Reincarnation to the Past

Chapter 39

Lì's POV

Upon returning to the capital, I had an audience with Father Emperor—not that it was a touching reunion of sorts; it was as though I was one of his many vassals, reporting to him, and not his son. No, 'how were you, son..', no 'good work, kid, I'm proud of you...', no 'welcome back'... Just a formal meeting to report the events of the war...

After that, I was sent to my residence to draw up a detailed report on the war and was given a load of administrative affairs to deal with. It got so frustrating that I just had to leave, although escaping from Bai Zou, who is a stickler for his job, is never easy. But as soon as I got a chance, I bolted, leaving behind a note that said I had gone out for a break.

I 'borrowed' a horse and sped to the capital, thankful that, since I've spent almost all my life at the battlefield, nobody in the market would recognize me. I walked around for half an hour, enjoying the freedom. Thankfully, I remembered to bring along money so I could buy some food.

It was while I was munching on a steamed bun (baozi) that Shadow woke from his slumber and spoke to me, "Master, the girl wants me to reveal your location." It wasn't hard to guess who the girl was. Yǔ ... It had been over a month since we separated and since I kind of missed that weirdo, I told Shadow to do so. After that, I roamed around in the same area, waiting for her to catch up.

I don't particularly enjoy her jumping me almost all the time, although I don't understand why. No other girl has made me feel this way, though she's not like other girls in more than one way. It isn't uncomfortable; it just makes me overly conscious. Each time she teases me, I feel odd. It's like my mind has gone into overdrive and I can't think about what to say or do or how to even act.

Yet at the same time, I notice everything about her: her smile, her scent that instantly reminds me of the sea, her blond hair that shines as bright as the sun, her blue eyes that often take a shade of green (especially when she uses her powers), her mischievous personality, the occasional sadness in her eyes that makes me want to hug her and take away all her pain...

"HUBBY!!!", I heard an exclamation just as she flung herself onto my back and wrapped her arm around my neck, making me stiffen, and the tip of my ears turn red. This is exactly what I was talking about. Why does she affect me so much???

She let go and took a few steps back with a huge grin as I turned around. "You always have such a unique way of saying 'hello'...", I say, trying to mask my feelings, smiling at the sight of her without even realizing it.

Yǔ (smirking): That's only to you though...

Me (my mind freezing for a full minute): So... What brings you to the market???

Yǔ (shrugging): Home got boring... And I needed some clothes so I... Mael, what are you doing???

As she was talking, the water dragon who had been resting lazily on her head, spread his wings and hovered in between me and Yǔ, staring straight at me as though it was sizing me up. I raised my eyebrow at the dragon wondering what it wanted. "He says you're not half bad...", Yǔ interpreted with a smirk.

Me (staring at the dragon, smiling confusedly): Well, you're pretty cute too.

Yǔ (speaking to the dragon): I don't want to tell him that...

Me (confused): Tell me what???

Yǔ (sighing, her cheeks turning pink): Umm... He says that he'll leave me to you but if you ever harm me in any way, he will hunt you down and make sure you suffer a thousand deaths...