Your Attention

The blood left a trail on the ground, dripping down from the blade that slid against the ground. A scarred hand held on to the hilt of the sword loosely.

The man wore a grim expression. His steely blue eyes didn't hide their sinister intent. His intimidating presence had all of his subjects on their knees.

They lowered their head, not daring to look at him. Their body quivered, feeling the death overshadow them.

The man was covered in blood of those personally killed by him, making him appear further vicious. He pushed open the door in front of him.

The temperature only grew chillier.

He took heavy steps into the dimly lit room. There was a woman laying on the bed. Her breathing seized, and her body was pale.

Her white and slender hand fell out of the bed. It was wrapped by a white bandage. Even in her last moment, she was well-dressed.

The man's footsteps paused. It seemed as though time has stopped for him.

The servants by the bedside held their breath. They didn't dare to make a sound, afraid of alerting the tyrant. They wish they could simply disappear.

"Yuri, I am here," his hoarse voice enunciated.

Although he sounded cold and devoid of emotions, on closer observation, one would notice the desperation, pain, and expectations.

But the woman lying on the bed showed no response.

His eyes darkened.

He took a step forward. The more the distance between them decreased, the more he could see her pallor.

"This is no time for such jokes. You know I don't fancy them. I don't want to waste time on this. Wake up," he ordered, his voice breaking. He raised his voice.

But the woman remained silent.

This made his hand tremble, and his knee shook. He bent to grab on to her shoulder. His grip on them tightened, and he shook her.

"Wake up, Yuri. If you are mad at me, this is not the way to do it. I will listen to everything you have to say. Open your eyes now. This is the order from the emperor."

He touched her cheek, and the cold skin only made the reality more vivid to him.

His entire being shuddered. He reached out to wrap his hands around her and hugged her. Terror crossed through those eyes of his.

He had never felt fear to this extent. His eyes reddened, and he couldn't seem to think straight. All that remained in his senses was how her heart stayed still.

°°°

Mingyu sat up on the bed. Cold sweat gathered on his forehead, trailing down his cheek. His back was soaked. His heart beat rapidly in his chest.

His steely blue eyes were gloomy. In the dim lighting, he resembled a paranoid and terrified beast.

His Yuri— she died.

The touch of her cold and unmoving body remained in his hand. It made him lose his mind.

But his last string of rationality was maintained when he recalled about how he came to this time period. His Yuri was still alive.

Although she did not have those memories and her personality was considerably different, he wouldn't be worthy of her if he failed to recognize her after spending so much time with her.

It would be of best if she couldn't recall her last life even if that includes her not having the memories of those good times they had.

This will be a new beginning for both of them.

He couldn't go to sleep after that. He urgently wanted to go see Yuri, make sure she was alright. But at three in the night, he will only be disturbing Yuri.

He suppressed in his overly anxious thoughts and got up from the bed in order to sweat it out.

°°°

Yuri stretched her arms after she was done writing. Next, her eyes fell on her seatmate. She folded her hands over her table and rested her head on her hand.

She looked at Mingyu sleeping on the table peacefully. Those once messy bangs of his were neatly cut, revealing that clean forehead.

Her eyes traced his face. He had long eyelashes, a pair of bewitching eyes, a straight nose, and thin, pink lips. He gave out a cold and detached impression, hooking other's hearts easily.

Yuri frowned, wondering how he remained unnoticed and got bullied by the classmates before. He was obviously a figure who shone easily.

"What are you looking at?"

She heard a hoarse voice question.

Those eyelids opened, revealing a pair of steely blue eyes which were unusual to see on people here. She wondered if one of his parents was a foreigner.

"You're too good-looking," Yuri honestly commented with a sigh. "You would make great amount of money as an influencer and could even become a celebrity. Interested?"

He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Too annoying," he commented.

She chuckled.

"It's a loss to keep that handsome face hidden," she pointed out.

"Your attention is the only one I need."