Chapter 14 - Even You Aren't Perfect

"Will you be joining the bath, Madam Yue?" Hien questioned holding the wooden tray with soap.

'Oh,' he thinned his lips.

The last time they bathe together…

'Wang Li had kissed my palm and… his body was-' stopping himself, he shook his head.

"I will be in the study waiting for him," even though he really wanted to see that god-like body, "I will have tea prepared there."

Hein nodded and walked toward the bath where she would join the Ghost King… naked… in the water… together. Blanking his face, Ying Yue tried to not let that thought affect him. Bidding farewell to Yun and bringing the tea tray from a reluctant Shen, he placed it on the floor table he had been occupying as of late. Moving to stand at the entrance, he stared at the blossoming plum tree before him.

'I wonder,' he found himself thinking, 'If the other areas have plum trees like here?'

A sound caught his ears, making him turn his green eyes to the culprit. Dark blue eyes stared at him from the animal, the beast of Wang Li's. His spine stood straight in fear. This was the first time after the bath incident that both the leopard and him were in the same vicinity alone.

'Alright,' he gulped down telling himself, 'Snow had not hurt you before. He wouldn't try now. Just reach out and pet it.'

"Snow," he spoke up, "Did you want to be pet?"

The large cat paused, tilted his head, before those blue eyes lit up. Ying Yue watched the white beast bounced to him happily and plopped before him. Nudging his head against the blonde's arm, Ying Yue got the messaged and rubbed behind the ears.

'How cute,' the blonde thought hearing the cat purr leaning into his touch.

"There is no way you are a killer," he said out loud freely petting the beast, "You are just like a baby kitten," the blonde grinned when the animal made a noise in agreement, "You killing 40 people with a swipe? With what?" Ying Yue questioned picking up a paw, "With this thing?" He shook his head scratching underneath the neck, making Snow swing his tail happily, "Probably from your cuteness, isn't that right?"

The blonde found himself laughing happily as the cat made happy sounds from all the attention. He was so caught up in it that he jumped when he felt a hand against his lower back. Turning away from the touch, his green eyes caught silver ones. Relaxing from his tension, he aimed a smile at the Ghost King. Green eyes traveled from black hair down to covered toes.

"You are enjoying yourself," the baritone voice spoke up and Ying Yue entire body flushed.

"No I wasn't… I was just… I mean you…" he started flustered looking away, anywhere but the man he was checking out unsubtly.

"Snow," Wang Li smiled amused as the big cat nuzzled against his master's hand, "… likes you."

"Oh right, yeah," he inwardly sighed with relief, "He isn't too bad. Those stories were lies."

"What do they say about him?" The curiosity of the Ghost King piqued as those fingers stroke through soft furs.

"Mm," the blonde sounded, "That Snow was your pet and that he killed 40 people with just a swing of his paw."

Wang Li's eyes widened and his fingers stopped moving, but Ying Yue did not noticed it. The blonde had walked over and patted the Leopard's head.

"How could that be true? Snow is too cute," his green eyes looked up toward him and the king felt his body relaxed.

'Ying Yue,' he smiled, 'What I would do for you to always smile.'

"Let us start your penmanship," he walked over to the entrance of the library.

"Okay," the blonde smiled bidding farewell to the beast, "I brought tea."

The Ghost King watched as his wife sat down at the table and he found himself softening. That was his wife's favorite spot, where littered of books and scrolls surrounded him. Ying Yue's gentle smiles when he wrote, drew, and read were some of the best memories he had of his beautiful wife.

A bright light in his darkened sky.

"Would you like some tea, my king?" The blonde questioned and Wang Li nodded, digging the nail of his index finger into the pad of his thumb.

He was finally here with him, yet Ying Yue still have not called him his husband. He once freely said those words as easily as the sun rising. Now all the platinum blonde would call him was 'my king.' He walked off to the shelf near the other floor table. Reaching for a small green book, tethered together by a thin red ribbon, he pulled it out. The edges were worn and there were smudges on the sides of the old book, but it still made his heart happy knowing who it belonged to.

Walking back to the blonde who was watching him, the Ghost King sat beside the man.

"Thank you," he took the cup from those soft hands, "You should start by copying from here."

"Copying?" Ying Yue frowned slightly and opened the book, "The whole thing?"

"You could start with the writings on the sixth page," Wang Li pointed out as he flipped to those familiar words.

His silver eyes watched the profile of his wife's soft features, memorizing the similarities. Wang Li drank in the softness of his skin, the green of his eyes, the featherlight curve of golden lashes, the cupid's bow of his plush lips. A beauty his wife was.

"This is… intimate," a soft pink dusted across those white cheeks, "Are you sure you want me to copy the letterings?"

"Yes," he nodded, "The writer has excellent penmanship."

'The writing looks similar to mine though,' Ying Yue slightly lowered his eyes suspiciously.

"What does this word say? I can't figure it out," the blonde pointed to a spot on the book and stared at the king.

Those silver eyes glanced at where he pointed before breathing out a smile. Ying Yue found himself laughing as he shook his head.

"Why did you say my handwriting was horrendous? You could have just told me you didn't know how to read," he lightly bumped Wang Li's arm with his, "Want me to teach you?"

The Ghost King nodded and the greens of his eyes twinkled. The Ghost King, perfect beautiful Wang Li did not know how to read! The platinum blonde found himself giggling.

'Even you aren't perfect!' He calmed his laughter and pointed to the beginning of the passage.

"Okay, follow my fingers as I read it through first, okay?" His green eyes looked to silver ones.

When Wang Li nodded, Ying Yue started reading.

"The sun rises with me and the moon rises with him. Beautiful he is with the grace of a king. Like the sun envying the moon and the ground reaching toward the clouds, when will I meet the beauty of the moon. A smile, a laughter, an exchange, and the sun met the moon- a beauty meant for the Heavens. Gentle, soft, and smooth as the sun danced with the moon. Under the twilight of night when the sun slept, I wondered if the moon thought of me. Did he yearn to be close like I do?"

The blonde took in those words and wondered if… was it…

"Who… who wrote this?" He asked looking over to see those soft silver eyes watching him, as if he never once removed them.

"My wife," Wang Li said softly and Ying Yue felt his heart constrict.