The War Bride

22 | A Spark

A storm of terrifying nightmares plagued Luwen's sleep.

She dreamt of her parents' dying moment, and the months she cried to herself as she drowned in grief and sorrow. She dreamt of more enemies infiltrating her room while she was asleep, wanting to assassinate her in her most vulnerable state.

The nightmares morphed quickly from one to the next. Somewhere in the future, she saw herself failing her mission and the wicked matriarch took her best friend away, killing her before Luwen's eyes.

And then it was her turn. The matriarch turned towards her, smiling coldly, like the merciless woman she was, before hands wrapped around her throat. Choking her.

This wasn't the end. Next, Luwen dreamt of the lord—enraged when he found out her deepest secret; that she wasn't the innocent princess as he believed.

When he realized her real aim was to kill him, the raw betrayal in his dark eyes was a look she couldn't forget. Her heart clenched tightly, painfully, until she couldn't breathe.

He plunged a sword into her heart, and she finally woke up with a gasp.

The sight of an unfamiliar ceiling sent her jolting up in bed. Her chest heaved and there was a light sheen of sweat on her forehead.

Gripping the blanket in her hand, she looked around, realizing she was safe in the lord's room.

Dai Yichen was no longer in bed beside her, but at his desk. Unlike her, he was already dressed handsomely and had a book in a hand. Sunlight crawled in through the window.

While she had dreamt of her ill-fated future, the real him had been patiently waiting for her to wake up.

Now he was staring at her with genuine concern. He snapped his book close and approached her in a swift motion. The bed sank under his weight as he sat on the edge. "Were you having nightmares?"

She squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the region between her eyebrows. She knew what a mess she was in, especially her appearance. "Y-yes."

Her breath hitched when she felt fingers, though a little hesitant, brushing her strayed locks away from her face. It was an intimate gesture she didn't deserve, but it made her cheeks hot. She couldn't bring herself to move away from him, fearing she might embarrass herself even more if she did so.

"After everything that has happened lately, you're under immense stress. Come," he said, standing up from the bed. "I'll get you some calming tea while you wash up."

As soon as he left the room, she scrambled out of bed quickly and darted behind a wooden folding screen. He already prepared everything for her; a warm basin of water, a towel, a comb and a new dress.

His thoughtfulness made her think the world wasn't so terrible, though she felt undeserving.

But if he knew the truth about her, he would never treat her the same way again.

Her hands trembled slightly as she worked through her hair and got herself ready. When he finally returned, she was already sitting at the round table, looking prim and proper for the day.

He placed a teapot on the table, poured some tea into a porcelain cup, and handed it to her.

Blinking through tired, bleary eyes, she accepted his offer. "Thank you, my lord."

She tasted rosebuds, lily bulbs, wolf berries and some red dates; all of which were nutritious to one's body, especially a woman. Dai Yichen's kindness and concern for her felt pleasant, almost as if he was truly treating her as his wife, which was a stark contrast to her first day here.