"You know what I mean!"
Yaohu smiled as he stepped closer, leaning his back against a tree while slipping an arm around her waist, towering easily over the petite woman whose face scrunched slightly at his touch.
He looked at her softly.
"Honestly, isn't it tiring to wait for a man who does not even care enough to take your first?"
She sighed, tried to leave his arms, then gave up when she noticed the difference in strength. He was stronger. She had methods she could use to leave, but she did not try those.
Her shoulders dropped.
"What do you want?"
"Damn, defeated that easily? I thought royals were harder nuts to crack."
She looked away. "...I really am not cut out for a life like this, murder is not something I can do. I can't handle scheming like Yulan and the others, I just can't."
"Don't tell me…" His face turned cold. "Have you not punished the eunuchs for barging into your room yet?"
Not one was killed?
She looked away again.
Yaohu sighed.
Even the eunuchs earlier were still alive. They hadn't been reported, they hadn't been punished.
She just was not cut out for this.
"I… couldn't do it," she said softly.
"Mercy to your enemies is cruelty upon yourself, Nian."
Shu Niane'r became even more timid. He put a hand on her head.
She was just a pitiful woman under her fancy clothes, someone pure of heart and intent, made into a husk of her own self by the cruel royal world.
Yaohu shook his head and said sternly, "In the end, you don't fit the royal mold. And that's not a bad thing, it's a good thing. That means you are a human being with humanity."
"...eh, is that how it is?"
He said even more certainly: "I wouldn't have felt so attracted to someone who could really murder someone who they were in bed with just an hour or so ago. You are just bark and no bite, I could tell that by the way you were moving.
"You couldn't have killed me anyway. Real killers don't act expressionless and cold when they are about to do it, they are often just smiling or vibrant. You are not a killer. Your hands are not meant to harm, but to soothe. And I like that about you. A lot."
She stared at him in disbelief. Could someone be so analytical and flirty at once?
"Anyway, you are much cuter like this." He pinched her nose. "Exactly the type of woman I want to have a family with."
She stared at him in irritation, her eyes turning somewhat moist.
"Oh, did I hit a nerve?"
Nobody truly wanted her for who she was.
She was just a useless village girl with nothing to offer other than her beauty. Nobody, absolutely nobody, truly wanted to build a family or anything of the sort with her.
She was just a trophy in an emperor's collection.
Her beauty was all she was worth.
"You are not funny!" she exclaimed.
"I am at least honest, unlike you, who wants to cry for some reason but is holding herself back."
She hit his stomach with a semi-strong fist while small tears finally began leaking down her cheeks. He immediately wrapped his hand tightly around her, pulling her face into his chest.
She stared at him, face red as her tears slowly became a rivulet she couldn't stop.
"Go away," she said.
He smiled. "We are in this together anyway, Nian'er, might as well share some of the troubles you couldn't tell anyone with me. Stress is not good for the skin, you know?"
She hesitated, then sighed and let his hand be.
It felt surprisingly good and strong. She had tried to leave, but it was not that easy. He had a pretty strong body. And at least, he was much better spoken and better looking than that middle-aged emperor.
And he was her own age. Young like her.
He felt like a peer.
More than anything—
Tears dripped down her cheek onto his chest.
—he was warm.
It had been a long time since she had touched someone this warm. The capital was lonely, the palace was lonelier, her bedroom was hell.
Her heart was long an icy field that has forgotten how to love.
This felt refreshing.
They both slowly slumped against the tree, her body deeply sunken into his arms.
"I was never a willing participant of this imperial harem, you know?" she said, leaning against him, sniffling. "I was forced into this by my family. They needed more money to let my brother become a great cultivator. I would have much rather preferred to have a normal married life with a family, like you said. But I could only become smart and a bit ruthless to survive in this hell."
He frowned, his own gut twisting in distaste.
What a disgusting family.
"...bastard family!" he said with real loathing. "Don't even call them that."
She chuckled. "You haven't heard anything big they did yet."
"I am all ears."
She leaned into his chest.
And for once in her life, in the space of her own hidden dimension, she spoke her heart out. The story of how she was once almost sold as a slave, how she was nearly killed by starvation, and how she was made to eat food from the trash. She hadn't spoken like this to anyone in her life before, and each word felt like a burden out of her chest.
And his replies, always comforting and understanding, made her fall deeper and deeper into his arms.
Her tears leaked without restraint.
Yaohu became more and more sympathetic toward her as they went on as well. Despite his agenda, he couldn't help but think that he had to treat her well.
Shu Nian'er, the beauty, was just a young girl at heart. A young girl who could not control her own fate, a girl who had long been isolated from everything else.
She truly was pitiful.
Meanwhile, she became more and more comfortable with his touch. It did not matter that he caressed her face; it did not matter that he kissed her forehead.
It was all warm.
It did not matter even if he betrayed her later, as long as she could die warmly.
She had long thought about suicide.
Enough times to make death not scary.
She kissed his chest.
They spoke. Spoke. And spoke.
And as they spoke, the space between them became smaller and smaller.
Soon, she herself was surprised as his lips slowly hovered over hers. It made her pause, stare at his eyes accusingly.
"Only this once," she whispered.
Then, she let go.
His tongue entered her mouth, and their tongues coiled around each other.
Was this what a kiss felt like?
Her worries and sadness were conveyed without any talking. His willingness to hear, understand her, despite his chivalrous attitude, was also conveyed.
Even though he was just rushing her a bit, he did not take her for a fool or as a tool.
She melted into his arms.
His hand moved into her clothes, easily removing them one by one.
The kiss parted.
Then they moved to each other's necks, kissing with immense passion.
As he passionately kissed and bit her neck, her last fabrics were quickly laid on the ground, and her erect nipples were brought to his mouth and fingers.
"Aah…"
Her soft sighs filled the air as her body hummed with desire. Yaohu's lips brushed down her skin, slow and teasing, his hands wandering over her curves, sparking tingling wherever he touched.
When he reached her sweet spot, he didn't hold back. His kisses were deep, hungry, tasting her with a fervor that made her quiver. She held his head there, moaning. He explored her with care, drawing out gasps and shivers until she was lost in a haze of pleasure, her voice breaking with need.
"Oh… yes, there," she murmured, her breath shaky.
Her words lit a fire in him, and as she melted into his touch, his own desire flared. He slipped off the last of his clothes, pressing himself close, his warmth teasing her skin.
Then, he pushed in.
"More… please, I need more."
Hnggg.
"Look at me," he said softly, his voice low and full of want.
Her eyes, cloudy with bliss, met his, and she nodded, completely his in that moment. He moved slowly at first, easing into her with gentle care.
A quick wince crossed her face as a sharp sting hit, but his steady gaze held her.
"Just look at me."
She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging tight, her eyes locked on his.
"Breathe," he murmured. "Just let go."
She let out a slow breath, her body softening under him. He moved with her, starting gently to let her settle, then picking up speed as she relaxed into him.
The initial ache faded, replaced by a warm rush that had her pressing closer.
"Faster," she whispered, her voice trembling with want.
Their bodies found a rhythm, the sound of their closeness mixing with her soft moans under the night sky. Her legs curled around him, pulling him deeper as he found every spot that made her gasp.
"Oh… It's too much," she breathed, her body shaking with the intensity.
He turned her gently, his chest warm against her back, his hands grazing her skin as he kissed her neck. Their movements blended instinct and closeness, each motion pulling them deeper into each other.
"Something's… coming!" she gasped, her body tightening as a wave of pleasure crashed over her.
She let out a soft cry, lost in it, and he followed, the moment leaving them both breathless.
As they caught their breath, he brushed her hair back and kissed her sweaty forehead.
She looked super damn cute.
"You're mine now. Always."
She hit his chest, gasping. "Say that in front of the emperor."
He chuckled and exchanged another deep kiss.
Then, he held her close until she drifted into a warm, dreamy haze.
He wrapped his hand around her and walked into the room where they had their first. It was her room, and once locked, no one would really dare to barge in again. Not after they messed up once.
In the grand, soft bed, he laid down with her sleeping like a sloth in his arms.
She was super damn soft.
I will check the rewards once I wake up; my head is a bit too taut after everything, but a nap should get me ready.
And he liked sleeping like this.
They both slept like babies—and he truly did sleep like that, because he was nibbling on a pair of mommy milkers as he slept. And she was rubbing his head gently as if to comfort him.
Anyway, it was bliss.