, nearly a month had passed, and while Si Yan liked to be touchy-feely, she hadn’t done anything out of line.

Lin Yutian had almost never considered the possibility that Si Yan herself liked girls.

She licked her lips, closed the book, and asked very casually, “Have you read all the books here?”

“I’ve read most of them.”

Hearing this answer, Lin Yutian felt a momentary sense of relief. Maybe these books were just an accident. After all, Si Yan was so busy with state affairs, how could she have time for such stories?

“Then… the books in the cabinet I just took from, have you read those too?” she asked non-chalantly.

Si Yan looked up at her and smiled, her eyes curving beautifully. “Of course.”

“Those… are my personal treasures.”