Chapter 143: Perfume

In the end, Xu Ke was still someone who values power above everything else. She looked at the expression that Xu Ke was showing at her and sneered inwardly. Xu Ke looked as if he really liked Ye Bai. His gaze was gentle, with a little hint of coldness. The satisfied smile on his face would make any woman think that he really liked Ye Bai. It was as if, he couldn't wait to win this contest so he would be able to own the woman that he liked.

She hated it.

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Lyca looked at the Emperor as she tried to assess the current situation. No matter what happens she couldn't let Xu Ke win this game. She needed that necklace. And to her, having that necklace is more important than anything— or anyone in this world. 

"Alright…. Since the Emperor already agreed to have the contest. Would any of you two like to create your own rules? Something unique than what everyone is used to?" the Eunuch asked.

Lyca immediately looked at Xu Ke. This was a popular game that soldiers liked to play, it was a simple way to gauge one's talent in archery. There were three stages of the contest.

The first is to use an arrow and a bow to shoot a certain unmoving target while riding a running horse. The second was to shoot a really small object while riding the same running horse, and the third was shooting a small moving object. While this sounds easy, not many soldiers actually have the talent to hit a target while they were moving.

As a General commanding thousands of soldiers, Ye Bai is actually very adept in using bow and arrow. However, she knew that Xu Ke Is also an expert in this game as a bow and arrow is actually his expertise. Just like how Lyca was considered an expert in daggers, Xu Ke is also considered the best of the best when it comes to hitting his targets. 

"For the third stage… I want to have a blindfold." Xu Ke uttered, confidence laced his tone. "Of course, if the Second princess doesn't like it then we can just consider the second princess losing a round."

Shameless! Lyca could only pretend to smile at the Xu Ke. "No problem." She has to win. No matter what happens Lyca needed to get the pendant and get back. She lowered her head as she hid the different emotions in her eyes. 

"Alright… the two of you will be given thirty minutes to prepare and change your clothing." The Eunuch said. Lyca didn't tarry. She immediately left with one of her servants so she could change her clothing. 

"Wait!" 

Lyca halted her steps and turned towards the man who was now standing next to her.

"Why do you want my necklace?"

"Why do you want me?" Lyca countered, making Xu Ke speechless. "It is not yet late. You can withdraw from this useless competition."

"Why would I do that?"

"We don't like each other, Young Master Xu. That is enough reason to stop this competition."

'If you don't like me then, why didn't you say something?"

She squinted at him. It seems that Xu Ke had already seen through the scheme of the emperor. However, the man's confidence in his charms was making her speechless. Does this man really think that every woman would just flock on his way because he was a little handsome? Lyca held her hand and motioned her servants to leave them.

"I thought so," Xu Ke smirked as he started walking next to her. "I never thought that the great General Bai would one day be embroiled in all this politics. I was hoping that you won't agree with my proposal. It would be such a waste to know that you will only end up dead after all this."

The subtle threat made her snort. She put her hands behind her back. "The politics in this empire has nothing to do with me." She stopped walking and lifted her head, meeting his gaze in the process. Again, her eyes trailed down towards the necklace on his neck. "You said that the necklace is important and yet you easily agreed to have the competition with me. Even if you know who I really am." Her voice turned soft. "I guess she wasn't that important to you. Or at least not as important as you claim it to be."

"How did you know this was owned by a woman?"

She pursed her lips in response. She saw an evil glint in his eyes, something that she quickly hid. Judging from Xu Ke's personality, the man must have been angry that she was able to guess everything correctly. 

"I am not as dumb as you think. Judging from the way you say it… the necklace came from a past lover. Did she leave you for another man?"

"Would you believe me if I tell you that she died from my arrow?"

She frowned when she didn't saw a hint of regret in his voice. "Did you love her?"

"Love… " he dragged the words in his lips. "What is that?"

Indeed. What is love? Even she, wouldn't be able to answer that question. "Did you regret killing her?"

"Regret… Was dreaming about her every night can be considered regretting my actions?" She turned silent as she continued walking. When she noticed that Xu Ke didn't follow her, Lyca stopped and look back at the man who was standing there, in a daze. 

"I don't believe you," she declared. "I would never believe a single word from your filthy mouth." Then she left him all alone as she walked towards her quarters to change her clothing. She had witnessed the man shot her in the past. He ruthlessly used his arrow and bow to shoot her leg then, her shoulder before she was able to escape. There was no remorse in the man's gaze, nor love, nor guilt. All he had was a blank expression that made her wonder if he even recognized her as his bride.

For years, Lyca had dreamed about that blank gaze. For years, she cried and yelled for the gods to just give her a chance to come back and have her revenge. She had prayed, wished, and hoped that when she died on Earth, she would be able to come back to this place and make Xu Ke suffer.

So, what changed? Why was she not doing anything about the revenge that she so wanted to have in the past? 

If one would ask her if she hated Xu Ke she would definitely answer a big YES without even batting an eyelid. She hated him, and that is an undeniable fact. However, a part of her, a small part of her soul, seemed to crave for something else other than the revenge that she thought she wanted.

It was closure.

It was a way to move on.

At that time, Lyca didn't know why Xu Ke killed her and her adoptive family. However, as she accessed the memories of Ye Bai, she understood the complexities of the political warfare between the Xu Family, the Ye Family, and another family from the western borders of the Xu Empire.

This information was something that she never had any access to before her death. And while this information interests her, she also realized something. She no longer wanted to kill people in this world. She wanted to leave as soon as possible. She no longer wanted to get involved in Xu Ke's complicated life nor go back to her previous life. She wanted to go back to Shen Qui.

When the princess came back to the hall, she was already wearing a black robe. Her long white hair was tied behind her back in a bun. A simple arrow and bow were on her shoulders. She looked at the Eunuch and immediately spotted Xu Ke, who was giving her a complicated gaze. She turned her head towards the emperor, who seemed too excited to see them compete.

And that was when she noticed it.

Lyca's eyes widened at the black perfume sachet that Xu Ke was wearing on his waist. That — That was something that she made. It was as if her world stopped spinning, her heart started racing as her gaze met Xu Ke's. The perfume was something that she made to protect Xu Ke from poisonous gases. But why would he wear something like that in an event like this? Unless…

Lyca's gaze landed on the emperor as she suddenly screamed.

"PROTECT THE EMPEROR!"