The room was quiet, filled only with the sound of their breathing. A heavy tension hung in the air like smoke. The flickering light from the wall sconce cast strange shadows across the floor. Xia Yuqing stood straight, her eyes locked on the man who had possessed Lu Jinchen's body.
Her gaze was sharp, filled with a mixture of pain, fear, and unspoken anger. But more than anything, there was worry in her eyes. That one emotion, reflected so clearly in her trembling pupils, that it made the Emperor freeze for a heartbeat.
He had finally gotten what he longed to see in her eyes, but it wasn't meant for the man who once ruled an empire. It wasn't meant for the one she had once called "Your Majesty." No, it was meant for him, but for Lu Jinchen.
Something inside the Emperor snapped.
