"Ai... " the man looked at Yanyue tenderly.
She didn't feel uncomfortable, but she thought it was weird because she had only seen this person twice. There wasn't any reason for him to call her nostalgically.
"There is no doubt that you are my Ai."
Her name had always been Shen Yanyue for as long as she was alive. Yueyue was her only other nickname that a few people close to her used. But, never a Ai.
She recalled that Yanfeng had also mistaken her for another girl, Lucianna or Lulu. At first, she was not curious or worried about this at all. There were so many people in the world, so there was bound to be someone similar to her. Thinking about this also made her head throb from discomfort all the time.
But, perhaps she needed to look into these claims carefully, she thought. It seemed that these similarities were now causing trouble for her, going as far as getting her kidnapped. Like Yanfeng, these people mistook her for the girl named Ai and kidnapped her.
"Why do you keep calling me Ai? If you were going to capture me, shouldn't you know my real name or my identity?" Yanyue asked.
She hoped that the man would give her some clues as to the reason why he abducted her here. Apart from the time in the bamboo forest, they treated her fairly. If they were not going to harm her, then why would they capture her? She reflected and felt that everything was strange.
"I know you well. I probably know you more than you know yourself," the man answered confidently.
Yanyue didn't feel well that a stranger confessed that they knew her better than she knew herself. "Then, what do you think would happen to you if you kidnapped the princess consort?"
"If your prince truly cared, then he would have found you by now with the ability he has. But to him, you are just a chess piece. It was the same in the past and even now." He looked at her seriously, "When are you going to wake up, Ai?"
As soon as he said that, Yanyue started to feel a sting in her head. It was so unbearable that she felt it from deep in her skull.
"What's happening? My head hurts... and my body feels weak all of a sud-"
Yanyue fainted, and the man caught her head. Her face was delicate and quiet. She had fallen into a deep dream.
"Brother Arslan, what should we do now?" inquired Sile.
The man, Arslan Scarlette, contemplated quietly. No one could guess his thoughts if they did not peer into his mind.
"Take her back to Beichen. I know my sister well. She will come back on her own accord when she remembers those who took her life and her child's life. Our plan will officially begin then. My uncle...has been occupying the throne for too long."
Sile nodded. He had been aiding the king for many years, all in the hope that the king would someday take the throne back from Demeer Kaan. Then soon, very soon, they would be able to go back to their country.
Zanark.
The country of nomads. The resourceful country of gold and oil.
The once-peaceful country that gave him life and a place to call home.
But more importantly, it was the country where he met her, the cursed child:
Lucianna Ai Scarlette.
*
When Yanyue came to again, she was sleeping on her bed back at the camp.
Her head throbbed painfully. She tried to recall what had happened, but all she could remember was chasing after the little girl. Everything after that was obscure.
"You're up."
The voice was emotionless.
"How could he be here?!" she thought erratically as she looked at the man standing beside the bed.
"Beichen!"
Yanyue scootched to the edge of the bed and hugged the man on his waist.
"What are you doing?" Beichen asked as if he was irritated. He wanted to pry the woman away from him. He was only holding back because the doctor told him that she had experienced a great deal of shock.
Yanyue stared at the man with her teary eyes.
"Do you have to be so mean? I'm just hugging you, my husband!"
Beichen said disinterestedly, "Don't bother."
Then, he forced Yanyue's arms away from his waist. He smoothed the creases from his clothes.
One look and Yanyue could tell that he was disgusted, and she thought that he was hypocritical. Wasn't it him the one who forced her to do all those intimate things? That was how she got pregnant.
"Where did you go all night?" he asked again.
It wasn't a question but a command. He never asked her anything.
"I went for this!"
Yanyue reached inside her pocket and held out a map. "The relief and medical supplies should be in this location."
Beichen frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I followed the perpetrators and retrieved this map from them."
Indeed, that seemed to be the case. She was being chased by a group of men when they found her. The men were close to attacking her, but Beichen shot them with his gun in time.
Yanyue fainted from the shock, and the unknown men hurriedly scurried away, possibly fearing for their lives. Then, Beichen brought her back. A whole night flew by since then.
"Do you think that I'm stupid?" he sneered.
"I risked my life to get this map," Yanyue moped.
"By using your body to lure in the men? A woman like you has no other skills besides seducing people."
Yanyue bit her lips. His words to demean her never ceased to stop amazing her. How could this man only think badly about other people? Or was it just her he would deface?
"So what if that was true?"
She had always denied his accusations, but not this time. Beichen thought that she was finally showing her true face.
"Have you finally admitted?"
"Whatever you think. I'm too tired to argue with you, so please leave if you have nothing more to say."
Yanyue slammed the map onto the table before she grumpily lay back down on the bed and pulled the blankets over her head.
It was the first time that the woman had given him attitude, so Beichen was speechless. If Captain Sean hadn't called for him, then he would have punished her.
He glanced at the map and hesitated before taking it and leaving the tent furiously. He thought that he could hold in his anger for once, but he was wrong. He went through so much trouble to find the woman, but she wasn't thankful.
When he discovered that she had disappeared, he almost ravaged the forest. He wasn't exactly worried, but her being gone was like telling him that he didn't have any control over his things. And this infuriated him.
Comprehending the possible dangers that lurked in the unknown forest, he ordered all of his men to scavenge the forest. But now, she was admitting that she went and seduced the men who had wanted to kill her.
It seemed that she had more guts after disappearing.
Beichen calmed himself. Captain Sean stood outside the tent to report to him.
"Your Highness, the backup team experienced a car crash before reaching the helicopters, so the supplies are going to be delayed."
Beichen frowned again. He hadn't stopped frowning ever since coming here. Troubles just came and one after another.
"Go search this area," Beichen said, handing the map over to the worried captain.
If it appeared that Yanyue was lying about the map, then he would deal with her later. He also had no reason to believe that the perpetrators would destroy the relief supplies.
They would have burned the whole tent in the first place if they had that intent. But they didn't, so Beichen had more than enough grounds to believe that they hid the supplies somewhere.
He had yet to uncover their objective, but he believed that the people who did this were part of the rebel group. His brother, Jinchen, had sent him a message to be wary of the northern territory. In his letter, he warned of rebel remnants.
Alongside that, there was a spy in his camp. The operation would have been impossible to move the materials without knowing the agendas of all the soldiers.
One of the few people who knew everyone's agendas was always with him, so he crossed out that possibility. There was another suspicious person, and he was keeping an eye on that person.
It didn't take long for Captain Sean and his team to locate the X mark on the map. The place turned out to be a cave. All of the missing relief and medical boxes were stacked nicely on the ground.
The soldiers hauled them back to the camp and passed them out to the villagers. Yanyue was giving out the packages next to Beichen. She was glad that the look of despair from the grief-stricken villagers became hopeful after they received the necessities.
An elderly took Yanyue's hand into her palms. Her voice was shaky because she was overwhelmed with gratitude. She didn't forget to thank Yanyue.
"Princess consort, thank you for helping us poor folks. We heard that you were the one who risked your life to help find the supplies. We are forever grateful."
Yanyue covered the old lady's hand with her own. Her gaze was sincere and caring. "Grandma, it is my duty as the princess consort."
The old lady reached for an item tucked away in her clothes.
"This lucky charm has been with my family for generations. I hope you can take it as an appreciation gift from this old lady and everyone else here."
Yanyue was humbled. It was a plain, jaded bracelet, but it held so much significance.
"But grandma, this is such an important family heirloom," yielded Yanyue.
The old lady resisted.
Beichen looked at Yanyue and scoffed. "Don't dare to take it? You think it's too dirty?"
Yanyue heard his mocking tone and accepted the bracelet.
She replied, "It is a gift from the citizens, so how could I be rude? Only by being the princess consort could I receive such an item. I should thank you for marrying me."
Beichen frowned when he heard her sarcasm. He didn't marry her on his own accord, so she purposely stabbed him with that fact, implying that he was powerless as he couldn't marry the person he loved.
In a moment of anger, he wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her close. He whispered in her ears, "Don't be coquettish. We both know you drugged me and coerced Grandma."
Yanyue only showed a calm smile and lightly chuckled.
"If you hadn't reminded me, I would have forgotten such a vivid night. I remember that you begged me to save you. Too bad I didn't record your pitiful expression. I wonder what your little lover would think if she saw that cute face of yours."
Beichen gripped her waist. It was so painful that she thought it would bruise.
Couldn't this contemptible man be less brutal? she thought irritably.
"Oh dear, I know you love me very much, but we must not do this in broad daylight!" Yanyue shyly struggled to get out of his hold. In the process, she made it look like he was flirting with her.
The old lady and the villagers saw their "display of affection" and could only be happy for the both of them. On the surface, they appeared to be a loving couple, but only Yanyue knew they were biting each other's tail.
"Your Highness and the princess consort are very loving. The baby prince would be as gifted as you both are," the old lady commented.
Beichen felt annoyed for being used by Yanyue. When she managed to move his hand, he stormed away. He didn't know what he would do to her if he stayed there any longer. At most, she would scream under his body as he ravaged her clean tonight.