By the time King Yibo had finished his nightly routine and was ready to lie down, his heart felt unsettled about it. His face contorted slightly, as if he had no say in what his own heart desired. But with one look, you could understand it was sheer aloofness and a stubborn will to control that consumed him.
Filled with the authority that defined his very stance, he headed for the room where Zhan was. He slowly pushed the door open and entered, his gaze scanning downward. He was met with the surprising sight of Zhan curled up under the blankets, his body visibly trembling. He reached out and gently pulled the blanket away from his face.
Zhan jolted, his hand instinctively clamping down on King Yibo's wrist. His eyes were squeezed shut, seemingly trapped in a troubled sleep, and his lips moved incessantly, muttering things King Yibo couldn't make out.
(So dramatic, even in his sleep he can't be still), King Yibo thought to himself, blinking as he held onto Zhan, seeing how he was truly burning up; the heat from his hand seemed to pierce through his own skin. Zhan's body was trembling violently, clearly frightened by the nightmare he was having....the kind he hadn't had in a long time.
At first, King Yibo was startled by how tightly Zhan was gripping him, but realizing the situation was real, his senses sharpened. However, you could never truly read his expression. He shook him slightly, his voice low as he uttered, "Hey!"
Zhan, disoriented, tried to flinch away, his body reacting as it often did when he was in the throes of such dreams. King Yibo pulled him closer, gently tapping his cheek a few times, then repeated, "Open your eyes. Zhan, hey!"
It was the first time King Yibo had ever called him by his name. Even in his dazed state, Zhan registered the sound of it. He slowly opened his eyes, his body stiffening slightly before relaxing against King Yibo. He let out a soft gasp, blinking a few more times to confirm whether he was truly awake or still trapped in the dream.
Slowly, King Yibo pressed Zhan against his chest and held him. A soft, shaky sigh escaped Zhan, sending a slight tremor through King Yibo's body. Zhan then looked up again, blinking slowly, seeing how the King was watching him with his sharp eyes. A sense of relief washed over him, making him feel as pliant as a kitten, even though he was still in significant pain.
A faint smile touched King Yibo's lips as he held Zhan's body for a full three minutes. Wanting to suppress the state that seemed intent on consuming Zhan, he opened his eyes, which had now changed, focusing intently on Zhan's face. His gaze traveled over him, from his face down to his feet, while Zhan remained curled up against him.
The way Zhan was curled up allowed the cool fabric of his sleeping pajamas to soothe against his feverish skin, revealing his body structure in view. King Yibo closed his eyes for a moment, turning his head away, feeling his own breathing become somewhat unsteady. The warmth of Zhan's body was intensely penetrating his own.
"What happened?"
He spoke directly into Zhan's ear with a husky voice Zhan had never heard from him before, gritting his teeth tightly. The sound of his voice pierced through Zhan's ear, deep into his consciousness and his blanket-covered mind, making his eyes darken with intense struggle as he held him even tighter.
King Yibo almost lost his composure with Zhan, regardless of what state he was in, but he restrained himself with great effort, letting out a hidden, frustrated breath. In a questioning tone, he repeated, "Hmm?"
As if Zhan wouldn't answer, he moved away slightly, letting out a held breath. His own head shook slightly as he said, "A dream."
"A dream?"
King Yibo repeated the word on his lips, trying to look into Zhan's eyes since he had lifted himself up. Zhan himself nodded slightly, averting his gaze, remembering what had happened between them recently and finding himself overwhelmed with embarrassment towards the King. Right now, he was simply flustered.
Just as he was about to speak again, he stopped. His voice was choked, confirming his exhaustion with talking, and he moved his lips as if speaking abruptly, "Did you mediate?"
Zhan head shook in response, unwilling to look at him now. Without saying another word, King Yibo simply stretched out, like someone whose body had turned cold, and headed for the bathroom. With a downward glance, the terrible dream he'd had returned to him. (A dream is not reality), his heart declared to him. This made him let out a heavy sigh, slide down, and lie down, feeling a chill pierce his limbs.
He hadn't been out long when King Yibo returned. He grabbed the blanket Zhan had covered himself with and pulled it away. Zhan quickly held onto it, pouting and pushing it back towards him. "I said I'm cold." King Yibo's eyes merely narrowed, his own lips pressing together without a word, before he bowed over him slowly and gathered him completely into his arms.
Zhan couldn't hold back a small gasp, his large eyes wide with surprise.
King Yibo clicked his tongue in slight annoyance, he glare at Zhan and turned his own head away. Zhan also turned his head, his lower lip jutting out in a pronounced pout.
(Stubborn Man),King Yibo thought to himself. In truth, his face had tightened again so perfectly you'd think he'd never known how to smile since the day he was born. He stared at him until Zhan, feeling the pressure, finished what he was doing and left the bathroom.
King Yibo watched him go, many thoughts about him swirling in his heart...
As soon as Zhan could, he slid along the wall and exited after finishing in the toilet. King Yibo was sitting in the room's armchair, his eyes on the laptop. He briefly lifted his gaze to look Zhan over from head to toe. Even though he saw the state Zhan was in...a picture of misery and stubborn defiance....it stopped him from getting up to help him again.
He just went and sat right where the King had spread the small carpet, as if he was completely unaware of his presence. Zhan stole a glance at him and then turned away, but the action King Yibo had just done for him ignited his temper. Fueled by his frustration, he strengthened his resolve and sat on the carpet with a composure that confirmed he had received a proper education. King Yibo himself, whom Zhan was currently trying to mentally mediate, remained silent. Though a shiver sometimes ran through him as if it would shake him, he felt a certain calmness pierce through. A sense of his parents' values and restored dignity seemed to overwhelm him.
Honestly, you could never truly tell if his attention was on Zhan. That face was just a constant, subtle torment, enough to slice through a person's patience, just like that 😏.
Zhan lasted for about 30 minutes before he slipped away to lie down, his hands pressed against his throbbing forehead, his body extremely weak and exhausted. Then, as if startled, he suddenly stretched out his hand to cover his mouth and hurried towards the bathroom with a stumbling gait, clearly about to vomit.
"Oh my god!"
King Yibo muttered quietly under his breath, hearing Zhan retching. He didn't move, despite his heart pounding rapidly. After about two minutes and a few breaths, Zhan emerged again, looking utterly drained. Tears streamed down the pitiful man's face.
Now, King Yibo reached out abruptly towards Zhan. As if Zhan had been waiting for him, just as he was approaching, Zhan let out a long, weak sound and fell backwards. The King caught him in his warm embrace, and he fell into his arms.
Slowly, Zhan began to take shaky breaths, saying nothing. He couldn't open his tightly closed eyes, despite sensing the King's presence watching him. King Yibo's own gaze, however, was filled with helplessness. He then blinked his own eyes and held him properly again, even feeling Zhan's breathing settle against his body.
The feeling of Zhan's breath landing on his skin made him feel as if his own composure was seeking its escape. To avoid the embarrassment, he lifted Zhan completely and placed him on the bed. Before sitting down beside him, he fixed his pale eyes on him.
They stayed like that for nearly two minutes before King Yibo broke the room's silence by moving his lips slowly and saying,
"What now?"
Zhan himself showed him with a gesture and said, "My head feels like it's going to explode." Then the tears fell in a torrent. Zhan himself didn't know why he felt like breaking down in front of King Yibo, or maybe it was just sheer spoiled nature, oh! His eyes simply poured out tears as he watched them stream down his sharp face rapidly. Just then, King Yibo felt a subtle smile directed at him. He turned his head to the side, smiled, then moved a little closer, right next to Zhan's head.
Zhan's breath hitched for a moment as he felt the pad of the King thumb settle on his forehead. King Yibo himself, feeling the heat of Zhan head penetrate his hand, blinked. His voice, low, said, "Is it here?"
Zhan nodded slightly. He then placed his own hand over Yibo's and moved it slightly to the side of his temple, his eyes clouding over again as he said, "And here too, all over."
The way Zhan spoke, so audaciously, like a little baby, made him feel his own body tremble. But the brave man tried to force a smile, even twisting his face a little as he said, "Are you a baby? Just a headache and you're even crying?"
As if he had provoked him, Zhan pushed out his lip again and tried to push away the hand that was on him.
He didn't move, so Zhan tried to turn over. Then, he tried to release a smile but failed. In a voice that anyone noticing could understand the fondness and the situation they were in, he leaned his body close to Zhan's, face to face, and said, "You're such a baby. Should I give you a massage?"
It seemed Zhan was about to let out a cry and lift his head, for his head truly ached terribly.
King Yibo fell silent,didn't speak again, and pulled Zhan closer, resting his own head on his body. Then he placed his hand back on his forehead and began to press gently, slowly, massaging him.
Zhan's eyes kept fluttering shut slowly as well, and before he knew it, a heavy sleep overtook him. King Yibo didn't stop massaging his forehead, only giving him a deep, searching look once his eyes were closed.
He spent a period of time sitting there without growing weary, thinking about Zhan and the pain until he began to sweat. If someone had told him this would happen between him and another person, he would have denied it. But the calculations of destiny don't care who is calculating for you, no matter how much you try to distance yourself from something...
:-*:-*:-*
Everything became even more tangled for the Inner One. She was at a loss for which path to take to see this marriage between the King and the girl finalized, forcing her to deploy her trusted maid to investigate her today. On another front, the palace officials were also working diligently to discover who had dared to move the royal consort Zhan from his cell to the pool and kill the officers guarding him.
They were working fervently on this matter because King Yibo had given them only two days. Their efforts were intense, as the order from the acting ruler was no joking matter to them.
Her trusted servant, for his part, did not know who she truly was. Beyond the voice that gave him instructions whenever she assigned him a task, he knew nothing about her. Even the voice wasn't her real one.
But despite all the precautions she had ensured were in place, she couldn't shake a deep-seated anxiety about the intensity of the investigation. Cao had promised her no help on this front; her failure would be her sentence. She despised Zhan with a hatred she had never felt for any other creature in her life. She had never faced significant setbacks in her work until Zhan entered her life. Problems never infiltrated her operations until Zhan came to the palace.
She had tried many ways to silent him, but to no avail. She had underestimated the kind of stubborn resilience the boy possessed. Her heart had even begun to torment her: what if Zhan was the leader of some independent secret society? The events surrounding him were starting to frighten her. But she had sworn an oath: it was either a life of relentless struggle, or she would erase him and his potential lineage from the face of this earth very soon. This was her promise...
(I said Hmmm...)
*******
His face was full of a smile as he looked over the items the sorcerer had given them. With a light chuckle, he looked at Prince Langya, and in one glance, you could understand his amusement. "If that audacious man manages to slip through our fingers this time, well, if Yibo finds out, he won't know whether to laugh or cry about the story, given how audacious his own husband is."
Prince Langya also let out a laugh, filled with amusement, and said, "It's just too bad his mother, the Dowager Taihou, gave birth to an only child, without a spare. Since his stubbornness is absolute, we must make him soften through the necessary path for the sake of his beloved. What a troublesome boy, with a spirit like a demon's; it's astonishing he'll die with his husband."
"He's a devil to be dealt with this time; their end has come. Therefore, tonight we will place everything where it belongs, as the sorcerer commanded. Since his esteemed man didn't choose an easy death, well, he has lived his life, but it will be in humiliation and sorrow, so much so that anyone who hears of it will offer him condolences."
Their laughter and banter flowed easily, like close friends. Before they immersed themselves in the diversion they had prepared, they headed for the imperial court as the sorcerer had instructed them.....
★★... ★★....
As was his habit, Zhan woke up on time to conduct his morning mediation, and today was no exception. However, unlike usual, he woke up startled. He quickly began reciting his affirmations, struggling to move about the room, the terrible nightmare from last night repeating itself and returning to him now.
He felt his heart constricting terribly. He had to press his body firmly against the bed, curling up and trying to hold back the tremors, his lips murmuring the name of the divine as his grandfather had taught him, and refraining from screaming whenever he had such a nightmare, unlike before when he would scream.
It took Zhan a full six minutes to somewhat calm down. He was still trying to catch his breath in ragged gasps. It seemed he had slept alone in the room, with no idea when King Yibo had left. His hand went to his forehead; thankfully, the extreme headache that had plagued him when he lay down was gone.
Then, a mix of cold and the dampness of sweat overcame him. Zhan withdrew again, blinking his eyes, and just like that, he felt different today, as if he weren't just Zhan, the person he knew himself to be. He didn't know the reason for feeling this way.
His whole body felt weak, and the dream he'd had had left his limbs feeling numb all over. He splashed some warm water on his face as if to wash it away, then got ready. After preparing and dressing, instead of going back to lie down, he sat down to read, hoping to find some relief from the weight his heart had been carrying for two days, to lessen it a little...
Unlike Zhan, King Yibo showed no sign of fatigue at all. Ever since he had left the room where Zhan was staying, he had been sitting in front of his laptop, working on the tasks he had set for himself. He sat there until nearly three in the morning before finally wrapping up and beginning his mediation. He didn't leave his spot until morning. Instead of heading to the gym, as was his usual habit, or practicing sword on certain days, he made his way to Dowager Taihou's quarters through a secret door that led directly there without anyone seeing him, he choose to use it.
Hearing the unusually subdued tone of his voice greeting them from the doorway, Jasrah and Dowager Taihou exchanged looks of surprise. Mistrusting what they had heard, Dowager Taihou gave the command for him to enter, and he did.
He himself didn't seem surprised to find them together, even though it was now morning, as he knew about the deep bond between them. Instead of sitting in a chair, he slowly went and sat down close to Dowager Taihou, who was seated on a small carpet, and remained there. As she made to rise, Jasrah came to her side.
He sat facing her, crossing his legs and resting his head on her knee. A soft sigh escaped him as he slowly blinked his eyes.
Dowager Taihou, who was looking at him with pity, knowing that if she saw him in such a troubled state, reached her hand to his soft hair and gently stroked it. Another, softer sigh escaped him. Before he moved his lips slightly to speak, "Good morning, Mom."
"You woke up well, my dear."
She answered him with care,running her fingers through his hair again slowly. He just gave her a slight nod, and without looking at Jasrah, who was watching him, he said, "Good morning, Aunt."
A smile spread, hearing that she was being addressed today as well. She also answered him with care, rising from where she was and returning to the other side of Dowager Taihou, leaving the space between her and him empty.
His eyes opened a little, giving her a playful glare; in truth, there was no sign of a smile on his face. He spoke abruptly, as if forced to say it, "Mom, tell her to go and leave me alone. She's always here, she doesn't even let me close to you in peace."
A subtle smile graced Dowager Taihou's lips, as his behavior reminded her of his childhood when he would pout, and even Jasrah. He was always tell Jasrah to leave, since she was with his mother constantly, until his father would intervene and he would reluctantly endure it. Jasrah herself, however, always had a retort ready. Her face holding a smile, she said, "And where should I go? You should go back to where you came from and leave me and my sister alone."
His face turned away slightly, and he tightened his expression again, but said nothing more. Jasrah continued to tease him as she used to, while Dowager Taihou defended him, laughing at them. He, having started the banter, didn't tell them to stop or be quiet.
After a few more minutes, Dowager Taihou turned serious, focusing all her attention on him. Her voice full of concern, she said, "Are you unwell?" He turned his head to give a sign of 'no'. Then he moved his lips slightly and said, "I just miss you, my first love."
A feeling of sweet delight pierced through her, and her heart swelled with pride at being the mother of this stubborn, formidable King. She stroked his face again with immense care. "May you be blessed and continue to be guided and protected."
"Amen."
He uttered over his lips. Jasrah, in truth, was smiling. His eyes turned to Jasrah, his face showing no sign of playfulness. "What are you doing here so early in the morning? Leaving your husband alone?"
She smiled at him, seeing he had spoken seriously, with no jest in his words. She played with her fingers, almost unable to look at him despite being older than him, but destiny had taken away seniority and given him his status as a man and her King. Slowly, she said, "An important matter has brought me here."
She finished speaking and slightly looked up at Dowager Taihou. His gaze also returned to his mother.
Dowager Taihou let out a soft sigh, still gently stroking his head. "It is an important matter. Jasrah has come with concerning you, my dear."
His sharp eyes briefly glanced at Jasrah, seeing her reluctance to look at him; he averted his gaze and turned back to his mother.
"Has something happened?"
Dowager Taihou shook her head at him. "Nothing has happened recently, just the aftermath of what occurred, especially concerning Zhan's actions. Not everyone can understand what I felt when I realized I could lose my only son in this world. But I had to suppress my heart to focus on praying for your recovery more than taking action. I have no argument with your judgment, but my sister has come with a proposal that I am satisfied with....."
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛