The Concubine Who Was Supposed to Die in Chapter Three novel · Chapter 23 of 24
Chapter 23: A Name Of Her Own
He knelt on the red wedding cushion at the foot of the bed, with his hands on his knees and his eyes open.
She had told him to keep them open.
She sat in front of him in her unfinished bridal robe, the red silk pooled around her hips, and the register lay unrolled on the floor between them.
Her name stood at the bottom of the page in her own brush strokes.
Fang Yining.
It was her third attempt.
The first two had come out crooked, because her hand had been shaking.
"Say it," she said.
"Fang Yining."
"Again."
"Fang Yining. Lan Zhiyao. You have two names, and the book had only one of them."
"The book had a paragraph."
"The book was a fool."
She laughed softly.
Then she reached out and untied the cord at his collar.
"Eyes on mine."
"They are."
"Don't close them. Not once. Not even when you want to."
"Yes, Yining."
She slid his robe from his shoulders.
The gold scars had faded to the color of old wire, and she traced one with her thumbnail.
His breath caught, but he did not look away.
She leaned in and kissed him.
It was slow, and deep, and he did not close his eyes, not even then.
She felt his lashes tremble against her cheek.
"Good," she murmured. "That's the hardest part."
"It is not the hardest part."
"What is?"
"Seeing you look back," said the Emperor.
She pushed him down on the cushion until he sat on his heels with his thighs apart, and she took her robe off.
The red silk slid down her arms and over her waist, and she stepped out of it, naked and flushed in the lamplight.
She stood over him.
"Kneel up."
He rose on his knees.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–6 of The Concubine Who Was Supposed to Die in Chapter Three are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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