Chapter 139 Relapse
Everything has settled down.
The bedchamber was filled with a languid and warm atmosphere, a result of the lingering passion. Yuwen Che's breathing was steady; he had fallen into a deep sleep, a look of relaxed contentment on his face.
Su Luoxue endured the increasingly clear and intense cold pain emanating from deep within her body, and slowly and very carefully sat up. Using the faint moonlight filtering through the tent, she dressed herself piece by piece, her movements gentle and without making a sound.
Then, she sat quietly on the edge of the bed, turned to the side, her gaze lingering greedily on Yuwen Che's sleeping face. From his handsome brow bone to his tightly closed, deep eyes, to his high nose bridge and slightly pursed thin lips... she looked so carefully, so intently, as if she wanted to etch every inch of his features into her soul and carry them to the unknown shore.
She didn't know how much longer she had to live—an hour, a day, or even less? Bai Xiao didn't say, and she didn't dare ask.
Just then, Yuwen Che's thick eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes. Perhaps sensing the gaze beside him, he looked at her somewhat dazedly. Seeing her sitting neatly dressed on the edge of the bed, he subconsciously reached out and pulled her back down, letting her lie face down on his firm chest.
"Xue'er..." His voice was hoarse and languid from just waking up, and he naturally wrapped his arm around her. "What's wrong? Not going to sleep?"
Su Luoxue's cheek pressed against his warm skin, and she could clearly hear his strong and steady heartbeat. She craved that sound.
She shook her head, her hair brushing against his chin. Her voice was soft, yet carried an unusual seriousness and persistence: "It's nothing. It's just... I want to tell you many, many times."
She raised her head, gazing into his eyes in the dim light, and spoke each word clearly and slowly:
"Ache, I really, really love you."
I love you so much.
"I love you so much."
She repeated it over and over, as if trying to pour out all the unspoken words of love she had never expressed in her life. With each recitation, her heart ached more, yet her gaze grew even more tender and resolute.
Yuwen Che chuckled softly, a pleasant vibration emanating from his chest. He tightened his arms, pulling her closer into his embrace, his chin brushing against the top of her head, his voice full of affection: "I know. Silly Xue'er, I love you too. Sleep now."
He assumed this was just another of her petulant acts of seeking reassurance when she was uneasy, and didn't think deeply about the unusual solemnity in her words and... a subtle hint of farewell.
Su Luoxue didn't speak again, buried her face in his neck again, breathed in his scent, and closed her eyes.
Ah Che, if this is the last time, it would be nice to lie in your arms like this and listen to your heartbeat.
But I'm sorry, I won't be able to accompany you through the long years to come.
Please, you must take good care of yourself. Live on, for my sake too.
Just as Su Luoxue was about to linger in his arms a little longer, a strong feeling of nausea, accompanied by a metallic taste in her throat, surged up. Her face changed drastically, and she abruptly covered her mouth, breaking free from Yuwen Che's embrace and stumbling out of the bedchamber.
She rushed to a deserted corner of the outer hall, where she could no longer hold back. She leaned against a pillar and violently retched, then a mouthful of dark red blood spurted onto the ground.
She gasped for breath, looking at the glaring red on the ground, her heart turning cold.
"Ah!" A short, startled cry came from behind.
Su Luoxue turned around abruptly and saw Yuwen Hao standing not far away, holding a small wooden horse that was obviously new. He was looking at her in horror, his face pale, clearly frightened by her vomiting blood.
Su Luoxue was startled. She hurriedly wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, then quickly covered the bloodstains on the ground with a handkerchief. She forced a reassuring smile and said, "Hao'er, don't be afraid... Your mother is alright. I just... I just choked a little. Don't be afraid..."
She endured the increasing chills and cramps within her body, quickly walked to Yuwen Hao, squatted down, and looked him in the eye.
Yuwen Hao was still trembling with fear, his big eyes filled with terror and helplessness.
Seeing his timid appearance, Su Luoxue felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. She reached out and gently took his cold little hand in hers, her voice extremely gentle, yet carrying an undeniable seriousness:
“Hao’er, listen to what your mother says,” she gazed into his eyes, “Your father… he loves you, truly. He’s just… just been too tired lately, with so many things to worry about, so sometimes he might not have been able to take care of you, or he might have been a bit strict with you.”
She felt her strength rapidly draining away; she had to hurry. "Hao'er, you're a good child, the most sensible child your mother has ever seen. From now on... from now on you must be good, study hard, practice martial arts diligently, and grow up..."
She paused, suppressing the metallic taste rising in her throat again, and clearly instructed, word by word:
"Help your mother take good care of Cheng'an and Ning'er, okay? They are your younger brothers and sisters, they are still so young... You are the older brother, you must protect them, and for your mother's sake... watch them grow up safely, promise your mother, okay?"
Yuwen Hao was stunned by the overwhelming sorrow and pleading in her eyes. Although he was only seven years old, he was sensitive enough to sense that the Empress was not in a good state at the moment. Her words seemed to be conveying something extremely important.
He looked at the forced smile on the Empress's pale face, at the faint glimmer of tears in her eyes, and his young heart was filled with confusion and a strange heaviness. He nodded timidly, yet with utmost solemnity, his voice weak but clear:
"Hmm... Hao'er promises Mother... that he... he will protect his younger brother and sister."
Having received his promise, Su Luoxue felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, a genuinely relieved yet incredibly weak smile appearing on her face. She raised her hand and gently touched Yuwen Hao's head: "Good child... go find Cheng'an to play, don't... don't tell her you've seen your mother."
Yuwen Hao glanced at her hesitantly, but in the end, he picked up the little wooden horse and walked away, looking back every few steps.
Watching that small, thin figure disappear at the end of the palace path, Su Luoxue's last breath suddenly gave way, and she slumped to the ground, her back instantly soaked with cold sweat, and the scenery before her eyes began to blur.
She knew that time was running out.
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