QT: Against My Will

While building their tents, she heard some footsteps, looking around, she opened her eyes wide, “!!!” She quickly turned away. She was getting used to the guards at the mansion, but none of them was as handsome as him!

The half-naked Ru Quan crouched before the campfire, water dripped down his hair, down his chest, amplifying his abdominal muscles. He grabbed a fish inside a net, piercing them with a spear, he sprinkled some seasoning, and set them over the flame, watching the person before him intensely. Particularly, at the girl inside the screen.

?Isn’t she interesting? She reminds me of Mia. Usually, she’s like a feisty tigress, but in our presence, she becomes a little bunny. Very cute.?

Letting the food cook, Ru Quan marched towards the hesitant Edan like a cheetah, tripping and immobilizing her in a blink of an eye. Grabbing the rope for a tent, he tied her legs and pinned her arms, “Very cute indeed.”

“Hey! Are you crazy?” Edan struggled to get free, glaring daggers at him, “What are you doing?!”

“Tutoring time,” he stared into her eyes, “You let your guard down.”

‘How could he tell?’ Edan avoided his piercing gaze, feeling droplets of water on her face, she tried to come up with an idea how to get out of this predicament, scared of being discovered, “Get off me.”

Doing the opposite, he breathed against her neck, the might of an emperor seeped through his veins, sending shivers down her spine, “As a leader, I can never rely on people that fear me, because there is always something they will fear more than me. What type of people can I rely on then?”

.....

“...” Edan was too shocked to answer; she was never this intimate with a man, “The... The ones, who gained your trust...no! The ones whose trust you gained.”

?The ones that will seek your guidance when they are afraid.?

“Those with blind loyalty. Trust can be easily broken, it might get you betrayed one day,” Ru Quan let go of Edan, “The food is ready,” saying, he sat back before the campfire in silence, his prominent aura dissipated, gloomy darkness followed, he had been haunted by this curse of inability to forget, anything. About Bing Shi’s answer, it caught him off guard. It was how it all began, the path of a forgotten hero.

Edan looked up at the starry sky, her chest heaving up and down rapidly. Untying her legs, she stood up and grabbed her bow, “I’m getting my own food.”

“You’re wasting your energy,” he said, “Stop being a sissy and sit down.”

Edan turned towards him in anger; her stomach growled in response, “...” Ashamed, she grabbed the fish and started to eat without remorse.

Yawning, Bing Shi supported her chin with her palm, her little foot played with her shoe in the air as she looked at her abandoned hero. He could move the masses, gather people to his side, earning their trust without any effort. Ru Quan revealed a lot about his harem, but he skipped some aspects of his life. She didn’t know much about his glory as an emperor or government official.

?She is very smart, just give her more time.?

?Mr. Jelly:? She’s too naive for this.

?You’re just too experienced.?

He looked at her dazed smile with a stone-faced expression. As if he was specially trained to keep that dominant posture no matter his inner thoughts, intentionally appearing as someone superior even during his rest.

?Mr. Jelly:? Smitten already?

?Mm, very handsome. I feel like flirting with you.?

He inhaled a great amount of air, focusing on the moment, she filled up every corner of his mind, leaving no space to think about anyone else but her, making him forget just for a little bit.

?Mr. Jelly:? Do you realize how much I want you?

?No. Show me, maybe??

After a few moments, inside the restaurant, Bing Shi squeezed her thighs as she slid her hoodie over her red face, while Ru Quan stood up hastily. Coughing up, he covered his mouth, walking towards the river to cool off. His pants were much too tight for much too long. It was not like he never experienced love, so what the hell was that?!

· · — · ???· — · ·

Later that same night...

Hasan gathered Tianshies to pass out Angel’s orders.

Aine walked back into her room, where she catered to her patron, the secretary of state, “Aine apologizes for the sudden leave.” Showing a worried expression, she sat next to the man who was reading a poem she gifted him a while ago.

“What happened? Did your master do something you?” The middle-aged man asked with worry. He was an important government official who had responsibility for the relationship between the government of other countries. He immediately grew to like this girl; they got along very well in an extraordinary, almost spiritual way. Sadly, buying her off Hasan was impossible. Even then, the law forbade free citizens from marrying mere slaves.

“No. Master ordered Aine to pass a piece of important information,” she leaned over and whispered to his ear, “A pigeon with a message arrived. His highness had gone missing. During this chaos, a revolt might happen,” her eyes teared up as she hugged tightly to his sleeve, “Aine is afraid for lord’s safety. The culprit could take this chance to get rid of the important figures in the kingdom.”

“What did you say?!” He raised his voice, looking around in alert. They didn’t concentrate too many slaves of the same origin in the same place, to limit the risk of revolt. But it didn’t eliminate the risk of other countries taking advantage of the situation. “Take me to meet your master.”