(BL) Reborn as Lycan's Emperor's abandoned Beta concubine?!

Chapter 31: 31. Flower shaped pastry can cause jealousy?

AT THE SAME EVENING

XAVIER

Later that evening, I served dinner to the imperial family and the palace residents. Mei Lin sat quietly among the other omega concubines. But I quickly noticed the atmosphere around her.

"The famous weak flower?"Some of the omegas exchanged looks.

"She really came to the palace?"Second one asked.

"She looks like she would break from a strong wind." A third one nodded.

I frowned slightly. That was cruel. Mei Lin had barely arrived, yet everyone had already decided who she was. When I brought out dessert, I noticed her barely touching her plate. She looked uncomfortable with her light copper hair and green eyes. Without thinking, I quietly added a small extra dessert beside her. A tiny flower shaped pastry.

"For you."I said.

"For me?"Mei Lin looked surprised.

"You should try it. It’s sweet."I nodded.

Her eyes softened.

"Thank you, Chef Wei."A small smile appeared on her face.

That smile was gentle and sincere. For some reason, I felt relieved seeing it.

"Ding." The system activated. "Kindness event detected. Emperor Lang Li affection increased. Current Emperor Lang Li affection: 15%."

"What?" I froze.

Before I could recover, I heard another notification.

"Ding. Empress Dowager affection increased. Current Empress Dowager affection: 26%."A system said.

I looked around the dining hall. Nobody noticed. Except across the room, Lang Li was silently watching me, and the Empress Dowager was hiding a very amused smile behind her cup. I suddenly had a terrible feeling. I should have known something was wrong the moment Lang Li became too quiet. Usually, the Emperor was impossible to read, now his expression remained calm, his voice steady, and his golden eyes gave away almost nothing. But now? Now he was staring. Not at me. At Mei Lin. More specifically, at the small flower shaped dessert I had given her. I immediately felt nervous. Did I do something wrong? I only noticed she looked uncomfortable, so I gave her something sweet. That was it, nothing more.

"Ding. Emperor Lang Li emotional fluctuation detected."A system said.

"Don’t."I froze.

"Current emotion: Confusion." The system paused. "Additional emotion detected."

"Please don’t say it."I sighed.

"Jealousy."The system continued.

"Jealousy?!"I almost dropped the tray in my hands.

"Confirmed."A system said.

I looked toward Lang Li. No, that couldn’t be right. The Emperor of the entire empire was jealous because I gave someone dessert? That was ridiculous. After dinner, I was preparing tea when Lang Li suddenly entered the kitchen.

"Your Majesty."I immediately stood straight.

He nodded. His eyes moved toward the desserts on the counter. Then back to me.

"You made that pastry yourself?"He asked.

"Yes."I blinked.

"For Mei Lin?"He asked again.

My hand stopped.

"She wasn’t eating much, so I thought she might like something sweeter."I explained quickly.

A dangerous silence reached us for a few minutes.

"I see."He nodded.

That was it. Just two words, but somehow they sounded worse than an angry speech. I carefully placed the teapot down.

"Your Majesty, is something wrong?"I asked.

"No." He answered too quickly.

Definitely something was wrong.

"You worry about everyone."He walked closer.

"Is that bad?"I hesitated.

"No." His eyes lowered slightly. "It is one of the reasons people like you."

I didn’t know how to answer that. Then his voice became quieter.

"But..."He began.

"But?"I looked at him.

"You smiled at her."He looked away.

"What?" I froze.

"You looked relieved when she smiled."He said.

My brain stopped. Was he seriously talking about that?

"Your Majesty..." I tried to explain. "She was alone and everyone was judging her before knowing her. I just wanted to make her feel welcome."

Lang Li remained silent then he looked at me.

"I know." His expression softened. "I know you meant nothing by it."

I relaxed slightly, until he continued.

"But I still disliked seeing it."He said.

"Why?" My eyes widened.

For a moment, the Emperor looked less like a ruler and more like an ordinary man who didn’t understand his own feelings.

"Because..." He paused. "Because I wanted that smile to be something you gave me."

I forgot how to breathe.

"Ding."The system appeared. "Emotional event detected. Emperor Lang Li affection increased. Current Emperor Lang Li affection: 16%."

"You increased because you admitted jealousy?"I stared at the notification.

"Correct."The system replied.

"That makes no sense."I said.

"Human emotions rarely do."The system said.

I ignored it. Lang Li quietly looked at me.

"I will not stop you from being kind, Wei."He said, his voice softening. "But..." He looked toward the door where Mei Lin had left earlier. "I hope you remember there is someone here who also wishes to receive your attention."

My face immediately heated. Why was this Emperor so much harder to handle than any palace political problem? I could fight rumors, I could fight nobles, I could fight impossible cooking challenges. But dealing with an Emperor who became jealous because I gave someone a dessert? That was a completely different battle.

I decided there was one simple way to prevent yesterday’s dessert incident from becoming another palace disaster. Give everyone dessert, so by tea time, I had prepared an entire tray of pastries. Flower shaped cakes, honey buns, fruit tarts, and small custard pastries filled the table. When I entered the tea room, every omega immediately noticed.

"Chef Wei, are those for us?" First one asked.

"All of them?" The second one asked.

"Everyone gets one."I nodded.

The mood changed instantly. Smiles appeared across the room as the pastries were distributed. Even Mei Lin looked surprised when I placed one in front of her.

"Thank you." Mei Lin said.

"You are welcome." I said.

I continued around the table until I reached the last seat, then I realized there was one pastry left. I stared at it, someone coughed. I looked up. Lang Li was standing nearby, he silently looked at the final pastry.

"Your Majesty..."I sighed.

"Is that one for me?"He raised an eyebrow.

"It is." I placed it in front of him.

His expression immediately softened.

"Ding. Emperor Lang Li affection: 17%."A system said.

I nearly dropped the serving tray. Across the table, the Empress Dowager covered her smile with her teacup.

"Oh, my."She said.

"What?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Nothing." She looked far too pleased.

The other omegas happily ate their pastries, completely unaware of the strange emotional battle happening across the table. For once, the tea gathering was peaceful. Then a palace servant suddenly hurried inside.

"Your Majesty!" Everyone turned.

"A royal carriage has arrived at the eastern gate."The servant bowed deeply.

Lang Li’s expression changed.

"Who?"Lang Li’s expression changed.

"An envoy from the Red Moon Flower Empire."The servant swallowed.

My smile disappeared, the room became silent. I slowly looked toward Lang Li and the Emperor was already staring at me and somehow, I knew this visitor wasn’t here for tea.

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