Chapter 5: The Loveliest Dream?

Chapter 5: The Loveliest Dream? (Part 1)

Gods! What am I DOING?!

Not fighting off this libertine… but savoring it?!

What fresh hell is this?!

I stared, wide-eyed, at the youth before me. His dazed expression mirrored my own shame. Nearly raped by Shangguan Mochen. Now forcibly kissed by this one. Was my infamous past destined to chain me forever? Rage burned through hesitation. My right hand lashed out.

Scratch!

Five bloody streaks bloomed across his flawless cheek.

Simultaneously, I shoved with all my strength—breaking free.

I gasped, gulping air. The crimson trails on his face didn't mar him; they lent a dangerous, almost feral beauty. Cruel irony. He wore the face of my beloved Chenhao Gege… yet I felt only revulsion.

He touched the wounds, startled, then laughed—a low, chilling sound. "Didn't the Empress yearn for this minister's touch? Why the violence now?"

"Bullshit! I never yearned! You forced yourself!" Fury choked me. Tears spilled, hot and humiliating. "That… that was my first kiss! It belonged only to Chenhao Gege! And you… you beast! You stole it! You and Shangguan Mochen—you're both beasts! Bastards! Scum!"

"Scum?" Through the tears, I thought I saw a flicker of something—softness?—in his eyes. It vanished instantly, replaced by icy mockery. His hand shot out, gripping my chin painfully, forcing my gaze to meet his frozen stare. "Then enlighten this minister, Empress. Who pressed her… sensitive… form against me? Who kissed me back with such… fervor? Who invited this?"

"You—!" Words failed me. I wrenched free, stumbling back. Hatred, pure and cold, crystallized within me. "Mark my words! I will make you regret this! I will make every man who shamed me taste this humiliation! You and that bastard Shangguan Mochen… I'll make you beg for death and find none!"

The venom shocked even me. But the rage was all-consuming. I saw surprise flash across his face—Chenhao's face—but I turned away. Similar features, opposite souls. An uncrossable chasm.

Tears streamed unchecked. I refused to let him see. I scrubbed my face fiercely with my sleeve and fled. His voice called after me—I ignored it. Ran until my legs gave out. Collapsed against a tree trunk, sobs wracking my body, tears falling like shattered pearls.

How long I wept, I didn't know. Consciousness blurred. Then… gentle hands settled on my shoulders. Pulled me into an embrace.

Warmth. Profound, enveloping warmth. Grief and rage dissolved like mist beneath the sun. I melted against him, a lost ship finding safe harbor. My tears ceased. My head rested on his shoulder.

Chapter 5: The Loveliest Dream? (Part 2)

"Who… are you?" I murmured, half-dreaming. "My prince? Sent to save me?"

"Yes." His voice—clear, resonant, like the purest bell—wrapped around my soul. "I am your prince. Sent to dry your tears. I want only to see your smile, forever radiant. You cannot fathom your beauty. All others pale to dust before you. Promise me… never to let sorrow touch you again?"

His words were a balm, a gentle breeze scattering the storm within me. A fragrance, pure and distant as lilies, surrounded us. Then… the softest, coolest touch brushed my forehead—reverent, as if I were sacred. His lips traced a feather-light path down my cheek… to my lips.

His kiss was barely there—a whisper, a dream. I kept my eyes closed, surrendering to the feeling of being cherished. If this is a dream… let me stay. The waking world held only disgust and pain.

Consciousness faded entirely within that mysterious kiss. I nestled deeper into his arms, drifting into true sleep. Unafraid. A touch this tender could harbor no harm.

Was it real?

Or only my broken mind?

Did a man of lilies and starlight truly exist?

I awoke slowly. Sunlight filtered through leaves. I was alone. Emptiness pressed down. A bitter laugh escaped me. A dream. Of course. A woman branded a harlot, even an Empress, deserved no such tenderness. No prince would come for me.

Pushing myself up, something glinted in the grass nearby. A small jade amulet. Intricate characters were carved upon it, too fine and faint for my eyes to decipher.

Why is this here? The dream flooded back—the warmth, the kiss, the lilies. Not a dream? Real? Could this world hold a man who saw me… not the infamy? Who offered respect… care?

My fingers brushed my lips—where his had touched. An invisible mark remained. Carved into my memory. I clutched the amulet, its coolness seeping into my palm.

Then… pain. A reminder. My swollen lip—courtesy of the arrogant youth who dared claim me. That "minister." Another enemy. Another face of Chenhao twisted into something vile.

Hatred, cold and sharp, crystallized again. For him. For Shangguan Mochen. My gentle nature was a luxury I could no longer afford. Only hardness would shield me.

But as the jade pressed into my skin, a sliver of warmth pierced the cold. That mysterious man… prince or phantom… had gifted me a moment of pure peace. His gentle kiss. His safe embrace. I would carry them forever. A flickering candle in the encroaching dark.