"Ming Tao is a jack ass! Ugh. I hate that I have to-" Mira ranted to herself. Her fingers met her hair and scattered it in frustration. "Ughh!!" She yelled. She was at the hot spring. That conversation with Ming Tao made her realise that she needed to blow off some steam and body ache before she drank water so she came here first.

Mira sat by the hot spring with her legs dipped into it. She did not want to take her clothes off but she did not want to wet it either so she just rolled it up to thigh level for now as her feet kicked in the warm water. Mira packed her hair up in a bun then lifted her clothes up.

She took it off completely, changing her mind. Now, in her naked form, she calmly dived into the hot spring.

Mira’s body relaxed instantly as the warm water surrounded her skin. If it was possible, she would sleep in this spring. It was a pain killers alternative. Mira let herself get used to the warmth the spring provided. It healed both her nerves and body. The steam was also really intoxicating and every single second that passed with her basking in this hot spring, she remembered Jia Hao. She remembered their first time here when she offered to wash him and she remembered how difficult it was to focus. Now she had had that cock of his inside her countless times that even with her eyes closed and in a room full of dicks, she could reach for his and know it belonged to him.

Mira let out an exhale. For a second, she forgot about Ming Tao. She forgot about that shadow and that voice that may have been a dream. She just enjoyed being in the quiet and easing off her muscles. That was until her nose caught on a scent.

Mira shot her body back to face the spring bank. There, she saw Ming Tao. He followed her? How sick could he actually be??

"What are you doing here? I made it clear that you’re not welcome."

Ming Tao was sat. He used a hand to support his body from his side while the other hand rested on his knee which was folded up to form a triangle with the ground. His other leg not supporting his hand laid freely on the ground. "Took you long enough." Ming Tao said casually.

Mira got out of the water, reached for her dress and angrily put it on. Ming Tao studied her every move with interest. He laughed.

She rolled her eyes. "If you won’t leave, then I will." She charged at him. She did not want to wet the dress but because of him, she just did and that spiked her fury.

"Really? We haven’t even had a conversation yet." Ming Tao worded. There was something playful about his tone that vexed Mira.

"We have nothing to discuss."

"I think you will change your mind when you know who that lady you keep seeing is."

Mira froze. "Wha-" she stammered. "What do you mean?"

"See? I caught your interest."

"Spit it out, Ming Tao. What do you mean?"

"I let a certain female accompany me here. She did me good sneaking into your nursery. And during the ceremony. She told me you saw her. She waved by the way. Very well trained female she is." Ming Tao sounded fascinated in a way that got under Mira’s skin.

So she was not seeing things. Her asshole of a husband sent a woman to torture her on such an important day. "What was your aim with that?" Mira asked. "Why do you want to prove I am so bad so damn much?" Her voice sank into a whisper with every word.

"Because you are. One good deed does not change that. One simple acting and fulfilment of your responsibility does not change the fact that you are a demon, Mira Yang. And I will never forgive you for all that you did to me." Ming Tao stood up. He made his way to her and stood in front of her. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

He loved the anxious look that plastered her once confident face.

"Ming Tao, I am trying. I am trying to change. Do not torture a woman this way."

"You are far from a woman. I only see you as a demon." Ming Tao’s tone was firm. He was seething with rage. Was this the same person who saved her in that river? Why was he acting different? There was so much hatred oozing out of him and it was directed towards Mira.

"Okay. I guess this is goodnight." Mira said. She turned her back on him, an attempt to leave. This stung Ming Tao. He hated not having her attention and it bugged him. He also hated that she not giving him attention bugged him this way.

"The woman is your sister. Hye Yang." Ming Tao dropped the bomb.

Mira turned to face him immediately. "What?" She gasped, unable to know if he was being serious.

Ming Tao only smirked at her in return like this was funny.

"You know she’s banished from the pride. You know what she can do to my babies. You know Hye Yang is a literal disaster. Why would you do something that reckless?!" Panic. It surged through Mira.

"I met Mu Yang." Ming Tao said. "It’s funny. I thought you were changing yet he told me that the only reason you did what you did was because he told you to. It only made sense. Why would you suddenly want to right your wrongs and meet the lion king, a powerful ruler, first? Because you know what having him on your side would do for you both."

Mira shook her head. "You’re so foolish." She said. "You’re easy to manipulate and you’re so damn foolish, Ming Tao." Despite her rage, her voice came out in heavy breaths.

"You better go and check on them. Hye Yang roams the nursery as we speak."

Mira felt her life force drop. Her eyes widened and for a second, she could not breathe. He let her sister, the same one who tried to abort her babies and kill a cub into a room all her children were. Mira backed away slowly, her heart pounded as his words replayed in her head. "How could you?!" She screamed before bolting away.