Chapter 197 - Proposal (2/2)
When she finally came and he was met with her unenthusiastic greeting, all his hesitation immediately resurfaced and he made the decision not to give it to her. But then after seeing how happy she was about the necklace and how she seemed to treasure. She also kissed him, which reminded him of the happy farewell he received from her this morning. He realized things were different now, they were different. He was hers and she was his...The kiss gave him the confidence he lacked and handed it to her.
Looking back on it, it felt like he had wanted this for so long, even before he even knew he wanted it. He now felt like he understood why he asked her to be his Empress back then, when he did not even know her name. They had never even exchanged words, but he must have subconsciously felt this connection with her and acted on it.
The Voice was right, she was his dream. A dream he did not even know he had. He was so close to it now and he could not lose it here. So he took the edict from her hands and dropped it on the table and held her hands as he softly started, ”Xing er', I-...Xing er'...” He called again when Lei Xing just kept staring at the edict with a confused frown, seemingly oblivious to him and his attempts to speak with her.
The Emperor then held her cheek and turned her head to face him. She blinked at him as if she just realized that he was there. He caressed her cheek as he searched her face. He saw her confusion, shock, and perhaps even fear but not rejection. He lightly sighed in relief and warmly smiled at her and informed, ” Xing er', this is my condition...”
Lei Xing's eyes widened a bit but she did not move away. Then she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart and said, ”But this can't be okay...”
”It is.”
”It can't be...”
”It is.”
”It can't be that simple.”
”It can and is.”
Lei Xing narrowed her eyes at him for a bit, suddenly irritated with his smiling face and his oversimplification of what was obviously a complicated matter. And this irritation helped in steadying her chaotic mind and she bluntly said, ”While I may not know much about this time period, I do know that dethroning an Empress isn't a simple matter. There is no need for this...”
{...*HEY! You're being unreasonable now! (＞ｍ＜)...}
{...You're the one being unreasonable! Just shut up and mind your own business! >_
The Emperor slightly knit his brows and thought for a bit and then said, ”I promised myself to you last night, and you also promised yourself to me...” Lei Xing bit her inner lip and lowered her head.
{...Did I though?...}
{...*YES, YOU DID! I heard it! Too late to deny it! Not allowed! \(•̤̀ω•̤́ )...}
{...Oh-O-ho O_O)...You-...Y- You were listening?!...(☉☉)...}
{...* (O‿O ';) Nooo... I wasn't...⚆ _ ⚆) I'M NO PERVERT! >_
Lei Xing inhaled and her eyes went wide and she immediately flushed beet red and she lowered her head even further. As her mind went through what exactly the bracelet would have been listening during their very busy night, her brain scrambled again. She was feeling so incredibly embarrassed that she wanted to go bury her head in the ocean.
{...ΣΣ(ﾟДﾟ;) How dare you stupid - Ahhhhhhhh!!!!! ʿʿ⁽⁽((⁰ⅈ⁰))⁾⁾ʾʾ...}
{...*...}
The bracelet apparently beat her to the ocean, because it did not respond anymore.
The Emperor seeing Lei Xing like this started to feel panicked. He squeezed her hands and continued his campaign, earnestly pouring his heart, ”Xing er', I love you and I want you to stand next to me...You agreed to accept me so long as I never hurt you and I would never, not even if my life depended on it...If I fail, I have given you the promise to let you go and you believed me to keep my word...”
”...Now I have put the power of that promise in your hands...If the time ever comes and you feel that I have truly have betrayed your feelings, I will not hold you back. Regardless of whatever position you hold in my life and heart...I will send you off in glory, even as my heart grows cold...So can you do this one thing for me?” He asked and earnestly looked at the top of her head, anxiously waiting for her to respond.
Unfortunately for the Emperor's heartfelt proposal, Lei Xing was too busy internally screaming as the thought of the bracelet being privy to their moments of the night drove her crazy and she squeezed her eyes shut.
{...I am so going to kill this thing! >_
After Lei Xing did not respond for a long time, the Emperor finally got impatient and moved his hands to her shoulder to straighten, ”Xing er', I-” But he before he could begin, the beet-red Lei Xing put a hand over his mouth and in her disoriented, frantic state she said, ”Later -I'll think - just later.”
The Emperor blinked in confusion, but before he could process what was going on with her. She got up, ready to bolt and the Emperor instinctively grabbed her arm, confused and concerned with her hurried, panic state, he asked, ”Xing er', what is wr-?” But then Lei Xing in her frantic state leaned down and planted a kiss on his lip and in the same hurried tone said, ”Later.” Then she slipped from his grasp and rushed out of the room, just short of running.
{...>(///)(///)
{...*Hehe I think you're overreacting. You should be focusing on the important matte -...}
{...F**k You! You FREAKING PERVERT! You better get off me and DISAPPEAR this instant or YOU ARE DEAD! >(///)
The Emperor blankly stared at the closed doors long after Lei Xing had scurried through them, baffled by her bizarre behavior.
{...It must have been very shocking to her, although her reaction is a bit excessive...Who else did she expect to be my Empress other than her? I would have thought she would have seen this coming... But it is understandable that she would need time to take it in...}
He let out a relieved sigh as he touched his lips, he could still feel the warmth of her lips and a smile spread across his face.
{...But it definitely seems promising...Very promising...}