Chapter 201 - Liberation Soldier

That night, the Emperor spent longer than usual in his study. He wanted to give Lei Xing as much space as she needed to digest his proposal and so he kept himself busy with any and everything. Finally, after he felt she had had enough time without his company, he made his way to her palace.

He was not planning on demanding her answer or even bothering her about it, it was just that he did not want to sleep alone. The last few nights without her were horrible. His insomnia was back and when he did sleep, he was plagued by irritating memories and nightmares, which left him tired and highly irritable during the day. 

It was obvious that her presence in his life has spoiled him greatly. The effects of his poor sleep weighed more on him than they did in the past. In summary, the last few days were more draining and exhausting than ever. Of course, he believed that if after a few days or weeks sleeping alone, his body would eventually bounce back and he would be able to live with it, just as he did all his life before her. But why should he put himself through that? Moreover, she meant more to him than a soft peaceful pillow...a lot more. 

She made him happy, very happy.

Therefore, he would not leave her no matter her decision tonight. Still, he was nervous as he arrived at Lei Xing's palace. But then he met Ah Jin and Xiao Ruo standing amongst the other servants outside her bedroom door, staring at it with worried expressions.

"What is wrong?" The Emperor asked as he arrived to join them. They jumped and bowed to him in greeting, which he ignored and simply inquired again, "Did something happen?"

Xiao Ruo looked at Ah Jin, and Ah Jin promptly stepped forward, bowed her head and explained, "Her highness has not moved from her position since returning and refused her dinner and she also seems to have hurt hers-"

Before her words could finish, the Emperor immediately headed for the doors. He entered the room to find Lei Xing still quietly sitting on that stool. Seeing her looking intact and honestly serene ebbed his initial spark of panic at hearing she was hurt. 

But she definitely appeared odd. It did not seem like she even noticed his approach nor the doors opening as she did not move at all. As he came around the table, he saw that what she was staring fixedly were her hands, where one hand covered her other wrist in her lap.

"Xing er?" He called as he scrutinized her, Lei Xing flinched and immediately looked up and then gave a half-smile when she saw him as she exclaimed, "Oh, you're here." Then she looked back down at her hands again, and went back to her original state.

The Emperor's mind relaxed a bit. She smiled at him so it did not seem like he was the problem. At least, she did not seem to be pushing him away again. But she was definitely not her normal self and it worried him. So he crouched down in front of her and lightly held her arms and asked, "What is it?"

Lei Xing shook her head, "Nothing." Then she sighed and said, "...just thinking."

"About?" The Emperor inquired.

Lei Xing knit her eyebrows, "Everything, life..." Then she glanced at him and added, "You."

The Emperor blinked and nodded, "I-I see..." 

{...Perhaps I am the problem after all...I knew it was too soon...I shouldn't have listened...}

The Emperor inwardly sighed. It seemed like he had made a mistake, but it cannot be undone. All he could do now was not pressure her and reassure her that he would be here regardless of her choice.

Even if she said 'no' today, it would not be a 'no' forever and he would understand. It was too soon for her. He looked at her expression and could not think of anything to say. He then remembered that she was supposedly hurt, and so he quickly looked her over as he said, "I heard you are injured." 

"Injured?...Perhaps." Lei Xing said with a shrug and frowned down at her wrist. The Emperor looked down at her hands and saw a bit of redness near where her hand covered. He knit his brows and picked up the hand on top, to see the wrist below red and swollen where the bracelet rest. He lightly touched her injured hand and looked it over and inquired, "What happened?"

"I hit it." Lei Xing absentmindedly and honestly responded. The Emperor immediately frowned up at her in surprise and she quickly corrected, "An accident."

The Emperor glimpsed his inkstone on the table next to her and asked, "With the inkstone?" 

"A miscalculation." Lei Xing responded with a frown and looked off to the side, feeling foolish and irritated at having to explain this stupid scenario of hers.

The Emperor did not even bother to try to decode what she was trying to accomplish with the inkstone that resulted in such a "miscalculation". He glanced at Ah Jin and Xiao Ruo who had followed behind him and instructed them to send for an Imperial doctor. 

"I don't need a doctor, it's just swelling, it'll come down on its own." Lei Xing immediately countered, immediately withdrawing her hand from his. Before the Emperor could contradict her, she narrowed her eyes at him and resolutely said, "I don't want a doctor." and then she covered her hands with her sleeves with a disgruntled frown.

She did not want someone snooping around the bracelet. The "ghost effect" had worn off a long while ago, but she was still not able to remove it. If her injury was to properly be examined, she would be requested to remove it. And she would definitely look unreasonable if she refused to take it off in that circ.u.mstance. 

{...Stupid bracelet making me look an idiot -_-)'...}

"It's nothing serious, just cold water and a cloth would be enough to deal with it." Lei Xing supplied, but when she saw the Emperor narrow his eyes at her preparing to argue, she quickly added, "If it doesn't work then I'll see a doctor."

The Emperor observed her stubborn face for a while. She was right that it did not look too serious, so he could indulge her stubbornness for now. He stood up and instructed, "Get cold water, put some ice in it and a clean cloth." Xiao Ruo immediately bounced out of the room to see that done while Ah Jin stayed behind.

The Emperor then sat down next to Lei Xing and took the injured hand again. Lei Xing tried to pull it back, but he held on and glared at her, "Be still." 

Lei Xing stopped moving but then narrowed her eyes at him and warned, "Don't touch it." 

The Emperor thought that she was wary because of the pain and so he reassured her, "I won't." Lei Xing was satisfied with that and nodded. She looked down at where he gently held her hand and then she stared at his face as he seriously scrutinized her wrist. He always treated her with such care, it was hard for her not to feel warm towards him. Lei Xing's eyes moved to the scroll on the table beside them, she remembered the bracelet's parting words and she inwardly sighed.

{...Do you think I can't tell he's a good man? A great man really...I'm not blind you know...neither am I stupid...It's just th-...}

"What are you do-?" Lei Xing exclaimed in a panic as she instantly yanked her hand back, but then the words caught in her throat and her mouth hung open as she stared wide-eyed at her wrist...it was empty, shockingly empty. Free.

The Emperor blinked at her in surprise and confusion. All he did was go take off the bracelet since it clearly was not comfortable for it to remain hanging on her injured wrist. He did not expect to elicit such an exaggerated reaction from her. 

He knew she treasured the bracelet, but seeing that she treasured it to this extent of panic made him feel somewhat uncomfortable, upset. But this was not the time to start a jealous inquiry into the when, who and how this bracelet came to her, there will be time for that in the future. 

So the Emperor cast aside his ill feelings and begrudgingly explained, "It's not good for you to keep it on when injured."

Lei Xing turned her shocked gaze from her hands to the bracelet in his hand, she blinked and exclaimed, "You-you took it off?"

The Emperor's lips twitched as he thought she was now upset because he removed it, but he was not going to let it bother him, for now. So he took her healthy hand and said, "You can wear it here inst-" As he moved to slip on the bracelet for her but then Lei Xing immediately slapped his hands and the bracelet off as soon as it touched the tips of her fingers.

The bracelet was sent flying across the room as Lei Xing whimpered and held on to her aching wrist, that swift movement was too much for it.

The Emperor gaped at her in shock, completely confused now. He was about to reach for her when Lei Xing suddenly went from whimpering to laughing boisterously. He froze, even more confused now and watched as she put her hands over her mouth to muffle excited screams.

The Emperor was beginning to worry whether she might have hit her head but then Lei Xing suddenly looked at him and he froze. Then she threw herself at him, toppling her stool. The Emperor immediately grabbed her waist and she planted herself firmly on his lap, grabbed his face and started raining kisses the stunned Emperor's face as she repeatedly said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you..." Then she finally gave him a firm kiss on the lips and proclaimed, "I love you!" Then she bounced off him and practically flew towards Ah Jin who had gone to pick up the discarded bracelet.

{...I'm free, I'm free, I'm free, I'M FREEEEE!!...FREEDOM!!!!!! o(≧▽≦)o...}

"Give it to me~" Lei Xing excitedly ordered and Ah Jin held it up to her. Lei Xing used two fingers to daintily pick up the bracelet and raised it up to her eye level and snickered.

{...Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho look what we have here~~ I thought you said no one could take you off? Huh? What happened to that? Huh? Hahahahahaha... Finally, FREEDOM!!! \(★ω★)/...}

Lei Xing burst into laughter again, then she abruptly stopped and knit her brows in thought.

{...Wait. How did he take it off? I mean I tried everything - ....Well, I guess I'd never tried someone else taking it of- No, wait I did. That Tung Mei -...Was she lying to me then? That Brat!