Naruto: Thrown Into the Leaf - Chapter 26 - 25: Pages and Pathways

The clock struck midnight when Ruelle heard the echo of footsteps. She tensed, the fine hairs on the back of her neck standing on end in the cool night air.“You shouldn't be here,” Ruelle whispered, her voice a breathless murmur. The silhouette finally came to stand under the moonlight, his dark red eyes watching her and his inky black hair ruffling.“Shouldn't I?” His voice was a dark caress, and she stood there captivated by the danger he exuded like perfume.“I haven’t seen you for the last two days,” his tone low. His hand reached out, fingers brushing against the silk of her nightgown, tracing the trembling outline of her collarbone. “Tell me, were you avoiding me, or perhaps... entertaining other offers?”Ruelle’s heart raced, her breaths shallow. She declared, “I don't belong to anyone.”“A bold claim,“ he murmured, his breath a tantalising chill against her skin as he leaned in. ”Yet here you are, pulse racing, your body tensed as if in anticipation of my touch.”His fingers gripped her chin, tilting her face towards his. The moonlight caught his eyes, revealing a glint of predatory intent. “Or must I remind you whose touch you truly crave?”

Tang Qiu was a substitute bride–forced to take her half-sister’s place and marry the young master of the Jiang family, a deformed cripple with less than 6 months left to live.

“Who would have thought that even a sickly whelp like Jiang Shaocheng would find himself a bride?”

“I hear that he’s practically on his deathbed and he’s only marrying the Fengs’ daughter to improve his lifespan.”

Tang Qiu ignored the whispers around her and focused on her husband-to-be, who coughed violently in his wheelchair. At the altar, after they had said their vows, she lifted her veil and knelt in front of Jiang Shaocheng, pressing a hesitant kiss to his lips.

The marriage contract was signed. No matter his physical deformities, he was now her husband.

She wasn’t afraid of the scars that marked his face, nor was she repulsed by him being confined to a wheelchair. Every morning, she made him breakfast, attended to his needs, and thought of little else beyond her duties as a wife.

“Young Master Jiang is a cripple who can’t get it up,” her best friend argued. “When he dies, you’ll still be untouched. You should set your sights higher.”

“A sickly invalid like Jiang Shaocheng can’t give you happiness,” her ex-boyfriend insisted. “I’ll wait for you.”

But Young Master Jiang only scoffed. “I have plenty of time left to be with her.”

Later in their marriage, Jiang Shaocheng wanted to enjoy his little wife in all ways–the press of her lips against his, the brush of skin on skin; the way a husband and wife were supposed to. But Tang Qiu refused him, blushing. “No, we can’t. The doctor says you can’t exert yourself.”

Jiang Shaocheng’s desire was surging through him, a heat in his core that demanded to be satiated. He cursed, I should have gotten rid of that doctor and the wheelchair long ago.

But he yearned to make love to his little wife, and so he revealed his true identity. In the blink of an eye, the deformed cripple transformed into a powerful businessman–tall, dark, and handsome. He quieted Tang Qiu’s protests, his body positioned over hers, his arms caging her as she lay on the bed. His voice was low when he asked, “What about now?”

Jiang Xun was transmigrated as a cannon fodder. Her mother died when she was young, her stepmother schemes against her, and her father abandoned her in a village. But Jiang Xun didn’t panic, and she was a person who always won by virtue.

Thieves would say, “Stop hitting me, I’ll change careers!”

Thugs would say, “Stop hitting me, I’ll return the money!”

At the Jiang family banquet, guests were watching her every move, waiting for her to make a fool of herself. “I heard that she’s been living in the village for eleven years and has a country bumpkin-like feel to her. If I were the Jiang family, I wouldn’t risk her embarrassing me by letting her attend.”

Mr. Jiang said to her, “Stay behind your mother and don’t speak lest you embarrass yourself.”

Her stepmother nodded. “The Qin family’s patriarch, Qin Mufeng is noble, benevolent, and abstinent. Don’t even think about someone like him; he’s completely out of your league.”

Sure. She didn’t intend to marry into a rich family anyway. She just wanted to beat up the man in the rumors. But why was this man following her around all day every day?

A Failed score in the National Examinations was enough to make many youths desolate.Such a score should be the end of any Protagonist.With Parents who didn't love him, and a brother who was hellbent on using him as a stepping Stone, Levon's life was already colorful. Many waited for his Fall.However, there was a saying, that for a few, failure wasn't the end—but the beginning of something darker.“Mr. And Mrs. Belmont, My academy is interested in your son. Don't worry, we have just the place for him.”“Alright. Please, take the troublemaker away!”Levon watched in eerie calm, putting up no resistance.Soon, he thrust into a world completely unfamiliar to him. There was danger, chaos, and the promise of death looming in each corner.“Blood ACADEMY...”It was an odd place… an odd but interesting one.