111 Forgetting Something (1/2)

If there was a place Li Xueyue loved to wander, it would be the merchant stalls of the Capital. It was an entire street lined with colorful tents and vendors of all sorts. Festive music bustled in the air, children chased after each other, lively chatter, and there was a unique smell in the air. Foreign travelers from every corner of the country were gathered today who sold a variety of items ranging from accessories to spices to materials.

After handing the horses off to the stables, Li Xueyue was eager to explore. She easily wove through the crowd of people, forgetting who she had come with.

Almost every stall caught her attention, whether it was selling accessories or food like dried fruits. Li Xueyue couldn't help but stop in front of every one of them, curiously examining the products being sold whilst unknowingly, everything she touched was brought.

”Are you forgetting something?” a husky voice sounded behind her just as a pair of arms caged her against a table. He hovered over her, watching as she turned a polished black stone in her hand.

It was smooth but when Li Xueyue wrapped her fingers around it, heat emitted from the oddly colored pebble.

”Isn't it pretty?” Li Xueyue asked, not caring about their intimacy. Her face was covered by a veil anyways and there were guards surrounding them.

Li Xueyue held the stone up to the sunlight, revealing the burst of colors hidden beneath the darkness. She was instantly mesmerized by it, in awe at the various hues of its brilliance. Despite the speckles of color, nothing could ever mask the beauty of the obsidian black.

”Look at the colors!” She swiveled around, showing it to him.

Yu Zhen was caught off-guard by her abrupt movement. He had expected her to shy back from him but she was now facing him, her face so close to his.

When she naively smiled up at him, her eyelashes innocently batting, he could feel himself fall helplessly in love with her.

Li Xueyue was going to be the death of him. She was as beautiful as the masterpieces of Heaven but that wasn't what drew him to her. Words couldn't describe what he felt towards her, nor could he pinpoint exactly what he liked about her. He just did.

He was originally going to tease her for abandoning him whilst she bounced from one merchant to the other. He had instructed his men to buy everything she so much looked at for more than three seconds. It had gotten so bad that many people were beginning to notice this generous patronage and many were eagerly waiting for the young lady to visit their stall.

”What do you think?” she eagerly asked him, showing him the magnificent stone.

Yu Zhen saw no purpose in it, for it was just a pretty rock but she regarded it with a higher degree, thus, he smiled for her and said, ”It's beautiful.”

She placed it beside his eyes, a childish smile resting on her lips. There were so much joy and excitement on her face that he couldn't look at anything but her.

A wave of possessiveness washed over him. He wanted her and only her in this lifetime. There would be no one else who could ever replace her.

”They're the color of your eyes!”

”What?” Yu Zhen softly chuckled when she showed it to him again. ”My eyes couldn't possibly be this dazzling—”

”But they are.” Li Xueyue grabbed one of his hands that was firmly grasping the table for control. She placed the stone in his fingers and used her hand to wrap his fingers around it.

”It's warm to the touch,” he pointed out, unable to understand the meaning of her actions. ”People say my eyes are the worst features of me. They're dull—”

”This stone is also dull, until light fills the infinite abyss and creates a world of colors.” She reached up to touch his face, his entire body stiffened. He held his breath, allowing her to do as she pleased. Even with all of the noise in the background, the only thing he could hear was the rapid beating of his heart.

”Just like you.”

Yu Zhen felt his chest swell with adoration for this little lady. He could not find it in himself to respond to her compliment. He was a Prince. He had grown up listening to flattery, but none would ever compare to her words, so soft and genuine, he believed it in a heartbeat.

”Am I hot like the stone as well?” he teased but she easily took the bait, rapidly nodding her head.