A Thousand Life Times

Book 12: Beautiful Fury

-;-

The air inside the carriage seemed to thicken as an unexpected awkwardness settled in, casting a palpable tension over the once easygoing atmosphere.

It was as if a sudden chill had descended, leaving the two acutely aware of the discomfort that now lingered like an unwelcome guest.

Qin Ruisheng, had her arms folded in front of her chest, her eyes were frosted, glaring sharply out the carriage window.

For the entire first half of the ride, she ignored the person sitting across her, but she could feel his eyes were trained on her as if wanting to speak but unable to start. 

It was only after awhile that he broke the silence, his words somewhat trailing in hesitance, unlike his usual tone of confidence.

"What... were you and Zhiyu talking about?"

Even with the tone of hesitation, his mellow voice was like a magnetic force, pulling one's attention like a moth to a flame.

Her sharp eyes filled with flames of anger continued to glare at him.

Finally she was looking at him again. Unknowingly a small load was lifted off his chest.

Her beautiful brow rosed as she scoffed sarcastically.

"What does it matter to you?"

Initially, she did not want to reply but she found the growing fury uncontainable.

Thinking back, the only possible reason Hei Jinyu agreed to the previous Qin Ruisheng's request for marriage was because it was a win win situation for both sides where he would have a wife in name to avoid the Emperor's constant pressuring while Qin Ruisheng would be able to live quietly without worry.

Qin Ruisheng's only job was to pretend to be a loving wife only in the eyes of others, while in private the two were like strangers.

It was a marriage where there should have been no Love.

"I agreed to be your 'wife' in return for a safe space, agreed to put on this act with you to help you escape from the emperor's endless list of marriage prospects. But that doesn't mean you can... k-kiss me like that without my knowledge. No... I should be asking why did you kiss me?"

After her outburst, she found the person in front to be silently watching her, meeting his gaze, the image of what happened flashed in her mind and her face became red, all the way to the tip of her ears.

Between anger, confusion and embarrassment, she huffed a breath before turning her head to look out the window again.

How could she know that the culprit himself, Hei Jinyu was actually captivated by her fierce anger that his mind went blank.

Hei Jinyu himself couldn't understand the strange feeling in his chest, for some reason he felt that the person in front of him, in the midst of her anger, was rather alluring.

 A fierce kind of beauty that held its own kind of power— A captivating paradox, a reminder that even in wrath, there can exist such a unique and captivating form of allure.

The sound of the horse's hooves clobbering against the street resounded in the silent air between the two. 

Only after a long while did he reply, his voice hushed yet clear. 

"So, does that mean I can do it if I told you about it before hand?"

"Y-you-"

She turned again, her eyes were flaring in anger, the tips of her ears were tinted red.