White Empress, Ashes of Love Sequel

Epilogue

"He needs to stop antagonizing her. She will beat him senseless some day soon," she said as they sat on the soft grass, the fragrance of flowers surrounding them.

"He's holding his own," Runyu muttered before wincing. "Ooo, maybe not," he commented as the girl took advantage of the boy's spin to swat his rear hard with her wooden sword.

"All right! That's enough!" she yelled out as both children stopped immediately, dropping their swords and running toward them. 

"He called me frog lips!" the girl protested, pointing her finger at her brother.

"It's true," the boy stated. "She has the lips of a frog."

"Do frogs even have lips?" Annchi asked under her breath toward Runyu. He gave an amused shrug before they turned their attention on the children once again.

"You do realize that you're twins, right? So...any rude comment about facial features is sort of an insult to yourself?" she asked.

"No. Uncle Dan says I'm much better looking."

"He said that? Why would he say that? Oh! that man..." she breathed out.

"Well, he didn't exactly say that. He said that some day I was going to be very handsome and I will have my pick of the most beautiful girls."

"You're still a child. Don't worry about girls yet," she stated pointedly. 

"He's going to find me a match when I'm old enough," the boy said as he stood bit straighter. 

"Good luck," the girl scoffed before rolling her eyes. 

He stuck his tongue out at her and stepped out of range of her swatting arm.

"I told him she must be a fierce warrior, with a scholars mind. She has to be painfully beautiful with a sharp wit."

"She sounds horrific," Annchi deadpanned.

"Uncle Dan says that sounds like you."

A snort sounded next to her, causing her elbow to nudge his side. Runyu hid his smile behind his hand.

"Uncle Dan is old and crazy. Don't listen to him," she stated with a hint of a smile. 

Runyu huffed out a quick breath before shaking his head and focusing on his children. "Go back to the Palace and get cleaned up for the assembly tonight."

They both looked instantly disgruntled. "Those are so booooring," they whined out in unison. 

"Not when your Mother is in attendance."

"Not true. I've been behaving for hundreds of years," she grumbled without looking at him. "But...your Father is right. You should go get ready. Go," she waved them toward the direction of the Palace.

The children reluctantly turned after rolling their dark eyes, their white hair flowing behind them as they ran through the field, chattering and yelling to one another as they retreated.

They were a perfect combination of their parents, she thought as she watched them. And not a spot between them...

"I suppose we should go," she heard as he gathered her back to lean on his chest. His arms encircled her and his lips nuzzled her cheek. 

"I know. It's so peaceful here and it smells so good. I don't want to leave. I want to stay here forever, just like this," she breathed out contentedly. 

"Mmm. I agree. We'll come back tomorrow," he promised before planting a soft kiss on her skin.

She gave a slight nod and rested the back of her head on his shoulder. 

"I should probably check on the preparations," she sighed.

"Do you think your family will show up?" he asked.

"Of course. They are drawn to that Palace, just like I was. We're putting on a play tonight. Dan Zhu found a wonderful manuscript in the Mortal Realm. I think they'll be delighted."

"Ugh. Hopefully this one casts me in a better light," he groaned.

"Oh! This one is an epic love story, with a kind and benevolent Emperor. You'll be pleased, I assure you."

"Finally," he emphasized, amusement evident in his tone.

"Actually, most plays are very flattering to both of us now and I swear, I have nothing to do with that," she stated before sitting up straight and turning toward him. "I'm going to manipulate it so Yuan Ji and Dan Zhu are the main characters. There's some kissing at the end..." she said with a grin.

"Not this again!" he chided.

"Why not? They've been dancing around this for thousands of years. I'm just going to give them a bit of a nudge, so to speak. Imagine a Matchmaker that has never been matched."

"Mmm," he considered for a moment before shaking his head. "He's too smart for your schemes."

"That's why I'm going to drug their wine with an aphrodisiac," she stated in a low tone.

"What? You can't do that!" he laughed out. "How about kidnapping them and locking them in a remote cabin in the Mortal Realm," he said with a mischievous smirk.

"Are you joking? That's almost criminal -"

"Yes, and drugging someone is so much more proper," he returned with widened eyes.

"I was just kidding. Unless you're not kidding...are you kidding?" she asked meekly.

"I might be kidding," he huffed out as he pushed to standing, offering his hand to assist her.

"Come, let's go to the Province and check the Palace together, my conniving wife," he added with a sudden smile. 

She gave a small 'tsk' before grabbing his hand.