𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲'𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 || 敵の旦那様 (𝐁𝐋) ✔ [COMPLETE]

49. Desire

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"I shall apply for divorce," the General continued, "therefore, you need not concern yourself with the trivialities of my feelings, Your Highness."

"I will not agree with this!"

Fu Lin's voice almost cracked in its effect of protest.

"What?"

The General's eyes flew wide open and lips minutely trembled. What in the world...

The reason why the General didn't have a direct confrontation with Fu Lin by himself when he arrived at the manor was because he wanted some time to adjust his temperament before facing him off. That was the agenda behind having the door locked deliberately too–to exercise some amount of disparity in space between him and Fu Lin and extinguish the familiarity they had already established. However, the moment Fu Lin walked in...

All his resolve crumbled.

His heart trembled when he witnessed Fu Lin wearing the formal Zhou Manor attire. He voraciously devoured the sight of Fu Lin in the elegant black clothes with gold embroidery running down his slender back and his face framed by the collared robes. As he assuaged himself in all the beauty, he couldn't help but think that Fu Lin was unfair.

Not only did the attire almost successfully topple whatever remaining sanity the General possessed, it was also as if Fu Lin somehow implicitly knew that the General would seek divorce today and eliminate any ties from Fu Lin to the Zhou Manor. And that was why he came adorned in such attire–to flaunt how impeccable he was in Zhou Manor clothes.

It was almost like a soft coax from Fu Lin to General in beseeching to not divorce him...

But of course, the General knew better. Why in the world would Fu Lin refuse the opportunity to sever ties with a troublesome hound like the General who barks love confessions standing where he was, as the enemy? Especially the confession of one whom he despised enough to verbally insult and disregard completely. Haoran believed one cannot do such things unless they absolutely had no feelings towards the latter.

And that seemed to be the case with Fu Lin.

However, he wanted to make sure. He wanted to know one last time whether Fu Lin actually held no emotions for him at all—whether in their time together Fu Lin had never come to sense some amount of affection for him—no matter how meagre it was. General Haoran knew he was looking for excuses and yet he didn't want to end it all without a final clarification. And that was why he asked,

"Before that, don't you have something you want to tell me?"

However, Fu Lin's answer was one that once again barbed against the General's heart like a poisoned arrow.

"I should not have said what I said that day and inflicted dishonour upon a loyal subject to the Empire of Blazing Sun such as yourself who risked his neck not just once– but countless times solely for the sake of the country's betterment. I, who had barely done anything so remarkable for my own country, do not have the right to judge you. I'm a despicable human being in that respect and seek your fervent forgiveness for what I uttered that day."

The General couldn't help smiling bitterly inward. The manner in which Fu Lin went on and on about how disrespectful he was as a fellow upright citizen completely disregarding his cold treatment of the General's confession, almost as if his ignorance of it was the right thing to do that warranted no apology angered the General. It was as if the General almost never confessed.

General Haoran had had enough. And so he declared after an extremely brief explanation, which he doubted Fu Lin would even bother with,

"I shall immediately apply for formal divorce."

When his three lieutenants suggested ceasefire–they meant for the General to single-handedly forget Fu Lin. However, the General who knew his heart well enough, understood that he possibly couldn't forget such a bone-deep yearning for somebody when they're right under his roof. For him to forget Fu Lin, he had to have Fu Lin erased from his vision and mind alike. But that was impossible with having him right before his eyes–his desire and emotions were bad enough for him to lose control of other aspects of his life.

Fu Lin would gladly accept the arrangement and walk away. He might find somebody who would love him better back at Silver Mountain and he'd be happy to wash his hands off of the General. The General too, albeit pained, can return to his life of asceticism.

But that doesn't seem to be the case now.

"Whatever do you mean, Your Highness?" General Haoran questioned carefully, "Why would you not agree to a divorce? Is that not what you desire?"

Fu Lin's voice shook as he answered, "I never desired divorce, nor have I ever declared its necessity."

The General's eyes revealed red veins. "Then what is it that you desire?"

Fu Lin remained stumped at the question. He dared not answer or even contemplate the reason behind his abrupt repulsion, afraid that he would blurt it. Afraid that he himself would realise the despicability of what he requested. Hence he stared, unabashed and unrelenting, into the General's eyes.

At Fu Lin's silence, a tiny smidgen of hope blossomed within the General's heart. He abruptly stood up from his table and was before Fu Lin, grasping him by the waist.

"It cannot be... that you, somehow unbeknownst to yourself, desire 'me', your enemy General, can it?"

Fu Lin, completely consumed by the fire in the General's gaze, did not resist. Irrepressible anger churned within the General as he tightened his hold on Fu Lin, his palms burning Fu Lin's skin. However, Fu Lin's gaze as if beckoning him... inviting him to ravish had him nearing his lips at Fu Lin's with every passing second.

Then the next moment he had let go, smiling slightly as he said,

"However, I'm not generous enough to tolerate your indulgences anymore. We're over, Your Highness."

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(๑˘︶˘๑) Here ya goooo! I'll be back with the next chapter <3