Blind and Bereft

Chapter 62 | Always You

Prince Zhanying had left her in the middle of the extravagant courtyard as he went off to seek an audience with the former Emperor Yunyin. Jingrui wandered, bored, around the courtyard and slumped down at a floor table amidst the clearing.

She cupped her chin in her hands as she closed her eyes to drift off to sleep when abruptly, the sky roared. She jumped as she looked up towards the angry sky.

Was the Rain Immortal mad? Heaven was not meant to be affected by seasons or day and night, but since the former Emperor's reign, in order to have more colours in Heaven, Immortals were put in posts to control the sky.

But this was not the colour anyone desired.

The cold rain dripped against her pale skin, and as she was about to run for shelter, an enraged snarling pitched through the rain.

"Goddamn that bastard Yihuai!" The woman screamed as she stormed into the Cold Paradise Palace with trails of beautiful maidens holding umbrellas following her.

She shrieked as she stomped on the puddles of water. "I'm going to tell your father of your harassment today and see what will happen! Curse you Rain Immortal and curse you shameless, rotten asshole—" She paused when her gaze met Jingrui's.

Jingrui gulped, finally recognising who the beautiful woman was. It was none other than the radiant Goddess of Beauty, Yuetong, whom she had met during the Winter Banquet.

Jingrui suddenly felt suffocated, and she dropped on her knees. Her hanfu was soaked wet from the puddle and rain as she bowed. "Greetings, Goddess of Beauty."

Yuetong's red lips pursed as she narrowed her eyes. "Why the hell are you here?"

Jingrui swallowed. "The God of War had asked me to accompany him here—"

Yuetong rolled her eyes and snorted. "Well, well. What a familiar face." She stepped forward and peered down at her.

The other beautiful maidens followed her to shield her from the rain.

"Look at her. Her clothes are all soaking wet. Perhaps that is her way of seducing, Zhanying, what a slut!" Yuetong scrunched her nose in disgust.

The other maidens laughed and held their handkerchiefs to their red lips, muttering in agreement. Jingrui bit the seam of her lips as she looked down towards the ground, unable to utter a word. The bitter rain gnawed against her skin, making her shiver from both cold and fear.

The maidens were all so beautiful, and Jingrui could have never thought that they would hold such ugly hearts.

Yuetong laughed after seeing her tremble against the ground. "Don't even try to act pitiful, little wretch. Zhanying would never like someone like you. He may be caught in temporary lust, but the truth is, he is just playing you."

Jingrui's heart submerged into the coldest abyss, and she gulped down her tears. It wasn't until the Goddess of Beauty trampled her large heel against her hand that tears sprung from her eyes. She winced as Yuetong twisted and twirled her heel, grinding her bones.

"Someone like you should just return to the mortal world and sell yourself to men in brothels." She laughed as she peered down with eyes widened like a demon from the underworld. "Don't you ever dare have wrongful thoughts, little maid. He is the Prince of the Nine Heavens and the God of War. You are a mere lowly maid, so know your place."

Her large heel dug into her flesh, scraping her skin until blood seeped from her knuckles. She whimpered as she tried to jerk her hands away. "I have never had wrongful thoughts towards His Highness," Jingrui remarked, wincing at the excruciating pain. "I love and respect him as the God and as a servant would to her master."