It was over!
Disregarding the bell that had fallen to the ground, Yu Jiu lifted his heavy, layered skirts with both hands and hurriedly turned to bolt toward the shadows.
Panic swept over him, engulfing his senses. That red-haired man was so tall, robust, and terrifying that a single palm could flip him right over.
Please, just don’t let him find me.
When Lu Shiyue chased after him, the gloomy corridor only echoed with the unstable, frantic patter of the intruder’s running footsteps, laced with panic.
With his exceptional martial prowess, he easily sensed the weakness of the intruder.
The person didn’t even bother to mask their breath. The soft, delicate sounds of breathing leaked out, thin and light like a timid, frightened kitten.
Judging by the sound, the intruder possessed the tiniest bit of courage, driven by goodness knows what to break in here.
Lying on the floor was a delicate string of silver bells, catching the candlelight from both sides and reflecting a lattice of alternating light and shadow.
Lu Shiyue picked up the string of bells. It jingled merrily as he lifted it, turning it over in his hand to inspect. The bells were small and exquisitely crafted, resembling ornaments worn by young ladies of noble families.
Yet bells could also be hung elsewhere.
Wrists, ankles, the slender red cord set off the delicate, fragile contours of the ankle bones with blinding whiteness, moving lightly to release a crisp sound as the rosy tips of the toes shifted.
Unable to restrain himself, he lowered his head to inhale the scent from the bells in his palm. The silver surface retained a pleasant, lingering fragrance, as though worn close to the owner’s body and stained with sweet perfume.
The fragrance on the bells was exceedingly faint, fading away almost as soon as he tried to catch another breath of it.
This scent aroused Lu Shiyue’s curiosity, stirring an unprovoked craving within him, a longing to meet the owner of the bells.
His sharp gaze swept toward the corner in the shadows where a rustling sound had come. A smile, completely unperceived by himself, curved the corners of his lips as he gripped the bells tightly.
Found you.
Yu Jiu was hiding in the triangular space formed by a pillar and a wall, which happened to be a blind spot in the red-haired man’s line of sight.
The candlelight could not reach his hiding spot, and the darkness conveniently veiled his petite body.
Covering his mouth, Yu Jiu breathed in soft, shallow gasps to avoid leaking his presence, exposing only a pair of jade-like, emerald-green eyes. His pupils dilated in the dark, filled with panic.
His palms were slick with sweat, and coupled with the hot breath trapped between his hands, it flushed his small face as red as an overripe peach.
He shouldn’t have been terrified; he was a princess, and even the Prince Consort ought to obey him.
Yet the moment he pictured the red-haired man’s solid, bulging muscles, Yu Jiu abandoned any thoughts of resistance, clinging solely to the fantasy of escaping unnoticed.
Just hide quietly. Maybe he won’t be able to find me.
When Yu Jiu lifted his gaze once more, the red-haired man who had been searching right by the door had vanished from his spot.
Did he leave? Yu Jiu let out a long breath of relief. His tense body went slack instantly, and he wanted to poke his head out to observe his surroundings.
Before he could even stretch his neck out, someone wrapped an arm around him from behind, pressing his slender back firmly against a solid chest.
A scorching, blazing breath enveloped his entire body with an overwhelming aggressiveness, while a large hand reaching out from behind covered the lower half of his face.
The man behind him possessed a broad frame, caging Yu Jiu in his embrace as though molding him completely into his arms, holding him with seamless intimacy.
His mind blanking out entirely, Yu Jiu was struck with sheer terror, his body trembling as he had no idea how to react.
The chest he leaned against was both hot and unyielding, pressing tight against the hard muscles behind him like a scorching hot boulder that steamed sweat right onto his forehead.
The man holding him lowered his head slightly, immediately catching sight of the blindingly white face of the person in his arms within the darkness.
His dense, black eyelashes fluttered uncontrollably like wings trying to take flight amidst the panic of being caught, his thin eyelids snapping shut to conceal the light that ought to have shone from his eyes.
The tip of his nose was pink and dewy with sweat, and dark hair clung damply to his forehead amidst the lingering heat. Possessing an appearance of utter purity yet drenched in a dewy, slippery aura, he looked every bit like an enchanting, seductive little sprite.
Dressed in a woman’s silk gown, his long hair draped down the back into the crook of the man’s arm.
Could it really be some young girl?
For a moment, Lu Shiyue found himself at a loss, uncharacteristically hesitant.
He thought of the vibrant red cord coiled around an ankle in his mind’s eye, the silver bell resting against the protruding ankle bone. His heartbeat, usually steady and controlled, threw off a few erratic paces.
The closer he pressed to the person in his arms, the clearer that familiar sweet fragrance became, not cloying, but deeply rich.
Drifting from the snowy, soft crook of his neck, the scent tempted him to lower his head like a starving dog and inhale deeply.
The man’s scorching breath puffed against the sensitive, delicate skin of the neck, sending a numb, tingling itch that heated the fair flesh into a thin layer of red.
He’s sniffing my neck like a total pervert.
Yu Jiu tilted his head to evade, but the man’s palm clamped firmly onto his chin, leaving him unable to move a fraction of an inch. Tilting his head awkwardly, he exposed a vast expanse of fair, delicate skin already flushed a pale pink.
Sensing the struggling figure in his arms, Lu Shiyue snapped out of his trance as if awakening from a drunken haze, lifting his head away from that intoxicating sweetness. How could he let himself be bewitched by a frail, utterly defenseless thief?
The hand covering the captive face relaxed slightly, reducing its forceful pressure into a touch as careful and cherished as handling fragile jewelry.
Given how tender this person’s skin was, they were clearly some pampered young lady of the palace.
Gently lifting the delicate chin within his palm, he wanted to catch a glimpse of the intruder’s face.
As his chin was tilted upward, Yu Jiu snapped back to his senses.
I cannot let the man behind me see my face.
As a dignified princess of a state, sneaking off to eavesdrop on the Prince Consort’s council wasn’t exactly a shameful crime, but thinking of Ning Jue’s expression on the bed, as if he wanted to devour him whole, made the soft flesh of his chest ache in lingering dread.
He couldn’t let Ning Jue find out about this.
In a rush of desperation, Yu Jiu bit down on the web of the man’s hand.
The skin between the man’s thumb and index finger was far tougher than ordinary people’s, hardened by goodness knows what training. Everywhere on this guy’s body felt as hard as a stone.
It felt a bit harsh against his teeth, but to better intimidate the man, Yu Jiu gripped the flesh between his teeth and ground down a few times, imagining he was exerting great force.
His teeth weren’t sharp like a kitten’s, merely pressing down with a gentle, teething-like nip.
It didn’t hurt at all, leaving virtually no sensation aside from the warmth wrapped inside his moist oral cavity and the wet, repeated brushes of a crimson tongue.
Looking stunned, Lu Shiyue subconsciously released his grip.
Cool air rushed into his nasal passages, and Yu Jiu scrambled out from the man’s arms like a startled little rabbit, lifting his skirts and fleeing lightly without looking back.
Lu Shiyue made no move to pursue him. Lowering his gaze, he inspected the spot that had just been enclosed by the mouth, a tiny, faint tooth mark remained on the web of his hand, exceedingly light and shallow.
Gleaming, translucent saliva lingered around the dental impression. When the person in his arms had parted their lips and bolted, their mouth had also been wet with a glistening sheen.
Driven by an inexplicable impulse, Lu Shiyue raised his hand and licked across the spot, his palm coated entirely in that sweet fragrance.
His tongue traced the tiny tooth marks, his eyes harboring a profound, unfathomable darkness that even he himself failed to notice.
Inside the princess manor’s council hall, Ning Jue was busy reviewing the scrolls piled high upon the desk.
Hearing the commotion of Lu Shiyue’s return, he didn’t even raise his head. “Did you deal with the intruder?”
Lu Shiyue tucked the silver bell hanging from his wrist deep into his coat pocket, his fingers rubbing nostalgically against the tooth mark that had already faded back to normal. His voice retained its usual flamboyant, unbridled edge, though it faintly suppressed an indescribable, complex emotion:
“Taken care of.”
Retracing his steps back along the original path, Yu Jiu crept out of the council hall on tiptoe.
The maid waiting nearby jumped in fright upon seeing the emerging princess.
His naturally fair face was pale as death without a trace of color, beads of un-dried sweat still clinging brightly to his forehead, while his hands tightly clutched his collar as though terrified of exposing an inch of skin.
“Your Highness, what happened?”
Emerging from the council hall, Yu Jiu was drenched in sweat, and with his long hair, the nape of his neck was likely soaked through once more.
He shook his head to signal that he was fine, but the worried maid refused to let it go, circling him several times to inspect him.
Until she spotted the damp patch at his back, terrified that he might catch a chill, she led him back to change into a thick, warm set of garments.
In the back garden of the princess manor, flowers contended in beauty.
Beside himself with doting affection for the princess, the sovereign had specifically collected rare and exotic blooms to send to her.
The Prince Consort, equally mindful of the princess, had specially summoned master craftsmen from all over to construct a magnificent and exquisite garden within the manor.
Yu Jiu adored pretty little things, shiny, glowing ones best of all.
The manor’s garden suited his tastes entirely, yet at this moment, he lacked any mood to appreciate the competing blooms.
The red-haired man who had been discussing matters with Ning Jue was surnamed Lu. Living aloof from palace affairs, Yu Jiu was entirely unfamiliar with court officials.
Brushing past a flower in full bloom, his slender fingertips tinged with pink looked even more delicate than the blossoming petals.
That so-called Lord Lu shouldn’t have seen my face.
Yu Jiu felt slightly relieved. Officials and princesses occupied entirely distinct social circles with zero intersection afterward.
Perhaps they would occasionally catch a distant glimpse of one another in the future, but spaced so far apart, the red-haired man certainly wouldn’t recognize his face.
The maid beside him carrying a flower basket noticed which flower the princess’s gaze lingered upon and reached out to pluck it.
Yu Jiu stopped her action with a gesture, and beneath the maid’s puzzled gaze, plucked two green leaves instead to place into the basket as a compromise.
He merely felt the flowers were blooming at their best, picking them to arrange in a vase would destroy their natural beauty.
Stopping Yu Jiu’s hand, the maid swiftly plucked several more leaves.
“Your Highness does not need to dirty your hands, let me handle it.”
Yu Jiu took a few steps back in mild embarrassment. The palace servants in the manor possessed an extraordinarily high degree of protectiveness toward the princess, anything good or favored by the princess would be brought straight to him.
Assuming he had changed his mind and grown fond of the green leaves that set off the red flowers, the maid continued gathering them.
“In the past, tending to the princess’s flower-picking was always done by the Prince Consort.”
The maid muttered under her breath, “If not for the impending Dragon God Sacrifice keeping the Prince Consort tied up with work, it wouldn’t fall to this maid to accompany Your Highness.”
The Prince Consort was deeply attached to the princess, unwilling to spend a single moment apart from her unless official duties demanded it.
The Dragon God Sacrifice again, a ritual regarded with utmost solemnity throughout the entire state of Dragon’s Breath.
Whenever Yu Jiu’s mind tried to dredge up memories relating to the Dragon God Sacrifice, they immediately blurred out, as if someone had intentionally erased those memories from his brain.
As a princess of the state of Dragon’s Breath, it was impossible for him to know nothing whatsoever about the Dragon God Sacrifice.
Sensing his confusion, the maid smiled and explained, “It is only natural for Your Highness to be curious about the Dragon God Sacrifice.”
“Ever since the founding of the state of Dragon’s Breath a century ago, a prophecy left behind by our ancestors states that the half of the Dragon God left behind can safeguard the nation’s prosperity and bring good fortune to the people.”
“Yet over the past century, the Dragon God’s half has never manifested.”
Her tone carried a faint undertone of excitement, as though genuinely thrilled by the prospect of the Dragon God Sacrifice:
“Recently, the prophesied half of the Dragon God has appeared for the very first time, and three days from now will mark our very first Dragon God Sacrifice.”
Yu Jiu’s entire body jolted. The conversation he had just eavesdropped on inside the council hall, between Ning Jue and that Lord Lu, had also revolved around the Dragon God’s half.
Ning Jue had repeatedly emphasized the need to guard the Dragon God’s half securely, while the manor maid displayed full-blown reverence, adoration, and an uncontainable greedy desire in her eyes whenever she mentioned it.
Passing his hand over the foliage, Yu Jiu lost himself in thought, failing to notice the tall figure emerging at the end of the path.
The maid abruptly fell silent, leaving Yu Jiu puzzled as to why she stopped talking.
The maid’s expression instantly shifted into one of deep reverence, bowing low to offer a deferential salute:
“Greetings, Lord Lu.”
Yu Jiu froze on the spot, lowering his gaze to look at the flower basket in the maid’s hands, which was heaped with gathered leaves that stained the hemp rope around the rim a vibrant green.
At this hour, the only Lord Lu appearing within the princess manor was the very man who had just finished meeting with the Prince Consort.
Stiffening into an awkward posture, he refused to turn around. According to court etiquette, he ought to acknowledge the official’s greeting.
It is not necessary to worry, Yu Jiu hypnotized himself, the council hall was dimly lit and I never exposed my face. No matter how formidable Lord Lu is, it is impossible for him to figure out who I am.
Stiff as a board, Yu Jiu slowly turned his head. His green eyes were clear and watery, framed by a thick, plush collar on his newly changed thick garments that made his dainty face look exceptionally pretty, resembling a fresh drift of snow.
The man walking closer from the end of the path made no attempt to detour out of respect for the princess, maintaining his pace and continuously shrinking the distance between them.
Only then did Yu Jiu get a clear look at the man’s face: bold red hair, deep-set brow ridges, a high nose bridge, and a rebellious, fierce aura etching his features.
With upturned outer corners of his eyes, slanted sword-like brows, and pitch-black pupils, the exploratory gaze in his eyes was exposed without an ounce of disguise.
Landing straight and bare upon Yu Jiu.
The shortened distance had long since crossed the boundaries of court etiquette. As an oppressive, scorching aura rushed toward him, the maid behind him stepped forward to block, only to be brushed aside by a sweep of the tall man’s arm.
Rough fingertips brushed across Yu Jiu’s cheek intentionally or unintentionally, sparking a tingling, electric itch.
Instinctively lifting his head, Yu Jiu locked eyes with the gaze that seemed intent on swallowing him whole.
Stumbling back on unsteady feet, his delicate, fragile frame fell straight backward.