Something more in the previous life

Licheng stopped breathing when Xiana's lips touched his neck and at the same time, he stopped blinking. His fingers curled because of that unknown, foreign feeling which instantly brought the heat to his cheeks.

Xiana moved her head away and her face hovered over his face. "I didn't mean to do that," she murmured and she quickly stood straight with her back toward him. Licheng breathed after he felt his lungs were out of oxygen.

Xiana did not speak a word and ran out of the chamber while Licheng stayed in that position for a few minutes.

"Why do my cheeks feel like burning?" He asked himself and touched his cheeks. The touch of her lips on his skin, he could still feel that. He sat up on the bed and lowered his hands. His left knee was in the air and his left hand came to rest on it while his right leg lay flatly.

"That was an accident," he told himself and pulled the quilt up from the floor. He laid down again, trying to get some sleep. However, it was difficult for him. He felt as if he had felt that touch earlier too. Licheng pried his eyes open because of the troubled sleeping. He moved the blanket away and put his feet on the floor.

"Were we something more in the previous life?" Licheng knitted his brows as he thought of the reason why he felt it too familiar. He knew everything about him, but about Xiana he knew only one thing: She saved him in his previous life by transferring her inner energy to him when he was severely injured.

Licheng stayed that way for a long time.

"Because I have never been close to a woman. Maybe for that reason, I felt weird," he said. But this explanation was not satisfactory enough to make his heart understand. The answers he sought were not there. So, when he got no answers he decided to ignore that feeling and also Xiana for a while.

~~~~~~

Xiana did not know where she came running into the palace. She halted near the pillar of a corridor and hit her forehead against it. "How can I do that?" She muttered while gasping for air. She touched her lips and shut her eyes close in embarrassment.

She knew she would not be able to look into Licheng's eyes anymore. She wanted to dig a pit for herself deep in the ground and hide inside it forever. However, she could not ignore him either for a long time.

"Pretend. I have to pretend that nothing ever happened," Xiana started convincing herself. She opened her eyes and continued to chant it, but her mind would not agree with it.

"What are you doing here, Xiana?"

She turned to look upon hearing the familiar voice. Xuanzi was standing in front of her. She did not answer him since she was still in her thoughts.

Upon getting no response from her, Xuanzi flicked his fingers in front of her eyes. "No one is allowed here except the people from the royal family. Don't tell me you were stalking me," Xuanzi said, hiding his proud smile.

"Why would I stalk you?" Xiana twitched her lips in annoyance. "I did not know this place is forbidden to enter," she said and told him she would leave.

Xiana realized she forgot the route. She was so deeply buried in the incident that happened with Licheng that she aimlessly ran just to escape him.

Seeing her expressions, Xuanzi understood she did not know the route to go out.

"I will take you out. Follow me," Xuanzi said and walked ahead of her. Xiana silently followed with her head down. She was feeling low after what she did to Licheng. It filled her with guilt because such an intimate thing happened with another man than the man she loved.

'It was an accident, Yawen,' she told herself in her mind when her forehead bumped against Xuanzi's back. She lifted her head and saw him turning to her.

"Why did you stop suddenly?" Xiana took a step back.

"Because you did not reply to me," Xuanzi said.

Xiana frowned and asked him if he asked her something.

"Are you deaf? I said loud and clear," Xuanzi got irked.

"It must be a useless question that's why I did not hear it," Xiana said and walked past him while hitting his arm with her.

"You are not supposed to marry my brother," Xuanzi's statement made Xiana stop at her place. He walked up to her and continued, "Brother Licheng deserves someone better."

Xiana chuckled to hear him. "And I deserve better than him," she said and went in the opposite direction. Xuanzi asked her to stop, but she did not listen to him.

"Hey! Don't go there," Xuanzi shouted at her. However, when she did not listen to him he dashed to her and caught her hand.

"Xiana, you may get punished if you go ahead. It's not the place for you. Fine, you are better than my brother," Xuanzi realized his mistake but he did not apologize to her. He had never done that.

He dragged her along with him and they soon were out of the door from where she entered that place. Xuanzi let go of her hand and asked her to go back to the Crown Prince's manor.

"I don't want to," Xiana said and sat on the stairs. "You can go ahead. I won't go inside," she muttered and lowered his head.

"What happened?" Xuanzi asked her.

"Nothing," Xiana did not want to tell him.

"If you are missing your family, your people, then you should go back," Xuanzi advised her.

Xiana laughed when she heard his statement. It perplexed Xuanzi, and it grew his interest in why she laughed.

"I am serious, Xiana. You can leave for the Yu Kingdom. Father holds power above my brother," Xuanzi stated.

"I cannot do that," Xiana said after she stopped laughing. "Your brother helped me a lot. I must serve him as long as he wants me to," she said without revealing the real truth to Xuanzi.