Forced to Love (GL) - Chapter 36

As the faint fragrance pressed forward, it carried a strong sense of intrusion. Instantly, an invisible barrier formed around Lingxi.

She instinctively took a step back, but her back suddenly hit the hard-stone pillar.

Her hand touched the smooth surface of the pillar, and a chill seeped into her bl00d through her fingertips.

“Your Highness.”

Lingxi called out softly, but in the next moment, Zhao Qingsui was already in front of her.

His dark eyes were so close, yet they no longer held the calmness Lingxi had seen before. Instead, they gleamed with a dangerous light, like a predator eyeing its prey.

“Don’t tell me again that it’s because of etiquette and virtue.”

His voice carried an unexpected coldness, turning into an icy spike that slashed past her cheek and embedded itself into the pillar behind her with a dull thud. The sound echoed in her ears, and Lingxi could vaguely see a mist of frost forming around the ice spike.

Looking at the person in front of her through this cold mist, she felt an overwhelming pressure closing in, like a spider’s web wrapping around her. Yet, in that tiny moment of hesitation, her fingers resting on the pillar curled slightly.

“Your Highness,” Lingxi struggled to speak, “Etiquette and virtue also include the respect between a ruler and a subject. You are a princess, and I am—”

“Is that so?”

Zhao Qingsui interrupted her. The same fingers that once traced the arrow wound now lightly tapped over her heart. Even through the fabric, Lingxi’s entire body tensed. Zhao Qingsui spoke each word deliberately: “Lu Mu, is this truly what you believe?”

His touch was light, but the weight on her heart felt unbearable, as if a thousand pounds were pressing down on her chest. Lingxi averted her eyes, unsure of how to answer.

“So, saving me at the banquet, helping me at the inn—everything you’ve done was just empty gestures dictated by duty?”

“No.”

Bright sunlight streamed through the window, casting long, overlapping shadows on the ground. Lingxi stared at the dark silhouettes, but even within them, she seemed to see countless sharp thorns growing, coated with a burning poison, inching toward her.

“It’s not like that.”

Her fingers unconsciously curled, digging into her palm so tightly that she didn’t even notice the wound reopening. Warm liquid seeped through her fingers, dripping onto the soft carpet.

“I am devoted to you.”

The poisonous thorns in the shadows suddenly grew wildly, spreading toward her heart. Just one more step, and they would pierce through, filling her entire body with poison.

But Zhao Qingsui’s fingertip, which had been pressing over her heart, suddenly shifted to her chin. He applied slight pressure, forcing Lingxi to lift her head.

No longer facing the looming darkness, but instead, looking directly at the dazzling golden sunlight. In that moment, Lingxi felt a slight release of tension. The overwhelming pain that had been crushing her suddenly faded in the presence of this light.

“And what else?”

Zhao Qingsui’s gaze was unwavering as he looked at her, the faint warmth from his fingertip trailing from her chin to her heart.

Lingxi’s tightly clenched fists loosened slightly. In the corner of her vision, the deadly thorns wavered beside her, menacing yet hesitant.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, the faint fragrance in the air slipping into her senses. A voice deep inside her seemed to whisper something. At the same time, the taste of bl00d spread in her mouth, and Lingxi heard herself say:

“No matter the past, present, or future, this will never change.”

“Because it’s you. Only because it’s you.”

The moment her words left her lips, the poisonous thorns surged forward, embedding themselves fully into her beating heart. A numbing sensation spread from her heart, coursing through her veins.

At that moment, Lingxi realized she would never escape from this poison.

In her eyes, she saw Zhao Qingsui’s lips curve into a faint smile. But before she could think further, a dark shadow suddenly loomed over her.

“Your High—”

A warm breath brushed against her neck—soft, damp, layer by layer sending shivers through her. Lingxi’s words stopped at her lips. Her back straightened involuntarily, pressing tightly against the stone pillar.

Zhao Qingsui used actions to silence her.

As he leaned in, his teeth barely grazed her fair neck. Without even making a move, Lingxi was already frozen in place.

Like a predator that had finally found the perfect opportunity, Zhao Qingsui struck to claim his prey.

His warm breath fell gently, like a feather brushing over her skin. Lingxi held her breath, but before she could exhale, something hot traced along the prominent artery in her neck.

A shiver ran through her entire body. Even when the dark souls had invaded her before, she had never felt something like this.

Almost instinctively, she bit her lip, trying to resist the strange sensation.

A faint blush crept up her pale neck, but Zhao Qingsui had no intention of letting her go. His gaze remained locked on his prey.

His tongue traced slow, deliberate circles around her pulse before biting down lightly beside it. The sensation alternated between soft and firm, like a punishment—a silent reprimand for his prey.

When light, it was like an ant’s sting, bringing an unbearable ticklish sensation. When heavy, it tugged at her nerves, leaving a burning ache.

His breath brushed past her cheek and ear, blending into the surrounding air, yet turning unbearably hot in just an instant.

Zhao Qingsui lifted his head slightly, as if satisfied with the red flush spreading across her skin.

“Your—Your Highness.”

Lingxi gasped for breath, her voice unsteady. But just as she managed to speak, Zhao Qingsui leaned in close to her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin as he murmured:

“I want to see the consort’s always-straight back bend for me.”