White Empress, Ashes of Love Sequel

Chapter 2

"One hundred years, what's one hundred years? What does that mean?" he could hear the demon behind him as he strode toward the servant's quarters.

He should have obliterated her on the spot. He should have had the guards grab her and haul her out of the Palace and yet, here he was, dragging her through the Heavenly Realm amid the openly awed faces of everyone they passed.

"Could you at least tell me where we're going?" she asked.

"No. Be quiet," Runyu answered bluntly as he tugged her behind him. 

The scent surrounding her was confirmation that what he sensed as he walked into the Palace earlier was indeed coming from the girl behind him.

It had almost caused him to stop and falter as he made his way toward the throne, but he fought the urge. 

It was familiar, comforting in a way, but equally troubling. He had forced himself to sit, his eyes subtly scanning the seated guests on either side to the massive room, trying to pinpoint the source. 

They were all familiar faces of Fairies and a few Immortals that he knew well for centuries. It wasn't coming from them. 

An older couple was seated near the middle of the room and they seemed unremarkable to him, causing his eyes to pass over their simple dress and darker skin to another table where two women were seated. Women he knew he never encountered before. 

Especially the one on the far side. The woman with hair as black as ink and eyes to match. Her skin was a darker tone as well, her hair simply pulled into a band, flowing down her back and unadorned. Her gown wasn't even near the quality of the uniforms his servants wore, and yet, she commanded attention.

Possibly because her facial expressions were fascinating. She was obviously bored. At one point, she had turned her gaze on him and he quickly averted his elsewhere. Did she know he was studying her? 

Time and again he found his eyes wandering back to her face. At one point, her bored expression changed, her forehead scrunching in anger as she turned her head, quickly replaced by a stunning smile that transformed her features. Two distinct dimples carved into her lower cheeks and made her even more intriguing. His eyes had flicked to the recipient of that smile to find his brother Yanyou smirking back at her from across the room. The lech.

But, she wasn't smiling at Yanyou. She was beaming and shaking with silent laughter at his younger brother, Li seated next to him. 

Li, who was entertaining her with chopsticks hanging out of both sides of his mouth.  Highly inappropriate behavior, but then again, he himself enjoyed these types of gatherings just as much as his younger brother, which was to say, not at all...

His eyes had glanced back in her direction as she fashioned a small butterfly from the food she was certainly not enjoying. It fluttered above her table for a moment, then flew across the room when Li summoned the creature with his magic. 

Everyone in the Heavenly Realm knew that magic was strictly forbidden during an assembly at Qiwu Palace. He could forgive the child for this transgression. He wasn't sure about the woman. Of course, she was an outsider to the Realm, and perhaps she did not know, he had thought.

He felt one side of his mouth lift slightly at their exchange before settling back in a firm line as she turned to address the Fairies seated next to her. Whatever she had said caused the woman closest to her to cry and push back from the table. The other Fairy looked equal parts astonished and disturbed at whatever was said.

He immediately summoned a guard to collect the family and direct them to steps of the dais.

No one was more shocked then he to witness the disrespect and sharp tongue of the creature he was currently manhandling.