Time for a nap

Bright rays of sunlight were entering the windows of Jinshi's residence and shone down warmly on the young noble himself as he walked at a leisurely pace through the hallway, hiding his hands in his wide sleeves. Tiny dust particles were dancing in the air, and his silky long hair shining from the light, while he moved forward with a serene expression on his face. A face so utterly beautiful, it was almost out of this world. He had just returned from his usual control round through the rear palace and his visits to the four upper consorts, and his facial muscles felt a bit stiff from that “heavenly” smile he had to wear around all day. But now he could allow himself to let it vanish, for there was no one there he was forced to show his “perfect self” to. No one to swoon over him. However, his face was unfortunately the only part of his body he was able to relax currently, since his next task was already waiting for him: his “beloved” paperwork that was as always piled up on his desk… He grimaced slightly at the thought of it, filled his lungs with air and let out a long, deep sigh, for which he would probably be scolded if Gaoshun were to hear him. Then he brought his hand to one of his equally stiff shoulders, rubbing it a bit. Maybe he would summon Maomao later to his chambers and ask her to give him a little massage. She had already done that a couple of times for him, and he had always felt much better afterward. But then again, just seeing her was usually enough to lift his mood… (when he wasn’t catching her intending to put strange and dangerous stuff into her mouth or harm herself in any other way, of course) A pleasant warmth spread through his chest at the thought of her, and the corners of his lips turned upwards once again without him even realizing it, until forming a real, sincere smile. It was decided! He would finish his work as quickly as possible and then go spend time around her, already picturing her annoyed face (although he had to admit that she seemed to have grown used to having him around by now). And while he continued walking like that, thinking of seeing her later as a reward for his hard work, his smile suddenly grew wider, and his eyes lit up with happiness. There she was, his favorite little apothecary, walking just a dozen meters in front of him with cleaning supplies in her hands. Apparently, she had finished cleaning a room just now and stepped out into the hallway when he had been entirely immersed in thought, hence it looked to him as if she had appeared out of nowhere. He quickened his step, about to call out to her, but then stopped suddenly in his tracks when he noticed something odd about her way of walking: was it just his Imagination or was she really staggering a bit, as if her feet lacked the strength to support her properly? Jinshi frowned slightly, his chest tightening with worry. She wasn't drunk, was she? No, that couldn't be it. Well, in reality he wouldn't have really minded if she helped herself to his alcohol, he would gladly give her anything she wanted (except for poison, of course), but she was far too responsible to drink during work hours. And besides, he wasn't sure if he even possessed enough alcohol in his residence to make that girl, who was like a bottomless pit when it came to booze, even a bit tipsy. Or could it be that she had ingested something she shouldn’t have while no one was looking? Well, only one way to find out! He resumed his way, easily catching up with her. “Apothecary!” Placing his hand on her shoulder, he made her stop and turn around to him. That was when he noticed the dark circles around her eyes. To be honest, Jinshi was pretty much used to seeing them by now, but rather on his own face, not on hers. She looked up at him, calmly. “Greetings, Master Jinshi.” The line between his eyebrows deepened. “What happened? Are you alright?” he asked instead of greeting her back. Concern was seeping through his voice. “Nothing. I just sat down last evening to sort out some medicinal herbs I was able to gather recently, and before I knew it, it was morning and there was no time to sleep anymore. But I am fine, this is no big deal.” A light sparkle appeared in her eyes while she spoke, perhaps at the memory of her beloved herbs. Jinshi didn't say anything at first, just looked at her with a conflicted expression on his face. Well, he knew her perfectly well by now, after all, so he could easily picture her spending the night surrounded by different herbs with a grin on her face. At last, he let out a sigh. “You don’t look fine to me, and you certainly can’t work like this. Go take a rest.” “Right now? But…” Maomao shuddered. Maybe she was imagining the amount of work Suiren would have for her later if she were to abandon her duties and take a nap. Jinshi, however, didn't want to hear any objections. “No buts. Go to sleep. Now.” He gritted his teeth in exasperation, feeling as if he was dealing with a stubborn child. Was this how she felt when she made him take naps? Did that mean their roles had reversed this time? What an unexpected turn of events… Out of nowhere and before she could produce another sound, he grabbed her firmly by the hand, making her drop her cleaning supplies. “Come, I’ll bring you to your room,” he announced, starting to pull her away, not even giving her the chance to pick up the fallen objects. Just like that time at the garden party, after her poison-testing. Now it was Maomao's turn to frown. “I can get there by myself, Master Jinshi.” She seemed to have accepted the fact that she wouldn't be able to escape a nap. “And besides, don’t you have work to do?” He gave her a brief, almost shy sideways glance, and she noticed a faint blush on his cheeks when she looked up at his face. It surprised her a bit. “Work can wait. You're more important,” he muttered so quietly she had a hard time making out his words. “And I wouldn't be able to properly focus anyway, if I had to constantly wonder whether you made it to your bed alright or maybe even passed out on the way from exhaustion.” Maomao didn't know what to say to that, so she stayed silent. But her eyes widened slightly at his words. That confirmed once again the thought that often appeared in her mind when it was about Jinshi: She did not understand that man. At all. Work could never wait when he was about to collapse from fatigue himself, but when it was her, it suddenly could? How could he put her, a mere maid, above his own health? And why did he always have to be so dramatic, treating her as though she was heavily sick or injured? She was just tired, for crying out loud! One single sleepless night was nothing to her, she wasn't that delicate! After all, she wasn't constantly overworking herself like a certain someone! And this was not the first time for him putting up such a fuss, either, she thought as she recalled his behavior every time she ingested something even a bit poisonous. Even after she assured him that everything was under control. And while she was pondering about that, he stopped so abruptly and out of the blue that she almost bumped into him. “Alright. If you are that worried about my work, I have another idea.” Having said these words, he started to pull her into the opposite direction. With no other option left than to follow him, Maomao puffed her cheeks in annoyance. “Jeez, what now?” she thought, narrowing her eyes. “Where are you leading me, Master Jinshi?” “To my office.” She arched an eyebrow. “To your office? Why?” But he didn't reply anymore, so she would have to wait and see for herself what he was planning this time. Maomao scowled. What a pain! Exactly what she needed right now! Maomao looked at him as if he was a worm found in an apple she had bitten into. But since he was walking with his back to her, he unfortunately couldn't see it. Unfortunately for him, not for her. *** They finally arrived, and he dragged her inside. There was no one else in the room at the moment. “Here we are. This is where you’ll sleep,” Jinshi announced. “Here, I can keep an eye on you and do my work without having to worry.” Maomao still thought that his concern was way too exaggerated, but she didn't have the energy to argue anymore. Plus, that man was so stubborn that arguing would take her nowhere, anyway. Oh well, so be it. She wanted to head to the couch that was in the room in order to lie down, but realized to her surprise that Jinshi still hadn't let go of her hand, and looked up at him with slight confusion. “No, not there.” He guided her straight to his desk, sat down on his chair and patted his lap with a little smile on his lips. “Here.” Now, Maomao looked at him as if he was half a worm found in an apple she had bitten into. Wondering whether he was joking. “It would be more comfortable for you. And besides, you wouldn't want to lie on that couch, anyway, believe me.” Apparently not. He really was serious. “Why do you think so?” she inquired with a frown. “Because there was a certain someone sitting on it just yesterday. A certain monocled old fart.” Yes, Jinshi definitely knew better than to pronounce that “old fart’s” name in her presence. Maomao froze and grimaced with disgust, making a face that would scare away quite a few people. Not Jinshi, though. He reached out and took a document from his desk, presenting it to her like a piece of evidence. It bore a round grease stain. “And dirtying my papers with his snacks once again,” he added in an annoyed tone. She stayed tense for a while, but then relaxed once again and heaved out a sigh. It looked like she really didn't have any other choice now, huh? “Understood. Alright, Master Jinshi.” After a few seconds of hesitation, Maomao finally sat down on his lap. Jinshi instantly wrapped his right arm around her middle section and placed his left hand under her knees, turning her so that she was sitting sideways now, with her left side pressed against his body. Then he lifted his coat and covered her up with it like a blanket, holding her close. Maomao relaxed further and placed her head on his chest, sighing again. His warmth was probably making her feel her fatigue stronger than ever, like a big, heavy wave she wouldn't be able to fight anymore. Jinshi understood, knowing that sensation when your body was begging for rest all too well. A wide smile appeared on the young noble’s lips, and he blushed once more. His heart was pounding wildly from unspeakable joy. With her ear pressed against his chest, she must be able to hear it without a doubt, yet didn't comment anything. Maomao wasn't sure if it was just her exhaustion, but while her last traces of resistance against sleep kept fading, a sudden, unexpected thought emerged in her mind: how oddly comfortable she felt sitting like that in his embrace. Safe. Especially because she could feel his muscles through his clothes. A pleasant smell tickled her sensitive nose, a faint fragrance of fine perfume and expensive incense, coming from his clothes and body. But there was also something else mixed in, something she smelled every time Jinshi got close to her, and now she realized that it must be his natural scent. Being touched or hugged by him was nothing new to her anymore, and she had even been sitting on his lap once before, but back then, she had been way too busy with being annoyed to notice it sooner. To notice the fact that she actually liked how he smelled. “Sleep, Maomao,” she heard him whisper as she gradually closed her eyes. It wasn't his usual honeyed tone that was oozing with fake sweetness, but a calming and very gentle one, accentuated by his hand that had begun to rub her back in order to help her relax even further. And it worked. She let out a yawn. Jinshi's heart almost exploded from cuteness at that sight. He had never experienced such a deep affection towards anyone else before, one that shook him to the very core of his being, and neither such a strong desire to protect. To protect that young woman from every danger. He pulled her even closer and eventually stopped rubbing her back, placing his large hand instead on her head, stroking her hair with his thumb. But she barely noticed it, already on her way to drift off into dreamland. A brief memory of the time when she had been small and slept on her father’s lap flashed in her mind, clouded by sluggishness, and that was it. She was now sound asleep. Jinshi kept stroking her with a blissful smile on his gorgeous face, while enjoying her soft breathing against his chest and the warmth produced by her petite body. Simply watching her and forgetting about everything else. Wishing that this moment would last forever. *** After some time had passed, the door to the office opened, and Gaoshun appeared in the room, carrying yet another stack of papers that were meant to be added to the workload his lord was already burdened with. His eyes widened when his gaze fell on the unexpected scene in front of him, of Jinshi holding a peacefully sleeping Maomao on his lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her and his cheek resting on the girl’s head. A scene filled with tranquility and warmth. But before the aide could pronounce even a single one of the questions that had formed in his mind, he saw the young noble lift his head and show him a gentle, content smile, bringing his index finger to his lips and starting to stroke Maomao’s head with his other hand as if she were a sleeping cat, as if to emphasize that he wanted to let her rest. Gaoshun understood. He let out a sigh and smiled as well, slowly approaching the desk and placing the new documents next to the ones already lying there. Then he occupied his usual place behind his lord, his smile not leaving his lips as he watched the other two in silence. He had a soft spot for small, adorable creatures and really didn't want to disturb the peace reigning in that room (not to mention that he had noticed the circles around the apothecary's eyes), but work, unfortunately, wasn’t going to get done by itself. So after a few minutes, he cleared his throat, quiet enough to not wake up Maomao, but loud enough for Jinshi to hear him. “Sir?” “Yes?” Jinshi had buried his nose into Maomao's hair and was inhaling her herbal scent that he adored so much. “I know you are enjoying yourself right now, but you still can’t neglect the documents.” Jinshi sighed ever so slightly upon hearing these words, yet it couldn't be compared to how he usually looked when reminded of his paperwork. Hugging Maomao with one arm now, he reached out for his brush and started working, without a single word of complaint coming over his lips. In fact, Gaoshun had never seen him that happy while sitting at his desk. It had become quiet again. Maomao was sleeping, Jinshi working and Gaoshun keeping an eye on his lord, making sure the latter didn't get too distracted from his papers. “It’s truly amazing how much she trusts you to fall asleep like that, sir,” the aide chose to comment eventually. Jinshi was beaming with overwhelming happiness. “Yes, that’s right.” At exactly that moment, Maomao let out a soft sigh as if to confirm that statement, and stirred a bit in her sleep, but didn't wake up. Jinshi gazed lovingly at her. *** A few hours later, Gaoshun was leaving the office with the finished paperwork in his arms. His face didn’t show it, but he was still dumbfounded by the words he had heard just now. Never in his life had he thought he would hear these very words coming from Jinshi. “She’s still asleep. I don’t want to wake her up yet, so could you please bring me more documents to work on?” Yes, he should definitely ask Maomao to take naps on his lord’s lap more often.