Chapter 45 (Part 2)

*Please be aware that this chapter contains NSFW.

The corners of his lips twitched up into something like a smile. “You’re already Zhen’s woman, what else could Zhen do?”

Ah…

Ahhhh, but didn’t I lose my memories?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

He lowered the bed curtains around us.

I couldn’t resign myself to sitting on the bed, but reached out to jerk the bed curtains aside, only to hear him say, “It’s chaotic in the outside world, so Zhen will protect you.”

Before I could recovered from my surprise, he had already caught my hand. His other hand brushed open my outer robes to dig inside until they felt my shoulder bones, bringing with it a surprising chill. His large hands were like cocoons, and wherever he touched, my skin seem to turn numb and heated…

“Zhen knows why he doesn’t like this outfit,” he bent over, his heavy voice mixing with his breaths by my side. His lips parted to close around my ears as he hummed, and my mind seemed to burst. Soft and warm, the tactile impressions left by his sucking felt like tiny ants itching across my skin.

“It’s too much trouble to take off, which Zhen doesn’t like.”

This was brazenly taking liberties. I felt unusually indignant and terribly shy, but there was no place to hide. I could only say without any hint of force, “Let go already.”

The effect was just a little shy of an ant snorting.

“Zhen won’t let go. You should know…” A faint hint of a smile could be found in his words as he regarded me warmly, long fingers brushing against my cheeks. “My thoughts of you grow deeper day after day.”

I was a little dumbfounded. He smiled and held me tighter.

The bed curtains were all down and the light was hazy. It was a little hard to breathe with him crushing me. I could faintly hear the sound of his pendants moving, as if he were taking off his robes. My mind was in a heavy daze when I raised my head to grab the curtains…at least to get a breath of fresh air.

He bent over and tightly gripped my wrist, not letting me go. His expression was filled with the energy of an easy victory, the aura every inch an emperor…but to use it here… This person, how could he do such a thing?

He raised so many male concubines in the palace without accepting a single female. He should like men, so he shouldn’t be able to act like this with me. But the truth was far from reality.

“What are you thinking about…why don’t you speak?” his hands dug in my robes and held me, fingers lightly rubbing against my skin. “…is it ticklish? Don’t hide yourself away…”

Tears, why was he so interested in women? Can anyone tell me the reason? I took a breath and covered myself, turning my head away while I shot him a hazy look. I felt exceedingly puzzled and wronged.

“Y…y-you…this is…”

His face was half wreathed in light, half in shadow, making his features hard to discern. I could only see the area from his nose to his chin, clean, and resolute like a proper man, making it hard for people to look away. His hand was pressed on my shoulders.

“Right now, your heart has no one else in it but me.” When he spoke to himself, I could tell…that something was putting him ill at ease.

He slowly lowered his body, the remaining materials of his clothing itching my skin. Against my exposed back, he left a trail of increasing frentic kisses that were somehow filled with sorrow. When he released my hand, I took the chance to grab the bed curtains.

The dim lighting seemed to daze and confuse a person.

His messy hair draped down as he reached out to hold me, the light casting his shadow in sharp relief against the curtains. An arm wrapped around my belly and waist as he slowly tightened his grip to embrace me. In the dark, I could feel his finger brushing across my forehead and face…the movements soft and gentle, but without any warmth.

He said, ‘Shao’er, you’re still as beautiful as before…no, even more beautiful.’

He said, ‘You’re Zhen’s woman.’

His words left me at a loss…and I forgot to resist, as if everything happening was a natural course of events. Those familiar, warm lips pressed against mine. He had the kind of sweeping forehead to drive a person to depravity, and the singular scent of a man as he embraced me intimately, and yet at this moment…

He lowered his head and spoke in a low voice, “What are you secretly giggling about?”

“Don’t you like men?”

Abruptly, he raised his head, eyes widening minutely as they stared at me with a handsome yet gentle gaze. From that…I realized I was wrong. It was too late to crawl away now, tears…

Chaos fell upon the darkness.

—

—

With this, the things that were supposed to happened had occurred. The ambiguous odors of the aftermath lingered within the bed curtains long after it was over. I opened my eyes and looked up towards the hazy yellow curtains. The light that shone through blended together the flowers on the fabric, while the air was still filled with that ambiguous scent.

I shifted a bit, but his hand on my waist prevented me from getting up. Instead, he turned over and held me in place with his body, childishly burying his face between my shoulder blades. I gave him a lazy glance. He tilted his head to look at my body, not a hint of drowsiness in his eyes.

I couldn’t bear it anymore and tugged on the bedcovers, turning over my body to look at him. “Didn’t you say…that I was your woman for a long while now…?”

So, then why was there blood on the sheets? My fingers found the spot and brushed over it.

He kept me company with his smile and scooped me into an embrace, a bright voice speaking clearly into my ear. He sounded like he was in excellent spirits. “How did I know that you were only playing house with your little friends?”

The gladness in his voice was all too evident, and his smile was boundlessly gentle and soft. His gaze on me only increased in feelings and affection. But…why didn’t I understand?

What ‘little friends?’

“It’s getting late, don’t go off into flights of fancy. Sleep.” He helped to tuck me in.

How could I sleep?

As the saying goes, a monarch makes no joking remarks. But I had no way to understand most of what he said, nor could I tell the truth from the lies, even if I guessed. I turned my head to look at him, that eminently handsome face illuminated by the dim, hazy light. Despite everything…maybe he truly loved me. He always treated me well, and his movements and expressions shouldn’t be fake. But still, what was the story behind the male concubine in the Cold Palace…?

He grasped the hand I’d rested on his forehead, speaking lightly. “Actually, I should have told you earlier. After the previous emperor died, General Qi assumed control of the military powers and gained great influence in the court. But he was still unsatisfied and tried every way possible to send woman into the imperial harem. If his daughter can become the empress, then he’ll feel like he has nothing to fear before Zhen.

…these years, Zhen’s beat him at his own game by liking men and raising male concubines, but I didn’t expect that old thing to…”

These were all affairs of the court, so why was he telling me?

He stopped, gentle eyes trailing down to see my damp hair with a small smile. He drew my chin closer with a shady look and dropped me a kiss. “Now, that he knows of your existence, I doubt he’ll leave the matter at that… Stay carefully by my side and don’t go anywhere, all right…?”

By now, I was getting quite sleepy and lifted my eyes with effort. He smiled lightly and held me tight, before attacking my drowsy self. But truthfully speaking, it really was nice and warm when he held me…

Even though everything was soft and sweet, why…did I still feel this was all very bizarre…?