Aurora’s pov

My hand that was on Wanqing’s chest was suddenly grabbed by her with one hand and she pinned it behind my back, holding it in place.

She tilted her head to deepen the kiss, turning fierce. When her tongue slipped into my mouth, teasing and forcing me to open up to her, a helpless moan escaped my mouth.

An unexpected wave of heat washed through me and I knew she was winning. I hated how easy this was for her and how right it felt despite everything.

My mind screamed that all this was reckless, that she belonged to someone else and couldn’t exactly return my feelings, but my body betrayed me completely, leaning into her.

Fuck. This wasn’t supposed to happen, I wasn’t supposed to be this easy...she deserved a slap for it.

Just as her free hand wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer, we heard the door slide open.

"Shit!" I muttered against her lips, panic already surging through me.

I shoved Wanqing back with all my strength and scrambled off the bed, nearly tripping over my own two feet. My heart pounded wildly as I wiped my now swollen lips with the back of my hand, trying to erase the evidence of whatever we had just done.

Standing in the open doorway were Xiao Qingyue and Lanzhin.

Xiao Qingyue’s eyes weren’t on Wanqing. They were locked directly on me, the mockery and the knowing glint in her eyes made me pause my wiping.

I watched as a slow smile spread across her face.

"Care to explain what the hell I just saw?"

Her question hung in the air like some sort of death sentence. Oddly, I didn’t feel guilty for what she had just seen... especially with that look she gave me earlier.

Beside me, Wanqing remained seated on the bed, outwardly she looked composed but the look of annoyance on her face wasn’t hard to miss.

Poor Lanzhin looked surprised, as if she had walked in on something mildly interesting rather than scandalous.

I turned to Wanqing, heart still racing from the kiss and the sudden interruption. When I spoke, my voice came out sharper than I intended.

"Wanqing. Could you explain to your fiancèe what just happened?"

Using her first name wasn’t something I planned on doing, but it made the whole interruption feel better. After all, she was the one who initiated it. I’d rather throw her under the rug and walk away unscathed than sacrifice myself.

The thought felt petty, but I’d learnt from the bed and my will to survive was already in motion.

Wanqing turned to look at me, a flicker of surprise crossing her face probably because I had said her first name so badly. She quickly looked away, schooling her expression.

"Qingyue." She began coolly. "To what do I owe this unexpected visit? No one from the palace sent word that you’d be paying a visit today and entering my room without knowing is considered rude."

Xiao Qingyue let out a small light chuckle, sounding completely unbothered.

"I can do whatever I want. I am your fiancèe, and General Gu himself said this residence was also my home." She said,

The words landed like stones on my head. I stood there awkwardly, the taste of Wanqing still lingering on my lips.

A bitter chuckle escaped me before I could stop myself. Xiao Qingyue snapped her head in my direction, then asked, "What’s so funny, slave?"

I met her eyes, unable to hold back my words. "If this residence was truly your home, Lanzhin wouldn’t need to escort you. And if you were really Wanqing’s fiancèe, she wouldn’t have done what she just did now."

Jealousy burned in my chest, hot and ugly. I knew I was literally poking a sleeping tiger, but I didn’t care.

"Shut up. The input of a mere slave isn’t needed in this discussion." Wanqing said, her voice cutting through the air.

And those words slammed into me harder than I had expected. The familiar feelings of heartbreak in my chest made me shake my head. Of course.

For a moment, I had forgotten my place. Xiao Qingyue flashed me a satisfied grin, clearly enjoying my humiliation.

I couldn’t even blame her. I nodded slowly, swallowing the lump in my throat. Deep down, I had expected this to happen sooner or later.

"I will take my leave then, since I’m not needed here." I announced.

"You’re not allowed to leave." Xiao Qingyue said smoothly, stepping further into the room. "You must be punished for touching a betrothed woman and Wanqing, you really need to tame this tiger of yours."

That did it. The constant talk of fixing me, punishing me or reminding me of my place, made something snap inside me.

"You all are either sick in the head or just downright stupid. I’m not receiving any punishment, want to know why?" I asked, taking a step forward. "Because Wanqing kissed me. Not the other way round."

I tried stepping past Wanqing completely and heading to the door, but her hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. "Tiger, apologize." She said firmly. "You can’t speak to royalty in such a manner."

Her grip was strong, but she wasn’t hurting me. Yet, I preferred she hurt me. I looked at her, searching for something... regret, softness or even a glimpse of something that could give me hope. But her expression remained blank.

I yanked my arm back and said, "Go fuck yourself, Young miss."

My words dripped with sarcasm as I stormed toward the door, deliberately bumping shoulders with Xiao Qingyue on my way out. She stumbled slightly but said nothing to me.

My blood was boiling, a mix of anger, hurt and lingering desire made my steps a bit unbalanced.

Just as I stepped outside, I came face to face with two imperial guards standing at attention. I frowned, a feeling of uneasiness crawled up my spine. I tried to suck it up and walk past them anyways.

They both moved at the same time, their large bodies blocking my path.

"Step back into the room," one of them ordered.

I stopped walking for a moment, staring up at them. My heart sank as the reality of my position finally dawned on me. No matter how much I fought or how close I got to Wanqing in private, outside these walls I was still just a slave.

But honestly, I didn’t want to let that define me.

"Why should I do that?" I fired back. "Because you little imperial princess might faint from anger if I don’t?"

"Shut up!" One of the guards snapped the moment those words left my mouth.

I stared at him, waiting. I wasn’t going to step back into that room, even if they made me.

"You should really behave yourself. Drawing more attention to this whole situation isn’t what we need." The other one said, slapping a hand over his forehead.

I didn’t respond to him after that, if Wanqing had just allowed me to do my usual job... all this would not be happening. It was partially my fault too, allowing her to do that to me last night had been nothing but a mistake.

"Are you listening to me?!" One of the guards half yelled, taking a step towards where I stood.

"There’s no need for you to shout." I murmured. "Step out of the way. This whole shit has nothing to do with me."

"There’s no need for you to shout." I murmured. "Step out of the way. This whole shit has nothing to do with me."

The two guards exchanged a look between each other, silent words passing through them. I hated it when people did that.

One of them sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose then said, "This has everything to do with you."

"No, it doesn’t." I shot back.

"Yes, it does."

The guard stared at me for a long moment before exhaling. "Listening, just step back into the room and apologize."

I let out a small chuckle. "Apologies? For what exactly?"

"For causing a scene." The other guard responded.

It was at this point I actually realized people here knew nothing about eavesdropping or carrying out orders. The irony.

"I do not cause scenes." I said through my clenched teeth.

"You shouldn’t have ran out of the room after speaking to the imperial princess that way." The guard stated blankly.

"Why shouldn’t I do that? Huh?" I asked, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. "Whatever I do is my business and mine alone."