** NO ESCAPE FROM LIANG WEI **
My fists tightened immediately beneath my sleeves.
For one stiff second, I imagined smashing the jade wine flask across that arrogant, disgusting face ogling at me or punching him directly in the throat, but then I forced myself to remain still.
"You have to stay calm, Ruyue. You have to," I whispered silently in my head.
I still needed to confirm whether the woman beneath the bridal veil was truly Xiu Mei before I made any reckless move and escaped this cursed palace.
"Take it off. Now." His voice came out more firmly this time.
Slowly, I raised my hands toward the layers of fabric around my body. The dancer attire consisted of several thin robes tied delicately around the waist and shoulders. One by one, I loosened the outer layers carefully, letting them slide down until only the softer inner garment remained clinging against my skin.
The swell of my breasts and the faint shadow of my nipples were visible through the thin fabric. I stopped, my hands still clutching the edges of the inner garment, not yet letting it fall completely.
Liang Wei watched silently, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths, the wine cup forgotten in his grip. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, but his eyes burned with impatience as the remaining silk clung lightly to the curves of my body, revealing far more than it concealed.
I held his stare, my pulse racing, the silence stretching between us like a taut bowstring.
He picked up the wine cup again, drained the last of it, then stood up at once.
My heartbeat quickened. Slowly, he walked toward me, and I found myself instinctively stepping backward until my back finally hit the wall behind me.
Liang Wei stopped directly in front of me, close enough for me to smell the wine on his breath. His hand came up to cup my face, his thumb brushing over my lower lip. I felt the rough calluses on his skin, the strength in his fingers as they tilted my head up to look at him.
A lazy smile curved across his lips before he leaned down, clearly intending to kiss me.
I quickly raised a hand between us, my palm pressing against his chest, stopping him before our lips could meet.
His eyes narrowed slightly in amusement.
Without warning, he grabbed both my wrists with one hand and pinned them above my head against the wall effortlessly, his other hand tangling in my hair, holding me in place as he lowered his head again.
"Interesting," he murmured softly, and then he leaned in again. I turned my face to the side immediately, my cheek pressing against the rough wall. His lips missed mine and brushed past my cheek instead before trailing slowly along my neck.
He didn't stop. I felt his mouth, hot against my throat, his teeth scraping lightly against my pulse point, his tongue following the same path and leaving a damp trail behind.
A shiver of anger ran through me instantly. I tried to force myself out of his hold but failed completely.
His grip on my wrists tightened, pressing his body against mine. His mouth moved along my neck, finding the hollow behind my ear, his breath hot against my skin.
Then suddenly, the pressure on my wrists disappeared. Before I could react, his hands were on my waist, lifting me off the ground. The room spun around me as he carried me across the space and tossed me onto the bed, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs.
I landed with a soft gasp.
He shrugged the remaining robe from his shoulders in one smooth, careless motion before climbing onto the bed after me. The mattress dipped beneath his weight as he settled over me, completely trapping me beneath him.
Before I could make another move to escape from under him, he caught both my wrists easily and pinned them above my head against the silk sheets.
I struggled beneath him, but the movement only pulled painfully at my wounded stomach.
"Still trying to resist?" he murmured against my ear, a low chuckle slipping from his lips. "Though I have to admit… I enjoy them far more when they struggle a little. It makes things more interesting."
His lips suddenly lowered to my collarbone, his wet tongue brushing slowly against my shoulder, then lower along my neck, warm and lingering. One of his hands slid against my waist possessively while he buried his face near my ear.
I held my breath instantly, my entire body stiff with tension.
Am I really about to be claimed by this man? I thought, a cold uneasiness creeping into my chest at the realization.
And then Jinhai suddenly crossed my mind. The promise I made beneath the plum tree flashed through my thoughts so vividly that it almost hurt more than the wound in my stomach.
What would happen to the promise I made to myself? Jinhai was the only man I had ever planned to give my body to… but here I was...
I clenched my teeth hard, forcing myself not to panic too visibly.
And suddenly, the chamber doors burst open.