Chapter 7 — Daytime Succubus

That was no dream. It was brutally real. I opened my mouth, instinctively wanting to snap back with a retort:

"Why didn't you say so earlier, letting me worry for so long?"

Yet the moment the words reached the tip of my tongue, a sudden, searing heat flooded the base of it. I heard my own voice shift, completely beyond my control. What actually spilled past my lips was something entirely different.

"I... I never hated you at all."

"Every single day I bullied you, snatched away your pastries, deliberately provoked your anger just to watch you lower your gaze and plead with me—none of it was because I thought you were an easy target... but entirely because of my own shameful, selfish desires."

It was over. Everything had been laid bare. Overwhelmed with mortification, I hurriedly covered my mouth. But my disobedient tongue refused to stop, relentlessly continuing:

"Seeing that soft, pleading look in your eyes always left me restless, my heart secretly trembling."

"I was terrified that you would despise someone as unruly as me, terrified that these hidden feelings would be exposed by you, so I could only use the excuse of tormenting you to draw closer to you, over and over again."

As I spoke, the bridge of my nose suddenly stung, and the corners of my eyes burned with hot tears. I raised a hand, gently brushing against his cold, fluttering eyelashes.

Shen Zhu, I am sorry.

A single bath stretched endlessly for a full two hours. By the time Shen Zhu carried me out of the Warm Pavilion, the dusk had already deepened into night. He wrapped me securely within a vast, luxurious brocade robe, pressing me tightly against his chest. The evening breeze carried a slight chill, dispersing the lingering warmth around my skin. Yet it could do nothing to scatter the countless turbulent thoughts churning inside my heart. I leaned lazily into his embrace. Though my entire body felt boneless and weak, my mind was clearer than ever before. Those words kept echoing endlessly in my ears. At last, I fully understood the root of all Shen Zhu's unusual behavior. I let out a slow, lingering breath. But just as I was about to completely relax, a bizarre and chilling image flashed across my mind. The scene from yesterday, when we paid our respects to the Empress at the Phoenix Pavilion, suddenly resurfaced. The gold-threaded phoenix sleeves had slipped down slightly. Her Majesty the Empress had raised a hand to adjust her stray temples. And there, stark and clear against her delicate, snow-white wrist, was a red cord of ancient design, woven with exquisite patterns! At the time, I had merely glanced at it in passing, paying it no mind whatsoever. Now, looking back, that red cord was an exact match for the one on Shen Zhu's wrist that I had accidentally snapped! A thunderous explosion echoed inside my head. It felt as though a ferocious bolt of lightning had struck down without warning. My entire body stiffened, and a heavy ringing filled my ears.

I spent the entire night in a state of anxious restlessness. The next morning, long before the sky had even begun to brighten, I woke up. Today was the traditional day for a bride to return to her maiden home. This particular date had been granted through the special benevolence of the Empress, calculated precisely by the Bureau of Astronomy. Not only that, Her Majesty had also made a special exception allowing my eldest sister to return to the Ning residence today as well, granting our family a joyful reunion. This was an opportunity that came once in a millennium. After a hasty breakfast, Shen Zhu and I set off for the Ning estate. All along the way, my heart remained suspended in anxiety. Sensing something was amiss, Shen Zhu asked what was troubling my mind, but I brushed him off with a few vague remarks. When we finally arrived at the manor, my mother was already waiting outside the gates. The moment she saw me step down from the carriage, she grabbed my hands, inspecting me from head to toe while endlessly fretting that I had grown too thin. I protested:

"Mother, I have only been married over there for a few days, how much weight could I possibly have lost?"

She completely ignored me, turning instead toward Shen Zhu with a smile as bright as spring blossoms.

"Son-in-law, come inside quickly. The kitchen has already simmered that bamboo shoot soup you love so much."

Shen Zhu offered a proper, respectful bow, his posture impeccably upright. As I watched his obedient demeanor, I could not help recalling those tear-wrimmed eyes in the Warm Pavilion just yesterday, leaving me with only one profound realization: appearances can be terribly deceiving. We all chatted in the main hall for a while. Mother pulled Shen Zhu aside to question him endlessly about this and that. Today, Father was also unusually present. Seated nearby, he occasionally chimed in with a remark, creating an atmosphere of utter harmony. Sitting a little lower down, my gaze kept darting repeatedly toward the entrance. Waiting and waiting, I finally heard the servants announce that the Imperial Noble Consort had arrived. Clad in an azure court gown, my eldest sister leaned on the arm of her maid as she stepped down from her palanquin. Her complexion today appeared reasonably good, and the sorrow between her brows seemed somewhat lighter. She composedly accepted the greetings of her family members, and after another round of polite conversation, my impatience reached a boiling point. Finding it difficult to endure any longer, I waited until my sister mentioned needing to change her garments, then quietly slipped after her, tugging at her sleeve.

"Sister, I have something I need to ask you. Let us go to your courtyard to talk."

Though slightly startled, my eldest sister nodded in agreement. Dismissing the servants, the two of us returned to the chambers she had occupied before her marriage. Pushing the door open, everything remained precisely as it had been. On the dressing table, the old wooden comb she used before entering the palace still rested quietly.

"What could possibly be so secretive?"

I shut the door behind us, turned around, and pulled my sister down to sit with me. After exchanging a few casual remarks about daily life, I abruptly changed the subject.

"Sister, has Her Majesty the Empress shown any unusual behavior lately?"

She froze for a moment.

"Still... the same as always, managing everything under the sun."

"Just yesterday, she sent someone over with a newly blended calming incense, claiming that the old fragrance in my hall was too heavy and harmful to the throat. She also sent countless medicinal tonics, insisting that I am far too lean and forcing me to consume them three times a day."

"Sister."