Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

70 The Wedding night- Part Li Hua waited for the Court Lady Hong to go out. She had to mix the pill in the wine glass. “Court Lady Hong shall leave to rest. I will wait for the Sixth Prince,” Li Hua said while fidgeting with her fingers.

“I need to stay outside the entire night, Your Highness,” Court Lady Hong said.

“Why?” Li Hua looked confused.

“Because I am the head servant for this manor. Also, in the morning, I need to take the bedsheets to make sure that the Sixth Prince and-” she paused when Li Hua asked her to stop.

“The Sixth Prince doesn’t like anyone’s presence in the chamber, Court Lady Hong. Why doesn’t she wait for the Sixth Prince outside? I don’t want His Highness to be angry at me for not informing the Court Lady,” Li Hua said. She had to send her out at any cost. If she would fail, then everything would be ruined.

Court Lady Hong did not want Lóng Wei to get furious at Li Hua on his wedding night, so decided to leave the chamber. She closed the red mahogany doors from outside and waited for the Sixth Prince to return.

Li Hua quickly moved the veil off her face and checked the wedding wines that they both were supposed to drink. She quickly took out the pill which she had wrapped in a tiny piece of paper and put it in one of the cups. She mixed it well and smiled. The moment she heard the voice of Lóng Wei, she promptly settled on the middle of the mattress on the bed and covered her face with the veil.

“Please stay in your quarter tonight. I don’t want anyone to stay in my manor apart from me and my wife,” Lóng Wei clearly told Court Lady Hong, who bowed and left the manor.

Lóng Wei pushed the door which scared Li Hua. She tightly clutched her dress material and heard his footsteps getting closer. As per Lóng Wei’s order, only a few candles were glowing in the chamber.

.....

He picked the red auspicious stick and gradually lifted the wedding veil from Li Hua’s face. First, her plump red lips were visible to him. It is said that lips are the mirror of one’s character and predicament. Her lips always had tempted him towards her.

Her small nose was visible to him, followed by her eyes which were the purest thing that he had ever seen. One could see one’s soul through one’s eyes. Lóng Wei did the same. He did not blink and kept his gaze in her eyes. The beautiful plum blossom flower centered at her forehead increased her beauty manifolds and he could not help but admire her more internally.

Li Hua, oppositely, wondered what the Sixth Prince would be thinking? His intent gaze on her made her nervous with each passing second.

‘Why is he staring at me?’ Li Hua thought.

Merely a few seconds had passed, and it felt like hours. The constant tension continued to grow between them. She started to sweat when Lóng Wei took a step toward her. She averted her gaze from him and wondered when they would drink the wedding wines.

When he leaned down, she forgot to breathe. Their faces were so close that if Lóng Wei would even move a millimeter, their lips would touch.

“Breath,” she heard him say and the next moment he knocked his forehead against hers, “you are not supposed to die today.”

Li Hua gulped and let out a deep breath and took a deep breath in. Wait! They were breathing the same air and it made her heart race wildly in fear. She wanted to move away but found herself glued to her place. Her throat went dry and she found the knots forming in her stomach due to the continuous growing fear in her.

When Lóng Wei was done admiring her, he stood straight and turned to look at the small table on which wedding wine cups were put. Before he could pick the cup, Li Hua promptly stood up and handed him one.

“Here, Your Highness,” Li Hua said and forwarded the cup to him. Lóng Wei took the cup from her.

“Have you taken your dinner?” he asked to which she nodded her head. He smiled and asked her to drink wine at the same time as hers.

Li Hua hummed and picked up the cup. She brought the wine cup near her mouth, and so did Lóng Wei. The two drank at the same time and put the cups on the tray.

“It tasted sweeter,” Lóng Wei said and wiped his lips using his thumb.

“Is His Highness sleepy? I know he is tired from the day’s activities,” she asserted and internally smiled. ‘His Highness will fall asleep in a minute. Senior Brother Xiwan had told me that this medicine is quite effective to fall asleep,’ she thought.

Lóng Wei took a step closer to him. “Shall we move to the next part?” He asked.

“N-n-next part?” She stuttered and took a step back. Her eyebrows arched in a surprise. “What does His Highness mean?” She asked. This time she didn’t stutter. She told herself that she did not have to be scared of him and continued to take the backward steps while he kept advancing toward her.

“Ahh,” she screamed when the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed and she fell on the mattress while Lóng Wei hovered over her.

“Your Highness,” she looked away and put her small hands on his chest, preventing him to kiss her.

‘The Sixth Prince should fall asleep by now, then why is he awake?’ she thought and weird thoughts occupied her head.

Lóng Wei lifted his right hand and placed it over her left hand. His fingers grazed over her fingers while his eyes remained glued to her. Her brows furrowed and she looked at her hand when Lóng Wei’s fingers stopped at the jade ring that she had put on her pointer finger.

“Whose ring is this?” His voice was not gentle anymore, neither it was soft. Instead, it was domineering and threatening. The sudden change in the color of his pupils intimidated Li Hua or was it a mere illusion?

He asked her again. This time he glanced at the red jade ring on her pointer finger.

When she did not respond, his palm went on her nape, and he pulled her up, forcing her to look at him.

Li Hua pulled her hand back from his, but Lóng Wei didn’t let it go. Instead, he took out the red jade ring from her finger.

“You are my official wife now. In your life, only one man shall exist, and that’s me!” Lóng Wei authorized, clenching his fist which was holding the jade ring.

“The Sixth Prince cannot force his decision on me. Even if he takes my body, he can never take my heart,” Li Hua said, with a stern tone.

Lóng Wei clicked his tongue and twisted his lips into a smirk.

“Watch your words, Li Hua. Not only your body will be mine, but your heart and soul too. I go crazy for the things that are precious to me. You are my wife, so my craziness for you is beyond description.”