Xing felt like something was off with Shengli and as she was about to pa.s.s the gate but was stopped by the guards and they asked for a security check even though she showed them her Huang family token. Xing"s eyes were focused on Shengli as she thought he"d hear this ruckus and would come for her aid but he was just reading the letter and it made Xing sulk and she even forgot about the White Tiger Token she had in her hands.My Prince, why do I feel like the distance between us is larger now even when you are right before me? I felt much closer to you even when I didn"t know about your whereabouts for ten years!
Luckily, General Zhong Huojin who entered the palace just then noticed the guards being noisy with Xing and he helped her get out. Xing thanked him sincerely which surprised him greatly as Xing was surprised he helped her too.
Xing walked towards the teashop to get to Shengli but a carriage that pa.s.sed by stopped in front of her. Xing saw the koi fish embroidery in the curtain and realised this must be someone from the Ran family and decided to avoid them.
Just as she tried to turn and leave a maid got down, the same maid she met in the restaurant the previous day.
"Lord Táng, our Third Young Miss asks to join you for tea this fine noon", she spoke with a polite tone.
Xing who was in no mood to entertain her refused blatantly and just then she saw the curtain lifting and the bright and clean face of the young miss was seen.
"Lord Táng, I insist", she smiled slightly but her tone had that arrogance as if she is ent.i.tled and it irked Xing.
"Oh! Why?", Xing folded her hands and looked at her with her chin raised and contrary to her expectation, she blushed and pulled down the curtain.
"Lord Táng, it is just that the day is fine and we have met unexpectedly and our young miss wanted to have a chat with you and develop some feelings between you two", the maid bowed and answered.
Develop feelings..? Xing rolled her eyes. Are women in the city this naive? I spoke to her for less than five minutes yesterday and today she wants to develop feelings? Geez! My developed feelings with my Prince is shaken and I"m wondering how to mend it and now this?
Somehow the Ran family reminded her of s.h.i.+hong and him bothering her for a while now.
" s.h.i.+hong"s head", Xing said and the curtain opened immediately and the girl"s face looked black by now, " Ask your father for his head for us to develop feelings.... So would you give it to this Lord?", Xing smirked.
"Get in! Xiaoxiao, let"s leave", she closed the curtain. "Jerk!", Xing could hear the angry cursing coming from inside the carriage and watched as the carriage sped off spewing dust and she smiled dryly.
This is good! I don"t want to owe the debt of love with anyone else!
Xing waved off the dust in front of her as the carriage left to see Shengli standing there and his eyes were..... Distant and cold. Sure he was smiling at her and said, "Xing! You are back!", in his usual tone but Xing felt a chill running down her spine.
What is wrong with his eyes? He is not looking at me like usual!
Xing thought may be she was wrong and tried to act as usual by telling him everything that happened in there with her and the Emperor. Before she could get to the part about the texts sent to the previous Emperor by the Shu Elder, Shengli interrupted her, something he never did before as he always listened to what she spoke entirely,
"Xing, do you want to be the Empress?"
Xing forgot to breath for sometime, her heart started beating erratically and her eyes widened, What is he saying?
"Answer me!" he said in a commanding tone and that pulled Xing back from the deep waters she was in, mentally.
"No", she said bluntly with no doubts in her tone.
"Ha ha", he laughed coldly, "I thought you might want to deep within", his lips had a weird smirk.
Xing felt a sharp dagger pa.s.s through her heart and she felt offended by his words and tone.
When did I give him the impression that I wanted to be an Empress? Haven"t I bluntly said that he is not suited for the throne before and he even agreed to it? So why now? Wait... If he himself thinks his brother is more suited for the throne and if he asks me if I want to become Empress then that means..... No! No! I refuse to think further.... Xing shook her head to stop thinking further.
What is wrong with you, my Prince?
Xing looked at his hand grabbing her wrist and he was walking a single step in front of her. He always held her hand inside his and they always walked shoulder to shoulder. Noticing the sudden change in him made Xing shudder.
"Shengli, do you want to say something to me? Are you okay? Let"s talk! ", Xing asked pausing her steps. Her entire demeanour emitted gentleness and care but the eyes that met hers were cold and dark.
Shengli looked at her, " What are you blabbering? What"s my say in anything? ", he frowned.
Xing could always handle his darkness, she was oddly attracted to it too. But what she could not handle was the coldness in his eyes. He never looked at her that way before. She didn"t want to look at his eyes anymore as she felt she was being pierced on the heart brutally by that cold gaze.
Why is everything going wrong today? From that Eunuch, the text from that Elder, her sudden trip arranged by her family and most importantly Shengli"s odd behaviour!
Since he decided not to confide in me, it would be better for me to stay away from him until he composed himself lest I"m hurt more, Xing decided.
" Nothing, My Prince!", she smiled dryly at him and pried her wrist out from his grip, "I"ll walk home by myself"
"Oh! You don"t even want me anymore?", his deep voice emitted chillness and there wasn"t any expression but disgust in his face and his usual emerald green eyes looked dark.
Xing didn"t understand what happened for him to react this way but she knew it must have something to do with the letter he was reading previously.
"What was the letter you were reading previously about, Shengli?", Xing asked him trying to change his expression. She"d be pleased even if he got angry at her but he looked at her like she was a traitor who murdered his entire family - with disdain.
"What"s that got to do with you?", he asked and his voice was dry, void of any gentleness.
Xing who was never treated by anyone this coldly before and never expected Shengli of all people to treat her like this, felt like she was a fluttering fly in a fiery forest. She didn"t want to stand there anymore and talk to him anymore as she felt she"ll be only hurt more.
" Nothing", she tried to smile but could not as her lips trembled, "I"ll leave now", she turned and ran away without looking back and disappeared in the crowd.
Shengli who was rooted in the same spot as she left, came to when Lin Mubai came to him and shook him off,
"Big brother Wolf! What happened? You were a bit cruel with sister-in-law. I think she was crying when she left you. Did she anger you?.." He continued to speak when Shengli interjected,
"Follow her to safety!", he ordered and turned to leave.
Shengli was in a secret place he had in the forest and he was swinging his sword aimlessly at the trunk of a tree until the sword broke. He threw the hilt angrily at the side and rested his palms on the trunk and angrily stomped at the trunk making his feet writhe in pain but he didn"t care. The sweat drop that looked like honey in the setting sun, travelled through his forehead and dripped from the tip of his tall straight nose.
In that evening when all the birds were returning to their home, one desolate immortal looking guy didn"t know how to return to his home when he had pushed his home away in a way almost worse than slapping her on the face.
"F**k! I shouldn"t have read the letter", Shengli cursed himself and punched the tree. His knuckles were torn and blood started seeping through the wound but he was in no mood to care about the burning sensation in his hands.
All he remembered was her face before she left. Her nose was a bit red and her big eyes held an infinite amount of sadness and her small and plump red lips were trembling out of sorrow.
I was the one who told her to share her sorrow with me, yet I am the one who gave her sorrow!
Shengli remembered how in the letter s.h.i.+hong had touched his every insecurities and made him remember his past that he hoped to not look back. Then, wound up by the words of the letter that snake wrote, he released it all on Xing, stupidly!
Shengli remembered every word he spoke to Xing and he clenched his fists as he leaned on the tree. There is no way she would accept me after this! She even said that she would stay with me only if I look at her gently. But what have I done! How can I face her anymore? Should I kneel and beg? No, she hates it! I was the one who taught her not to kneel! And I can"t do that now! Then how?
The gentle breeze that blew ruffled his partially wet hair and slowly the gentle light of the sun dimmed and the stars began to appear. Shengli looked at the dark sky with no moon and scoffed mocking himself,
How poetic!