The moonlight was covered by dark clouds and a drizzle of rain began to fall. Xiao Yi looked up at the chaotic sky and felt strange.
His black pieces were placed, and he no longer had any interest in this one-man game. The air was filled with the smell of damp earth, and he pushed the chessboard away impatiently and clapped his hands.
As soon as the voice fell, Qiao Yu walked in: "What do you want, Your Majesty?"
"Is the princess feeling better?" Xiao Yi stood up and rubbed his shoulders tiredly. He had suddenly developed a fever since Zhao Pei came back, and huddled up in a daze. Half of the house had been blown away, and no one knew what was going on now.
"The princess is still running a fever... I just gave her medicine and waited for her to sweat." Qiao Yu lowered his head, feeling a little uneasy.
"It's still burning?" Xiao Yi frowned after hearing this, took the robe from the hanger and walked out, "Why is it still burning? What does a doctor do?"
Qiao Yu followed him out of the house, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Although Xiao Yi's words were usually cold, he was always lenient to his servants. But this time, his words were filled with anger and worry.
Ziye and Ruhua sat in front of the couch, watching over the sleeping Zhaopei. Ruhua yawned repeatedly and took off the handkerchief on Zhaopei's forehead with half-closed eyes. She was shaky as if she would fall down if touched.
Ziye shook his head and whispered, "Sister Ruhua, you should go to sleep first. I'll stay here."
Ruhua raised her hazy eyes and looked at her, then looked at the woman on the couch, and rolled her eyelids: "How can that be? The lady's fever hasn't subsided yet." Her voice was as ethereal as a cloud, weak and feeble.
Midnight smiled and said, "Sister Ruhua is tired too, you should go to bed early. Don't worry, I'm here. If it doesn't work, you can come to watch over me in the second half of the night?" Ruhua laughed and said, "That's fine, I'll go and get some sleep first. I'll take your turn later."
After saying that, he tried to push the door open and leave with unsteady steps.
The door opened automatically, and she fell directly on the chest of the person who came in. She looked up angrily as if she wanted to say something, but she saw Qiao Yu's embarrassed face. She was no longer sleepy, and she stared for a long time before she realized that she was clinging to him. She blushed immediately and was at a loss: "Qiao, Brother Qiao..."
"Well, how is the princess?" Qiao Yu smiled awkwardly and looked towards the house.
Ruhua shyly raised her head and was about to answer when a man in black slowly walked in. She immediately lowered her head and stepped aside. Xiao Yi did not look at her either, his eyes were fixed on Zhao Pei the moment he came in. He walked to the couch with his hands behind his back and slowly sat down, reaching out his hand to touch her forehead.
Her forehead was burning hot, but she huddled into a ball, her lips pale.
She was sweating profusely, her face was frowning, and she seemed to be mumbling something. Xiao Yi felt a little annoyed: "Why is she still having such a fever?"
"Well... Your Majesty, if there were no special circumstances, we should have retreated tomorrow morning." Ruhua replied carefully.
Xiao Yi touched her forehead again and said calmly, "You all should go and rest."
The three of them were stunned. Qiao Yu was the first to speak: "But Your Majesty, you have to attend the morning court tomorrow. It would be nice to have these two girls here..." His voice gradually faded. Xiao Yi's cold eyes swept over him with an intimidating look: "Do I need to say it a second time?"
Qiao Yu cleared his throat and lowered his eyes. What else could he say to the powerful man in front of him? He gave Ruhua and Ziye a look, and the three of them filed out.
Xiao Yi's gaze returned to the woman on the couch. Her face was pale and bloodless, and her hair was messy and scattered on the pillow, without any softness or shine. How could she suddenly become so ill? Her brows were furrowed tighter, as if she was entangled in a nightmare.
There was another layer of sweat on her forehead, Xiao Yi shook his head helplessly to wipe the sweat off for her. However, Zhao Pei held his cold hand tightly in her sleep, tightly and tightly for fear that he would leave.
Xiao Yi felt her uneasiness and helplessness, and patted the back of her hand with his other hand as if to comfort her, but he was caught by her unexpectedly. At this moment, both of his hands were tightly held by her little hands, and he could feel the burning heat of her palms directly.
The feeling of being controlled like this was very uncomfortable, but he couldn't help it. He sighed in his heart that this was the first time he saw her so strong.
"I'm sorry... I, I will... I will definitely let you go..." These intermittent whispers slipped out of her dream. Xiao Yi was slightly stunned, not knowing whether these words were addressed to himself or others.
But as soon as she finished speaking, her hand loosened.
Xiao Yi smiled bitterly, looked at his hands that were red from being grabbed by her, and shook his head slightly.
This girl... He muttered to himself as he stared at her infinitely sad face. Suddenly, an uneasy emotion emerged in an unknown corner.
The girl was very cold and shivered constantly. Xiao Yi couldn't bear it, so he took off his outer robe, got on the couch and slowly lay down beside her, and took the opportunity to hold her in his arms.
Zhao Pei naturally leaned in his arms, actively looking for a warm place. She needed such warmth to bring her comfort, even if it was just a little bit.
"I will let you go... I promise..." Zhao Pei muttered dazedly, over and over again.
In such repeated sad thoughts, Xiao Yi's brows never relaxed. Some difficult-to-identify emotions flashed in his dark eyes.
He suddenly felt his chest was wet, and when he looked down, he saw that she was already in tears. Just like a wounded little animal, helpless and sad, all those emotions penetrated his wet clothes and went straight into his heart, and in return he was filled with tenderness, the kind of tenderness that was unfamiliar but always longed for.
With a soft sigh, he could smell the fragrance of her hair. He could not help but press his lips to the ends of her hair without any hesitation, as if this could comfort her.
Maybe he was tired or sleepy, or maybe he relaxed his guard in this soft feeling. With half closed eyes, he whispered softly: "I won't let go..." That was what he always wanted to say but didn't know how to say it. That was his obsession that suddenly arose without knowing when. Maybe it was the moment when he heard that she was pregnant, maybe it was when he chased her for thousands of miles, maybe when he saw the brightest smile on the lips of the elegant woman in red, or when he first met her... ...
The blurry night and the hazy moonlight enveloped their unclear future, but he didn't care. He wouldn't let go.
Thus, Zhao Pei heard such low, sad but sincere words in her dream. (To be continued)