Free Web NovelChapter 102: Chapter 102: Baring His Heart, I Hurt Too
It felt a little rough, not as smooth as a woman’s chin.
Ji Qingwu’s luminous eyes were fixed on him, her delicate fingertip still resting on the side of his face. She seemed to be studying his reaction, trying to judge whether he was in pain.
Her full, red lips drew ever closer.
Emperor Wu Su tilted his head down slightly, his gaze fixed on her.
Ji Qingwu’s hair had been tied up high this morning, which, along with her crimson riding habit, gave her a dashing, heroic air. But after the day’s ordeal, the hairdo had come loose and was now disheveled.
After being pulled onto Emperor Wu Su’s galloping horse, several strands had slipped loose from her temples. They now framed her face, making her look all the more delicate and lovely.
As she spoke, a few stray locks of hair drifted onto her lips and clung there.
Emperor Wu Su raised a hand and tucked the mischievous strand behind her ear.
She felt the pad of the Emperor’s thumb graze her cool, full lips before coming to rest on the tender skin behind her ear.
At his touch, she furrowed her brow and whimpered, trying to pull away.
Emperor Wu Su’s tone was laced with displeasure. "What are you dodging for? Am I not allowed to touch you?"
Ji Qingwu held his arm and said softly, "It’s not that." But her hand didn’t loosen its grip, a clear sign that she didn’t want him to touch her again.
"What does ’it’s not that’ mean?"
"It’s not... that I won’t let you touch me." Ji Qingwu explained in a delicate voice, "My face hurts from the harsh wind. It hurts even more when Your Majesty touches it."
Her exposed skin was red, stinging, and sensitive from being lashed by the howling wind during the ride.
But Emperor Wu Su wasn’t buying it. He suddenly pressed down on her slender right shoulder, his fingers pinching a spot near her shoulder joint with a bit of force.
Ji Qingwu immediately cried out. Her lips parted in a pained gasp, and tears welled up in her eyes. She looked tearfully at the man who had been so rough.
He said in a low voice, "Good. It’s just muscle and tissue damage."
’So he’d noticed my awkward posture and was checking my shoulder for injuries.’
Emperor Wu Su moved down from her right shoulder and squeezed her upper arm in the same manner.
Even though Ji Qingwu was prepared this time, she was still assaulted by a wave of sharp, aching pain, and a tear immediately rolled down her cheek.
Emperor Wu Su asked, feigning ignorance, "Does it hurt?"
Ji Qingwu nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. ’Why does he always have to press on the sorest spots?’
A strange look flickered in his eyes, and his tone grew cold. "I was under the impression you didn’t know the meaning of pain."
Ji Qingwu wiped the tears from her face. "I’m not numb," she retorted. "Of course I know what pain is."
At her words, Emperor Wu Su’s expression became downright terrifying.
"This hurts?" he sneered. "Did it not hurt when you fell from your horse? Have you ever considered how much it would hurt to fall to the bottom of a cliff?"
Ji Qingwu lifted her chin, replying stubbornly, "If I had really fallen, I wouldn’t have felt any pain at all."
’It would have been a one-way trip to an early grave.’
"You’re truly reckless!"
Emperor Wu Su seemed genuinely angered by her words. He fell silent for a long moment.
He simply stared at her, his eyes cold and sharp.
The heat radiating from his chest through his armor warmed her body, but his expression sent a chill down her spine.
His cold gaze made the very tip of Ji Qingwu’s heart ache.
In the past, Emperor Wu Su had given her far colder, more indifferent looks. Back then, she had only felt fear, not this deep, painful ache in her heart.
At some point, Ji Qingwu had lost the ability to withstand even a flicker of his cold indifference.
She turned her head away, unable to bear the sight of his expression any longer.
But Emperor Wu Su seized her jaw. His fingers, exerting a force that brooked no refusal, firmly turned her head back to face him. He then began to stroke her cheek.
The moment Ji Qingwu’s eyes met his captivating gaze, she immediately looked down, as if trying to flee.
She bit her lip, flustered, unsure of what to do with her hands.
He must have seen something, for he irritably unfurled her fist, frowning as he stared at her palm for a long time. A thought suddenly struck Ji Qingwu. ’Li Chengxun touched this hand. Oh no, is he going to fly into a rage again...’
Her fingers twitched. "Your Majesty," she said nervously, "there is truly nothing between me and Lord Li. It was an emergency."
Hearing her explanation, Emperor Wu Su’s expression darkened further.
But sensing her panic and tension, he sighed and released her hand. "What kind of man do you take me for?"
Then, he wrapped his arms tightly around her soft waist and pulled her forcefully against him. The pressure was so great that Ji Qingwu could feel the thin plates of his armor digging slightly into her.
Though the tight embrace stung a little, it also made her feel completely secure.
Emperor Wu Su’s chest rose and fell as he tried to quell the raging emotions that threatened to erupt.
His cool lips brushed against the shell of her ear.
"I have never been so grateful to Li Chengxun as I am at this moment," he murmured. "Grateful that he still has feelings for you, grateful that he saved you first."
Ji Qingwu stared blankly at his chest.
His deep voice continued to pour into her ear.
"You’re cavalier about how much it would hurt to fall off that cliff. You don’t care. But you wouldn’t be the only one in pain."
Ji Qingwu sensed what he was about to say and tried to lift her head to look at him, but he pressed her head down, holding her firmly against his chest.
He didn’t want her to see the deep melancholy in his eyes.
He sighed deeply. "Have you ever considered," he said, his voice low and soft, "how much pain I would be in, Ah Wu?"
His words vibrated through her, seeming to settle in her very bones.
’He would be in pain, too...?’
’Ji Qingwu hadn’t been trying to play the hero. The situation had been too critical; there had been no time to think.’
’But now that it was done, she had no regrets.’
’It didn’t matter what Princess Qingyun felt—be it gratitude or resentment. Ji Qingwu only wanted to ensure that when she looked back on this day, she wouldn’t be plagued by guilt for having stood by and done nothing.’ ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
’And yet, afterward, watching the Emperor walk away from the cliff’s edge, an unbearable ache had filled her heart.’
’The disappointment stemmed from a hidden hope that someone would comfort her.’
’And that someone, without a doubt, was him.’
Emperor Wu Su’s eyes fell to her hand. Her palm bore fresh calluses from her recent archery practice, as well as red, swollen scratches from branches.
He lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her palm. The gesture spoke more than a thousand words ever could.
The rims of Ji Qingwu’s eyes immediately reddened. A warmth spread from her eyes to her heart.
The ache in her heart transformed into a tingling numbness, tangled with threads of affection—a different kind of sweet, swelling ache.
Seeing her flushed face, her quickened breath, and the way she furrowed her brow, Emperor Wu Su thought his earlier expression had frightened her again.
Reining in his emotions, he asked, "When you turned to me earlier, was there something you wanted to say?"
A moment ago, when the horse had first entered the open field, Ji Qingwu had indeed had a hundred things to say to him.
But after Emperor Wu Su’s interruption, her thoughts were a jumbled mess. She decided to start with the first thing that came to mind.
She said in a soft voice, "Why did Your Majesty appear so suddenly? You gave me quite a scare. At first, I thought a wild beast was about to carry me off and eat me."
The corners of Ji Qingwu’s lips curled up, and her bright eyes crinkled into a smile.
She claimed to be frightened, but her tone was one of playful complaint.
