Telltale

"No." Lei Xing responded looking at the Emperor skeptically.

The Emperor just stared at Lei Xing's face for a long while, which coupled with the awkwardly close position, made Lei Xing increasingly uncomfortable, so she added, "...not at all."

The Emperor straightened her and then stood up straight and looked down at her, "You seem quite nervous. Why?"

"I was just startled." Lei Xing said with a half-smile.

"You and my brother seem to have quite a lot of encounters recently." The Emperor offhandedly commented.

"Coincidence." Lei Xing swiftly responded.

{...Um, I don't think we've had "quite a lot" though...That's an exaggeration, it should just be about twice now? No more than three...Either way, it's not a lot...

...And wait, how would you even know about those? I only told you about the one...Am I being watched? Of course, I'm being watched...I knew generosity was not your MO -_-)...}

The Emperor did not respond and glanced down at her embroidered boxy petal in production that she had been working on for a few hours now.

Then he looked back at her and calmly asked, "Do you know it is considered a crime to lie to the Imperial family?"

Lei Xing frowned, starting to feel annoyed with this line of questioning and firmly said, "I am not at all interested in him, not even in the least."

{...You can't charge me with such an offense with no evidence!... And your brother is just as annoying as you are...maybe even more so? So definitely not interested AT ALL in that -_-)...}

"I understood that one, but what about that one?" He said, motioning towards the embroidery piece hanging at the front.

Lei Xing looked at the hanging embroidery piece and then looked back at him in confusion.

The Emperor narrowed his eyes at her, "You cannot even remember a gift you made for the late Empress."

Lei Xing's eyes widened as she looked back at the embroidery piece.

{...Ohhh, did I? Well you should have said so! T_T)...}

"Ah, but then should it be gave rather than made, right? What do you say?" The Emperor calmly asked.

Lei Xing nervously laughed a bit and explained, "Um, I - I had a lapse in memory, I can be quite forgetful sometimes. Looking at it again, it does seem very familiar..." 

The Emperor blankly looked at her for a while and then said, "You not only lied to Imperial family members, but you did that in an effort to gain favor. That is quite a grave offense. What do you think should be done about that?" He seriously asked.

When she did not respond fast enough, the Emperor quietly walked back and sat on his throne chair and went back to his work, ignoring her.

Lei Xing sat there with a deep frown on her face in contemplation as she looked at him. 

{...Offense? What offense? Is forgetting an offense? No way! I could just have a bad memory!... He couldn't possibly be serious, right? Well, I don't think we're in the sort of relationship to joke around -_-)...}

After thinking about it for a while, Lei Xing got up and walked to the middle of the room and hesitantly said, "Um, I can explain..."

The Emperor dropped the memorial he was holding and looked at her, waiting for her explanation.

Lei Xing glanced up at him and began, "Actually, I didn't remember because I lost my memories..." Seeing him frown, she added, "...Just some of it...most of it."

"Lost your memories?" The Emperor asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lei Xing continued to explain, "Yes, quite recently actually. I almost drowned a while before entering the palace and it seems the experience must have messed with my head...and so I lost some memories."

She glanced up at him again and then added, "I didn't want my family to worry, and so I didn't mention it...So, that's why..."

The room was silent for a while as Lei Xing waited for the verdict.

{...Believe me, I'm telling the truth - Well, most of it...Well, the points that matter anyway -_-)..}

"That's why your performance in the competition was so poor?" The Emperor asked, and Lei Xing firmly nodded.

The Emperor narrowed his eyes in thought for a while and then asked, "Does that also have something to do with why you want to leave the palace?"

Lei Xing knit her brows, "Um, somewhat..."

{...Well, yes it does but how do I begin to explain that...}

Another long stretch of silence, then the Emperor asked, "So you are saying you made that piece, but you don't remember, correct?"

"Yes." Lei Xing swiftly responded.

"Even if you don't remember?" The Emperor asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

Lei Xing skeptically looked at his expression, "Then no?... Possibly?"

{...What's the right answer for you here? It feels like you're baiting me or something -_-)'...}

The Emperor then came down and walked up to the hanging embroidery piece. Lei Xing inwardly sighed and followed along.

{...What's your issue with this embroidery piece? Can't you just let it go?...}

The Emperor then handed her the handkerchief he had taken from her study the night before. Lei Xing took it and looked at it and then back at him in confusion.

The Emperor then asked, "Don't they look too similar?"

Lei Xing looked at the handkerchief again and then at the embroidery piece and then knit her brows.

{...It looks the same to me, but then again, all roses look the same to me...and it's not even a rose...so my opinion is definitely moot...But then what does this have to do with anything? -_-)...}

"You say you made it, but the evidence says otherwise." The Emperor clarified the situation when he saw Lei Xing's confused expression.

Lei Xing suddenly became enlightened to her lie and offense in question here. She gave a half-smile and then said, "Perhaps she helped me in making it...?"

"Perhaps...but helping you is one thing, doing the entire thing is another, isn't it?" The Emperor asked with a smirk, narrowing his eyes at her.

Lei Xing knit her brows and looked between the handkerchief and the embroidery piece. Then said, "It doesn't look that similar to me..."

The Emperor snorted, "Of course it doesn't to an unskilled eye."

"Well, we grew up together and learned together, so our styles are quite similar, that's why...I'm already used to seeing her work, and so to me they look different." Lei Xing said with a smile, disregarding his comment.

"Different? Show me the differences then..." The Emperor requested, and Lei Xing blinked and frowned down at the handkerchief in her hand.

{... Are you also an embroidery appraiser, now? Huh? I will be needing to see some paperwork because it seems like you are just throwing stones because you can -_-)...}

Seeing Lei Xing staring at the handkerchief, struggling to find out the differences, the Emperor then said, "Since we are in disagreement on this, why don't we call the other party who should have her memory intact to clarify?"

After saying that, he called for a servant and instructed that Ah Jin be brought here. Then he went back to his memorials, ignoring Lei Xing, who was standing in the middle of the room, still frowning at the handkerchief in her hand.

Lei Xing sighed and glanced up at the Emperor.

{...Stupid handkerchief, I knew it was trouble when he was trolling around like a lost puppy -_-)...Also, why is this even an issue? Isn't there some criminal activity you should be dealing with - Well, I guess this is actually criminal activity, this is fraud, isn't it?...

...But this isn't a big deal for the Emperor to be investigating, right? I'm sure more worrisome things are going on in the country! -_-)...}

After a while, Ah Jin finally arrived and bowed in greeting. The Emperor looked at her and directly ordered, "I want you to explain why you made the embroidery piece that was presented as your Mistress'."

Ah Jin knit her brows and immediately glanced at Lei Xing, who lightly shrugged.

Then Ah Jin looked back up at the Emperor and proceeded to fall on her knees and kowtowed, "Your majesty, please do not be angry. Her highness did not mean any disrespect in doing this...It was just, just...just an attempt to stand out a little...Please do not hold it against her!"

Lei Xing blinked and then frowned.

{... Why the hell are you admitting to the crime?! Are you trying to get us in trouble?! You should have played ignorant, he has no proof! Okay, maybe he does, BUT Still, you just gave him more proof!... Haven't I been through enough already? Where the hell is your freaking heart, dude? Bottom of the ocean?! How is this investigation relevant to your life? -_-)...