Blood Kiss
The flickering candlelight cast a long shadow of silver glass onto the mountain of medical books and classics.
She had been guarding the desk in the Crown Prince's bedroom for three days and nights. Her fingertips had become rough from turning the pages, and her eyes were bloodshot.
The poison of the combination of "Qianji Yin" and "Zuixian San" is rarely recorded in ancient books. The imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital were helpless. The Empress Dowager sent people to inquire about it every day. She could only search for a glimmer of hope in these dusty books, like looking for a needle in a haystack.
The prince on the bed had woken up at some point.
He didn't say anything, but simply propped himself up and quietly looked at Yin Li with his unfathomable black eyes.
Yin Li only came into his sight when she happened to look up.
His gaze was so focused, with an almost greedy possessiveness, that she froze, and the medical book in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud".
"Your Highness, you're awake?" Yin Li hurriedly got up, bent down to pick up the book, but her heart was pounding like a rabbit.
He didn't answer, but just watched her busy figure, his voice low and hoarse: "Did you find it?"
"Not...not yet." Yin Li hugged the medical book she had picked up to her chest, not daring to look him in the eye again. "But I found out that 'Tethering Inducing' requires 'Ice Silkworm Flower' from the Western Regions as a catalyst, which might alleviate the poison, but this flower is too rare..."
"Rare?" He sneered, suddenly threw off the covers, and despite his weakness, walked step by step to her.
His dragon-patterned nightgown hung loosely, revealing his pale and slender neck, but his eyes burned with a fanatical flame: "If you want it, I can pluck the stars from the sky for you."
Yin Li was startled and took a step back, her back hitting the cold bookshelf. "Your Highness, you are not fully recovered and need to rest."
"Rest?" He reached out, his fingertips gently tracing her cheek, the touch as light as a feather, yet his eyes were terrifyingly sinister. "In your heart, am I just a patient who needs rest? Yin Li, why do you always look at me with fear? Am I going to eat you?"
His fingertips were icy cold, the touch sending shivers down Yin Li's spine. She tried to pull away, but he grabbed her wrist and pinned her firmly to the bookshelf. "Your Highness, please let me go!"
"Let you go?" He chuckled softly, leaning close to her ear, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe, carrying a faint medicinal scent and a hint of ambergris. "You are mine, and no one can take you away. Not even He Mo...."
The moment He Mo's name was mentioned, his eyes turned fierce, and the grip on her wrist tightened dramatically, causing her to almost cry from the pain.
"Your Highness, Lord He Mo and I are just friends, there is nothing more to our relationship!"
"Friends?" He clearly didn't believe her, and with his other hand he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Then why do you smile at him? Why is there less fear in your eyes when you're with him? Yin Li, you can only smile at me, you can only look at me!"
His obsession drove Yin Li to despair. She knew he didn't mean to hurt her; he just didn't know how to love.
In this deep palace, everyone feared and respected him, but she, because of the Empress Dowager's orders, stayed by his side day and night, feeding him medicine and wiping his body. Perhaps in his eyes, she was the only warm light in this cold palace.
But he twisted this warmth into possession.
"Your Highness, please calm down. You've been poisoned; you can't get too emotional," Yin Li said, trying to soothe him despite the pain.
His gaze softened slightly, as if he remembered his physical condition. But he didn't let go of her; instead, he moved even closer, their noses almost touching: "I can't calm down, Yinli. Just thinking about the possibility of you leaving me makes me want to lock you up and keep you by my side forever."
As he spoke, he made a gesture as if to lower his head. Yin Li closed her eyes in fright, her body trembling violently. Just then, her foot slipped, she lost her balance, and she and he fell backward together.
With a "bang," the back of her head hit the bookshelf, the pain making her vision go black, and her lips were bitten raw by her teeth in the panic.
And he happened to be on top of her, his lips meeting hers perfectly.
The strong smell of blood instantly filled their mouths.
The crown prince was stunned, his eyes wide open, filled with shock and panic, seemingly not expecting such a thing to happen.
His body stiffened instantly, and even his breathing stopped. Their eyes met, and they both saw terror in each other's eyes.
He didn't do it on purpose... he was probably just overwhelmed by drugs and emotions.
At this absurd moment, a series of neat and solemn footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall, followed by the high-pitched announcement of a eunuch: "The Emperor has arrived—The Empress has arrived—The Empress Dowager has arrived—"
The blessing ceremony has begun!
Yin Li's heart leaped into her throat, and despair overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.
She and the Crown Prince lay on the ground, disheveled, with bloodstains on their lips. If the Emperor and his men were to see them, she wouldn't be able to explain herself even if she had a hundred mouths!
The crown prince finally came to his senses, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.
He didn't get up immediately, but instead pressed her down even harder, whispering in her ear with a hint of anger lingering after the shock: "Don't make a sound, and don't move!"
Yin Li trembled with fear and could only close her eyes tightly, praying that the nightmare would end soon.
She knew that from this moment on, she had completely fallen into the trap he had set, and there was no way to escape. And his twisted obsession with her would only grow deeper and deeper.
The footsteps grew closer, and Yin Li's heart tightened. She didn't know where the strength came from, but she quickly hid in the nearby cabinet.
It seems so, the wardrobe.
Yin Li huddled in the wardrobe in the Crown Prince's bedroom, the cramped space making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
Outside the wardrobe, the emperor and empress's voices came clearly, carrying the concern and authority of parents.
"My son, are you feeling better? The imperial physician said your poison is dangerous, so you need to rest well." The Empress's voice was gentle, but she couldn't hide her worry.
Yin Li could imagine the Crown Prince's current appearance; he would, as usual, feign calm and indifferent. Sure enough, the Crown Prince's voice rang out, carrying a hint of deliberate composure: "Thank you for your concern, Mother. I am much better now."
"It's good that you're much better." The emperor's voice was steady and strong. "I heard you've been staying in your bedchamber these past few days, not letting anyone disturb you. Are you contemplating state affairs?"
The Crown Prince paused, seemingly surprised by the Emperor's question. Yin Li held her breath and peeked out through the gap in the wardrobe.
The prince stood in the center of the room, his hands behind his back, his posture upright.
But his eyes were somewhat unfocused, not as sharp as usual, but instead carrying a hint of the panic unique to young people.
He opened his mouth, then stammered, "Yes... Your subject... Your subject is thinking about some things."
The emperor raised an eyebrow, clearly noticing something was wrong: "Oh? What are you thinking about? Why don't you tell me?"
The prince's face flushed instantly, like a student who couldn't answer a question posed by a teacher.
He scratched his head, his eyes darting around, and couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time: "It's just... it's just some things about... about people's livelihood."
The Empress couldn't help but laugh: "You child, you're still the same as when you were little, you can't speak when you're nervous."
"Alright, Your Majesty, the child has just recovered; don't pressure him anymore."
The emperor smiled, his tone softening considerably: "Alright, alright. As long as you take good care of your health, that's more important than anything else. Your mother and I will have a master perform a ritual for you in front of the palace. You just need to rest quietly. Your mother and I will not disturb your rest any longer."
After saying this, the emperor and empress turned and left.
The room finally quieted down.
Yin Li breathed a sigh of relief and was about to come out of the wardrobe when she saw the Crown Prince still standing there, head down, looking both angry and annoyed.
His shoulders slumped slightly, his usual aloofness and indifference gone, replaced by the look of a wronged young man. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his jade-like figure and revealing a hint of vulnerability.
It looks a bit like a Pekingese dog with its fur stroked.
Yin Li's heart softened suddenly.
She had always known that the Crown Prince was pitiful. He had grown up amidst the intrigue and treachery of the palace, his mother had died early, and his father was busy with state affairs, so few people truly cared about him.
The reason he has become so paranoid and sinister is simply because he is afraid of losing and being abandoned.
Just now, in front of the Emperor and Empress, he stammered and acted helplessly. He had no trace of the dignity of a Crown Prince; he was clearly just an ordinary boy.
At that moment, Yin Li suddenly realized that he wasn't some terrifying yandere, but just a child who longed for love but didn't know how to love.
She gently pushed open the wardrobe door and came out.
Hearing the noise, the Crown Prince abruptly looked up and saw Yin Li. The panic in his eyes was instantly replaced by wariness: "You... how did you get out?"
Yin Li looked at him with a complicated expression: "Your Highness, I just... overheard your conversation with the Emperor and Empress."
The prince's face instantly turned bright red, as if his secret had been exposed. He said angrily, "So what if you heard me? Who told you to hide in the closet!"
"I didn't mean to," Yin Li said softly. "The Emperor and Empress suddenly came in just now, and I didn't have time to dodge, so I had to hide inside."
The crown prince fell silent, looking at Yin Li with a gradually softening gaze.
After a long while, he said in a low voice, "Wasn't that... ridiculous?"
Yin Li shook her head: "No, I think...it's cute."
The crown prince was stunned, clearly not expecting her to say that. He looked at Yin Li, a hint of confusion and a barely perceptible tenderness flashing in his eyes.
He slowly approached Yin Li, his steps hesitant, as if confirming something.
The sunlight outlined a golden silhouette behind him, and his gaze was focused and intense, as if the whole world had shrunk to just the person in front of him.
But just as he was only a step away from Yin Li, almost able to feel the warmth of her breath, his body, due to youthful vigor and the intense emotional fluctuations just now, produced an uncontrollable physiological reaction.
The prince's pupils contracted sharply, the color drained from his face instantly, and then a deeper flush rose up, spreading from his cheeks to his ears.
He instinctively reached out to cover it, but as soon as he raised his hand halfway, he felt that doing so would only make it more obvious.
He froze on the spot, at a loss, his eyes darting around in a panic, unable to look Yin Li in the eye.
“Your Highness, you…” Yin Li quickly noticed something was wrong. She glanced down at him and her cheeks instantly turned hot, like a boiled shrimp.
She hurriedly lowered her head, clutching the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands, her heart pounding as if it were about to explode, unsure of what to say to break the awkward silence.
The crown prince wished he could disappear from the spot immediately. He never imagined that he would appear in such a disheveled state in front of Yin Li.
This was even more embarrassing than not being able to answer a question in front of the emperor. He took a step back abruptly, his hands tightly clasped behind his back, his body trembling slightly with nervousness. At the same time, he tried to sound calm, but his voice betrayed his undisguised panic as he said, "I...I still have memorials to review. You can leave now!"
Looking at his desperate attempt to hide his true feelings yet his utter helplessness, Yin Li felt both amused and inexplicably heartbroken.
She nodded, not daring to look at him again, turned and quickly left the bedchamber, gently closing the door behind her, giving the Crown Prince some space to be alone.
Watching Yin Li's departing figure, the Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief as if he had been granted a pardon, but was immediately overwhelmed by immense disappointment and regret.
He walked to the bedside, lay down abruptly, and covered his head tightly with the blanket like an ostrich.
He pounded his fist on the bed in frustration, cursing himself inwardly: "You're so useless! How could you make such a fool of yourself in front of her!"
Meanwhile, Yin Li, who had just left the bedchamber, leaned against the cold wall, still feeling her heart pounding.
Recalling the Crown Prince's embarrassed appearance just now, her cheeks still burned, and she couldn't help but cover her face with her hands, yet the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. Perhaps, this seemingly gloomy and obsessive sickly prince also had an unknown, adorable, and pitiful side.
The moon shines quietly in the palace, and so does she.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
