71 He's inside there

In the room made of unpolished stones, the moonlight seeps through the window, falling on the exquisite man lying on the cold and rough floor. He is breathing erratically and clutching his chest. His soul feels like it's being ripped apart in an endless cycle. His body is intact, but he can't breathe properly. If it was hurting physically, his body would heal itself. But the source of the pain is his soul.

It will be over. He won't feel this much pain forever. He can bear it. It's not the end of him. He tries to get up and slips. His head hits the floor. He closes his eyes. He didn't cry when the council killed everyone. There's no way that he would cry now. His old heart can bear it.

A long time ago, his father would often come to this room. It was a room that could only be opened by his father. People often wondered what was inside this room. Did the king hide his treasures here? Was it precious books? Could it be the secret of the royal bloodline? 

It turned out that it was a room with nothing at all. 

His father would come here to think. When his father brought him here, he told him that he must always remember that a king was nothing without its people. When the weight becomes too much to bear and he feels like blaming others, he must come here and sit on the cold ground. He must remind himself again.

Fu Sheng sucks in the cold air. He's been swayed. Klyn's spell might have forced them to complete the true bond. Why did he formally accept a convert as his queen and mate? Wasn't it too desperate? It was desperate without a doubt. He didn't want her back then. After finishing the bond, his heart that has been always shrouded with a heaviness felt a lightness. When she was stabbed with the enchanted wooden dagger by her family member, he was also heart. He was hurt. He was at his lowest point, unable to move at all. She healed him with her blood. Was it that moment when she stood in front of him and told him the words from her heart with resolve? Perhaps, it was that moment when he got swayed a little. Just a little. At that moment, he felt that his heart became a little lighter.

His burdened heart is heavier now. It can't be helped. He crawls toward the wall. He won't get swayed again. He must stop feeling. He claws his chest. "Stop being weak."

Don't get swayed again. He has to be there for his people. Stop feeling now. 

***

Huang Qiuyan is guided by the system in her mind. The system scans each room and tells her whether Fu Sheng is there or not. After many turns, she finally manages to find the place where Fu Sheng is. 

Huang Qiuyan eyes the two vampires. By now, she's familiar with them. "Where's Fu Sheng?"

"Ah... about that..." Aiken looks at the stone door. "He's inside there."