Delivering My Love

Chapter 14

Zan Yu felt a chill run down his spine. He opened his eyes and yawned. After glancing out of the window to see the stars shining over the dark waters, the memory of where he was... and what just happened... came flooding back to him. He turned his head. Tai Shi was gone, his pillow neatly placed back in its original position. Tai Shi left. Again. Zan Yu felt frustration building up inside him. Tai Shi tells him he loves him, they make love, and then he thinks it's just fine to leave by himself again. Was Zan Yu not trustworthy enough to take wherever he was going? And this late at night?

Suddenly, Zan Yu recalled something from earlier that day. No, not the passionate encounter in the candlelight. Something else. He sat up in the bed and removed the sheets. Then realizing he was butt naked, he hurriedly threw on his clothes. Qiu knew a lot more about the planned attack than anyone else Zan Yu had met. Zan Yu could not shake the feeling that something was just not right with that man. He was surely hiding something. Tai Shi may be in danger.

When he first met Qiu and learned he was in charge of this city, Zan Yu knew he had to deliver the scroll to him. Qiu's response to reading the scroll had left him flabbergasted.

"Read it when you get the chance."

Was he so important that he needed to read the scroll? He couldn't recall anything that would tie him to the royal family. Well, besides being the picture perfect loyal servant that they expected him to be. Especially for this journey. Though Qiu gave off a misleading vibe, Zan Yu thought that reading the scroll would do him no harm. He hoped.

Zan Yu eyed the dresser. He had tucked the scroll under his belongings in the bottom drawer. Zan Yu opened the drawer and took out the now tattered brown paper. He undid the knot keeping it closed and took a deep breath. This could contain information that could potentially save Tai Shi's life. How? He didn't know. Zan Yu slowly flattened out the paper and analyzed it.

Nothing. Yes, you read right. Nothing. Nothing?

Zan Yu flipped the paper over. He double checked. He held it under light. If he had lemon juice with him, he would've tried that too. Huh. What was Qiu trying to tell him? Wait, forget that. Zan Yu crumpled up the paper and threw it on the ground. WHY WAS HE EVEN HERE? Like he had just discovered that his tongue rests at the top of his mouth, everything started to fall into place.

The emperor had a sudden interest in him after the incident with his first love. It was only after bedding Tai Shi did he realize that perhaps the reason he never truly fell in love with the women at the Zhouguang palace was because he actually liked men. He had never even touched his first love, but he had thought of it more like someone who knew his soul. Bound to the same spot with nowhere to go. Loving that boy had been categorized as a love for a deep friendship, but now he knew that it must have been budding romantic love. Love for the person he wanted to spend his life with. But he promised he would never look for that kind of love again, putting his siblings first. He had told the emperor that he would take any punishment for his siblings time and time again when his siblings were in trouble. And yet... Sigh. The emperor's parting words to Zan Yu. "You are to put yourself in front to protect them." Then, Tai Shi. His main purpose on their mission wasn't to protect Jingfei and a random diplomat while delivering some scroll. He was supposed to sacrifice himself for the safety of the heir.

Zan Yu thought he would be mad. Anyone should be, but that was the problem. If it were anyone else as the heir, Zan Yu would have been livid. However, Zan Yu couldn't be mad. Not when it was to protect Tai Shi. He would protect Tai Shi even if it meant losing his life. They thought of him as disposable. And damn it, they were right. He considered himself that way to when compared to someone as important as Tai Shi. TAI SHI. He had to find Tai Shi and make sure he was okay.

Zan Yu laced on his boots and unfolded his cloak. He draped the cloak over his shoulders and stood facing the window. He walked to the window and looked up at the moon. It was full and bright, but it looked kind of lonely. Maybe it was just Zan Yu's feelings clouding his mind. He learned he was being used, but there was nothing he could do about it. He just had to keep moving forward.

Zan Yu pulled the hood of the cloak over his head and willed his racing thoughts to calm down. He wouldn't be any helpful if he was in a frenzy. As he donned the button, he heard a crumple of paper behind him. The scroll was on the floor and something touched it. Or someone. Zan Yu whipped around but it was too late. A sword flashed through his vision and sliced his arm.

"AH!" he grunted in pain and clutched his arm with his other hand. Just as quickly, like the attacker had not stopped their momentum of attack, the sword plunged into his torso. Pain exploded through his body like a wildfire. He felt himself falling backwards. All he could think about was Tai Shi. Zan Yu forced his eyes open. He tried to examine the attacker. SOMEthing to help him identify the man. Zan caught a glimpse of something shiny as the moonlight glinted off of it. Zan Yu was wrong.

A dagger necklace, a woman. He followed her movement as she left the room, dark hair swinging behind her. She didn't see his face. The cloak had fallen over it, but he saw her. There was only one person he saw with that necklace. It was none other than Meili.