Chapter 204 - A Night to Remember

The Emperor sent her a sly smile and said, "Perhaps it was love at first sight..."

Lei Xing narrowed her eyes in obvious disbelief. The Emperor's smile widened and he lightly shrugged, "Instinct then. It seems I was drawn to you from on the onset...I guess it was simply an instinct to speed things along."

Lei Xing snorted and then looked away as her face heated up, "I see..." She awkwardly said and then she knit her brows, "But what about children? An Empress not havi-"

"I already told you that is fine...Becoming Empress does not change anything between you and me. I will not force a woman to have a child she does not want. I know from experience that it does not bode well for either party..."

Lei Xing looked at him with raised eyebrows.

{...What does that mean? Experience...Don't tell me that crazy witch -... Okay, don't get sidetracked -_-)'...}

Lei Xing frowned.

{...Does he understand the gravity of all these things he's promising me? I'll only be with you, it's fine if you don't want kids, but then what about - Okay, I definitely have a problem. I can't believe I'm complaining about someone being over considerate of me...because it's unreasonable and...and...Overbearing -that it is not...Sweet, nice, selfless. Any of those -_-)'...

...It makes me seem...feel...insufferable, selfish, overbearing maybe? Difficult - Guess if I'm so worried about him not having a child, I might as well just give him one! ( `ε´ )...(O.O ')...Oh...Well, I guess...maybe...In the future, perhaps...Not now...too soon...I could consider...maybe...I mean, he's really...everything I-...}

Lei Xing took a deep breath and then said, "I don't like your mother." 

The Emperor blinked and scrutinized her, she was looking at him seriously now, most of the humor gone from her face. He was not sure why she suddenly brought his mother into this, then he got an inkling, so he said, "As Empress, my mother would hold no sway over you...You may show her "filial respect" but that has its limitations, no one would hold sway over you..." 

No one except him, but that was hugely irrelevant point to mention right now. Moreover, he would let her do as she wished, within reason. And he trusted her to be reasonable in her wants.

Lei Xing nodded and remained quiet. He could see that she was contemplating her choice. But now he was feeling confident and a smile tugged at his lips. Throughout the entire conversation, she never once said or even hinted that she personally did not want to. All her questions and concerns were really about him and how this decision could affect him.

He had decided not to pressure her, but then he thought a little nudge forward would not hurt. And she was the one who insisted on having this conversation tonight. A little nudging on his part would be fine, so he got up and went to crouch in front of her, held her hands and smiled at her.

But before he could begin his nudging speech, Lei Xing narrowed her eyes at him and said, "You know, you really make it difficult..." She said it with a little smile, but the smile did not obscure the weight of the words for him. His smile faltered but he maintained it and changed the words he intended to say to, "There's really no pressure, so take your time."

{...Perhaps it will be better to stay elsewhere for toni-...}

"You know, I had once thought that it would be better if you were mean, ruthless or just an as***le...Then I would have reason to dislike you and more reason not to want anything to do with you or this place." Lei Xing said with a light laugh at herself and her own stupidity.

If he were truly to be any of those things, she would have been truly trapped or worse even dead. There was no way someone like that would have been patient or tolerant with her. She would hate her life. "But you've been nothing but sweet and accommodating, unreal almost...So it has been quite difficult not to have feelings for you..."

"Oh..." The Emperor said looking down at their hands, not sure what to make of this. 

{...Is that a good or a bad thing? Compliment or complaint?... I really can't tell...}

Lei Xing took a deep breath and then let it out, "...Let's just go with the flow."

The Emperor looked up at her with a raised eyebrow and she mirrored his expression with an almost teasing smile, but he could not be sure. He blinked a few times and then knit his eyebrows, "And that is?" He needed clarity to know how to proceed.

But instead of clarifying, Lei Xing responded with her own question, "What do you think?"

The Emperor's knit eyebrows tightened, and then he warily responded, "I'm not sure..." 

{...Is this a yes or no? It could be either...Confusing...}

Lei Xing snorted and then said, "I never expected that you could ever be clueless as well...Today has been quite a few firsts for you." She saw him pout this morning, and then blushing, nervous and now clueless. She was actually enjoying this quite a bit.

"You've been a lot of firsts for me." He responded with a frown, lowering his eyes, still trying to decode her meaning. Since he could never be sure with her, he simply asked, "So what is it?"

Lei Xing pursed her lips and went, "Hmmm...I don't have much of a choice I think." Only half-serious and with humor in her voice. Unfortunately, the humor was lost on the Emperor, who was currently taking her every word with utmost seriousness, "You always have a choice." He knew having a choice was important to her, she needed it which was why he gave it to her.

Lei Xing nodded, "True..." She looked to the side, seeming to still be contemplating and then she turned back to his hesitantly eager, anxiously waiting face and finally said, "There really isn't a reason...not to have a ceremony." Lei Xing finished biting her inner lip as her face started to redden.

{...If that bracelet heard me now, it would be over the moon! >_

The Emperor knit his brows in thought, processing.

{...Ceremony?...could that possibly mean something else?...No, the ceremony in question here is the coronation...so...}

"So you agree? " He asked, blinking up at her as a hopeful smile tugged at his lips.

Lei Xing narrowed her eyes at him and said, "Well I can't use that contract without agreeing to that term...isn't that why you wrote it that way?" She lightly finished with a teasing tone.

"So -" The Emperor started and then broke out in a happy laugh as he stood up, pulling her up with him and into his arms. He hugged her tightly and then said, "Thank you..." Still laughing.

Lei Xing lightly chuckled and then pushed him back so she could see his face and then she put a hand on his cheek and he did the same to hers. She smiled and then said, "No, I should be the one thanking you...You didn't have to but you did. Thank you for caring enough to do this." 

{...Who asks someone to marry them with divorce papers ready?...No, the question should be who tells someone they want them and in the same breath, asks for the promise of a divorce...Possibility, I just asked for the possibility of a divorce...Either way, I'm the crazy one here and he's simply indulging it haha...ha -_-)'...}

The Emperor grinned and caressed her face and then kissed her forehead, "Having you is enough..."

Lei Xing let out a breath with a smile and then said again, "Thank you." But before he could tell her to stop thanking him or tell her how precious she was, Lei Xing leaned forward and kissed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him completely uninhibited. For the first time since arriving here, she felt free...Free of the bracelet and free of her worries, truly free.

Before long, Lei Xing felt her feet come off the ground as the Emperor picked her up and spun her as they kissed. Lei Xing giggled against his lips, the next thing she knew she found herself down on the bed, kissing and laughing along with the Emperor as their hands busied themselves with each other.

Garments flew, amidst the sound of giggling and sweet promises resonating with the wind, and in the hearts of the happy lovers' delight.

A blissful night, one the merry pair will remember for eons to come.