Once she opened her eyes, all of those feelings and thoughts of him came rushing back to her. So much so that she wanted to run into his arms and stay there, but she pulled herself together; reminding herself that what she had just seen was another life ago. That the person he loves is no longer who she is right now.
Yet her eyes linger on him for a while, until he called out to her.
"Hou Chi." Bai Jue called out to her, the same soft and gentle voice that she remembered too well from her dream. She got up from the bed provided to her; trying her hardest to not let them know what was going through her mind.
"I hope you saw what you wanted to see, I still have many things to attend to." Hou Chi said to them as she could and tried to head out of the room but Bai Jue held onto her hand. She felt as if she was going to melt at the touch of his warm hand.
"Tell me that you remember all of that." Bai Jue said to her and she turned to look at him
"I do, but that was just our love tribulant and thus it was not who we are." Hou Chi said to him but he refused to let her walk away from him.
"But I-" Bai Jue said to her but Hou Chi shook his hand free
"I would like to return to my palace if there is nothing else." Hou Chi said to him as she pulled her hand away and headed back to her palace.
Even though she told him that she was busy, there was nothing for her to do at her palace since she had passed the task to someone else for the next few days.
"Master-" Hou Yu tried to talk to her as soon as the two of them reached the Winter mansion but was dismissed
"Remain outside." Hou Chi said to her and slammed the door shut in Hou Yu's face.
Hou Chi stood against the door after she closed it, as she took a deep breath in and sank down onto the floor. She pulled her knees towards her chest and laid her head down on her knees.
"What am I going to do?" Hou Chi asked herself as she took another deep breath in but she sighs after a few minutes and got up from the floor.
"This should be something for tomorrow." Hou Chi said to herself and got out of her room, Hou Yu was sitting outside of the open hall, looking out towards the middle yard.
"Hou Yu. I will head out to the study, and send word to the snow fairies that I will take care of the winter season and that they can focus on the papers." Hou Chi said to her but before Hou Yu could react to Hou Chi's words, Hou Chi was already walking away from Hou Yu.
There was nothing else for Hou Yu to do but send words to the winter fairies like her master had asked her to. Once Hou Yu had sent words to the winter fairies, she went to find her master and found Hou Chi drowning herself in work.
Hou Chi locked herself in her work studies and if she was not there, she was locked inside her room, this went on for a month. Until words of a visit from the demon realm came and Hou Chi was instructed to attend along with the other three season goddesses.
"Tell the others that I shall attend but for them to not wait for me." Hou Chi said to Hou Yu who came to her with words from Qing Mu
"Yes, master." Hou Yu said to her master and headed out of the study room, to report back to Qing Mu.
A week later
"Master." Hou Yu said with a stern voice to her master from the door after knocking on it for so long, Hou Chi looked up from her papers.
"Yes?" Hou Chi asked her and the young spirit sighed
"It is time to head to the main hall, master." Hou Yu said to her and she sighs
"Is it that time already?" Hou Chi asked as she got up from the desk and Hou Yu nodded
"Everyone is heading to the main hall, I suggest that we make haste as well." Hou Yu said to her and she chuckled
"You're still so young yet, you sound like an old soul." Hou Chi said to her and Hou Yu shook her head
"If you stop being like a child that needs my reminder all the time, then I won't have to sound like such an old soul." Hou Yu said to her, Hou Chi smile at her as she snapped her fingers; her clothes changed into her formal dress for the court and her hair was tidy from the loose and unkempt hair from working.
"See, it's as easy as that." Hou Chi said to her and Hou Yu shook her head as she walk off after her master.
Once the two of them arrived at the main hall, everyone got up
"Greetings to the winter goddess!" all of the lower gods and goddesses greeted her, Hou Chi nodded
"At ease." Hou Chi said as she made her way to pay her respect to the true gods
"Hou Chi greet the true gods." Hou Chi said as she bowed to them but before they could say anything to her at all it was Bai Qing who spoke to her first
"No need for the formalities, take your seat." Bai Qing said to her and she nodded as she headed to her seat and did her best to ignore him staring at her but it was easy, not too long after the group from the demon realm arrived at the main hall.
"Greetings to the true gods. Greetings to the season goddesses." the group from the demon realm greeted them as they all walk to the designated seat for the demon group.
The prince looks at all of the season goddesses with a smile
"I hope that you've been well, goddess Hou Chi." he said to her and she smiled at him, the two of them have been close to each other since they met in the demon realm.
"I've been well. I've missed you, so it is good to see you here." Hou Chi said to the prince of the demon realm and he nodded at her.
"I would like to welcome you at my palace, soon if possible." The prince said to her and she smiled but before she could say anything to the prince, Bai Jue spoke.
"What for?" Bai Jue asked and the prince turned to look at Bai Jue with a smile
"To catch up." Da Qi said to Bai Jue
"On What?" Bai Jue asked him and the demon prince smiled at him
"It is between me and goddess Hou Chi." the prince said to Bai Jue as he turned his attention back to Hou Chi, Hou Chi raised her glass to him and the prince raised his glass back to Hou Chi.
As the banquet was ending, the prince got up from his seat
"I came to the nine heaven for a visit but other than that I've come to ask for permission to bring the winter goddess back with us to the demon realm." Prince Da Qi said to everyone but before Qing Mu could say anything, Bai Jue banged his throne's armrest as he stood up from his seat.
"THERE WOULD BE NO SUCH THING!" Bai Jue said to the demon prince but the prince smile
"And why is that?" The prince asked Bai Jue, Bai Jue glanced at Hou Chi
"There is no need to ask for anyone's permission." Hou Chi said and the demon smiled at her
"It would be over my dead body." Bai Jue said
"Then I will go see you tomorrow morning, Hou Chi." Da Qi said to her and she nodded
"Did you two not hear me? I said that I will not allow this!" Bai Jue said
"You have no right to stand between us. As I've gotten permission to visit her tomorrow, I shall bid everyone a good night." Da Qi said to them and headed out but as he was walking out, Hou Chi called out to him.
"Prince Da Qi." Hou Chi called out to him and he stopped midway as he turned back to look at Hou Chi.
"I'll come with you." Hou Chi said to the prince but as she was about to take another step, a firm hand was holding onto her arm, and when she turned around to look behind her. She was faced with an angry Bai Jue.
"You're not going anywhere." Bai Jue said to her, holding her hand firmly but the goddess smiled at him, and in a blink she was free from his firm hold.
"Bai Jue, I am not a weak human who can't get loose from your grip. I am a goddess." Hou Chi reminded him.
"I will not allow you to go with him. You are my wife." Bai Jue said to her and she smiled at him as calmly as she could.
"We were but a tribulant. No matter where I go or who I go with, that is nothing that needs your permission for anything." Hou Chi reminded him once more that he held no power over her and headed out of the banquet hall with the demon prince