“How did you follow me… It’s dangerous to come down from the mountain. Mom will worry.”
Arabel whispered gently as she stepped out of the castle gate, quickly walking away. The round sack she held in her arms gave a small jerk.
Tiny black eyes peeked out from between the blankets, gazing up at Arabel, who tenderly stroked its wet nose.
“Still, being with you makes my heart feel like it’s working properly again. Thank you.”
She thought her heart would burst when she fled the emperor’s bedroom.
When his lips neared hers, she didn’t think to pull away; instead, she involuntarily closed her eyes…!
She almost forgot it was an experiment for his healing. Pacing and burying her head in the pillow did nothing to calm her racing heart.
Needing fresh air, she ventured into the garden… and that’s when she found the small bundle rolling under the willow tree.
“If you enter the forest, your mom will smell you and come soon. Animals can find their companions or offspring by scent, even from a great distance. Probably, your mom is already on her way to you.”
The chill of the late autumn night finally steadied her trembling heart.
She must never forget why she is following the emperor to the palace. She does not belong in his world.
Resolute, Arabel hurried along, unaware of the dark shadow trailing her.
Entering the forest, Arabel looked around for the mother bear but saw no sign of her yet.
“This could be dangerous…”
Although the wolves had disappeared nearby due to the forest fire, she couldn’t relax. Predatory animals, starved by the fire, could be hiding anywhere.
She spotted a treehouse in a chestnut tree, thankfully undamaged due to its proximity to the village. Children used it as a play area.
“Let’s wait there until mom comes to get you.”
Arabel set the bear cub on the ground and approached the tree. Grabbing the hanging rope ladder, the cub quickly climbed onto her back.
“You’re really smart, aren’t you?”
Arabel smiled at the cub’s purring in response to her praise. Climbing trees and mountains was second nature to her.
Inside the treehouse, she found leaves and straw left by playing children. A small glass lamp with captured fireflies added a cozy glow to the space.
The cub hopped off her back and curiously looked around the small space, just enough for them both.
As Arabel spilled fruits and nuts from her pocket, a snapping sound came from below. Something non-wind-like had broken a branch.
Instinctively knowing it wasn’t the mother bear, the cub scurried back into Arabel’s arms. Both pairs of round eyes stared out into the darkness, holding each other tightly.
First, man-sized bare feet appeared at the doorway, followed by a tall man ducking low to enter through the small door.
“Em, Emperor…?”
Arabel’s voice trembled in disbelief.
Had it not been for the fireflies illuminating his face, she might not have recognized him as the emperor right away. His appearance was weary and exhausted.
Dressed only in trousers, with his bandages undone and hanging loosely, the emperor standing in the doorway reminded Arabel of the day she first encountered the black panther. She placed the bear cub on the straw and stood up to approach him.
“Are you alright?”
Worried, she looked up at the emperor, and his long shadow fell over her small figure. His dim red eyes filled her clear gaze.
Suddenly, the emperor’s head buried into the nape of her neck with a soft thud.
Arabel let out a startled breath.
The emperor’s bent back slowly rose and fell as he breathed in deeply. Her small hands, unsure what to do, clutched her dress.
The emperor, too, made fists at his sides, his knuckles turning white, trying not to touch her, not to embrace her and confine her within his arms. He knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself if he did.
Desperately tensing his muscles, he inhaled her scent.
His nose and roughly raised lips moved desperately over her soft skin, like a fish thrown out of water, gasping for air.
The emperor’s parted lips desperately breathed against Arabel’s neck, as if it were the only space he could breathe. Her initially stiff shoulders relaxed, and her dry arms reached up to carefully embrace his bent back.
A pained, animal-like sound slowly escaped his lips.
Soothing him as if calming a hurt animal, Arabel tiptoed, wrapping her arms around the emperor’s shoulders, bringing her body closer to allow him to breathe.
The emperor’s fingernails, clenched into fists, were stained with blood from digging into his own flesh.
After a while, the emperor slowly raised his head.
“I want to sleep,” he murmured wearily, his voice low and husky.
His eyes, always confident in ruling the world, smiled sadly and asked,
“Will you mock me for being a weak emperor if I ask you to put me to sleep?”
Arabel shook her head, her eyes misting with unspoken emotion. She looked straight into his eyes, wanting to show she was speaking the truth.
Leaning against the wall, with the bear cub’s head on one knee and the emperor’s head on the other, Arabel gently stroked both heads.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
