Chapter 82: Love is a Disease
Ru Yi’s heart hammered against her ribs, her entire body hot and heavy when Yexue cupped her face.
Yexue’s question echoed deep in her mind, bouncing off the walls of her darkest thoughts. What would it be like to be completely hers?
So far she was the only triplet that treated her with basic human decency. Whether it was saving her from the pervert at the market, or making sure she was comfortable at all times.
Between kidnapping her from the palace and helping with her hair that morning...Ru Yi wasn’t sure when the indifference she felt for Yexue turned into something warm.
When she’d been injured and on the brink of falling apart, the first person she’d thought about was...Yexue. And she really was always taking care of her.
Her breath hitched when Yexue leaned closer.
"Breathe..." Yexue muttered in a voice soft enough to melt the hardest of all hearts. "Can you do that for me?"
Ru Yi inhaled shakily.
Since when did she like being told what to do?
Yexue tightened her hold. "Good girl."
Ru Yi felt something hot and needy shoot to the bottom of her stomach. Suddenly all she could see, hear, feel, and touch was Yexue.
There was something divinely intimate about the hunger deep in Yexue’s eyes before she finally dipped her head and claimed Ru Yi’s lips for hers.
Everything around them exploded the moment their lips touched, a comical transfer of something deeper than breath.
Warmth spread through Ru Yi almost instantly, subtle at first, then stronger—like heat returning to limps that had gone cold. The sharp edge of the pain on Ru Yi’s side dulled completely.
The two of them looked disheveled when they pulled back, their expressions uncontrolled.
It was Yexue that spoke first, breaking the silence that had wrapped its bosom around them. "That should be enough to have you healed by morning." Her voice came out as a breathy whisper as she struggled to keep her primal urge to devour in check.
"Thanks?" Ru Yi was unsure what she was grateful for, her eyes dazed and unfocused.
"I’ll talk to Madam Xiao so you can sleep here for the night," Yexue said, reluctance in her tone. "Have you had dinner yet?"
Ru Yi shook her head. "I don’t have an appetite." For food.
With deep regret Yexue stood up. "Get some rest while I check in with the others. Don’t worry about being up early in the morning. I’ll let Madam Lin know you’re not coming in."
"Thank you," Ru Yi muttered, not wanting Yexue to leave yet. "Can you stay until I fall asleep?"
Yexue nodded so fast her head threatened to give way. "Sure."
Instead of sitting on the bed, she opted for the floor. She couldn’t trust herself not to finish what she’d started with Ru Yi.
"What were you like as a child?" Ru Yi asked quietly.
Yexue laughed. "I was a menace, always disturbing the older ladies in court. For the most part I kept looking for my mother in everyone around me. Sometimes I feel like it’s a habit I carried with me into adulthood."
Ru Yi nodded. "I know that feeling. We all just want people that genuinely care about us."
Yexue smiled, but it was sad. "You won’t get any sleep if we keep talking."
"But I like talking to you," Ru Yi blurted out.
"You can talk to me tomorrow." Yexue stood up, walked over to the bed and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. "Have a good rest."
-
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The cold night breeze hit Yexue in the face immediately as she stepped outside. Madam Xiao had agreed to let Ru Yi have her room. Which was good, because Yexue didn’t want her sleeping on the cold ground.
She found Lieyin exactly where she expected her to be.
Leaning against one of the outer pillars, arms crossed, staring out into the darkness like nothing happened.
Yexue didn’t speak.
She walked straight up to her, drew her arm back...and hit Lieyin square in the face. Hard.
Lieyin’s head snapped to the side, the impact echoing in the quiet night. For a moment, none of them moved.
Then Lieyin straightened slowly, wiping the trace of blood from the corner of her lip with her thumb. "You still punch like a child."
Yexue’s eyes were cold. "What did you say to her?"
Lieyin gave her a wicked smile. "You’d have to be specific. There are a lot of females around here."
Yexue grabbed the collar of Lieyin’s robe, shaking her. "Don’t play with me! Why did you make her think she was better off dead."
"I mean..." Lieyin looked at Yexue’s wrist. "She has you punching me in the middle of the night. Maybe I wasn’t completely wrong."
The air between them tightened.
"Watch your tongue! If you have nothing nice to say to her, then shut it!"
Lieyin’s eyes darkened slightly. "How about you control yourself before I do it for you."
She let out a short, humorless breath when Yexue released her. "The problem is you care too much for an ordinary maid." She narrowed her eyes. "Or, is there something else going on between you two?"
Yexue immediately felt at a loss for words. "Stay away from her!"
Lieyin’s gaze sharpened. "No."
The answer came just as quickly.
"What do you mean by no?" Yexue asked.
"I mean exactly what I said. No." She moved closer to Yexue. "In case you’ve forgotten, she currently has my energy inside of her. We’re bound in more ways than one."
Yexue almost exploded in anger. "I don’t care if your life’s essence is deep in her. You will stay completely away from her."
Lieyin smiled even though Yexue looked dangerously close to punching her again. "Don’t tell me you’ve fallen in love with her?"
Yexue looked away.
"Wait...you’ve actually..." Lieyin couldn’t keep her laughter in. "Falling for a mere maid is a new low, even for you."
"I’m not in love with her!" Yexue yelled. "Why does it even matter to you?"
Lieyin’s expression immediately turned serious. "Because love is a disease for people like us. The earlier you deal with your feelings, the better for everyone involved."
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