408 Too Quie (1/2)

Li Xueyue didn't know how it happened, but she had fallen asleep in his arms. There was something about the way he soothed her… His words were like a lullaby. He had stroked the back of her head whilst hugging her close and reassuring her that nothing was her fault.

But why did she sit up in an empty bed in a daze with a hand upon her empty belly? If it wasn't her fault, why did guilt prick her heart. Her shoulders caved in as she dropped her head.

The room was quiet except for her shaky exhale. She had already cried enough upon his sturdy chest. She had promised him that there would be no more tears. But hot tears still filled her eyes, blurring her vision.

”Since when were you a crybaby?” she chided herself, rubbing her suddenly stuffy nose.

Li Xueyue touched the empty spot beside her. It was cold. When did he leave? She wiped at her eyes, slowly at first, before angrily doing so when more tears threatened to slip down her cheeks.

”It's going to be alright…” she whispered the words he had repeatedly told her.

Li Xueyue gripped the collar of her loose robes, hoping for anything to distract her. Unfortunately, what replaced her despair was rage. Even now, she was still furious at Xu Jiaqi's actions.

'I can't be like this,' she thought to herself.

Li Xueyue irritably ran a hand through her hair, angrily gripping it at the roots. ”If you let empty hatred fill your heart, you'll wither with malice,” she chided herself.

A sigh escaped. Li Xueyue didn't want to throw a pity party in an empty, desolate room. She slipped out of the bed without any numbness in her legs. Sometimes, they'd wobble and tremble when she tried to stand up, no thanks to her insatiable husband.

Li Xueyue pushed the windows open. ”It's morning.”

The sun peeked through the horizon, but the day was still young. Seeping in the shadows were traces of the night sky, refusing to part.

”Did I sleep from last night till now?” Li Xueyue ran her hand through her hair again. She was surprised she had a peaceful night of sleep despite the tragedy that happened.

Li Xueyue wrapped the robes tighter around her body. It was strange. She hadn't lost any weight, but a part of her felt hollow. She glanced down, noticing it was his clothes she was wearing. The navy silk brushed upon her skin, cold yet smooth, much like Yu Zhen's touch.

”When did this happen…?”

She vaguely recalled that he had woken her up in the middle of the night to change out of her clothes that had already dried. He seemed to have told her that he preferred if she slept in fresh, clean clothes, so that it would be more comfortable—or something along those lines.

”I should find him,” Li Xueyue told herself. She quietly trudged towards the doors of the bedroom. Pushing it open, she wasn't surprised to be met with grim silence.

The air was eerily still. There wasn't a single soul roaming the hallways for as far as the eyes could see.

”Where are my maidservants?” Li Xueyue asked the guards. She knew the servants woke up even before the sun did. The second it was twilight, they would slowly rise, one by one.

When none of the guards answered her, Li Xueyue shifted her body to face them. A dreary expression was on their faces.

At this, Li Xueyue straightened up more. ”Don't make me repeat myself.”

”Princess…” a burly guard spoke up. ”The maidservants are currently under the watchful eye of the Crown Prince.”

”Pardon?” Li Xueyue was confused. She thought Yu Zhen had left for his morning training, or to attend to some urgent business.