The Fine Print✔️

Chapter 24

 I feel my cheeks heat; my heart races uncontrollably as Zhan's arm wraps around my waist. He moves close, almost plastering himself to my front and leaving featherlight kisses on my lips before moving to my cheeks. I stop breathing and close my eyes. I know I should stop him. I had many questions, after all. But the feel of his lips and his warmth were too good to refuse. So I shamelessly stand there, basking in the love that he was showering on me.

Sooner than I wanted, however, he stops, and cupping my face, he looks into his eyes, "I am sorry, YiJun. I couldn't keep away any longer." He whispers in my ear before looking apologetically at me. "Next time, I will ask for permission before I touch you, alright?"

The heat in his eyes as they linger on my lips before looking into mine stir more than just emotions. I realize that I liked this Zhan more than the one without his memories; I nod.

He sighs contently and sits on the floor, gesturing for me to join him. 

 "There is a bed right there. Why are you sitting down?"

"I have my reasons." He replies, cheeks coloring, "Please, cooperate."

"Fine." I sigh and join him.

"YiJun, I know you have no reason to believe what I am about to tell you, but I swear that everything I am about to tell you is the truth."

I nod; he continues, "When I was around five, my aunt Wei Lai fell sick mysteriously. My father did everything in his power to help her, but no one was able to heal her. Desperate, for she was to marry the second prince of Dezhutang soon, my father invited alternate medicine practitioners."

"Mn?"

"Witches and sorcerers. Magic users."

"Oh."

"I don't know how many of them tried to cure my aunt, but one day father told me that aunt Lai had recovered. I was obviously over the moon. I adored her. That evening despite being forbidden to meet her, I snuck into her room."

"Why were you forbidden to meet her?" I ask, curious and his brows crease. "The woman who cured her had instructed my father to keep my aunt in seclusion for a few days. No one except the gypsy woman was allowed to enter her chamber."

I nod.

"That day, when I went to see her, I saw something that I shouldn't have. On the bed lay a sickly woman dressed like my aunt. Soon, my aunt joined her. This woman, who looked like my aunt, was dressed like a gypsy. She muttered something, and a red glow started emitting from my aunt's palm and entered the woman on the bed. When the glow was gone, my aunt smiled at the woman on the bed and said, "Goodbye, Princess Lai. Thank you for this beautiful body. I shall use it well." With that, her eyes glowed red, and the figure on the bed caught fire. She thrashed on the bed but couldn't leave it. I saw her mouth open and close, but nothing came out." Zhan stops. There are tears in his eyes as he looks at me, "Do you understand what I saw that day?"

I feel anger and disgust. My heart breaks when I remember that Zhan must have been just a child when he had witnessed this gruesome act. I nod. "I am sorry for your loss." I pause, "You don't have to continue... "

Zhan shakes his head, "I want you to know everything." He states sincerely and continues, "After that day, things looked normal on the outside, but I began to notice things that no one could. My father began to change, almost becoming a puppet in my aunt's hands. He lost interest in court matters, delegating his duties to his subordinates, and started spending time alone. What he did there, I don't know. No one knew, except for my aunt, who had stationed a maid to look after him."

"Soon, aunt got married and left for Dezhutang. But even after that, things didn't go back to normal. A few days after the wedding, my mother had a miscarriage and passed away soon after. It was like she had cursed us."