Chapter 3: NEXT DAY

POINT YOUR SWORD TO ME CHAPTER 3: NEXT DAY

As soon as Rin took the sword and gave it to Vai, Vai looked at Rin and struck a strike, which Rin quickly dodged and jumped up behind Vai.

Rin aimed at Vai’s back, while Vai had a good sense and turned to him, awakening his Ice power. 

Vai cracked his head and back, positioning his body properly. Leaning well, Rin smirked and hit his sword, but Vai was second faster and sneaked in Rin’s back, hitting his leg. 

Rin hissed and unsheathed his sword. The sound of unsheathing seemed to be clear with a ‘shing’.

Rin lifted his sword and pointed to Vai. 

“Your Majesty, the wine has an Aphrodisiac, do you know about this?” 

Vai ran to him, and wanted to hit Rin’s stomach but this time, Rin smirked and swiftly bent to the right. He then awakened his magic. Rin struck his magic to Vai, and Vai faced it head on with his sword and threw Rin’s Gold colored magic.

“Haa, yes I know.” 

Vai breathed and frowned. 

Rin put the tip of his sword to the ground and Vai seized this time to cast him his frost power. But Rin jumped and floated in the air with the sword. 

“Do you have any clue who would do that?” 

Rin went to Vai while up in the air, then Vai jumped swinging his sword to Rin. Rin stumbled on the ground, experiencing the pain from Vai’s sword. 

Vai glimpsed to his distant bedroom with Lixien and answered Rin.

“That someone must be someone who have power within our bedroom. Why? Have you found the one who did it?” 

Rin stood up easily and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Swinging his sword from right to left, he moved his foot forward and stared at Vai who was already in the air, preparing to hit his head but Rin went to the left and faced Vai’s back. 

Vai turned his body to him and hit his sword. 

Their swords clang with each other and Rin gritted his teeth, wanting to defeat Vai. 

“I’m still not sure about it. Haa.” 

Rin had an unstable breathing. 

Vai then sighed and threw the sword away. He put his hand on his waist and lowered his head. 

“Stop here for now.” 

Rin bowed to him and took the thrown sword. 

“So, who do you think did that?” Vai was crossing his arms and was staring at Rin. 

“A maid who you appointed to be Lixien’s maid.” 

Vai seemed interested on how did the event turned to this and touched his forehead. 

“What maid in particular?” 

Rin sneered. “The one who you trusted the most.” 

Vai lifted his gaze to the servants mansion and lifted his hand to his lower lip, touching it, while pondering. 

“Lyla?”

Rin swung the two swords in his hands controlling it with his index finger. The swords were just there floating and circling with each other. 

The magic he did was enough to be considered that the swords was creating a hole in the middle.

"Yes, Lyla was the one who did it.”

Vai curved up his lips. 

“What do you want me to do with Lyla, Vai?” 

Rin smiled widely to his best friend, the Emperor, waiting for his answer. 

“Let her be.” 

Vai answered. Rin frowned slightly and was a bit dumbfounded at his answer. Rin then ran his fingers through his hair. 

“Why? You can just wipe her away.” 

Vai started to walk. “She did nothing wrong.”

Rin raised his brow and followed Vai’s steps. 

“But Lyla put an aphrodisiac. Weren’t you unpleased?” 

Rin made a motion with his index finger and the two swords went to its own place simultaneously. 

“What she did was alright.”

Rin found Vai’s words unbelievable, and sighed deeply. 

“Aren’t you concerned about your wife? She must be suppressing her desires because of that aphrodisiac.” 

Rin said it as a matter of fact.

Vai smirked. “She was sleeping when I went out.”

“Are you nuts? Who can sleep after drinking aphrodisiac?” 

“Me.” Vai bluntly responded to Rin.

Rin exhaled heavily. 

“Eh, well anyways. I will sleep now. You better take care of Lixien, her life is in danger now that she's the Empress.” 

With that, Rin put his hand into his pocket, while he was walking away from Vai, with a wave with his free hand.

Vai watched as his figure disappeared and let out a breath. 

Vai went inside their bedroom and saw that Lixien was actually sleeping. 

He tilted his head and approached her sleeping face. 

“How could this person who has an innocent face plan on revolting? How amusing.” 

He leaned forward, checking Lixien’s face nearer. Breathing out, he leaned back and pondered about Rin’s question. 

“Yeah, how could anyone except me can just sleep off the aphrodisiac?” 

He shook his head and changed his sweated clothes to a new one after bathing. 

Facing Lixien’s face, he frowned. 

“Why does your face reminds me of someone? En…” 

Whispering the last word, he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. 

“I must be dreaming.” 

That was last his words before sleeping.

***

Vai opened his eyes groggily and tiredly. Last night, the sparring made him really exhausted but it also made him sleep easily. 

Putting away the forearm from his eyes, he felt wanting to sleep more. He softly groaned, debating if he should get up or just sleep more. 

When he finally figured what he wanted to do, he moved only to sense he was sleeping with someone, and remembered that it was his wife, who moved. He then pretended that he was still asleep and watched would Lixien do after getting up. 

She carefully got up and glanced to her husband, avoiding to wake him up. 

She stood up and bit her lower lip. Seeing that her husband was still asleep, she did some easy exercise in front of him, facing the window. After that, she cracked her head and feet, twirling them around. 

When she felt satisfied, she cast a glance to her husband and snapped her fingers. 

She nodded to herself and Vai was puzzled. 

‘What is she doing?’ 

He slightly frowned, still watching her secretly. 

She paced back and forth then looked around. After observing around, she quickly went to a vase that had roses. Vai frowned more.

Lixien then approached the bed and looked at the red rose she had picked up. 

She stared at it and saw the thorn. Seeing it, she lifted it up and Vai was thinking if she would kill him. 

However, Lixien stabbed her index finger with the thorn, pouring the blood coming out from her index finger to the sheet. 

Vai couldn’t take it anymore and got up, as if he as just woken up. 

Lixien was a bit surprised and stared at him. He turned his gaze to her finger and wetted his lower lip.

“What are you doing?” 

She gulped her saliva. It seemed that she couldn’t hide anything from him. 

She slightly smiled at him. 

“I am pouring the blood so that the maids who will serve me would see the blood. Having blood on the sheet on our first night will make them think that we did it.” 

She then felt that the blood stopped flowing out, so she wiped her finger on the sheet, not wanting to waste any blood. 

Vai, who processed what she said smirked, and stood up, tying his robe. 

“I see.”

He felt that she was quick to catch on and sensed that he could see right through her if she will revolt against the kingdom just like her father, or not. 

“Your Majesty, you changed your clothes?” 

Lixien, who noticed his robe, asked boldly. 

Vai frowned and faced her. 

“Yes. By the way, were you disappointed that we didn’t consummate our first night?” 

He had a smug expression on his face which she found irritating. 

Bowing her head, she spat out.

“Of course not, Your Majesty."

He nodded his head and walked to the door. 

"I will be not eating with you this breakfast.” 

Lixien raised her head. 

“Ah, yes. Your Majesty.” 

Not sparing her last glance, he headed out and closed the door with a thud. 

Lixien let out a relieved sigh and rolled her eyes. 

She felt that he was difficult to talk to, nor to understand. He said yesterday night that he wouldn’t control back, but after not doing it with her, he asked if she was disappointed. 

She shook her head and sat on the bed. 

Contemplating and averting her focus on the blood she poured earlier, she let out a depressed sigh. 

This was the start of her not-so-good life. She preferred her life when she was still a Duchess, but now everything had come to this. The marriage was in a haste that she didn’t feel that she was alive. 

Touching her forehead, the door was then opened and seven servants bowed at her. 

“Your Majesty, we’ve come here to help you dress up.” 

Lixien looked up at them and the blood on the sheet alternately, as if she was implying that she was embarrassed because of what happened yesterday night with the Emperor, despite that nothing really happened. 

The maids who saw the blood blushed and were embarrassed. 

“Your Majesty, we congratulate you!” 

“Congratulations, Your Majesty.” 

Two of the seven servant said. 

The five servants kept silent and looked at a particular maid, as if she was the head of the servants there.

“Your Majesty, I am Lyla, the head of the maids, but I am not the butler. Next to me is Step, next is Thea, that is Leen, that brown hair is Ireane, second to the last is Rosa, last one is Shane. We’ve come here to serve you!” 

They then again bowed and Lixien felt the contempt in Lyla’s eyes. Does Lyla hated her? 

Lixien frowned a bit and had a serious expression. 

“Help me dress up.” 

She closed her eyes momentarily, and stood up. 

Why does Lyla had those eyes in disdain? Was it also related to what happened three years ago?