Blind and Bereft

Chapter 46 | The Heart Blossoms A Jade Fruit

Prince Zhanying took heavy and hesitant steps towards Jingrui. His hand shook as he reached out for her and placed his thumb over her wet cheeks, feeling her. The way he touched her was gentle, and it squeezed her heart.

"What do you look like, Bao Bao?" his voice was deprived of the usual harshness.

Her heart skipped a beat, and a torrent of pain overtook her. Perhaps it was his touch that brought the cascade of connection into her. She could feel every string of sorrow within him.

He ran his thumb across her cheek and caressed the arch of her brow. "I want to know what you look like, Bao Bao."

Jingrui felt cold, so cold that her lips trembled, and her heart froze into ice. She blinked the tears in her eyes. "D-Does it matter?" she mumbled.

Rain dripped from his hair as he lowered his gaze. "What do you mean?"

"Does it matter if you cannot cure your blindness? Does it matter if you cannot see me?"

Prince Zhanying angled his head towards the sky and a chuckle, bitter than the rain, rumbled from him like the thunder overhead. "I live for revenge, Bao Bao, and I live for bloodshed. I live, hoping in vain that I would be pulled from the abyss. Without my eyes, I am powerless. So what if I am the God of War? So what if I am a Prince? There is never anything when all that I see is a void. Without my eyes, the victory I've traded my dignity, my blood and my sanity for cannot be achieved—"

He stopped short when Jingrui let out a soft sob. Without uttering a word, she walked closer to him, and as if a force—one so powerful—pushed her courage to surface, she laid her forehead on his chest. "What are you saying?" She muttered and sniffled. "So what if you are blind? So what if you cannot see me?" she let out a subtle laugh filled with profound pain. "So what if there is never anything? Even if you have nothing, I will still admire you the most!"

The stern mask he had on wavered, but he kept himself stoic. The rain continued to fall as he stood still, breathing sharply. His arms hung by the side of his body, and his fists clenched as if he were trying to hold them back.

Salty tears and bitter rain mingled on Jingrui's face as she buried her face in his chest. "You have saved me countless times, and you are kind to me. I don't care what people may say, you are the strong and honorable God of War who has been protecting the world all this time. You have accomplished so many things without your sight, so what if you are blind? If you are blinded forever, then I . . . Then I will be your eyes!"

At her words, his chest rose and fell heavily beneath her cheek. Jingrui felt his hand run into her wet hair and she tensed up. He held the back of her head and pressed her to close the gap between them. His long sleeves enshrouded her from the cold rain. Jingrui sniffled as she relaxed and drowned herself within his intoxicating warmth, melting in his arms.

"Bao Bao. . ." he called her, his breathing heavy. "If everyone in this world could be like you, how good would life be?"

Jingrui blinked, trying to clear the glassy layers of tears in her eyes. "I am just a little humble maid, but from now on, I won't leave Your Highness' side, alright?"

His eyes wavered with a pain and the feeling that perhaps within this world he was not alone. His hold on her tightened. "Alright."

Jingrui didn't know how long they stood there by the edge of the cliff that looked out into the vast lands. And she didn't know why she was willing to give everything up for him at that moment. Within the world of survival where she had no one to lean on, he was someone who made her feel at home. He was someone she could give her whole heart to.

By the time, they pulled away from their embrace, the rain had stopped and streaks of sunlight shone from the gap between the clouds.

Prince Zhanying looked out towards the landscape below, letting a beam cast a gentle ray upon his face. "Since I cannot cure my blindness, let us retrieve the fruit for Yihuai. I shall ask the Phantom Lord of your Master, then we shall return to the Floating Abyss Palace."

She nodded and smiled, seeing him in a better spirit. She cradled his sleeves and nudged him. "Since we are already here, and you can't cure your blindness, let's just eat the fruit for good health!"

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