Blind and Bereft

Chapter 23 | Aftermaths

Jingrui opened her eyes to an unfamiliar room. Her mind was obscured, and the suffocating jiu⁶ smell from within the room didn't make it any better. Since she was young, she hated the smell of medicine the most because it often smelt like the weeds lit in brothels. Sneezing hard, she jolted up straight.

Her throat jarred with sharp pain, and she coughed. "Water," she croaked out, her voice scraping out of her throat.

A person handed her a cup of medicine soup, and she gulped it down, thinking it to be water. The bitter taste lingered on her tongue, making her want to spit out all that she had swallowed. She snapped her gaze up at the person, ready to censure out with complaints, but instantly her voice was trapped in her throat.

Prince Zhanying held a taunting smile as his brows arched up, daring her to complain.

She swallowed down all her fury and gave him a weak smile. "Greetings, Your Highness."

"Are you not going to get out of bed to bow to me in accordance with etiquette?" he asked as he lifted the lid of the incense burner up. Feeling the smell was beginning to fade, he jabbed a stick into the ashes, and the smell of medicine thickened in the air.

She coughed again and waved her hand to clear the smell. "Where am I?"

Prince Zhanying didn't look at her as he dropped the lid of the burner closed with a loud clunk. "My chamber."

Jingrui blinked several times as she scanned her eyes around her surroundings. She was lounging on a bed with golden gossamer curtains hanging from the bedposts and several delicate tapestries lining the walls. Then her eyes returned to the Prince who stood in an unshackled garment, his dark hair hanging loosely before her. Her breathing grew profuse as she leapt to the edge of the bed, ready to panic.

"Don't be alarmed," he told her with nonchalance etching across his face. "I have no interest in doing anything to you."

Jingrui fixed her messy garment and hair. "How long have I been out?"

"Three days."

Jingrui hit her head with her fist. "Then why didn't Your Highness wake me?"

His brows raised. "I was the one who knocked you out, so why would I wake you up?"

"Your Highness. . ." Jingrui closed her eyes, trying to clear the clouds in her head. "Your Highness knocked me out?"

"You cried too much, my ears could not take it."

Jingrui felt warmth take over her cheeks. Had she really cried in front of the God of War? Judging from his expression, she must have done something absurd during her unconscious state. She knew she had always acted out of control when she was sick, but did she really lose her cool in front of a prince?

"Then why didn't you leave me to cry to death in my own room?" she asked.

At this, his lips curled. "I had wanted to leave you to cry to death, but if you die, who would serve me?" He ran his hand into his dark hair, brushing it behind his shoulders. "Besides, reasonably speaking, what a rare chance it is to find someone daring enough to take the initiative with me. Naturally, I'd keep you here out of curiosity."

Jingrui listened to his distorted reasonings and wondered how the God of War, who specialised in devising tactics for an army, could be so irrational.

He chuckled, seeing her ambivalence. "Do you doubt my reasonings?"

Jingrui was immediately snapped out of her thoughts, and she shook her head. "I'm only an Earthly Immortal, I don't dare doubt the mind of a high deity such as the God of War. Your Highness is well-versed with reasons, I would never doubt you." A hint of unintended sarcasm laced in her tone.

"That's well." He nodded slowly before taking a step closer to her. His figure towered over her form. "Now, tell me, who hurt you?"

Jingrui raised her brows as she didn't expect him to be interested in pursuing who had hurt her. She rubbed her forehead, uncertain whether she should tell him. It was partially her fault for straying into the Golden Alleyway. If she were to tell him, he would reprimand her with crude words, butchering her to pieces. Besides, if she considered ranks, although the God of War held a prestigious position, he was still no match for the Heavenly Emperor.

Prince Zhanying's tall shadow pressured her to speak, and she bit the seam of her lip. "Does it matter?"

He inhaled deeply and glanced away from her. "Tell me."

Jingrui pressed her lips into a thin line. "I ran into Emperor Yihuai. . ."

A sigh left his parted lips. "As expected."

"So you had already known?"

"I have never been on good terms with my brother."

Jingrui nodded. No wonder the Heavenly Emperor had punished her straight away after hearing that she was a maid from the Floating Abyss Palace. And here she thought she was safe as long as she lived under the protection of the God of War.

"Today, I am invited to the Heavenly Winter Banquet," Prince Zhanying stated, suddenly altering the topic. "You will serve me as my maid."

Jingrui's jaw dropped. There was no way she wanted to meet the Heavenly Emperor again after their last torturous encounter. She touched her forehead and whimpered. "My head is aching, and my body is burning in pain, I don't think I can serve. . ." She paused when the Prince held up her jade knot. Her face paled, and slowly, she let out a sheepish smile. "I mean, it is my privilege to serve Your Highness!"

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