Lena saw the blood covering my face and was instantly overcome with feigned shock.
When Kael rushed in, he slapped me without a word, his force so great it sent me sprawling to the ground, scattering a flurry of peach petals. I began to cough.
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“Lena can’t stand the smell of blood right now! Are you deliberately trying to harm her?!”
His eyes were like ice daggers. “Is it because your child died that you want revenge on others? Lyra, have you forgotten the consequences of disobedience?”
How could I ever forget?
I endured the itching of my skin and the gnawing pain in my lungs, bowing low, apologizing.
“It is this slave’s fault, this slave’s fault. Please, Your Majesty, show mercy…”
“My Queen Mother’s bones have been scourged beyond recognition by you, my King’s and Crown Prince brother’s graves have been burned to ash. Your Majesty, I have nothing left.”
Kael knelt down, hooking a finger under my chin.
<
He smiled, a cruel, mocking curve of his lips. “Who said you have nothing left?”
“Isn’t there still one buried on the back hill?”
I clutched his hand, my eyes bloodshot. “Please, I beg you, Kael…”
“Don’t. You can’t do that.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I had called him by his name so directly.
Kael’s eyes were downcast, a swirl of conflicting emotions within them.
I couldn’t decipher them, only feeling that he was hesitating. I continued to kowtow, pleading.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
Until the ground was stained a vibrant crimson, redder than the peach blossoms.
Blood streamed from my nose, coughed from my mouth, and even tears of blood welled in my
eyes…
Kael belatedly realized that the amount of blood I’d shed these past two days seemed… excessive.
He frowned, asking those nearby: “Did she do any rough or heavy work in this courtyard that would
cause this?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, the Queen, out of kindness for the former princess, only assigned her light tasks like sweeping fallen petals. All palace servants in the hall can testify!”
Kael immediately released me, letting out a series of cold laughs. “Lyra, are you having one of episodes again, aren’t you?”
“This strange illness of yours has lasted for years. Since it won’t kill you, just endure it!”
I watched him step over me, walking into the hall without a backward glance.
Very, very softly, I exhaled.
your
I curled into a ball, unmoving, until the night grew cool, and peach blossoms covered me entirely.
Inside the hall, candlelight flickered, and Lena’s sweet, cooing voice faintly reached me.
“No, Your Majesty, I’m with child!”
“Oh, you… Your Majesty, if you truly desire me, then promise me you’ll be gentle.”
Shadows danced on the window paper. I silently watched their endless, intimate night.
Suddenly, I remembered the night Kael and I were married. There was no formal ceremony, no traditional vows. He simply pinned me to the open plains, under the open sky, raw and brutal.
