Queen O's Timid Fugitive A - Chapter 31

31

“Master Jiang isn’t seriously planning to climb over the wall just to play the part of a flower-picking thief, is she?”

Under the deep blue night sky, stars and moonlight intertwined, casting a serene glow. The surroundings were quiet, save for the soft rustling of leaves stirred by the cool breeze. Through the wooden lattice window, a dim yellow light spilled out, silhouetting two figures pressed closely together.

Jiang Ciqing, cradled horizontally in the other’s arms, was slightly out of breath. Crumbs from the osmanthus cake they had fought over still lingered at the corner of her lips. Her cheek rested against the other’s forehead, her body soft and boneless, leaning entirely into the embrace.

The hand patting her back to help her catch her breath began to wander with ulterior motives, deftly slipping under the hem of her clothes to graze the warm skin of her waist.

Jiang Ciqing shivered, her spine stiffening instantly.

Fortunately, the other didn’t push further. The palm settled against the dip of her waist, encircling the slender curve, while the other’s chin rested on Jiang Ciqing’s shoulder. Ever indulgent, she found a soft spot on the delicate curve of Jiang’s neck and shoulder, where a slight tilt of her head could pluck a cherry-red fruit ripe for the taking.

“Hm?” Seeing no response, she let out a low, husky hum, the vibration of her throat palpable against their touching skin.

A tingling sensation, like an electric current, spread from Jiang Ciqing’s earlobe through her entire body, causing her to tense even further, the muscles under the other’s palm turning rigid.

“Don’t touch recklessly…” Jiang Ciqing murmured, trying to shift away, only to be pressed even closer.

“I asked you a question. Why aren’t you answering?” Xu Fusheng, ever domineering, ignored the resistance and pressed for her answer relentlessly.

“A little thief sneaking over the wall just to feed me a piece of osmanthus cake?”

“Or perhaps to disturb my peaceful night’s sleep?” The woman chuckled softly, her watery eyes glancing at the bamboo flute on the table, puzzled why this blockhead would come in the dead of night to play a tune for her.

Her words, however, irritated Jiang Ciqing, who snapped with a stern face, “Listen or don’t.”

Xu Fusheng, in a good mood, was willing to indulge her a little, coaxing, “I’m listening, I’m listening. It’s just that in the middle of the night…”

She paused deliberately, leaning closer to Jiang Ciqing’s neck, her moist lips brushing over the faintly pulsing artery, stirring an already racing heartbeat. In her usual teasing, melodic tone, she continued, “Perhaps we should listen to something else.”

Something else?

The Alpha misunderstood—or perhaps intentionally so. Her expression grew serious as she began addressing the earlier question. “Before Chen Ya led his troops to battle, he instructed his son to deliver a letter to me after his death.”

“Oh?” Xu Fusheng responded casually, her peach-blossom eyes shimmering with a subtle glint, the upturned corners hooking onto the other’s gaze like tiny barbs.

“Do you remember when I sent someone to tell you that Chen Ya once led troops to suppress us?” Jiang Ciqing’s face remained stern, a childish stubbornness oddly surfacing in this intimate moment.

Xu raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “Did Master Jiang receive faulty intelligence?”

She wasn’t worried about having misjudged anyone, nor did she regret the role she played in Chen Ya’s defeat and death on the battlefield. In those days when she had to constantly guard against those around her, she had learned the importance of “better to kill wrongly than to let go.”

“No, it was Chen Ya himself who said it. How could it be wrong…” Jiang Ciqing shook her head.

“Then what is it?” Tonight, Jiang Ciqing was unusually patient—or perhaps distracted by other things. Her fingertips roamed over ribs like climbing mountains, leaving a trail of red marks.

“He saved the Jiang family once,” Jiang Ciqing said with a sigh, recounting the contents of the letter.

“A list?”

Xu Fusheng’s thoughts wandered, her restless hand creeping upward, deliberately teasing as it brushed past a sensitive spot before her fingers pinched a thin sheet of paper, as if to pull it out.

The little Alpha let out a muffled grunt, instinctively grabbing Xu’s wrist through the thin fabric of her clothes, her tone carrying a warning. “Xu Fusheng.”

Xu only laughed, teasing, “I’m just taking the list. Is Master Jiang holding onto me because you can’t bear to let me go?”

This woman…

Jiang Ciqing, less experienced in such verbal sparring, flushed red and let go, only to be “accidentally” brushed again the next moment.

“Xu Fusheng!” The little dog bristled, unable to hold back a low growl.

“Alright, alright, behave. I’ll touch later,” Xu Fusheng nodded, her expression turning serious. “We have important matters now. Let me see the list first.”

She had the upper hand in both sweet talk and mischief. Jiang Ciqing paused, feeling stifled and at a loss for a retort. After all, she was an Alpha—she should be the one taking the lead…

At that thought, Jiang Ciqing frowned, a sense of frustration crossing her face.

The paper bore only a few sparse words. Xu Fusheng showed no surprise, as if it was within her expectations, merely raising an eyebrow. “My head seems to be quite valuable.”

Valuable enough for the three kingdoms of Nanliang, locked in years of rivalry, to join forces, scheming to turn her trusted allies against her and sending troops to hunt her down.

But it wasn’t unreasonable. The barbaric lands, coveted by all three kingdoms, had been claimed by an Omega. The magic cores so many desired were all stored in her vaults. It was as if someone had suddenly seized control of the world’s oil, holding the lifelines of every nation.

She dictated the price of magic cores, and the number a nation could possess depended on her whims. How could the rulers of the three kingdoms stand by and watch her grow stronger? They were bound to make a move.

The letter was set aflame, the fire licking up from the corner, reducing it to black ash that scattered on the floor, blown away by the wind.

Jiang Ciqing didn’t stop her, trusting that this petty woman wouldn’t forget a single name on that list. Just as she was about to assert her Alpha dominance, she was pushed away.

The betrayal came too swiftly. Jiang Ciqing was caught off guard, staring at the other in a daze.

Xu Fusheng leaned back against the chair, her usual playful smile in place, as if it were only natural. “Thank you, Master Jiang, for coming all this way in the dead of night to deliver the letter. It’s late, and the road is treacherous, so I won’t keep you.”

How could there be such an Omega?

Jiang Ciqing held her breath, fuming.

The woman across from her continued to smile, a hint of smugness in her eyes. “In broad daylight, in an empty courtyard…”

Here we go again…

Jiang Ciqing ground her sharp teeth, leaning forward to silence the other’s vengeful teasing, but Xu Fusheng, fully intending to dodge, wouldn’t let her succeed so easily. She stepped back with a laugh. “Eating too much osmanthus cake at night might cause indigestion and keep me awake. One piece is enough—no need to trouble Master Jiang to feed me more.”

Jiang Ciqing finally mustered some Alpha bravado, stepping forward to seize Xu’s wrist with a firm grip, pinning her against the edge of the desk. When Xu tried to retreat further, Jiang pressed closer with fierce determination, forcing the Omega to sit on the desk. The already short skirt, reaching only mid-calf, was tugged even higher.

Still unsatisfied, Jiang hooked her hand under the delicate curve of Xu’s knee, pulling it possessively to her waist, demanding she wrap her legs around her.

“No indigestion—exhaustion will make you sleep,” Jiang’s clear, youthful voice carried a trace of desire, not jarring but rather carrying a profane thrill, as if pulling a refined young master down into the mundane world.

Xu Fusheng tilted her head slightly, evading the lips that sought hers but teasingly brushing the corner of her mouth, her silver hair cascading like the moonlight outside.

“If I recall correctly, Master Jiang hasn’t reached her heat yet, has she?” The texture of lips was different from other skin—slightly rough yet softer and warmer. As they parted, a tingling sensation laced with honeyed breath slipped past Jiang’s lips, curling around her tongue.

Jiang Ciqing was about to respond when she was cut off.

“Have you figured out what we are to each other?”

“Lovers? Or just bedmates using each other to ease our heats?” Xu’s tone was as casual as ever, her posture far from proper, exuding a languid charm that was intoxicating in its own way.

Jiang Ciqing didn’t answer. Instead, she captured the lips she’d been yearning to silence, kissing with a vengeful ferocity. She pulled Xu tightly into her embrace, biting and sucking like an inexperienced pup.

The Omega, knowing not to push too far, offered a small reward, her arms looping around Jiang’s neck as if reciprocating.

The dark night deepened, enveloping everything. Beyond the faint light of the courtyard, the world blurred into vague outlines, the path ahead indistinct.

Fearing Xu might slip away, Jiang Ciqing nibbled at her soft lips and asked, “Xu Fusheng, what exactly are you trying to do?”

Jiang wasn’t naive enough to believe Xu had surrendered to Nanliang for her sake. Tracking her down and sending someone to drag her back would be more in line with Xu’s style. Yet Jiang couldn’t fathom why Xu would abandon the coveted barbaric lands to venture alone into the perilous capital, meddling in the so-called struggle for the throne.

It was almost laughable. They were a marked Alpha and Omega, meant to be the most trustworthy partners, entrusting their backs to each other. Yet both harbored their own secrets, neither willing to reveal the truth.

Neither question would find an answer.

Jiang Ciqing slightly loosened her hold, letting cold air seep into the space between them.

Xu Fusheng pushed at her shoulders, effortlessly sending Jiang back into the chair she’d occupied earlier. From her elevated position, she looked down at the Alpha with an innate arrogance, as if born to hold the upper hand.

The Alpha gazed up at her, her pale skin even more fragile under the dim light, her dark eyes like those of a rain-soaked dog, lashes trembling.

Xu lifted her leg, her bare foot pressing against Jiang’s neck. Perhaps the fabric was too thin, as Jiang could faintly feel the coolness of her skin.

The rich scent of agave overwhelmed the space, overpowering the crisp bamboo, compressing it into a corner.

Jiang Ciqing didn’t resist, allowing herself to be dominated by an Omega.

“Xu Fusheng…” A murmur, almost a sigh, carried complex emotions—resignation, or perhaps something else.

“If Master Jiang has no intention of leaving, then say less of what shouldn’t be said,” came the reply.

Jiang Ciqing fell silent, knowing this matter was unsolvable, like the unbridgeable gap between them. She dared not explain why she had traveled thousands of miles to the barbaric lands years ago, just as Xu Fusheng wouldn’t reveal her true purpose for pledging allegiance to Nanliang.

The chair creaked under their movements. Jiang leaned closer, and the leg resting on her shoulder bent slightly, no longer resisting as before.

Outside, a fine rain had begun to fall at some point, and the osmanthus tree in the courtyard swayed precariously in the wind and rain, its fragile shadow trembling on the ground.

Slender fingers threaded through Jiang’s short black hair, pulling her closer.

Jiang Ciqing didn’t resist, her lips stained with ambiguous traces of moisture.

The night grew deeper, the rain heavier. The last petals of the osmanthus tree fell, mingling with the rainwater, tossed about by the relentless wind.

A light blue cotton skirt and a white robe fell to the floor together. The last flicker of light went out, and the long night stretched on, free of trivial words.