Free Web NovelChapter 15: A drunk prince
Ru Yi laid down in bed that night, the letter burning holes into her palms. She couldn’t get herself to hand it over to the intended recipient.
Princess Lin Yuexin was already sure to marry the crown prince. Their wedding was in less than five nights. How was she to convince the princess otherwise?
No—
How was Ru Yi supposed to give up her chance at freedom for someone else’s love story? No matter how much she thought about it, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She wasn’t that selfless. Didn’t want to be.
The sound of feet shuffling right outside Ru Yi’s door had her bolting up from the thin mattress. Was Shen Yexue here to make sure she’d delivered her love letter?
"Who’s there?" she asked in a shaky voice.
A lot more shuffling and Crown prince Zhao Chen burst into the room with a parcel in his hand.
Ru Yi sprang to her feet, instinctively backing away. "What are you doing here?" she asked, alarmed. "Your highness..." she added when he said nothing.
"You’ve been avoiding me?" It was more an accusation than a question. "Do you not love me anymore?"
He stumbled forward and that was when Ru Yi smelt the alcohol on his breath. She stopped herself from gagging.
"You shouldn’t be here," she said, putting more distance between them until her back hit the wall. "You should go."
"Why?" Zhao Chen tried to stand upright but only fell to the ground. "Have you fallen out of love with me? Are the rumors getting to you? You never cared about what they said before."
Ru Yi almost rolled her eyes, this was the last thing she needed to deal with. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
"I’ll be in trouble if anyone finds you here." Ru Yi looked around, like Bai He was hiding somewhere—waiting for her to mess up so she could punish her again.
"Why?" he pouted like a child. "It doesn’t even matter, we’re leaving tonight!"
"I’m not going anywhere with you." Ru Yi planted her hands on her waist. "I suggest you go back to your residence and sleep the alcohol off.
Zhao Chen thrust the parcel in his hand towards her. "I got your favorite candy off a merchant I found in the market. I don’t know why you’re upset with me but we can talk about it."
Ru Yi took a deep breath. "I’m not upset with you."
"Then why..." he stretched an arm out. "Why won’t you even look at me? Have I turned hideous in your eyes?"
Ru Yi had to remind herself that Zhao Chen only knew the version of her that was deeply in love with him.
She bent down so she was at eye level with him and touched the side of his face. "You need to forget about me."
Even though she wasn’t in love with him, she couldn’t deny how attractive he was, especially with his big brown eyes staring at her.
"But I love you, how can I possibly live without you?" He leaned into her touch. "I’ll rather die than spend a day without you by my side."
Ru Yi watched a tear slip out from the corner of his eyes and it made hers start to cloud with unshed emotions.
What a gift it would be to be loved by a man like him. She was starting to understand why Ru Yi from the book had been willing to lay down her life for his devotion.
"I don’t know why you’re angry with me but I’m sorry. I just want to spend my life with you and our child..." his voice broke at the end. "Tell me what I did wrong and I’ll fix it."
The tears were falling freely down his cheeks.
Ru Yi used her thumb to wipe them off, her heart suddenly feeling heavy. The only way to fix everything would be to elope with him but she couldn’t—
It was everyone’s heart versus hers...
Slowly Zhao raised his hand and put it on her stomach, touching it like it was the most precious thing in the world.
Ru Yi swallowed hard. "Zhao Chen, listen to me carefully..." She was about to break his heart and his dreams of raising a family with her.
Zhao Chen nodded eagerly.
"I’m not pregnant." Ru Yi held her breath as she watched the different emotions that played out on his face. "We’re not having a child."
"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion, pressing his hand into her stomach. "I felt it that day. You said you wanted a boy that had my eyes."
Ru Yi closed her eyes briefly. "We were both wrong."
Zhao Chen pressed his face into her palm. "Don’t say such hurtful words. I’ve never known you to be cruel..."
It wasn’t until he put his fingers on her cheek that Ru Yi realized she was crying.
"We can leave right now, I’ve prepared everything. That’s why I haven’t come to see you these past days. But I’m ready now..." he put his hands on both sides of her face. "Come with me, my sweet Ru Yi. I’ll make you the happiest woman to ever grace this earth."
This was a pivotal moment for Ru Yi—
She could leave with him, pay the debt she owed Shen Yexue and the triplets would take over the throne with no bloodshed.
But, Zhao Chen deserved someone that would genuinely return his feelings. And most of all, she couldn’t spend the rest of her life living a lie.
"I don’t love you anymore." Ru Yi saw the exact moment something in him cracked.
"What?"
Her voice was stronger this time. "I don’t love you anymore."
"You’re lying! Did the empress put you up to this?" Anger flashed in his eyes. "Is it because of the princess? I told you I have no feelings for her."
Zhao Chen pulled her close. "Let me show you how much I love you..."
He tried to kiss her but Ru Yi was quick to move her face away. "What do you think you’re doing?"
Even while drunk he easily overpowered her. "Don’t leave me..." he kissed her shoulder, her neck.
Ru Yi tried to free herself but he was too strong. "Get off me!" She pushed him but he wouldn’t budge.
Zhao Chen was all over her in his drunken state.
She was about to hit him in the face when she suddenly felt his weight lifted off her. His body was strewn across the room.
"Who—"
Ru Yi looked up, her gaze immediately looking onto Shen Qingyue.
"What are you doing here?" Ru Yi rose to her feet, casting a quick glance at Zhao Chen who laid on the floor unmoving.
"I believe the word should be thank you." Shen Qingyue looked unimpressed. "Why did you refuse him?"
"Huh?"
Shen Qingyue rolled her eyes. "Don’t you think it’s a little too late to be playing hard to get. You’ve been all over him since his engagement, why stop now?"
Ru Yi scratched the back of her head. "There was just a misunderstanding, I don’t feel that way for him anymore."
Something dangerous flashed in Shen Qingyue’s eyes. She took a step closer, forcing Ru Yi to retreat until the curve of her back hit the wall.
"Is that how fleeting your feelings are?" she asked in a dismissive tone.
"Oh–no. It’s just...I don’t want to disrupt the royal wedding. I’m very sorry for the way I behaved in the past but it won’t happen again."
Ru Yi was pretty sure she was rambling, but something about the woman in front of her made her completely nervous, more so than her sisters.
Shen Qingyue reached for Ru Yi’s robe in the blink of an eye and pulled out the letter. "What is this?"
"No..." Ru Yi’s eyes widened in alarm. "You can’t read that!"
Shen Qingyue tore through the paper like she hadn’t heard a word she said. "Are you exchanging letters with a secret lover?"
Ru Yi’s face was pure red with embarrassment. "No, it’s not mine."
She tried to snatch it from Shen Qingyue but only managed to trip and push them both to the floor.
They landed in a heap with Ru Yi on top of Shen Qingyue.
"I’m so sorry," Ru Yi muttered in alarm, scrambling to get up.
"Watch your hands," Shen Qingyue said through gritted teeth. She looked down at her chest when Ru Yi gave her a confused look.
Ru Yi followed Shen Qingyue’s gaze only to see that her hands were on Shen Qingyue’s chest, right on her breast plate.
She immediately removed her hands like they’d been burned but that only caused her to fall back—this time with her lips landing directly on Shen Qingyue’s.
