Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 129: Ruo Yi’s Gift
As evening approached, the sunset ignited the sky. A wisp of the setting sun’s glow fell upon the windowsill, casting flickering shadows through the potted plants arranged by Loli onto the desk crowded with parchment and scrolls.
Xi Wei was intently examining a battle report from the border. Scouts had discovered that Earl Amper of the Andor Empire was amassing troops. Their target was either the Royal Capital or Eagle Territory, and caution was necessary. Xi Wei frowned, contemplating countermeasures.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
A soft knock sounded from outside the door. “Xi Wei… Lord, it’s Ruo Yi.”
“May I come in?”
Ruo Yi’s arrival was unexpected. Xi Wei had thought it was Loli; he hadn’t seen the little maid all afternoon and missed her dearly.
“Come in.”
Hearing the man’s gentle and steady voice from inside the room, Ruo Yi’s heart began to pound. She took a deep breath, clutched the shawl she had handmade to her chest, and gently pushed the door open, stepping into the room.
“Is something the matter?” Xi Wei asked curiously, looking at the fox-eared girl standing before his desk, somewhat nervous but elegant.
Ruo Yi had shed her knight’s armor and was wearing a dress that reached her thighs. Her figure was far more developed than the little maid’s, and the cinched waist of the dress accentuated her ample chest.
Ruo Yi brushed aside a lock of snow-white hair from her ear. She pursed her lips, her blue-gold eyes filled with apprehension and anticipation. Gathering her courage, she said, “This, Xi Wei, this is for you…”
As she spoke, the fox-eared girl took out the shawl she had been holding and offered it to Xi Wei. A faint blush colored her fair, smooth pretty face, and her long eyelashes fluttered. After speaking, her gaze shifted from apprehension and nervousness to resolve and bravery.
Xi Wei solemnly accepted the shawl from Ruo Yi’s hands, but his attention was drawn to her slender, pale, and tender hands. Her fair, delicate fingers bore numerous pinpricks, some scabbed over, others fresh. Xi Wei gently placed the shawl on the desk and reached out to cup Ruo Yi’s hand, which she hadn’t yet retracted.
“Did you do this while making the shawl?” Xi Wei asked, feigning ignorance.
Ruo Yi turned her face slightly away, a blush rising on her pretty face. After a token struggle, she calmly left her hand in Xi Wei’s large one.
“Why didn’t you have Loli treat it?”
“If I went for treatment, she would have found out… and… and I didn’t have time…” Ruo Yi’s voice trembled slightly. She glanced sideways at the man before her but quickly averted her eyes again.
*This is bad, very bad…* Ruo Yi mumbled to herself. She didn’t dare look Xi Wei in the eye, even though things had reached that point last night. But that was at night; this was daytime, and it was the first time she had presented herself so openly to Xi Wei.
At this moment, just being held by Xi Wei’s hand, Ruo Yi felt her heart melting. Her entire body began to feel weak.
Sensing the fox-eared girl’s discomfort, Xi Wei pulled her into his arms with a slight exertion of his arm.
“Ah—” Ruo Yi cried out. By the time she reacted, Xi Wei’s face was close, touching hers, just as it had been in Dawn Town. The only difference was that she had been a thousand times unwilling then, but now she was ten thousand times willing.
“I like your gift very much. I’ll wear it when I go on campaign,” Xi Wei said, looking at Ruo Yi with complex emotions. He already knew from Loli what Ruo Yi had endured in her nightmare. It was a torment akin to hell, yet Ruo Yi’s feelings for him remained profound. He could no longer push this girl away. *How will I explain this to Loli?*
However, Xi Wei then recalled the two girls’ remarkable coordination and cooperation the previous night. He suddenly felt there was little to explain because they had likely already confided in each other.
Memories flooded Xi Wei’s mind: Loli rushing forward without hesitation to shield him from the Black Sword’s attack. Ruo Yi gritting her teeth, enduring the agony of her body tearing apart, bleeding from her orifices, and fighting the nun, leaving her critically injured afterward. These were girls who would give their lives for him… How could he easily let them go? He could only do his best to compensate them, even if they demanded his life.
Xi Wei’s gaze softened as he looked at Ruo Yi. Although his feelings for Ruo Yi were not as deep as for Loli, Ruo Yi’s efforts and sacrifices had left an indelible mark on his heart.
“What gift do you want? Or what reward?” Xi Wei asked, his eyes deep and tender as he looked at the fox-eared girl in his arms. He was surprised by how soft her body was; holding her felt incredibly comfortable, with hardly any sensation of hard bone.
Ruo Yi’s gaze had been fixed on Xi Wei, and she had noticed the change in his eyes. Her body flushed with a rosy hue from her arousal, and the love in her eyes blazed like a fervent flame. She extended her slender jade hands, entwined them around Xi Wei’s neck, and eagerly pursued his lips. Her fox tail, behind her, swayed restlessly until it brushed against Xi Wei’s waist, then seemed to find an anchor and gently wrapped around him.
“I… I don’t want a gift… I… I just want you… can I?” Ruo Yi murmured indistinctly as she clung to him and kissed him. Her eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze filled with a fiery desire and a seductive aroma that brushed against Xi Wei’s lips.
“This matter requires us to adhere to a ‘first come, first served’ principle,” Xi Wei said with a helpless smile. Unbeknownst to him, he had already been pinned onto the desk by the intensely attacking fox-eared girl.
“Hmph~” Ruo Yi gave a soft hum. She clung to Xi Wei like an octopus, biting his shoulder playfully. Perhaps fearing she had hurt him, she then gave him a comforting kiss before saying indignantly, “Alright~ I understand. You don’t want anything that’s freely given~”
With that, she buried her face in Xi Wei’s chest and took a deep breath. Reluctantly, she climbed off him and then pulled him up to sit properly in the chair. Ruo Yi glanced back at the door and found that the wind had blown it shut and locked it. She breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Xi Wei, her lips curved into a charming smile, and she then slipped beneath the desk.
