Chapter 92: Jealousy

Shangguan Liqian gave her a playful, charming pout, her voice trailing off with a hint of a sigh. “I’m jealous. Couldn’t you tell?”

Luo Wushuang felt her knees go weak at that look. She leaned forward, her lips brushing against Liqian’s ear as her warm breath fanned her skin. “I… I simply couldn’t believe it.”

She had never dared to hope that her sister would actually be jealous for her sake. It felt as if a sudden, miraculous surprise had fallen from the heavens; Wushuang was so excited her heart hammered against her ribs, yet a part of her felt as if she were trapped in a dream.

Her lips trailed downward, pressing a lingering kiss against Liqian’s collarbone. Wushuang murmured, “Sister, I truly cannot wait for our wedding day.”

With heaven and earth as their witness, the title of a married couple as their bond, and imperial power as their cage, she would lock this woman by her side forever.

Liqian tilted her head back slightly, trying to evade the kiss that was growing increasingly fervent. She met the gaze of the Emperor—a woman who always looked at her with nothing but profound devotion—and teased, “Then how about we move the date forward?”

The hope in Wushuang’s eyes practically solidified. She asked breathlessly, “Can we?”

The smile on Liqian’s face vanished instantly. She pulled her hand back from Wushuang’s tight grip and spoke with “cold,” heartless pragmatism. “Of course not! What are you thinking? The date is already set; naturally, it cannot be changed.”

Her fantasy shattered, Wushuang let out a dejected “Oh.”

However, the thought that her sister had actually been jealous for her sake quickly brightened her mood again. She swept the memorials Liqian had been organizing to the side and pulled her up to leave the bedchamber.

As for those documents—if they were all filled with useless nonsense, why bother reading them?

She would much rather spend that time properly coaxing her sister. After all, this was the first time Liqian had been jealous for her; it was a day worth commemorating.

Watching Wushuang’s sudden shift into high spirits, Liqian was utterly baffled. What is wrong with this girl now? She looked positively unstable. Forget it, I’ll just let her have her way.

Despite her thoughts, Liqian couldn’t help but ask as Wushuang led her further and further away from the main halls, “Where are we going?”

Wushuang’s lips curled into a smile. The light in her eyes was as brilliant as a summer lotus in full bloom, yet as sharp as a winter chrysanthemum braving the frost. She said, “Didn’t Sister say she wanted to see me ride? I’m taking you horse riding!”

The bright, vibrant girl before her eyes began to merge with the memory of the dignified yet perpetually gloomy woman from deep within her mind.

A slight shimmer surfaced in Liqian’s eyes. Every word she said, Wushuang took to heart and remembered with absolute sincerity.

It wasn’t just that Wushuang loved her; she loved Wushuang, too. Perhaps she had loved her for a very long time. It was only that back then, she had been too worried about the cold judgment of the world and too preoccupied with the Shangguan family—who had only ever used her—that she never allowed herself to sit still and feel the purity of this affection.

If she hadn’t been reborn, they truly might have missed each other.

Thankfully, she had come back. Thankfully, Wushuang had never given up on her, never stopped trying to find a way into her heart.

Her heart rate accelerated steadily, beating faster and more powerfully with every throb. Liqian could clearly feel every pulse of her heart declaring her affection and love for Luo Wushuang.

The liking was deepening; the love was endless…

The affection that had been ignored and buried so desperately in the past had finally broken through the surface, growing as rapidly as bamboo shoots after a spring rain. Love could not be restrained; it could not be controlled.

Never had there been a moment like this where she felt such an urgent need to declare her sovereignty.

Liqian tightened her grip on Wushuang’s hand. Her voice was soft, yet every word carried the weight of a mountain. “You are mine. Mine alone.”

She felt Wushuang’s footsteps falter for a split second. Liqian continued her declaration: “Setting aside your status as the sovereign, you are only my wife. I will not allow anyone else to appear by your side—not a man, and certainly not a woman.”

Her tone was earnest and resolute, carrying a spark of possessiveness that brooked no refusal. This was her first time expressing her thoughts so directly, so nakedly.

Then came a long silence.

Wushuang turned around stiffly, staring at Liqian in a daze. She almost wondered if she had hallucinated those words.

Noticing her stunned expression, Liqian’s brows knit together. The tips of her beautiful willow leaf brows tilted upward, giving her an air of unintended sternness. “Did you hear what I said?”

It was both a question and an affirmation. At such a close distance, she was certain Wushuang had heard her. So why this reaction?

To love only her, to be faithful until death, to never allow another soul near… weren’t these all the things Wushuang used to say to her? Why was the girl reacting like this now that the roles were reversed?

After staring at Liqian for a long while, Wushuang finally snapped out of it. The corners of her mouth curled up, her smile growing wider and wider.

“I am yours, Sister. I belong to you alone!”

“Even without setting aside my status as sovereign, I am only your wife. The Inner Palace shall have only one Master, and I shall listen only to you. I will obey your words and yours alone.”

“I heard you, Sister.”

Realizing that this wasn’t just a desperate figment of her imagination but words spoken by her sister’s own lips, Wushuang responded to every point. Her expression was even more solemn, more serious, and more obsessed than Liqian’s.

This was exactly what she had longed for for so long. How could she possibly be unwilling?

In Wushuang’s eyes, there were no words of love more beautiful than these. She craved to be claimed, to be possessed, and to be… restrained by her lover!

Now that her lifelong wish was being fulfilled, the smile on Wushuang’s face widened until the love in her eyes burned hot enough to turn a person to ash.

Liqian was momentarily stunned, having not expected such a visceral reaction. However, the slight curve of her own lips betrayed her excellent mood.

It was good that Wushuang didn’t object. Even if their statuses weren’t equal, she hoped their love would be. Even if the depth of their feelings differed, it had to be at least unique. Otherwise, this intangible thing called “love” wouldn’t be worth such constant longing.

Their steps became lighter as they moved toward their destination with clear purpose.

At the Royal Stables, they selected a pure white steed of exceptional quality. The two of them mounted the same horse, galloping freely under the sun, facing the warm summer breeze.

The horse carried them past the solemn Meridian Gate, through the bustling city streets, and eventually slowed to a walk on the overgrown paths of the Kyoto suburbs.

Green trees flourished around them, and wildflowers were in full bloom…

Wushuang held the reins with one hand while her other arm tightly encircled Liqian’s slender waist. She whispered, “Sister, I am very happy today.”

Sensing the joy and attachment in Wushuang’s voice, Liqian smiled, but it quickly turned into a look of bashful annoyance. She pressed down on the hand that was starting to wander restlessly at her waist, trying her best to keep her voice steady. “I can tell.”

Sensing her sister’s avoidance and slight resistance, Wushuang lowered her voice, her words becoming a more blatant temptation. “Then… does Sister want to feel it even more clearly?”

The familiar phrasing instantly dragged Liqian’s memory back to that unspeakable night.

She glared at Wushuang, her earlobes flushing a soft crimson as she snapped in feigned anger, “Behave yourself!”

Unable to “behave” in the slightest, Wushuang leaned down and kissed that blushing earlobe. Her breath tickled the long, fair column of Liqian’s neck, sending her heart into a chaotic, fluttering mess.