Bai Yu Yan did not know how long she had slept when she groggily opened her eyes to see the broad chest of a man right before her face. It took her a moment to register the rhythmic movement of her body and she lowered her eyes to see the black furry thing below her. Only then she realized that she was sitting on the back of a high horse since god knows when and was travelling to an unknown destination.

“Awake?” a low deep voice rang above her head and caught her attention.

Bai Yu Yan blinked her eyes in confusion and raised her head to see the face of the man. Had it not been for the familiar voice that she could recognize even with her eyes closed, she would have probably screamed her lungs out and jumped off the horse regardless of the risk of losing a few limbs.

Lu Tong Xiao’s lashes were lowered to silently look at the woman leaning on his embrace.

Outside his robe, he was wearing a long back cape that reached to cover his head, leaving a pair of deep inky eyes gazing at her from above. One of his hands held the rein of the horse which he occasionally pulled to guide the horse forward while his other hand firmly held the woman against his body as if he was cradling a baby.

Wearing a similar hooded cape but in a smaller size, Bai Yu Yan was sitting with her body facing him. Her small frame easily fitted into his embrace like a missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle and with each jolt of the horse, her body pushed against the hard muscles underneath his clothes.

She did not understand how deeply asleep she must have been to not have been awoken even while sitting at the back of the running horse. The last thing she remembered was sleeping in her own bed in the Autumn Courtyard after a light drink as her mood had not been at its best. For a moment, it made her wonder if she was still sleeping and the current scenario was just a dream. She looked around to see that it was still dark, probably the wee hours of the morning. The horse ran past the rows of trees on both sides and their body easily blended to the darkness if not for the horseshoe striking against the paved road.

Bai Yu Yan looked at him with inquisitive eyes, waiting for him to tell her what was happening right now, or least, where they were heading to when she heard him gently say, “Sleep some more. I will wake you up when we arrive.”

And with that, she did not need to be told twice before a yawn left her mouth and she obediently leaned against his chest with her eyes closed, completely forgetting the inquiry. Enveloped in his warmth from all sides, she was not affected by the cold wind that blew past their body. As she was half sitting on the man’s lap and half on the thick padded saddle that cushioned the rise and fall of the horse’s movement, there was no discomfort of riding on horseback.

So, when she peacefully entered into her dreamland, she completely missed the dark glint in his eyes.

The horse did not stop for a single break and sprinted in a hurry as if sensing the mood of its master. Bai Yu Yan had no idea how far they had travelled but the dense population of the capital city had been left long behind and they had entered the mountainous region beyond the outskirts. Trees lining on both sides had started to get crowded and the temperature at the early morning had dropped several degrees lower than the nights of the capital. Unlike the closely packed houses of the capital, the surrounding had very few houses which were sparsely located.

Lu Tong Xiao’s horse slowed down its pace under its master’s guide and leisurely strode with two people on its back. The morning sun shone through the gaps between the leaves of the forest and fell on their body, making Bai Yu Yan warm as she rubbed her eyes and opened them.

“Hungry?” asked Lu Tong Xiao, looking at the woman who had just woken up and was curiously looking around with her big round eyes which were slightly puffed at the edges with the remnants of the dissipating sleep. She did not ask a single question, contrary to his expectations but just obediently sat there. 

At his question, Bai Yu Yan shook her head unconsciously but then blinked her eyes and nodded again.

Seeing this cute action, Lu Tong Xiao’s cold face had a hint of warmth as his lips curled at the end and his hand patted her head saying, “We have arrived now. The food has already been prepared. Wait for some time and you can eat once we have settled down.”

Bai Yu Yan gave a soft ‘umm’ and looked at his face which did not have a hint of tiredness even after riding all night without rest before asking, “Your Excellency, where are we right now?”

Right at this time, the horse suddenly came to a stop. To answer her, Lu Tong Xiao did not say anything but simply raised his eyes to motion at her back.

Bai Yu Yan took a moment to gaze at him in question before understanding what he meant and turned to look back.

Music recommendation: Round and round - Goblin

The horse was facing the circular door of an ancient carved gate surrounded by the trees from all the sides which gave it the effect of being in the middle of the woods.

Through the open double doors, she got a glimpse of what was inside. A large courtyard which was expanded as far as her eyes could reach spread like rolls of unfolded sheets. The tall thick walls enclosing it had creeper plants crawling like green veins on the outer face of the wall, not leaving a single inch of the brick to be seen from the outside.

It was isolated from the rest of the world where, with the winding roads which were covered by the thick trees and maple leaves fallen thereupon like it wanted to erase the traces of the road, no one else could reach there even if they tried.

Unlike in the capital, the autumn seemed to have already arrived early at this place. The colourful vegetation had all seven colours of nature, blending to create breathtaking beauty.

It was like a meticulously drawn painting taking form in real life.

Seeing her awestruck look where her gaze did not want to be torn away from the view, Lu Tong Xiao wrapped his sturdy arm below her chest. With a firm hold, he single-handedly lifted her from the horse, turned her around with ease and placed her down again so that she was facing the front.

Bai Yu Yan’s eyes seemed to be glued to what was in front of her, rendering her unable to look away. She felt the wet sensation on her cheeks and unconsciously raised her fingers to touch it. Unexpectedly, she realized that it was the tears that had fallen from her own eyes.

She furrowed her brows not understanding why she was crying all of a sudden. Thankfully, she was not facing Lu Tong Xiao, else it would have been embarrassing to let him see her this way, she thought to herself.

But before she could let out a breath of relief, as she continued to sit there and watch the courtyard before her eyes, all of a sudden, Bai Yu Yan felt a surge of emotions coursing from her heart and spreading through her chest. The violent storm of emotions seemed to take a tangible form as they gripped her body from all the sides. Following it, an unprecedented pain clutched her heart as if it was being squeezed by something. The immense pain made her unable to breathe properly and she raised her hand to press her heart like she was confirming if it was still beating or it had already stopped due to the pain.

There seemed to be something buried very deep in her mind that was trying to open itself and swim outside in order to make its presence known to her.

Just as she was about to scream in agony, all of that disappeared in a flash and she felt herself leaning on Lu Tong Xiao’s chest with her back just like before.

Bai Yu Yan lowered her head to see that her hand was not pressing her heart but casually lying on the furry neck of the horse. The pain had vanished into the thin air and her eyes were dry like the tears had never existed in the first place.

She turned her head to look at Lu Tong Xiao who enclosed her in his arm to take a hold of the reins to direct it forward and asked, “Shall we?”

Bai Yu Yan suppressed the strange feelings in her heart and smiled at him, “Let’s go!”