Slowly regaining control of her thoughts, Emika saw that the man stepping over the threshold of the doorway struggled to stay steady on his legs.
"You may now leave," he told Nai Nai, who curtsied and scurried away, not before glancing back at her mistress slumped on the floor.
Taizong had taken Emika totally by surprise. He moved over to her, but when he saw on the floor the moss-in-snow jade hairpin he stepped back a pace, and looking at her pale face, he chided: "Are you planning to die before our wedding?"
He squatted beside her and put his arms around her, her body was weak and lacklustre. "Without nourishment, how long do you think your body will last?"
She looked into his eyes, and he matched her frown for a long time before adding. "Do you not care about my feelings? Death—if that's what you want, then do carry on."
