Chapter 17
‘I don’t dare to receive your majesty’s generosity,’ LF said.
‘If I don’t find out who poisoned you, imperial mother will misunderstand,’ NL said. ‘Do you think someone with my high status would care about you if I wasn’t worried about imperial mother misunderstanding?’
‘I can go see the ED and explain,’ LF said. ‘I promise the ED won’t blame your majesty.’
LF believed NL ordered someone to poison her food because she was under the protection of the ED and no one else had a reason to poison her.
NL tossed LF onto his bed.
‘Little demoness, I didn’t poison you,’ NL said. ‘I don’t care whether you believe me or not.’
LF struggled to sit up on the bed.
‘If your majesty said you didn’t poison me then the matter is resolved and I can go back to my bedchamber,’ LF said.
NL held LF’s shoulders so she couldn’t get out of bed.
‘My word is law,’ NL said. ‘You’re staying here until I find out who poisoned you.’
‘Your majesty, I can’t stay here,’ LF said.
‘I wouldn’t care whether you live or die if I wasn’t worried about imperial mother misunderstanding,’ NL said. He couldn’t be gentle with the little demoness because she would leave his bedchamber. ‘If you had died from food poisoning, I would have thanked the person who poisoned you.’
‘Your majesty, LF, don’t fight,’ XST said.
‘Your majesty, let go of me,’ LF warned.
‘I’m not letting go of you,’ NL said.
NL fell on top of LF. They landed on the bed and their lips touched.
LF widened her eyes. She didn’t know what to do about NL’s handsome face that touched her face.
NL widened his eyes too. He loved LF’s soft lips. He kissed and nibbled her lips.
LF didn’t know what NL was doing. She felt his soft tongue caressed her tongue.
‘Your majesty, no,’ LF said.
NL held LF’s wrists at her waist. He kissed her deeper, and didn’t want to let her go.
XST felt awkward witnessing NL kissing LF. XST turned around and heard LF crying.
‘LF, why are you crying?’ NL asked. ‘Did I hurt you?’
LF pushed NL’s shoulders and wiped her lips.
‘I hate you,’ LF said.
After LF’s father died, she stayed strong to protect her mother and trained to revenge her father’s death. But she was a young woman, deep in her heart she wanted to save her first kiss for the man she loved.
‘What’s wrong with your att.i.tude?’ NL said. ‘Do you hate me kissing you?’
‘Do you think because you’re the emperor that you can do anything you want?’ LF asked. ‘I hate you. I won’t forgive you in this lifetime.’
‘Do you think I like kissing you?’ NL asked. ‘There are thousands of women who want me to kiss them. You’re worthless…’
LF slapped NL’s cheek.
‘You dare hit me?’ NL asked.
‘I don’t want to see you again,’ LF said.
LF got out of bed and ran outside NL’s bedchamber.
Chapter 18
‘Your majesty, why aren’t you chasing after LF?’ XST asked. ‘I think she reacted like a shy young lady.’
NL rubbed his sore cheek. He wasn’t angry at LF.
‘Shy?’ NL asked.
‘LF is a maiden,’ XST said. He didn’t want LF to be beheaded because she hit NL. ‘Even if your majesty is the emperor, she would still feel shy being kissed by your majesty. Your majesty, you should be gentle toward her and treat her better. Then next time she would react differently when your majesty kiss her.’
‘I’m the emperor, why do I need to coax LF?’ NL asked.
‘Your majesty, if you didn’t like LF then you wouldn’t kiss her,’ XST said. ‘If your majesty is sweet and gentle toward her, I promise she’ll melt in your arms.’
‘I didn’t want to kiss LF,’ NL denied. ‘I kissed her accidently.’
‘Your majesty, if you don’t want to admit the truth then you’ll lose LF,’ XST said. ‘She’ll leave the palace.’
‘It’ll be good if she leaves,’ NL lied.
‘Your majesty, LF is in a weak condition,’ XST said. ‘What if something happens to her on the way home like meeting bandits?’
‘I’m going to find LF because of imperial mother,’ NL lied. ‘Don’t think that I like her.’
‘Your majesty, I won’t think that you like LF,’ XST denied.
Outside NL’s bedchamber, LF leaned against a wall because she used up her energy running away from NL. If she wasn’t poisoned, she would have given NL a beating to make him bedridden for three days instead of slapping him for stealing her first kiss.
LF took deep breaths, and walked toward the palace gates. She felt guilty not keeping her promise to the ED. If she stayed, she was scared she would kill NL. Besides, she missed her mother and wanted to see her mother.
LF saw a sedan, and thought it was NL. But she looked through the sedan window and saw her father’s killer, the third duke (TD).
‘Stop my sedan,’ the TD ordered.
Chapter 19
LF regretted she wasted an opportunity to revenge her father. Why did she have to be in a weak state at a critical moment?
‘You there!’ a guard said. ‘Can’t you see the TD? Why aren’t you kowtowing?’
LF would rather die than kowtow in front of her father’s killer.
‘Why haven’t I seen you in the palace before?’ the TD asked.
‘Can’t you hear TD asked you a question?’ the guard asked. ‘Tell TD your name.’
LF endured until the next opportunity she could kill the TD.
‘I…’ LF said.
‘Imperial third uncle,’ NL called.
‘Your majesty,’ the TD called.
NL was in the way for the TD to sit on the throne.
‘Imperial third uncle, are you here to visit imperial mother?’ NL asked.
‘It’s been a long time since I visited the palace,’ the TD said. ‘I heard your majesty was injured. I’m happy to see your majesty’s healthy complexion.’
The TD looked back at LF.
‘Your majesty, who is this young lady?’ the TD asked.
‘Her name is LF,’ NL said. ‘She’s a palace guest.’
The TD heard LF’s name and tensed.
‘I see,’ the TD said. ‘She is the ED’s chosen daughter-in-law. She’ll be your majesty’s empress.’
‘I haven’t agreed for LF to be my empress,’ NL said.
‘Your majesty, LF looks pale,’ the TD said. ‘Is she sick?’
The TD was going to investigate LF’s ident.i.ty.
NL didn’t want the TD to find out LF was important to him and he didn’t want LF to leave the palace.
‘Ignore LF,’ NL said. ‘I’ll escort imperial uncle to imperial mother’s courtyard…’
LF fainted. NL caught in his arms and carried her back to his bedchamber.
End of Chapters 17 to 19 summaries