Chapter 177 - Interlude

By the time Lei Xing woke up, it was already night time. The lights in her room had been lit and the bowl was gone. She sat up in the bed and glanced around and then sighed heavily.

{...*Hey, you-...}

{...I know I'm a horrible person! I don't need you to tell me!...}

Lei Xing's mind jumped to defend the moment she heard the bracelet begin

{...*Tch, I wasn't going to say that...}

Lei Xing knit her eyebrows and did not respond. She threw the blanket aside and stood up and her eyes immediately fixed on the small container of balm that was still on the table. She blinked at it and then walked up to it, picked it up and then simply stood there frowning at it in her hand.

{...He forgot this...I should send it - I'm sure there's more than one... He would have gotten his injuries seen to by now, right?... Probably, definitely...I should still send it just in case...Eunuch Li wouldn't have forgotten...*sigh* He left it because It's nothing important...He doesn't need it, he wouldn't care so...}

Lei Xing sighed just as Xiao Ruo came into the room. Before Xiao Ruo could open her mouth to speak, Lei Xing threw the container at her and ordered, "Send that to the Emperor." Then she stormed back to the bed and covered herself with the blanket.

Xiao Ruo stood there, perplexed with Lei Xing's behavior, she had been sleeping all day and she still wanted to sleep? "Your highness, are you feeling unwell? Should I send for an Imperial doctor?"

"I'm fine." Lei Xing mumbled back from under the blanket.

Xiao Ruo knit her brows and then brightened up and smiled, "Your highness, aren't you hungry? You haven't eaten all day...I was actually coming to wake you, it's was getting too late and the Emperor ordered all your favorites for dinner so-..."

Lei Xing's ears perked up and she revealed her eyes from the blanket and blinked at Xiao Ruo, "Huh?"

Xiao Ruo nodded and her smile brightened, happy she got Lei Xing's interest, "The Emperor sent someone earlier but you were asleep...He said for you rest properly and be sure to look after yourself and ordered that your favorite dishes be prepared for dinner...with extra care." Xiao Ruo added with a giggle.

Lei Xing knit her brows and continued to just blink at her, feeling at a loss. When Xiao Ruo realized that Lei Xing was not going to respond, she said, "I'll have your dinner brought in..." Then she left the room, leaving a confused Lei Xing behind.

{...He's not angry?... I thought...but he seemed...}

Lei Xing pouted and the bracelet let out an exasperated sigh.

{...*Disappointed, sad, hurt...Ahhh, what tiring work...I know it's hard to believe, but he obviously still cares about your tactless, heartless self...Tsk, tsk, he's a lost cause...But a good lost cause so nothing to worry about at all, you should be happy...No, no, you should be sad for the damage you dealt him. Hmph!...}

Lei Xing frowned.

{...-_-)...He's too nice, people who are too nice are sketchy...Shouldn't he at least be a bit angry?... Or maybe I'm the crazy person here for wanting someone to be angry with me *sigh* -_-)'...}

{...*You are quite abnormal but it's not your fault...mostly...And he's not too nice! He's ONLY too nice to you, big difference!... He doesn't bother with other people, he has quite a low tolerance actually...}

{...I thought you didn't know him -_-)...}

{...*I don't! But you do and you have eyes and a mostly sound mind...Denial of the truth doesn't mean ignorance of said truth...}

{...I don't know anything anymore -_-)'...He's...he's always...}

Lei Xing let out a tired sigh.

{...*"Nice, sometimes annoying but nice"...YOUR words...told you I'm helpful! ^_^)...}

Lei Xing sighed again and did not respond. 

{...*So what are you going to do? You hurt your adorable little puppy at quite the vulnerable time too, mean...His poor pitiful heart broken into tiny smithereens, time and time again...Now that I think about it, it seems you enjoy doing this quite a lot, not that I mind it but after a while, you start to look like the worse one, you know...It's hard not to feel some sympathy for him...Well, at least this time you felt something, you kn-...}

{...Leave me alone! >_

Lei Xing squeezed her eyes and buried her face into the pillow. She did not want to think of anything yet. It was what she wanted and she stated as much. She knew she was quite mean about it, but it was better to be direct. 

{...Why leave a sense of false hope?...}

{...*O_O)...False hope? You said that if you found someone you liked enough you would consider having a child then...You said that, so there is hope...Or do you not like him? Ah, no, no, it should be, is there no possibility of you liking him enough? It's quite obvious you like him and I see a definite grand possibility here hehe~...}

Lei Xing opened her eyes and blinked, then she frowned.

{...How do you know that?...}

{...*Well, it's obvious...You think about him quite a lot, worry about him, you can't stand him being upset...You're the kind of person not to bother with people you don't like, you ignore their existence most of the time. Therefore y-...}

{...No, not that...The child thing, how do you know? We haven't talked about that before...frankly, the last time I thought about that vague obscure "possibility" was the night - you weren't here, actually it was the night before I found you. I don't randomly think about having babies, actually, I never think of it...so how do you know? ≖_≖ )...}

{...*Really?!... How am I supposed to keep track of your crazy thoughts? You think about all sorts of things, I'm pretty sure you don't even know all your thoughts...It's not like your mind shuts up when you sleep...}

{...O_O)...It doesn't?...}

{...*Of course, it doesn't...I would know and I know quite a lot hehe~...}

Lei Xing sighed again, she was not in the mood to argue with the bracelet so she let it be.  Honestly, she was not even sure what she was in the mood for right now.

The doors opened and Xiao Ruo trotted in with the servants who quickly arranged her meal. When they were done, Xiao Ruo walked over to the bed and smiled at Lei Xing, "Your highness, dinner is served. Let me help you up..." Xiao Ruo said as she bent down to help Lei Xing up.

Lei Xing lazily let herself be dragged off and then froze when she sat down and saw the food on the table. It was all her favorite dishes, and looking at them made her feel more upset so she just sat there frowning at the table. Xiao Ruo looked at her not digging in as usual and then asked, "Your highness, is there something wrong?..."

Lei Xing bit her inner lip then shook her head and picked up her chopsticks and shoved some rice into her mouth. Xiao Ruo scooped her some of the fragrant ginseng chicken soup Lei Xing had come to love, but it did not have the same appeal to her today. She took a sip and then absentmindedly turning the soup in around the bowl.

{...So he's not angry?... What am I going to say when he comes back? It's going to be so awkward... I thought...}

Lei Xing let out a tired sigh.

{...*You thought you would never have to see him again and that maybe he'll even kick you out of the palace while he's fuming...Actually, I would have loved to see that scene, you do deserve to be kicked, sometimes hehe~...}

Lei Xing rolled her eyes and then knit her brows.

{...-_-)...I just didn't expect this...It makes me seem...feel worse...}

Lei Xing sighed again. The bracelet also sighed.

{...*You need to think long and hard - No, not long, you'll take another hundred thousand years if I let you -_-)...You need to think long and quick about what it is you feel. You are not the only one with feelings. He has them and I have them...and there are others who have them too...You are allowed to be selfish but not too selfish...So stop being stubborn...}

And with that the bracelet left Lei Xing to pout and continue to pick at her dinner, continuously sighing.

"Noble consort Li came over today, she also sent someone to check whether you were awake a few times...It seems she has some urgent matter..."

"Tomorrow." Lei Xing absentmindedly responded. She was not in the mood to see anyone else right now. She took a deep breath and then stood up, "I'm done."

Xiao Ruo frowned down at the table, Lei Xing had barely eaten anything. She watched as Lei Xing crawled back into bed and wrapped herself in the blanked then worriedly asked, "Your highness, do you want me to send for an Imperial doctor?"

"I'm fine, just clear the table and leave." Lei Xing said and then she faced away. She listened as the maids cleared the table and left her alone in silence...And then she waited with her ears perked up, heart jumping at every sound.

As the hours passed by, her heart began to feel heavier and heavier as she laid there waiting...but he never came.