Gift of the Fox

Chapter 37: Tamie's Punishment

Tamie groaned and raised her eyelids. She was in a big golden room, lying in a puffy red silken bed. Windows were bright and clear and showed the palace gardens, where birds were chirping on green trees. She rubbed her eyes and tried to recollect everything. 

Her remembrances brought her great dread - she had turned back into a girl and had told everything to that ruthless emperor Beilangshen! She grabbed her left arm - yes, definitely, there was no fox tattoo anymore! And, her breasts were back.

What was I thinking?! He will kill me for sure! The way I presented when... when he bathed in the hot springs...

"Oh, you woke up!"

This voice belonged to the very person she expected to see - the emperor, with that terrifying icy cold eye, an eye-patch, raven-black outfit, and the devilish grin. Shudders ran down her spine:

Damn... Good job, Tamie, pretty good job! Now you're nothing but a captive woman in this bloodthirsty battle maniac's hands, and who the heck knows how he truly treats women?

The emperor took a seat on the edge of her bed and looked down at her with a rather tender gaze. Tamie clenched her fists with worry. She sprang up from her bed, notwithstanding her fatigue, and grabbed the surprised young man's shoulders:

"Please, forgive me for all I've done, Your Majesty! I-I have good reasons! Please, don't put me to death!" 

Tears appeared in her eyes. She was about to burst into hysteria. Wang Shao blinked in stupefaction, and then let out a laugh:

"Goodness! Yes, it's truly you, Xin Tao! Every time you black out you wake up like crazy." He caressed her hair. "What are you apologizing for?"

"W... What do you mean? I lied to you this whole time! And then, I presented when you were... bathing." Tamie grew all red. But to be honest, he was so good!

The emperor laughed even harder:

"Oh, you're such a funny guy! I... I mean girl."

Tamie couldn't help but laugh too. She sighed with relief and fell back to her bed.

Yeah, he's in a good mood. That means I'm saved. 

"So, what is your real name, little one?"

She started - right, he didn't know her true name.

"It's... It's Tamie. Tamie Beanson."

"Oh. Nice to see your true face, Tamie Beanson! So, I assume you're not a mixed-blood?"

Tamie grew frightened:

Yeah, I've indeed told him a lot of lies.

"I... I hope you can forgive me that one too, Your Majesty! It is just that, I looked so like a Wanglongian guy in that boy form, I couldn't say I was not the one! But I wanted to maintain my Qartlandian identity too, so..."

"Aha... So, I must also assume that Nick is not your half-brother but a true one."

Tamie grew even redder:

Goodness, just how many lies have I told him?!

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty."

"I must also assume, then, that you don't really like foxes, but rather were obliged to wear that fox tattoo since it was a fox who transformed you." Shao grinned, apparently in the mood of teasing her.

"Y-Yes, that is also true, Your Majesty."

"Okay. So, we count up five main lies." Shao playfully counted up his fingers. "We also add the fact that you, a woman, contemplated the 4th prince bathing_ Whoops, no, wait, you actually contemplated all of us, right?"

Tamie remembered how she enjoyed the hot springs in her boy form with all of the princes once, and went pale:

"Y-Yes."

"Aha, so you confess!" Shao's devilish grin deepened. "So, that adds up. Oh, you also lied about your death to the whole palace, while you were alive and enjoying our company. That's the seventh lie." He raised another finger. "Well then, Tamie Beanson, I hope you are ready to hear your punishment?"

He's surely going to kill me...

"Please, not only tied to four horses and torn apart!"

"Oh, no, it shall be even crueller," - Shao bent closer to her, - "so cruel I shall only whisper it to you."

Tamie shed tears, waiting to hear what could be crueller than being attached to four horses and torn apart.

"And my sentence is," Shao whispered, "this..."

Tamie felt his soft, delicious lips pressing upon her own, giving her an affectionate, loving kiss. She widened her eyes at such a sudden turn of events, but then, sensing his body upon her, clutched him tightly and gave in to his lustful embrace.