Separate Lives (IX)

It was a surprising moment,

I was screaming inside,

But the body was giving in to the temptation,

That I never wanted to get used to.

***

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

Lei Jie started to slip in his hand through her legs, and she was not surprised by that touch. In fact, Althea was thinking Qing Long all the time, but the body was acting on its own. Lei Jie continued to skip her kisses as he placed his hand on the ribbon that was securing her satin robes. Lei Jie quickly untied it from the side of her breasts while Lei Jie was hitching his breath quickly.

Lei Jie planted a soft kiss underneath her chin which made Althea tilt her head back. She held onto his strong muscles on his shoulders. Lei Jie continued to plant sloppy kisses on the nape of her neck, biting it along the way, which made Althea driven crazy, longing for his touch. Lei Jie untied the knot quickly and slip in his delicate fingertips on the sleeves by the shoulders.

He continued to kiss it along the way as Althea whispered, "Lei Jie..."

"It was nice to hear my name onto you...," Lei Jie answered.

Lei Jie smiled quietly as he kissed and claimed her body, as usual. He continued to unravel her flawless skin and saw the piece of cloth that was folded crosswise, on the part of her breasts, and he was greedier than usual. Lei Jie sat up from the bed and removed his head dress, revealed his bun, and removed the upper part of his robes. He looked down at Althea and saw that she was opening her eyes in a drowsy way.

Lei Jie saw how beautiful she was with that lust painted all over her eyes. She sat up and claimed his lips while Lei Jie pushed her back on the bed, slipping in his hand on the robes, helping her wear out the cloth that was hindering their lovemaking session. Althea bit his bottom lip and tugged it while Lei Jie finally removed the piece of cloth on her breasts.

Althea was half-naked by now.

Lei Jie was moving his lips, the breath matching the sensation that Althea wanted to feel, but suddenly, someone whispered in her subconscious.

"I need to talk to you, Althea."

Althea bolted her eyes awake as she came back to herself and pushed the prince away from her. Lei Jie was surprised, as he revealed his body, who was highlighted on every part, his small buns on his trunk were so hot to see. But Althea quickly retrieved her clothes, pushed them up, and Lei Jie was opening his eyes widely.

Lei Jie wore his robes once again and Althea ran over the curtains, swept it aside, while Lei Jie was tilting his head to one side. Althea went outside of the curtains of the bed while Lei Jie recovered quickly and grabbed a hold of her wrist. Althea removed it in an abashed way and she was widening her eyes.

"What is the hell wrong with you? First, at the back of Crescent Hall. Second, the one at the cabin. And now, you're so strange from what I've seen, Ying Yue, you're never like this," Lei Jie huffed his annoyance once and for all while Althea was connecting her azure eyes to him. Althea read from his mind, and she knew that he could be trusted. But not now.

She was not going to say that she was not Fang Ying Yue, it would be crazy to just blurt it out in a sudden way.

"I will explain everything later. Just... let me go outside...," Althea said in a soft voice as Lei Jie grabbed her again and made her turned to him.

"You will stay here. You were not allowed to go out, didn't you know that you passed out earlier at the Yangtze River? Your body was so cold, it was like you were dying," Lei Jie scolded her with a furrowed eyebrows but Althea just raised her hand to slap him. She thought it would work, but it doesn't.

"I am not the one who ordered it. It was your parents," Lei Jie repeated as Althea hissed and rolled her eyes. Lei Jie was astounded by that expression and scoffed.

"Did you just... roll your eyes at me?" Lei Jie reprimanded as Althea turned to him with narrowed eyes. Althea knew that Fang Ying Yue was nastier than she was, and so... she would use it to gain knowledge. She wanted to get out, that's all. She wanted to know why there was a sapphire flame that snapped right out of her pupils.

"I wanted to do what I want to do. So please, stay away from me for a bit," Althea raised one of her eyebrows after a while and turned her heel around. She closed her eyes for a bit and whispered.

"I'm coming."

At the same time, Qing Long heard it. He shut his eyes open and was inexplicably scoffing as it was working. They could communicate even at a longer distance. He swallowed as he revealed himself on the street, with the people churning in and out, sharing foods from the festivity. He walked in a calm way out of that village and onto the Palace premises.

He was nervous at every step, and he was readying himself on what to say.

Althea opened the door out of her chamber and closed it quietly. She looked around and was never bothered even if someone caught her. She walked, like a Queen would do, and slipped on the wooden slippers that Qing Long gave early in the morning.

She turned the corner and was successfully exited the hall with no traces left. Althea found herself at the backside of the hall, where she had been accidentally kissed by the Crown Prince, on whom she was the destined Queen herself, and saw someone.

She was stunned at her place and raised her eyebrows.