Blind and Bereft

Chapter 42 | Her Fourth Sin

Jingrui let out a scream as she realised the mannequin really did hold a human's eyes, nose, and lips. Its face was smeared with a large red cross drawn from blood, and its eyes were popping from its sockets.

"Shut up will you," Prince Zhanying muttered as he stood up. The corpse sprung at him like a hungry predator. Its black hair spread to the side while it flashed razor teeth at him.

He swung his sword, and a furious wind lashed through the air. Jingrui's skin beneath her thin nightgown grazed with cuts, and she held her hands over her head to protect herself.

The God of War really didn't know how to restrain his hands.

The corpse was slashed down to pieces, but being the manipulated figure that it was, it dissipated into a cloud of black smoke as the wind died down.

Jingrui looked up at Prince Zhanying who stood in his loose robe, deep in realisation at the mess he had made. The wooden walls were terribly damaged, and the vases that lined against it toppled to the ground, scattering dirt and wilting flowers across the floor. The door was torn down, and Prince Zhanying gave an exasperated sigh before he cast a barrier over the large opening.

He touched his forehead as he turned to her. "Why did you come out of your chamber?"

Jingrui was busy scanning her bleeding cuts and didn't notice the Prince's piercing glare. "The voice was calling me outside. . ."

A dry and unamused chuckle left his lips. "And you stupidly followed it? Did you not listen to me when I told you not to come out of your chamber after midnight? If I didn't put a protective spell on you this morning, you would have been lured away. You wouldn't be as conscious as to forsake propriety," he told her with a tone that she had never recognised him used. It was reprimanding and scary nonetheless.

She let out a sigh, and upon meeting his trenchant gaze, her heart leaped up to her throat. "I-I don't understand anything that is happening, Your Highness. What is up with this mountain? Why am I the only one who can hear the voices? What is up with the walking corpse, and what do you mean by it luring me away?"

"We will ask the Phantom Lord tomorrow. He's the only one who can give you the answers." He cast his sword away and brushed his hands together. "It should be safe enough now. Go back and rest."

Go back and rest? Jingrui shuddered at the thought of the ebony hand in her isolated, dark chamber, and the terrible, restless night she had bore. The strange silhouette that turned out to be a dead corpse and the alluring sounds that called only to her—nothing about them were safe. Go back and rest? There was no way she would go back there again, so she shook her head rapidly.

Prince Zhanying arched his brows up. "You want to spend the night with me?"

Not understanding his intent, she nodded. "Yes!"

He blinked momentarily, taken aback at her bold manner, before letting out a chuckle. "Do you sneak into others' sleeping chambers as your hobby? Do you not realise you are a woman? Or perhaps, you do this with every man you have acquainted with?" he asked as he walked towards her. His height towered over her as he cocked his head to the side. "You told me you did not enter my Palace to seduce me, but now I'm beginning to doubt."

The Prince's cold voice was drowned by the sudden torrent of her heartbeat. Jingrui didn't understand what he was saying nor did she understand why her simple answer made him spout nonsense. But the way his lips curled into a dangerous smile and the way his defined muscles flexed under his robe as he advanced forth, sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

"I-I don't understand what Your Highness is saying. You were in my room for four nights, so why would it be inappropriate if I want to spend a night in yours? Besides, you are blind, you can't possibly see me as a woman, just pretend like I am . . . I am Yuansong—"

She was suddenly pushed flat against the bed, and by the time she regained her bearings, Prince Zhanying was already atop her. His dark hair fell from his forehead and to the mattress beside her ears. "Are you playing innocent, or are you really this naïve?"

There was an evident smile in his dull eyes. His hand caressed her face, sending a strange shudder down her spine, and her skin flushed warm. Her small hands pressed against his hard chest as the tip of his nose grazed against her neck, pricking it with goosebumps.

"Why are you so quiet now, Bao Bao?" His hot breath flushed against her neck, and as if her body were no longer in control, she tilted her head slightly, giving him better access. His soft lips brushed her skin as he smiled tauntingly. "When you are like this, I just can't pretend you are not a woman."

Jingrui swallowed as she squeezed her eyes shut. With all her strength, she pushed his chest hard. He rolled over and sat up on the bed with a groan.

Jingrui scrambled away from him, inching back towards the ruined door and hugging her body. Her heart was racing fast, and her body was paralysed after his touch. What in the world was he doing?

What in the world was she doing?

She breathed hard, trying to calm herself down. He was definitely trying to scare her away. "Y-Your Highness. I'll . . . I'll sleep here on the ground. You enjoy your rest, I won't disturb you."

Prince Zhanying grunted under his breath as he rubbed his temples and fixed his loose clothes. Before Jingrui could say anything, he waved out speckles of silver light, and by her feet appeared a mattress. Then, he did another wave, and the cuts on her body patched themselves up, leaving her skin as smooth as before.

He rubbed his forehead as he briskly opened the lid of the incense burner and added oil into it. Soon, the scent of medication filled the room, and Prince Zhanying's demeanor grew calmer. He put a hand over his face and shook his head. "Why do I feel like, one day, you'll be the death of me, Bao Bao?" He let out a sigh and lifted a dark gaze at her. "Be good now and go to sleep."

Jingrui didn't understand the former but she nodded at the latter and curled herself down onto the mattress. Her body still burned from his touch, and her heart thumped loudly in her chest. And Jingrui went to sleep that night with the sound of her heart which was just as uncomfortable as hearing the sound of the haunting voices. 

━━━━━━━━━━━━

If you enjoyed, please smash that golden star and make my day. ♡