Reincarnation to the Past

Chapter 86

(Persea's clothing and hair style)

(-15th August, Late Afternoon)

Lì's POV

I walk through the maze of halls leading to my room, using my hand to massage the back of my neck. After spending eight hours in court listening to a bunch of old men go back and forth regarding various civil matters without arriving at a single decision for anything, I was ready to flop onto my bed and hopefully die there.

At times like this, I'd wish that I was back at the border—well, if I were to make a wish, it would be to be born as anyone else, but the former is more practical. At war, I used to think there'd be nothing better than being back in the palace, not fearing for one's life. But now I know... At least while I was there, I had a purpose. I was doing something meaningful. I was fighting for and protecting the country. But here—here—I just spend my days reading through and writing up reports, attending meaningless Imperial Court meetings—where the ministers spent more time trying to one-up each other than doing anything remotely productive—and let's not forget the sucession battles. I've faced more dangers here than at war, and that says something!!

I close my eyes and take a deep breath to calm myself. Immediately, mental images of sea-green eyes, jet black hair as dark as the night skies, and wide, mischevious smiles invaded my thoughts. I missed Yǔ! I hated how little we saw of each other, even though we were engaged. So many times in the day, I've considered just dropping everything and going to her, and then maybe we could just run away together.

According to Bai Zou, 'I'm being all mopey and it's weird cause I've never been like this in all my 20 years.' Is he right? I think not—well,  mostly not. Who am I kidding? He's probably right.

I open the door to my room and walk in, deep in thought, before coming to a cautious halt, my eyes squinting in the darkness to make out a vague silhouette. Someone was in here, standing in front of my bed with their back towards me. It wasn't Bai Ze or Bai Zou, since they'd never enter when I wasn't present. I pull out the dagger that I always keep on hand—with all the assassination attempts that happen in this very room, I'd be stupid not to—and sneak up on the intruder. Just as they turn around, in one swift move, I sweep my leg under their feet, making them fall onto the bed. A hand shot out in the dark, grabbing onto my collar in order to balance themselves, but they ended up pulling me down with them. I keep my dagger close to their neck.

"My-my... Someone's excited to see me!" A familiar voice breaks through the rush of adrenaline ringing in my ears. The candles in the room magically light up, casting a soft glow around the room. My eyes fixed on a pair of familiar sea-green eyes, the same ones that I had been thinking of just a while back. Her long, jet black hair spread out on the sheets of my bed, making me wonder just for a minute if I was imagining this too.

"For god's sake, Persea! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?? I almost slit your throat!" I exclaimed, breathing heavily, which I regretted (not really) because with every breath, I was just taking in more of her oceany scent, causing a slight sensory overload. Would it be weird if I brought my face closer to breathe her in more?

"It's cute you think you could actually harm me!" She snorts, giving me a half-smirk that sends alarm bells ringing in my mind. Something was wrong. If I didn't notice it before, I sure as hell do now. Her smile does not reach her eyes as they usually do, and her sea-green eyes are more closed off than otherwise. It should have been my first hint, but I passed it off as nothing.

My brain kept sending signals, but I conveniently chose to drown them out. Because she was here—she was right here, beneath me. I could smell her—heck, I was getting drunk on her scent here—if I reached out, I'd be able to touch her hair, her face, her lips... My hands moved at that thought, slightly shaking as I pushed aside some hair that had fallen over her face. My fingers brushed against her soft, plump lips and refused to move.

She stayed there, lying under me, her sea-green eyes gazing into my brown ones. I was addicted; I don't know to what exactly—her eyes, her lips, her fragrance, just her—whatever it was, I couldn't look away. "I missed you." I whispered, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. "I wanted to see you!" I gently nibbled her bottom lip before slowly running my tongue over her parted entrance. My hand slipped under her neck while the other wove through her hair as I deepened the kiss, my tongue entwining with hers in a delicate dance. She wrapped her hands around me, clinging to me like I was her only lifeline, like I was the one thing keeping her from going under. Unlike our first two kisses, this was different. This was more slow and sensual. This was us discovering each other for the first time, like we were taking our sweet time to experience each other.

By the time we pulled apart, I was completely intoxicated—by her soft, labored exhales that I'd greedily inhale, by the warmth of her skin that seemed to seep into me, by the burn of her hand on my neck, by her salty taste that lingered on my lips and was forever imprinted in my mind. Everything about her seemed to overwhelm me.

She licks her lips that are swollen from our kiss (is it weird that I like that?). "I'm supposed to be mad at you!" Her whisper sent waves of panic through me. I don't want her to be mad at me! Before I could even ask why, she continued, "You outbid me!". That has me scrunching my brows in confusion. When did I outbid her? The last time I went to an auction was—oh shit!

"You bought my fox!" she clarifies jokingly. Shit!

"That was you?" I sprang off her like I'd been struck. I recalled that someone had been insistently counterbidding my offers for the fox but suddenly stopped. I had assumed it was someone trying to jack up the prices, but it was Persea. "I know you bought it but could you give me the fox?" She looked me straight in the eye. She wasn't begging but there was something there. Something I didn't recognize.

"I-I can't." Trust me, I wanted to; if she had asked for my heart, I'd have been more than willing to carve it out for her. But the fox...

"Why? If it's about the price, I can-" There was a desperation in her voice.

"It's not about the money... It-I bought it for... someone else." A million thoughts were rushing through my head, trying to come up with some way that I could give her the fox, seeing as it seemed important to her. And I would have, but I didn't buy it for myself.

"Who? Who did you buy it for?" All the emotion seemed to drain from her voice as she stood from the bed. That should have been my first hint to not say it. Her sea-green eyes seemed to brew up a storm within it, that should have been my second clue. I should have not said anything. I should have just given her the damn fox.

"Yun-Yun!"

I saw the exact moment it happened. The exact moment I realized I'd made a mistake. Pain flashed across her face before being replaced by an inscrutable mask. Her sea-green eyes froze over into sheets of frigid ice. I had never seen her so—so blank, so vacant, so guarded. It was like a wall had been put up between us, and I was the one who did it. I screwed up.

"It's not what you think!" I made a grab for her but she slipped through my fingers. "Persea! It's for her younger sister. Her sister's birthday is coming up and she had recently awakened so Yun Yun asked me to-" My explanation rushes out in a hurry as I take a step closer to her, only for her to take three steps back. Her gaze turned cold as she interrupted me.

"I don't care." Her voice comes out flat, which made me want to flinch. "Someone dear to me requested that I retrieve the fox. And I intend to do so, whether I have to ask, beg, steal or kill to get it. Now I don't beg and I've asked. So that leaves you with two options."

Before I could even open my mouth to say a word, the shadows in the room came to life and surrounded her. One minute, the candles are lit, and the next, they're put out. One minute she was standing right there, and the next she's gone.

And I was left alone.