He was like a saint, and also like a common man.
—Nikolai Berdyaev, 1913, in Moscow.
...
[Having finished recording 'The Book of the Law', you are in a great mood. You look at the sky outside the window and find that it is already noon. You get up, put the scattered books back on the shelves, and open the library doors that have been closed for a full seven days.]
[It is at this moment that you discover the figure leaning outside the door.]
Lu Kang stood before the door. Outside, the ground under the midday sun glowed with a dazzling golden light. Beyond the Kremlin's library was a spacious courtyard square. Gray tiles paved the ground, their edges dotted with lush greenery. Opposite, connected to the residences of the royal family members, the towering palace domes looked like the solemn long spears in the hands of guards.
And at this moment, a young girl was leaning against the shadow of a stone pillar by the library door on the inner side of the courtyard, her figure reflected in the flowing light. It seemed she had been waiting for so long that she couldn't help but get drowsy and doze off.
The youth in the priest's robe glanced around but saw no guards or maids. This girl is quite bold, daring to fall asleep right here, he thought. But on second thought, there's no real danger within the palace. Besides, she's only a door away from me. If anything were to happen, I'd be the first to notice. In comparison, perhaps there was no safer place in the entire Kremlin than here. Lu Kang was quite confident about that.
However, just as he was about to step forward and wake Anastasia, he suddenly stopped. He walked over to the girl and crouched down slightly. Looking at the half-asleep, drowsy girl, he suddenly felt a bit surprised. Yes. Surprised—or rather, stunned.
Over a year had passed. This girl, who in his eyes had already developed better than her peers, now displayed an even more perfect appearance. Her silver hair was still smooth and beautiful, its long strands covering a delicate face that seemed to have been nurtured by the wind and snow, like an elf's. Her limbs were well-proportioned, her full chest pushed up prominently by the white inner lining of her dress, while her waist below appeared exceptionally slender. The fabric of her flat abdomen was slightly wrinkled from her leaning against the pillar, and the pressure revealed the triangular shadow formed by the curve of her hips. The subsequent fluffy skirt wrapped tightly around her rounded curves, and her legs, wrapped in white silk, peeked out from under the hem, tantalizingly visible.
The girl's figure was superior to her peers, yet her clean and beautiful face, due to her princessly temperament, seemed particularly otherworldly.
Lu Kang couldn't help but look a little longer. As he had stated to himself countless times, he was never a true saint. He was just an ordinary person—with the joys, sorrows, and anger of a common man, and naturally, with a common man's sense of aesthetics and preferences. At this moment, he only felt that the ever-more-beautiful princess was very much in line with his own tastes.
"Mmm."
A breeze blew from the courtyard square in front of the library. The leaves rustled with a soft, whispering sound, and the silver-haired, stunningly beautiful princess was awakened. She moved slightly, dazedly opened her eyes, and her hazy gaze fell upon the youth crouching in front of her. She froze. Her light, blue-green eyes went from sleepy to slightly dazed, then to stunned, followed by a visible blush spreading across her fair face!
"Your... Your Eminence? You, me, ooh—" Overly nervous from the sudden scene, the princess bit her tongue and let out a pained sound.
"So excited to see me?" Lu Kang yawned lazily.
And so, though it hurt, the momentary pain completely woke her up. Anna couldn't help but puff out her cheeks. "It's all because Your Eminence..."
"This isn't my fault," Lu Kang said, standing up, his tone unapologetic. "You should blame a certain someone who fell asleep here."
Anna's cheeks puffed out again. The girl, with her outstanding figure and delicate face, looked exceptionally cute with that expression. Lu Kang fought the urge to poke her hamster-like cheeks.
Anna stood up, holding her fluffy court dress. She thought to herself that this was all Sister Maria's fault for not explaining things clearly, causing her to rush over first thing in the morning as soon as she heard the news. When she had arrived and found the library doors closed, she had thought of going back to settle scores with her sister, but then she had a sudden feeling, a subconscious sense that she would see Lu Kang today, which was why she had stayed and waited. That was why she had accidentally fallen asleep while waiting. And had waited until now.
Yes, this was all Sister Maria's fault—not because she herself was too reckless and impulsive!
The girl, defending herself in her heart, stood up straight. But before she was completely steady, she suddenly stumbled, her face paling. Her body swayed uncontrollably to the side—from maintaining the same posture for too long, her legs had gone numb and couldn't support her.
It's over. Anastasia's first thought wasn't fear of falling, but of embarrassing herself in front of Lu Kang again. She felt that His Eminence would definitely use this to laugh at her later! At this thought, the princess's heart pounded, her mind going blank—blankly letting her body sway, blankly letting herself fall into an embrace!
The princess's light blue-green eyes widened slightly. She felt the fabric against her cheek and the solid chest beneath it. She didn't need to look up to know her current predicament.
"Her Highness the Princess is as clumsy as ever," Lu Kang said. At the last possible second, he had caught the falling Anastasia. Looking at her as she fell into his arms, he felt the soft and firm touch without a blush or a racing heart. A sidelong glance revealed the exquisite curves of her back, the shockingly full arc of her hips under the slightly raised skirt, swaying gently with her breath. What a rare and beautiful sight, he thought. Feeling Anastasia move slightly and then go still, he couldn't help but find it amusing.
"I'm not clumsy," Anastasia said in a small voice, carefully looking up. Her light blue-green eyes met Lu Kang's face, which had a hint of East Asian features. His handsome, well-defined features exuded a gentleness and charm that made the girl pause. She remembered what her sister had said earlier. She thought His Eminence Lu Kang was indeed a very handsome youth. This was a thought she'd had since their first meeting. Having read many romance novels, she had always been full of fantasies about love. But what she had read in books was different from reality. Having lived in the palace her whole life, Anastasia didn't understand what true liking, what true love, was.
She didn't know if she liked His Eminence Lu Kang. But after more than a year of being with him day and night, she had certainly grown accustomed to his presence. To the point that just a seven-day separation had made her lose her appetite and sleep. To the point that seeing him now, her thoughts swirled, and a sense of ease spread throughout her body. It was very relaxing, very happy.
"I'm not clumsy."
Driven by an unknown emotion, Anastasia did something just like her occasionally revealed, mischievous personality would. In his arms, she looked up, reached out, and wrapped her slender arms around the young clergyman's neck, bringing her face closer. As she raised her arms, her full chest lifted slightly, brushing against the youth's. At the same time, her lower abdomen also lifted, her thighs moving slightly under the fluffy skirt. This close contact made her blush even more, but she still couldn't help but put on a mischievous expression. She blinked her light blue-green eyes, feeling her chest flutter slightly.
"I'm not clumsy," she said 'stubbornly', tilting her head up. "Didn't His Eminence Lu Kang notice? I was—"
"Doing it on purpose!"
'Deliberately' falling. 'Deliberately' falling into his arms. 'Deliberately'...
"You have to take responsibility for me!" the empire's youngest princess declared, as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world.
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