He shrank back further behind Ning Jue, avoiding the man’s probing gaze.
“Do not be afraid, I am here.”
Ning Jue spoke softly to comfort Yu Jiu, noticing the slight trembling behind him. Assuming Yu Jiu was terrified due to his timid nature, he offered reassurance.
The leading white-robed figure took note of their intimate interaction, pausing for a fraction of a second before seamlessly shifting his gaze away to speak with a completely flat, formulaic tone.
“You should feel honored to have been chosen as human sacrifices for the Dragon God.”
His voice carried a clear, resonant tone, sounding like jade pieces striking against one another.
Human sacrifices, the phrase instantly brought back Yu Jiu’s memory of the gory, terrifying carvings inside the cave depicting mutilated, shattered human limbs.
Those people had been human sacrifices offered to the Dragon God.
And they themselves, ever since stepping foot into Dragon’s Breath Town, had been chosen as offerings.
Ning Jue drew his long saber from its scabbard, the blade pointing directly at the leader. Even the magician abandoned his usual flippancy, turning dead serious.
The leading white-robed man let out a light chuckle. “Overestimating your capabilities.”
“So be it.”
With a gentle flick of his hand, his wide sleeves billowed outward, the gold-embroidered dragon patterns flashing and leaping as though they might spring to life the next second.
“Go take a look at the Dragon God Sacrifice, and perhaps you can die with some clarity.”
A blinding white light exploded before their eyes, followed by a dizzying wave of vertigo that blurred their vision. Several players, unable to sustain themselves, collapsed to the ground.
The game system chime rang out.
[Unlocked: Finale—Large-scale illusion of the origin of the Dragon God Sacrifice.]
[All is naught like flowers in a mirror and the moon reflected in water. Wishing players an early release from the illusion to return to reality.]
The moment Yu Jiu fell backward, expecting to crash against the hard ground, a pair of strong arms caught his waist, steadily settling him into a warm, broad embrace.
A crisp, refreshing scent brushed against the tip of his nose. Before losing consciousness, Yu Jiu felt someone gently close his eyes, a wide sleeve brushing across his cheek with a tickling sensation.
Right at the final second before blacking out, he vaguely heard someone murmur.
“My Lord… this violates the rules.”
The first thing Yu Jiu saw upon opening his eyes was a large wooden bed carved with auspicious cloud patterns.
A wisp of elegant, refined sandalwood fragrance lingered around his tip of the nose, accompanied by a faint mist of scented vapor in the air.
His head spun heavily, his mind feeling as though it had been thoroughly scrambled, leaving his vision somewhat blurred.
Resting his palms against the mattress, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. The garments, which felt slightly oversized for him, slipped downward to expose half of a powdery, delicate shoulder.
The fabric was silk, possessing exceptional texture, lightweight and breathable.
The room was vast, furnished with subdued luxury. The interior arrangement exuded the noble status of the homeowner, with every single item reeking of priceless value.
Incense burned within a censer, sending thin spirals of smoke curling upward into the air.
Yu Jiu found it bizarre; the antique setting before him felt inexplicably jarring, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong.
It felt as though he had forgotten something extremely important…
The mattress beneath him was also massive, easily capable of accommodating two people, though currently, he was the sole occupant.
On the outer edge of the bed beside him, the indentation of the mattress was clearly visible, showing that someone had been lying there and had gotten up not long ago, leaving behind residual warmth.
Creak.
The sound of a door opening echoed as someone stepped inside on tiptoe, deliberately lowering their footsteps as if terrified of startling the person inside.
Yu Jiu raised his head, locking eyes with the newcomer.
It was a young palace maid wearing twin hair buns. Seeing that he was awake, her expression relaxed instantly.
“Your Highness, you’re awake.”
“Oh my, how did your clothes slip open?”
Hurrying forward, she helped Yu Jiu readjust and secure his spread garments, muttering softly under her breath, “Your Highness, please be careful not to catch a chill. If you fall sick, His Grace the Prince Consort will blame us again.”
Your Highness, Prince Consort, what were all these terms?
Yu Jiu failed to process it immediately. After a good long moment, once his mind cleared up, memories slowly trickled back.
He was the princess of the ancient state of Dragon’s Breath, a mute who couldn’t speak, yet doted on boundlessly by the sovereign.
As for why a male like him was addressed as a princess, it was likely due to some local custom.
His memories were fragmented and jumbled; many things remained unclear, and several people’s faces were blurred beyond recognition.
Until he recalled the face of the Prince Consort.
As a universally cherished princess reaching marriageable age, a match had naturally been chosen from the most compatible background to serve as Prince Consort.
The Prince Consort’s name was Ning Jue, young, handsome, refined, and possessing an extraordinary bearing. Most importantly, he was deeply and passionately devoted to Yu Jiu.
In his daze, Yu Jiu found himself with a husband: Ning Jue had become his Prince Consort.
Yet their memories together remained equally hazy. Logically speaking, given how deeply affectionate they were supposed to be, memories of intimate daily life between a young couple should have been present.
Instead, those memories felt as though they had been forcibly and artificially crammed into his brain.
Sensing that something was missing yet unable to recall it, Yu Jiu decided not to dwell on it. He lowered his head, his long, dark hair sliding past his chest to vanish into the folds of his closed collar.
After the maid finished tidying his clothes and instructed him to dress properly before leaving, she exited the room.
His collar felt somewhat tightly bound against his neck, a bit prickly to the skin. Reaching out to loosen the neckline, Yu Jiu misjudged his strength, accidentally tugging open the garments that had just been straightened, exposing a large expanse of snowy-white skin.
Cool air drifted in through the open collar, stimulating his skin to flush with a delicate layer of pink.
He tried to pull his clothes back together, but his hands and feet refused to cooperate, completely unfamiliar with the complex court robes and failing to secure them properly.
A pair of large hands with distinct knuckles reached over, covering Yu Jiu’s hands as they held the lapels together.
It was the hand of an adult man, wide palms, bulging veins across the back carrying unspoken strength, and beautifully proportioned fingers with just the right length.
Having been distracted earlier while fighting with his clothes like a kitten tangled in a ball of yarn, completely failing to untangle the restraints, Yu Jiu hadn’t noticed the man’s approach.
The wide palm covering his hands was warm yet devoid of excessive heat, verging on pleasantly cool.
Instinctively looking up, Yu Jiu locked eyes with a pair of icy-blue pupils brimming with an indescribable, overflowing tenderness, gazing down at him with limitless gentleness.
Ice and snow that had remained frozen for years melted away instantly in his presence, his gaze filled with an uncontainable softness.
It was Ning Jue, his Prince Consort. Judging by his attire, he had just finished handling official duties, dressed immaculately in court robes with his hair bound high in a crown.
Bending down over Yu Jiu, the Prince Consort gazed upon him while a heavy, chilling aura enveloped him, carrying an underlying sense of aggression.
Dark hair brushed past Yu Jiu’s sensitive earlobe, sparking a faint flush and a numbing, tingling sensation as an unprovoked wave of resistance welled up within him.
Despite Ning Jue’s calm and composed exterior, the closer he got, the more Yu Jiu perceived that predatory, intensely oppressive gaze.
Within his memories, had his relationship with the Prince Consort ever been this intimate?
Those nonexistent elements stubbornly refused to leave a deep impression. If the Prince Consort truly held him so dear, why couldn’t he remember any of it?
“Why has Your Highness pulled your clothes apart?”
Ning Jue’s tone was exceptionally soft, carrying the careful gentleness reserved for a cherished lover.
Catching sight of the fair skin exposed beneath the open collar alongside the slightly swelling contours within, Ning Jue’s gaze darkened. He released his grip over Yu Jiu’s hands.
Lowering his head to close the garment for him, rough fingertips brushed intentionally or unintentionally against sensitive skin, successfully leaving a trail of pinkish-red marks across the delicate flesh.
Yu Jiu squirmed uncomfortably. We’re just fixing clothes, why does he have to get this close?
Their breathing mingled as heat spread unbidden.
He no longer felt cold, instead, an inexplicable warmth radiated through him, steaming his soft, pale cheeks into a brilliant shade of pink.
With his robes left casually open and cascading black hair, glossy and lustrous like silk, draping across his neck, several excessively long strands slipped deep into his thin collar.
Beneath the sheer undergarment, his white, tender skin was half-concealed.
His fan-like eyelashes fluttered continuously while his clear green eyes shimmered with a watery haze, looking thoroughly panicked as he tried to evade the man’s burning gaze.
A surge of turbulence churned within Ning Jue, anger mixed with craving. He was angered by the princess’s resistance, wondering if someone had been gossiping behind his back.
A dark glint flashed across his icy-blue eyes as he concealed a fleeting flash of murderous intent and stern coldness.
It didn’t matter, he would eradicate any existence that dared obstruct his path to being with Yu Jiu.
The craving vastly outweighed the unprovoked fury. He burned with an endless desire to draw even closer to Yu Jiu.
The rich, sweet fragrance spilled out from the half-open collar, and the snowy nape of his neck was blindingly white. The scent drove Ning Jue to the brink of losing control, his fingers trembled slightly as his movements grew heavier.
Growing rougher against the delicate skin, the resulting red marks stood out starkly like blooming plum blossoms against snow, carrying an unprovoked, decadent allure.
I didn’t do anything, so why am I suddenly getting pinched with all these red marks? Is this retaliation to vent his anger?
Watching the man struggle with his movements and unsure where to place his hands, Yu Jiu’s mind spun up several court drama scenarios. Since he couldn’t remember his daily interactions with the Prince Consort, their relationship was definitely mediocre at best.
The rumor of the Prince Consort’s deep affection for him was likely just a facade spun by the royal family to save face; the poor guy was probably forced into serving a mute princess against his will.
Judging by Ning Jue’s repressed, stifled expression earlier, he was clearly at his wit’s end with anger, forced as a talented young scholar to dress a mute princess.
Reflecting on the beast-like gaze from earlier, he must have been holding back sheer fury.
The more Yu Jiu thought about it, the more convinced he became, paying no attention to Ning Jue’s increasingly intense movements.
Before he could snap back to reality, the world flipped upside down as Yu Jiu was pinned down onto the bed by Ning Jue, his wrists gathered and held high above his head in a single hand.
A scorching breath puffed against his tender neck as the man captured the soft flesh of his neck, softly grinding his lips and tongue against it while his other hand restlessly explored his exposed waist.
“Your Highness, why are your thoughts wandering at a time like this?”