NOVEL WEB Chapter 253: “Always My Wife”
The corridors felt quieter than they should have, the flicker of lamplight painting the walls in long shadows. My steps were slow—partly from the weariness tugging at me, partly because Mingyu hadn't let go of my hand since we left the hall.
It was strange, walking like this. Not as the Crown Princess being escorted under the weight of a hundred watching eyes, but as a woman being led somewhere by the man who had decided, without asking, that I would not be alone tonight.
I didn't resist.
Yaozu walked on my other side, his presence as steady as the warm press of Mingyu's fingers around mine. I caught the faint sound of my own breath and the soft swish of my robes against the polished floor, but the palace itself seemed to be holding still, as though it knew something was different.
We turned into the wing that led to the Emperor's personal chambers, and the first voice of resistance came before we had even crossed the threshold.
"Your Majesty—!"
A eunuch stepped forward, dropping to one knee with a bowed head, but his words were sharp despite the formal pose. "The Emperor's rooms are restricted. It is improper for the Crown Princess to—"
"She is my wife," Mingyu said, his tone smooth as water yet carrying enough weight to silence the air itself. "She is the only one that matters, the one that will be crowned Empress when I am crowned Emperor. She is the one who will walk by my side for the rest of out lives. She will always have access to my rooms. Anyone who tries to stop her will be killed without question."
The eunuch's head dipped lower like he was taking in the royal decree and making sure that it was sent out to everyone else, but I could still feel the tension in the air like a coiled rope. He clearly hated the idea of me in Mingyu's chambers, but that only made me want to be there more.
No matter how much the staff might resist the idea, it didn't matter to Mingyu. He didn't wait for an answer or for a confirmation of understanding. Instead, he simply guided me inside, his thumb brushing against my knuckles as though the entire exchange had never happened.
The moment we stepped past the carved doors, the scent of sandalwood met me. It was subtle, clean, underlined by the faint heat from the braziers set along the walls. His chambers weren't opulent in the way I'd expected. They were warm. Lived in. The sort of space meant to be returned to at the end of a long day, not paraded through to impress foreign envoys.
I had never been here before. This was the old Emperor's bedroom, and while it might have Mingyu's stuff in it, it didn't fully feel like his. Not really.
Mingyu didn't release my hand until we reached the bed, a broad low frame draped in deep crimson silk. He turned to face me then, studying me in the quiet way that stripped away everything but the truth.
"You should rest," he said simply, looking around the room before turning his attention back to me. "I haven't done anything to this place, so when you are feeling better, feel free to change it as you want it."
"Are you sure that your servants won't have an aneurysm if I do that?" I asked, a slight smile on my face.
"Let them, there is always more people who want to serve in the palace. Maybe those ones will be smarter than the old. Now, sleep. You need it."
There was no order in his voice, only a certainty that I would not argue. And for once, I didn't want to.
He pulled back the covers, the motion unhurried, then reached for me again…not to guide me to where I needed to be, but rather to draw me in. His hands were warm against my shoulders as he eased me down, the silk cool beneath my cheek. The faint creak of the mattress followed as he pulled the blanket over me, tucking it under my chin in a way that felt almost… absurd.
Absurd, because this was the soon to be Emperor of Daiyu. The man who could, with a single command, shift the fate of armies and civilians, who could shift the fate of the entire world if he wanted.
And yet, in this moment, he was focused only on making sure I was warm enough.
My eyes met his, and something in my chest tightened.
"You're not staying?" My voice was quieter than I meant it to be.
"I would if I could," he replied, brushing a strand of hair from my forehead. "But Deming and Longzi are waiting to speak to me. However, Yaozu will stay with you. You know you are safe with him."
He glanced past me then, and I knew without looking that Yaozu had already stepped closer to the bed, silent and watchful.
Mingyu's attention returned to me, his expression softening just enough to let something unguarded through. Then he bent, pressing his lips to my forehead with a gentleness that caught me off balance.
It wasn't for show. No one else in the room mattered in that instant. It was only him, and the quiet promise in that single touch.
When he pulled back, his gaze lingered for a heartbeat longer, and then he turned away. His footsteps were steady as he crossed the room, the sound fading as the doors opened and closed behind him.
For a moment, I lay still, the faint imprint of his kiss cooling against my skin. I was used to protecting myself, to carrying my own weight without leaning on anyone. But there, wrapped in silk and the memory of his hands, I allowed the feeling to settle over me—that rare sense of being… kept.
Yaozu didn't speak. He didn't have to. His presence was its own kind of guard, as unyielding as the metal I once shaped with my own hands. I reached out to him, almost desperate not to be alone anymore.
He smiled softly at me as he took off his boots and weapons and crawled into bed. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest before giving me another kiss to my forehead.
"He's not wrong, you know," he murmured softly. "You need sleep. We are here, we will protect you. Get some rest so that you can tell us what needs to be done next."
I didn't have to look at him to feel the smile on his face as he gently teased me. But he wasn't wrong. I knew that they would protect me.
Letting out a long breath, I slowly closed my eyes and let sleep take me.
Tonight, the world could go to hell, and I wouldn't care one bit.