14 Giving up or giving in

"Bai Ni Ni!" An austere voice shouted angrily in Lin Mei's direction. The unpleasant sound came from the ice-cold inhumane human that had just allowed her friend to be unjustly beaten.

"Bai Ni Ni, many rules exist to maintain balance, order and protect other people. Without unbendable rules, it will be impossible to keep a country from falling into chaos. If exceptions to them are constantly made, there will be many more people willing to break them."

"I understand." Mei replied in a calm but steady tone. "Yours are the words of a ruler, not those of a simple man. You are the crown prince after all." She added with a forged smile.

"Yes." He assented. "One who is fated to lead a country can't favor an exception over everyone else."

"That means that whoever breaks that balance is your enemy. You won't allow any rules to be broken. No exceptions." She affirmed in a confronting tone, answering the questions she had been seeking herself.

"No exceptions." He coldly declared. His eyes firmly and intensely fixed on hers, as if warning her of the consequences of not following his words.

Again, Mei turned to leave, striding towards her room without looking back. She had decided that it would be best to find her way out of the crown prince's estate or else she might one day have to pay the price for lying to Zhen Feng or breaking some other rule.

She knew that it had been unwise to stay there from the beginning but that inexplainable reassuring feeling she had felt when she was around him had blinded her judgment. She should have made plans to leave already. It was dangerous to linger for much longer.

With long steps, the determined mermaid continued her path, passing by the moon gate1 to Cloudy courtyard and heading to her room. She noticed the courtyard was empty and only the light breeze of the wind brushing through the plants and buildings could be heard. Since the sun had already set and she was the only guest staying there, the Cloudy courtyard would always be peaceful after dark. Liu Ting was the only maid that would remain there at this time of the day.

"If such a noble and dignified-looking man can't afford to make an exception, how can I bear to?" She mumbled indignantly. She sighed deeply, both in anger and pain.

She continued plotting her way out of the mansion in her head as she walked past the beautiful cherry blossom tree at the center of the yard.

The main entrance as well as any other doors allowing access to the estate were guarded by multiple sentinels during day and night stationed inside and outside the walls, so she wouldn't be able to escape through that route. The only other possible way out would have to be the one that Liu Ting took when she allowed the hungry child in. She would have to ask the maid without raising too much attention.

It would be preferable to choose a date when the mansion was very busy. If the crown prince's manor held any festivities or banquets in the near future, that would be the best time for escaping. She could ask any servant about upcoming big events in the residence without anyone feeling suspicious about her intentions. She would also have to find a map of the region and determine the best route back to the sea. She would be the safest if she went back right away instead of loitering around in some human village. However, she didn't know how close Zhen Feng's residence was to the sea. She might have to stop along the way to spend a night or t-

Lin Mei was about to pull open the wooden door to her room when she suddenly felt her body being spun around, her back being forcibly pushed against the outside wall of her room. Had she looked up, she would have seen how beautifully unsullied the moon looked in the clear dark night sky. However, she couldn't shift her sight away from the two black eyes that were gazing so pervasively at her.

Zhen Feng was pinning Lin Mei against the wall with a lot of strength, his mind turbulent.

After she had left, he had remained in his spot for some time, his heart overwhelmed by mixed emotions, a strange and confusing moment for a man who had kept those buried for years.

He felt irked at her disobedient temperament and opposing attitude. The stubborn creature had even dared to sarcastically say that she understood him while glaring daggers at him. He also felt angry at himself. Had he not already made too many exceptions when it came to this mermaid?

But the most unbearable feeling of all was born from the persisting thought that kept telling him that she had decided to leave. All the rage that was now slipping out of his control had been brought about by what he could only describe as fear.

Finally gazing into her clear and straightforward silver-green eyes and having the gentle female secured between his arms, Zhen Feng could feel himself calming down. He let go of her arm and pressed his palm against the wall by her head.

For the second time that night, the pair was surrounded by silence.

Lin Mei could feel the fresh breeze of air brushing against the heated skin on her face. A light-pink flower petal danced charmingly in the air before deciding to rest on Zhen Feng's hair, disrupting Lin Mei's thoughts which had been all over the place in her state of confusion.

Now gazing at the alluring man gawking at her with a petal on his head, she felt both agitated and calm.

She moved her hand closer to his face in order to remove the daring little petal that had so unrestrainedly decided to fall on a demon's head.

As he watched her hand grow closer, Zhen Feng caught her wrist and pulled the mermaid closer. He stared at her injured hand with a painful and angry heart. He wanted to punish her for leaving so abruptly after her rampant behavior but he also wanted to torture those who hurt her even more. He had controlled himself to the best of his abilities in order not to punish the servant who had clearly not meant to inflict the wound on her hand — he had only been following orders.

Feeling the warmth that belonged only to her pressing against his skin, he, at last, felt comforted and appeased. He could no longer bear it. His longing for the foolish disobedient mermaid was overpowering his senses.

His eyes suddenly moved downwards to meet her lips. So pink, so delicate, so insubordinate. Sometimes they would utter thoughtless remarks while other times they would remain docile and quiet. They could sing to him with the loveliest of voices or irritate him to no end with insincere words. He would no longer yearn for them. These rebellious lips of hers just had to be his.

At this thought, Zhen Feng leaned down and surrendered to his urge to kiss the mermaid. The hand that had been gripping her wrist released it to capture her back, pulling her tighter into his embrace. Pressing his lips against hers and having her sheltered in his embrace, Zhen Feng felt his heart beating so wildly that he could hear it. In his chest blossomed a blend of joy, fullness, contentment, and desire.

He gently but forcefully nibbled on her lips for a while before retreating his head slightly to study her face. Once he made sure she wasn't rejecting him, his heart eased and he felt another surge of delight in his thorax. His deep predatory eyes scanned every inch of her face and the man found himself more drawn to her with each passing second.

Unsatisfied, he entrapped her lips yet again wanting to taste more of her, wanting to feel her closer. He craved to invade her heart and every one of her senses, he desired to completely engulf her with himself.

Before making another move, he opened his eyes to inspect her face once more, this time finding a difficult expression on it. When he drew back to take a better look, a painful sensation pierced his heart and his head began feeling dizzy and foggy.

The blurry image of someone in his head told him mercilessly:

"Zhen Feng, I will never forgive you."

1. Moon gate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_gate