Not far away, a staff member pushed open the door of the reception room, and Leng Xiaoye led Gan Yuan inside, following which the door gently closed behind her.
Stopping before the window, Leng Xiaoye elegantly turned around.
"I’m fine standing." Gan Yuan said.
"I believe, you also know that I didn’t really have you come to help me with the dress." Leng Xiaoye took a step closer to her, dark eyes meeting hers, "I only have one question."
"Do you... truly love my son?"
Gan Yuan didn’t immediately answer, but instead took a deep breath, contemplated for a moment, then lifted her face to look at her once again.
"I certainly don’t love him as much as you do, but, I think... I can give him a happiness that others cannot."
Leng Xiaoye watched her for a moment, her voice sincere as she spoke.
"As you just said, I love my son, and you are a mother too. You should know that a mother would not allow anyone to harm her son. The King and I will give you a chance; I hope you won’t let me down."
Gan Yuan replied calmly, "Thank you for this opportunity, I will do my best."
She too was a mother; she of course could understand a mother’s love for her son. If it were her and Xiaotang, she even doubted she would have the same tolerance as Leng Xiaoye.
Leng Xiaoye nodded gently, and when she spoke again, her tone had softened considerably.
"That child is sometimes not very good at expressing himself, he is not perfect, and sometimes... you need to give him a little time. I know I might sound a bit selfish in saying this, but please take good care of him."
A mother’s intentions are oh so painstaking.
"Thank you," Leng Xiaoye reached out her hand proactively, "for Xiaotang, for... everything."
Regardless, she had added a bloodline to their family; just for that alone, she deserved this expression of thanks.
Gan Yuan extended her hand and gently grasped the other’s tender fingers, "It’s I who should be thanking you and Mr. King."
After a moment, Leng Xiaoye withdrew her hand.
"It’s getting late, let’s go down."
The two of them walked out of the small reception room and downstairs. Meanwhile, the dialogue between father and son had just begun in the study on the third floor.
Standing by the window, looking out, King Huangfu Yaoyang was silent for a long time.
"I am your father, and also the King."
As a king, he could not only consider his son’s feelings; he hoped his son would understand this.
Huangfu Jue stood behind him, his response equally concise.
"Now, I too am a father."
Huangfu Jue understood his father’s feelings but also had to make it clear to his father that there were some things he had to take responsibility for, some people he could not let down.
Lowering his gaze, looking at Gan Tang who had reached the steps, Huangfu Yaoyang took a deep breath, then turned to face his son.
"I hope you will be not just a good father, but also a good king."
Huangfu Jue nodded earnestly.
Huangfu Yaoyang said nothing more, only raising his large hand to pat his son’s shoulder before striding toward the room’s door.
As the two men came downstairs, Gan Yuan and Leng Xiaoye were already on the stairs; Chongchong was leading Gan Tang’s little hand, coming from a corridor on one side.
Upon seeing her father, she immediately shook the little one’s hand.
"Xiaotang, quickly call Grandma."
The little one raised his face and called out crisply.
Leng Xiaoye smiled, her lips curving upwards, showing no excessive warmth, but while no one was paying attention, she stealthily winked at the little one.