Chapter 357
“No. Luck is on Prince Lóng Wei’s side today,” Li Hua affirmed.
“Are you sure you were never lost in this?” He again asked her as he showed her the black stone. “You are defeated again, Wife,” Lóng Wei said.
“Eh? His Highness did cheat. I saw him replace those two stones,” Li Hua started arguing.
“I didn’t do that. We played this for the third time because you didn’t want to dance. Now, there is no way that you can escape that. You need to dance,” Lóng Wei stated, and his smile widened on the lips.
Li Hua bit her bottom lip and asked him if they could play one more time.
“No. We already played thrice,” Lóng Wei stated. “There’s no one here except us. So, you don’t need to be shy,” he asserted.
“Umm... I don’t know how to dance, Your Highness. Can we change the bet to something else?” Li Hua requested him with her doe eyes.
Lóng Wei clicked his tongue. “I think the dance will be the best. You can play such a sweet music on the zither and also know many other musical instruments. Your husband will love your dance. So, don’t hesitate,” Lóng Wei encouraged her.
.....
“His Highness is a bad husband,” Li Hua complained. She was still hesitant to dance in front of him. She knew he would laugh at her.
“But my wife is sweet,” Lóng Wei said, and it flustered her. She ended up smiling when Lóng Wei asked her to do a dance as punishment for losing.
Li Hua realized that Lóng Wei was desperate to see her dance. “If His Highness laughed at me, then I-I will go away,” she stated.
“I won’t laugh,” Lóng Wei said.
“Promise?” Li Hua raised her pinky finger.
“Hmm.” Lóng Wei locked his pinky finger with hers, “I promise that I won’t laugh,” he said.
“Okay.” Li Hua stood up and took a few steps back. She didn’t move, and it confused Lóng Wei.
“Why are you so hesitant? Only I am here and I will only admire your dance. “To me, everything about you is perfect,” Lóng Wei said. His words gave her assurance that he would not smile, and she took a deep breath in.
She extended her hands out and the long sleeves hung down. She turned her head to the left to look at her hand. She gracefully and gradually pulled her hand back before twirling in her place. She had no idea what she was doing. She just knew she had to complete the punishment for losing in the board game.
On the other hand, Lóng Wei had his eyes fixed on her. She wasn’t a bad dancer in his eyes. He was engrossed in her and fell into a deep contemplation. She and Hei Chengxi met to talk about his past. It infuriated him because Hei Chengxi was involving Li Hua in that. She was his everything, and it scared him that Li Hua would try to do something again without telling him.
What should he do? How should he stop his wife? He would not stay angry with her for a long time, and he knew she wanted his happiness. But his happiness wasn’t finding the truth.
What if the king already knew everything? He asked himself this question many times. But if the King had known everything, he would not have spared his life. Qiu Zedong killed Lóng Wei the day he was born. Because his father never once treated him like his mother, he didn’t want to betray him. At least, he protected him and gave him as much as he gave to the other princes.
Li Hua entered his life like a miracle. If there was someone who loved him, ready to sacrifice for him, then that was Li Hua. He was annoyed with the fact that he had opened up about his past in front of Li Hua. He should not have done that, which resulted in the curiosity of Li Hua in his past.
When Li Hua stopped dancing, he clapped for her. “That was such a beautiful dance,” Lóng Wei said, standing up from his place.
“Really?” Li Hua was unable to believe that as she gasped for air. “My brothers always laughed at me, saying I should not dance,” she pouted and told him the reason she was hesitant to dance.
“Xu Zifan laughed at you! How dare he? I will scold him,” Lóng Wei stated. “You are the best dancer. No one can defeat you in this,” he said and rested his hands above her shoulders.
“I am glad that His Highness liked my dance,” Li Hua said, and tiptoed to kiss his cheek. She turned to run away, but Lóng Wei caught her wrist and drew her towards him.
She peered into his eyes while his fingers stroked her cheek.
“Where were you running away?” He asked in a low yet husky voice.
“Nowhere,” Li Hua replied.
“Don’t play with your husband this way,” he told her.
“I didn’t,” she stated.
“But this isn’t the way you should kiss your husband. Running away after giving him a tiny peck on his cheek. That’s so bad, Wife.” His fingers went under her chin as he lifted it while his other hand went to her waist to pull her up.
“A kiss on the cheek is a sweet gesture of love between husband and wife,” Li Hua corrected him.
“But I want a sweeter gesture of love,” he added and leaned close to kiss her, “my hunger doesn’t suffice with that.” His lips pressed against her soft lips. She melted at the touch of his lips and moved her lips with the same rhythm and passion as him.
“I love you,” he whispered in between the kisses. Her words had died in her mouth as he didn’t let her speak. After a long kiss, they slowly pulled away, taking in the same air. He rested his forehead against hers while their eyes remained closed.