*FEATURED* Ao is a wrathful, ravenous former god trapped in a human body and sentenced to roam the Inner Empire for all eternity.
Eternity is rather dull, until she meets a green-eyed prince and his friends.
The prince offers her a deal; help him a...
人非圣贤，孰能无过 Rén fēi shèngxián, shú néng wú guò Men are not sages, how can they be free from fault. To err is human.
Kageyama returned to the cottage first and set about making a fire in the brick lined pit set into the stone floor of the cottage.
He carried in already split logs from the woodpile outside and stacked them like a tent, pushing dry leaves and small sticks from the kindling bucket beneath them. Then, using his own tinder and flint, he lit them.
Kageyama watched as the flames slowly caught, curling around the leaves and branches and logs like an indecisive salamander. Flickering red light fell across the bare walls of the small cottage. Heat followed the light, warming the small room.
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As he sat and watched the small fire grow he thought again to how this had all come to be.
Kageyama had known the moment Ao walked into the courtyard that morning where she had been the night before.
Zhangyu's scent still lingered, on her skin, in her hair.
This will lead to trouble, Kageyama thought.
Sure enough, not five minutes later he found himself lifting a napkin to Sanli's bleeding lip.
"She's not a woman, she's a monster and I want her gone!" Kageyama snarled, then turned to Sanli. "San, let me see."
Out of the corner of his eye, Kageyama watched Ao carefully. Watched as she forced herself to anger, to avoid all other emotions.
"You want me gone? Then I will leave!" The woman clenched her fists at her sides. "I told the prince, I would only stay as long as our goals aligned. And he doesn't even know what it is he wants anymore."
After Ao stormed off, Kageyama let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He turned back to Sanli, who had sunk into a chair.
"You should not provoke her Sanli. You knew your words would lead to an outcome like this."
"I don't care," said Sanli, crossing his arms like a stubborn child.
Zakhar chuckled. "What's amusing?" snapped Sanli.
"It's just grand to finally see you jealous," the golden haired man replied.
"Oh shut up, Zakhar. We all know you're the most jealous one here," Sanli spat back.
Zakhar frowned, and then turned and left for his room as well.
"Don't be hateful, Sanli." Kageyama brushed a leaf from his chair before sinking down into it. "Are you sure it is fine if she leaves? After all the time you spent looking for her?"
"You should be glad, shouldn't you? You wanted her gone," said Sanli, running a finger over his already swollen lip.
