His highness's Allure - Chap 53
When night fell that the small man on the bed woke up with a soft whimper.
He stared listlessly at the elegantly-carved wooden beams above his head. Although he was awake now, it was as though his consciousness had been torn from his body. His mind was confused, and his heart was wrenching in his chest.
As he slept, a beautiful woman in a simple robe appeared in front of him, her lips curved into a gentle smile as she held out her hand. His eyes were burning, and his fingers clawed at the air; he rushed toward her, but in the end, there was nothing left.
When his eyes finally opened again, tears slowly began to trickle down onto his cheeks.
“You’re awake.”
A cold voice rang from beside him.
Qi Changyi was completely still. He didn’t respond and merely stared blankly at the ceiling; as if he was dead.
Pei Zheng walked to the side of the bed, but the prince wouldn’t even look at him. He grabbed Qi Changyi’s skinny arm and pulled him up, before pinching his chin and tilting it up.
“Speak!”
Qi Changyi looked up at Pei Zheng, but his eyes stared right past him. His lips were pale and bloodless, and his eyes were two clear, watery pools.
“Pei-gege.” His voice was so hoarse, it sounded as though his throat was tearing with every word.
Pei Zheng’s grip suddenly relaxed. As long as he could still speak, it was fine, it didn’t matter what he said.
“Please let me go.”
His sharp eyes narrowed again, and his fingers immediately grasped the little prince’s red-marked chin again. “What did you say?”
Qi Changyi’s jaw was aching; Pei Zheng could easily crush it if he didn’t control his strength.
“You want to leave?” Pei Zheng leaned right into his face. “Don’t even think about it.”
Fat tears rolled out of Qi Changyi’s eyes. Each warm droplet fell and splashed onto Pei Zheng’s hand.
Pei Zheng suddenly laughed, “Do you hate me?”
Qi Changyi’s entire body was trembling in pain.
“You should hate me, you should hate me to death.”
Pei Zheng’s eyes had turned red. How many people in this world hated him? No, a better question would have been, how many people in this world didn’t hate him? Yet he had never cared about any of that. As long as he stayed in a lofty position of power, he could eradicate anyone who tried to defy him.
A cold-blooded, ruthless tyrant; he had always looked down on others, and was unable to change his ways.
It wasn’t until this sweet, innocent, and adorable little white rabbit had been unexpectedly thrust into the cruel, bloody matters of the Imperial Court that Pei Zheng finally understood the feelings in his heart, and tied Qi Changyi to his side.
His initial motive for approaching the delicate man gradually faded into the back of his mind. Pei Zheng began to realize that this little prince meant more to him than just a pawn in his plans. Guided by his heart’s desire, he asked the Emperor for a huge reward: to take Qi Changyi and keep him by his side.
Those carefree days were filled with sweetness and joy; he almost forgot what kind of person he really was. He had never truly loved anyone. Everybody was merely a pawn in his schemes. No one could wound his heart if he didn’t have one. Besides power, nothing else mattered.
This small man was nothing more than a pet he could use to vent his desires. If it didn’t obey his orders, he would simply get rid of it.
Get rid of it, right?
Pei Zheng’s fingers pressed lightly against Qi Changyi’s chin, and the little prince began to tremble even more violently.
Slowly, very slowly, the bones in his jaw shifted from their original positions.
One flick of his hand threw Qi Changyi back onto the mattress. Pei Zheng’s sleeves fluttered as he walked out.
Outside, the moonlight’s color was just right. The receding figure was enveloped in a soft, silvery glow as it slowly disappeared out of sight.
Qi Changyi curled into a ball and groaned in pain.
Pei Zheng always loved pinching his chin; he pinched it when he was happy, he pinched it when he was angry. He never knew how to control his strength; today, he had dislocated Qi Changyi’s jaw.
The pain was excruciating. Tears fell from Qi Changyi’s eyes like rain, but it wasn’t just because of his chin; the deepest wound was in his heart. It felt as though someone had stabbed a hole in it, and it was gurgling with blood.
He didn’t know how long it had been. He was in so much pain that he could only sluggishly toss and turn in the bed. Just as he was about to faint, the door opened.
The lights were off, so the room was pitch-dark. But under the gentle moonlight, the vague outline of a person could be seen lying on the bed.
The person who had just entered was Cheng Feng. He lit the lamp as he came in.
There was another man behind him; he appeared to be a doctor. He walked swiftly to the side of the bed, placed his hands on the little prince’s porcelain-white face, and pressed upward; his chin was reset with a ‘click’. Qi Changyi immediately snapped out of his stupor, and tears rushed down his cheeks.
The doctor quickly retreated, and Cheng Feng turned around to leave as well, but was held back by a small hand clutching onto the edge of his robe.
Qi Changyi’s eyes were red, and he managed to gasp, “A-Feng, I-I want to go back to the palace.”
Cheng Feng ruthlessly tore his robe away, before cupping his hands. “Your Highness, it is His Majesty’s will that you live here in the Prime Minister’s Manor. Without Master’s permission, you cannot leave.”
Qi Changyi’s hand stayed frozen in mid-air for a while before he silently retracted it and looked down at the ground.
That sad, pitiful expression really made one’s heart ache.
Cheng Feng continued, “Your Highness, there were so many people involved in that matter, it’s impossible to pin the blame on a single person. But Master has never treated anyone as kindly as he treats you. You are different from the others in Master’s heart. You only need to treat Master the same as you did in the past, and make sure not to say things like, ‘I hate you’ or, ‘I want to leave’, anymore.”
Qi Changyi’s head was still lowered and he didn’t respond; it was unknown if he had even heard Cheng Feng’s words.
Cheng Feng was about to say something else when Pei Zheng suddenly entered. The whole room was immediately filled with the strong scent of wine.
“Get out.”
Cheng Feng walked out the door and quickly left the garden.
Pei Zheng placed the wine jar in his hand on the table, walked to the side of the bed, and sat down.
The overwhelming smell of alcohol was enough to make one’s eyes sting. Pei Zheng’s footsteps were steady, but one could easily tell from his hazy eyes that he was extremely drunk.
His ice-cold fingers touched Qi Changyi’s dainty chin. “Does it still hurt?”
Qi Changyi’s freshly-reset jaw was pinched again, and he yelped in pain, his brow creasing.
Pei Zheng actually let go. He lifted his arm and wrapped it around the small man’s waist, before lifting him up and placing him on his thigh.
Lowering his head, Pei Zheng swept the tip of his tongue over Qi Changyi’s tightly shut eyelids, before kissing away the warm tears on his cheek, “Be good, don’t cry.”
Qi Changyi’s heart trembled. His eyes flashed open, and he shoved Pei Zheng’s chest, his tears falling even more furiously.
“Pei-gege, let go of me…let go of me…please, I’m begging you…”
He wouldn’t – he shouldn’t – have these feelings for Pei Zheng anymore.
He couldn’t like him anymore!
Qi Changyi’s hand accidentally pushed Pei Zheng’s bandaged wound, and the gauze was immediately dyed in red. Pei Zheng ignored it. With one hand, he grabbed at the small man’s thin arms and twisted them behind his back.
“You’re begging me?”
Pei Zheng’s ferocious gaze would have made anyone shiver in fear, “So, right now, you’re begging me to let you go?”
Thin lips ruthlessly covered Qi Changyi’s small, pale mouth. He bit and nibbled, until the tip of his tongue forced its way into the warm cavern. The soft sweetness was intoxicating, and he sucked hard to absorb every last bit of it.
The prince’s tears flowed into both of their mouths, and subtle saltiness melted into sweet, alcoholic bitterness. The raging torrent of emotions and blood was about to burst out.
Pei Zheng suddenly let go of Qi Changyi. He reached over and picked up the wine jar, leaned his head back, and took a sip. Then, he squeezed the small man’s cheeks and poured the rest into his mouth.
The wine was cold, but it burned his nose and throat. His stomach cramped, and he began to retch uncontrollably.
Pei Zheng threw the empty wine jar to the ground, and stood up. He slowly undressed, revealing his sculpted chest and muscular shoulders, as well as a prominent scar on his arm.
Qi Changyi took a long, deep breath before he rolled around in the bed and quickly covered himself with the bedsheet. This Pei Zheng in front of him was too terrifying; the unbridled desire in his eyes was about to break him apart and swallow him.
Qi Changyi tightly pinched his collars together, hugged his knees, and huddled into the corner of the bed. He shook his head in panic and wept quietly.
“Don’t be like this, Pei-gege, don’t be like this, I’m scared…”
Repressed sobs, a trembling body, and tears that flowed incessantly; he really did resemble a frightened little rabbit.
Pei Zheng yanked his ankle and pulled the small man under himself. He tore away the obstructive robe, and a delicate, snow-white collarbone was revealed. The dark bite marks on that creamy skin were in the shape of his own teeth.
He placed his lips upon the scar; it matched perfectly with his mouth.
Pei Zheng’s teeth lightly sank into soft flesh, and those dark bite marks instantly reddened with fresh blood. The wound on his shoulder also tore due to excessive movement. Blood and sweat mixed and dripped onto the ghost-white canvas, creating a bewitching painting.
His head was muddled by alcohol; the remaining shreds of his rationality slowly fell away.
A sudden gust of wind blew through, and all the lights were extinguished.
Moonlight shone in through the window of the little pavilion. The trees swayed in the breeze.
The scent of alcohol was suffocating, the wooden bed was creaking, and a fistful of sweat-soaked, inky hair was grabbed and pulled back. His throat tore as he cried out; in the end, he could only whimper in pain…
The following afternoon.
As soon as Pei Zheng stepped foot into the manor, Cheng Feng stuck to his side and followed him slowly, his face full of hesitation.
“Speak.”
Cheng Feng spoke, “Master, you should just go to the garden and take a look.”
Pei Zheng didn’t go. Instead, he went straight back to the main hall. A maid helped to dress him in his official robes. Afterward, he sat down at the desk and flipped open a booklet.
Cheng Feng, at this point, was getting slightly nervous and impatient. He walked over and knelt on one knee.
“Master, His Highness still hasn’t woken up. According to the servant girl who’s been serving him, his body is extremely hot. If he continues to burn up, I’m afraid something terrible will happen.”
Pei Zheng kicked him aside, “I’ve kept you for so long, looks like I’ve raised quite a sensitive, caring little bodyguard.”
Pei Zheng threw the booklet to the ground.
Last night… last night, his skin was a little hot, but he didn’t expect it to end up like this.
Earlier this morning, he had quarreled with the fourth prince and the other officials yet again. The argument had been so noisy; it irritated him to no end.
Pei Zheng stood up and finally started toward the garden.
The mysterious smell in the little pavilion had not yet dissipated. The two maids standing at the side were like a pair of stone statues; they kept their heads down and didn’t speak.
Pei Zheng strode to the side of the bed. Qi Changyi was completely still. His lips were still pale, but his cheeks were slightly flushed with color, so he looked a little less like a soulless doll.
Pei Zheng lifted the quilt and traced his smooth skin, which was burning hot. He patted his cheek, but there was no response.
Pei Zheng felt his heart tighten with anxiousness. “Go to the palace and summon an imperial physician. Quickly.”
Cheng Feng nodded and left.
Pei Zheng pulled the blanket back over the small man.
The bed and floor were littered with bloody shreds of fabric that no one had dared to pick up; even the shattered wine jar was still swimming in a little pool of blood on the ground. They were like little trophies that flaunted Pei Zheng’s power.
Look, you did this, he’s all yours now, are you satisfied now?
You kept him by your side just to torture him and vent your desires, right?
“Clean it up.”
Pei Zheng sat beside the bed. “Bring me a set of clean clothes.”
A maid quickly returned with a simple white robe embroidered with dark red threads.
Pei Zheng dressed the prince carefully, from the underrobe to the outer robe. His hand traced the bluish-purple marks on his body, and he couldn’t help but lean down and kiss1 the bruised skin.
This was good, he was just as obedient as before, and he would never struggle in his embrace again.
So, don’t think about leaving ever again.
Otherwise, Pei Zheng wouldn’t be able to stop himself from destroying him.
Notes
First of all stop drinkingggggg
Secondly why did you lick his eyelids that’s so weird if someone licked my eyelids too I’d also want to run away from them
Thanks for reading~
1. This was a very strange word choice: 摩鲨, which is cookie-cutter shark, the shark with the cute little round mouth. I thought it was ‘kiss’ because that’s what those sharks do, they stick themselves with their mouths onto things; I don’t know, maybe he just bit him again
