Separate Lives (VI)

It was a midnight dream,

Where all of the happy thoughts were shown,

Where all of the lives of me hadn't grown,

It was a midnight nightmare too.

***

THE YEAR 1904, a century away from the present time.

Althea wanted to kick him but Lei Jie just chuckled and said, "I am not in the mood to pretend with you, my Queen, I want to own you right here and then. Remember, you promised me something the time before you leave."

Althea tilted her head to one side as she narrowed her lids. She could not even know it, and it was not Ying Yue's soul who was there. But suddenly, Lei Jie inched his face closer to her which made her eyes bulge out from her sockets. Althea suddenly unclasped his hand from her wrist and pushed him away.

Lei Jie was surprised by that but he just grinned and laughed at his seat. The curtains were covering them, concealing them from the outside of the chamber, where no one was seating down at the bench. They were alone at the chamber, where the destined Queen should have been resting all the time, but she only got back earlier.

Or so Li Lei Jie had thought that since he doesn't know that Althea Xi, a writer at the present time, was embedded on the body of Fang Ying Yue.

Lei Jie held his abdomen as he guffawed and turned to his beloved. Althea crossed her arms as she closed her eyes and tried to whisper on her subconscious, trying to communicate with Wang Qing Long. But she knew it will not be delivered because she was not in despair to escape from someone.

Lei Jie said, "You ran away earlier from me, following that man. Do you know him personally, perhaps, so I wouldn't get the incorrect idea about you two?"

Althea opened up her eyes as she looked at the golden curtains with her tongue twisted. She balled her fists as she turned to the prince and shook her head. She will lie for the sake of Wang Qing Long to be safe, but Althea was not thinking straight by this hour.

It was as if something just clicked on her heart and told her mind to protect him at all costs/ She could not explain it. This body or even this soul had the early connection to Wang Qing Long even before she departed from the present time. Althea smiled a little as she said, "I know him, yeah. But only acquaintance. I met him with one of my... secret missions with my family, but... I never really knew him well."

Althea was surprised by the words that tumble out from her mouth smoothly. She raised her eyebrows after as Lei Jie nodded and turned to the side. Althea bit her bottom lip as she cursed inside her mind, saying that she should confront Wang Qing Long with everything that was happening. She didn't even know why she said that she met him at this body's missions as a secret spy.

Althea had come to notice that Li Lei Jie was the only one who knew about Fang Ying Yue's secrets. It means, they do have a connection as lovers, and Lei Jie was protecting her against the will of the royal family. Althea Xi, as a writer, remembered how she interviewed someone who was a hundred-year-old, experienced the smooth flow of the empire agendas through the people, and she was not even surprised with what she was seeing right now.

Althea believed that Li Lei Jie only believed what he was seeing, not even thinking deeper from the words that he might hear around the corner. Althea looked at him pithily and wondered if Ying Yue, the owner of this body, knew what the Prince had been going through right now.

In fact, Althea heard the commotion earlier. She was awake before someone even came knocking at the door. She was just pretending to sleep because she knew Lei Jie would be in a state of humiliation. Althea sighed as she never knew that this kind of story might sadden her a bit.

Lei Jie mumbled, "You never told me that."

Althea widened her eyes as she felt that something was hindering her saliva to go down her esophagus. She turned to him as Lei Jie looked at him with a puzzled face and continued, "You never told me about this man. And... it was years since you did this secret mission. You only told about him just now."

That proved that Lei Jie was the only one that Ying Yue could trust. Just by that words, everything that was happening to Ying Yue's life had been dedicated to the prince, and Althea was granted to be in a state like this? For what?

She furrowed her eyebrows as she accidentally muttered, "It was not really that important. What matters now is that I am here, beside you. You are my safe place, Lei Jie. No one can beat that."

Lei Jie looked at her with befuddled eyes earlier, but it softened up once she finished her sentence. Althea was surprised by that words, but she knew that it was not her. It was Fang Ying Yue, the real lover of the prince. Althea didn't even know that she was now touching his hand, and the prince was looking at her with a darkened gaze.

Althea was surprised with Lei Jie inching his face closer, claiming her lips, and they were both kissing out of nowhere. The curtains that were draped down will never open up, and the two were molding each other's lips right then and there.

Althea felt the body was giving in as her subconscious was screaming.

Lei Jie put his hands on the nape of her neck as Althea placed her arms on his shoulders. She was gently pushed down on the bed while they were both deepening the kiss. Althea closed her eyes after a bit and arched her back to meet his lips.