Chapter 46: Secrets Etched in Blood
Late that night, Mei Xiao couldn't sleep.
She wandered the quiet halls of the estate, fingers trailing across ancient walls carved with unfamiliar symbols. Every few steps, she'd whisper insults at the floor just to amuse herself.
"Who makes a hallway this long? What are we, training for marathons in our sleep?"
She paused at a door slightly ajar—Murong Jing He's study. Light spilled from within.
She knew she shouldn't. But hey, curiosity was her middle name. That, and sarcasm.
She pushed the door open gently. He stood inside, shirt half-removed, wrapping fresh bandages around his ribs. Deep crimson bruises marred his skin, angry and recent.
Mei froze. "Who did that to you?"
Murong turned, clearly startled. "It's nothing."
"Looks like nothing had fists made of iron."
She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "Why didn't you say something?"
He avoided her gaze. "Because I didn't want you to worry."
Her voice dropped, gentler now. "I'm already worried. That's kind of the default when you care about someone, you know."
His fingers paused at the bandage.
Mei took it from him.
"Let me."
They stood in silence as she worked, her fingers surprisingly gentle. She didn't joke this time. Not even a little.
After a moment, she looked up at him.
"You've been hiding something, haven't you? About the reason you married me."
Murong exhaled slowly.
"I didn't plan to fall in love with you," he said quietly. "But I did. And it complicates everything."
Mei's heart stuttered. "So… what was the reason?"
He looked at her—really looked. "There were whispers. That the Phoenix Seal had returned. That its vessel was reborn. I married you to keep you close. To protect the fragment."
Silence.
Mei stepped back slightly, wrapping her arms around herself. "So it wasn't about me. Just… what's inside me."
"It started that way," he admitted. "But you—this version of you—threw everything off balance. You made me laugh. Made me furious. Made me hope."
She stared at him, unsure whether to slap him or kiss him.
So she did neither. Instead, she turned toward the door. "I need air."
As she opened it—
"WAIT!" Zhao Yun toppled in dramatically, eavesdropping ear pressed comically to the wood.
"Seriously?" Mei and Murong said in unison.
Zhao scrambled to his feet. "I was trying to protect her feelings. That's what friends do. Also, this is better than any drama I've seen in the capital."
Murong looked murderous.
But Mei? She laughed.
A soft, real laugh.
Because even though her heart felt cracked, she realized something important.
She wasn't alone anymore.
And that… was something worth staying for.