CHAPTER 35: 35. YOU CAN’T LEAVE US, MEI SHEN!

AT THE SAME TIME

EMPEROR LIANWEI POINT OF VIEW:

At first, it was nothing. A faint crease in her brow, her hand rubbing absently at her temple. But I knew her too well. Mei Shen never winced without reason.

"Mei Shen? Are you okay?" I reached across the little blanket where Huan’s toys lay scattered, brushing her fingers with mine.

She gave me a weak smile, the kind that made my chest tighten.

"Just a headache. I’m fine."She said.

But before I could press further, her fingers jerked. Her breath caught. And then her golden eyes, gods above, those eyes rolled back as her body went limp.

"Mei Shen!" I lunged forward, catching her before her head hit the floor. My arms locked around her, but she felt... wrong. Too light. Too still.

"Mei Shen, no, no, no-! My voice broke as I cradled her against my chest. Her skin was clammy. Her lips pale. "Stay with me. You hear me? Stay with me!"

Tiny hands tugged at my sleeve.

"Daddy... what’s wrong with mommy?"Huan asked.

Huan’s voice, it was too small, too scared. I wanted to lie, to tell him everything was fine. But my throat was too tight to speak. I pressed my forehead to Mei Shen’s.

"Don’t you dare do this to me." I whispered. "You’re not allowed to leave. Not after everything. Not when we just found each other."

"Mother! Grandmother!" I shouted so loud my voice cracked, echoing down the halls. "Help! It’s Mei Shen!"

Moments later, they appeared, faces pale but calm in that infuriating way of theirs.

"What happened?" Mother demanded, kneeling on the other side.

"She was holding her head then she fainted. She won’t wake up. Her breathing it’s wrong. It’s-"

My words came out choked, frantic. I sounded nothing like the crown prince I was supposed to be. Grandmother’s fingers brushed Mei Shen’s temple, her eyes going distant.

"Her spirit... it’s caught. Like something is pulling her away."She said.

"Pulling her-?" My heart lurched painfully. "You mean that someone’s trying to take her?"

"Or she’s drifting somewhere else."She said.

I clenched my fists so hard my nails bit into my palms. My voice came out raw.

"Zeyrith! You bastard, I know you’re listening. System! Gods! Whoever the hell brought her here don’t you dare take her now!"I shouted. Silence.

I gritted my teeth so hard my jaw ached.

"You said she was chosen. Chosen for this world. For me. For Huan. If you let her go, I swear I’ll rip this entire cursed system apart with my bare hands. Do you hear me? I will burn it all down if she dies!"I kept shouting.

Still nothing. Mei Shen lay motionless, her breathing shallow, fragile. Huan whimpered.

"Is mommy... gonna die?"Huan asked.

"No." My voice turned to steel, even as my hands trembled. "She’s not. She won’t. Not while I still breathe."

I gathered her against me, clutching her like I could hold her soul in place through sheer force of will.

"Mei Shen. Listen to me. You promised Huan. You promised me. You don’t get to break that promise." My voice cracked. "I love you. I never said it properly before but gods, I do. I love you. So fight. Come back to me. Come back to us."

For a moment, there was nothing. Just the sound of my heartbeat thundering in my ears. Then her fingers twitched. The faintest movement.

"Mother!" I gasped. "She moved, she’s still here!"

"Yes." Mother whispered. "Keep calling her. She’s trying."

I pressed my forehead to hers again, tears slipping unbidden down my face.

"That’s it, Mei. Follow my voice. Stay with me. Stay with us. I can’t-" My breath hitched. "I can’t lose you. Not you. That’s it. Come back. Just a little further."

Her lashes fluttered, once, twice.

"Mei Shen?" I whispered.

She stirred weakly, her lips parting.

""L... Lian...wei...?"She whispered.

"Yes! Yes, I’m here." Relief crashed through me so hard I thought my legs would give out.

"You’re safe. You’re home. You’re-"

"...Rosalie..." she breathed.

The name froze the blood in my veins. Rosalie? But before I could ask, her eyes drifted shut again. Her body sagged in my arms, though her breathing stayed shallow but steady.

"She’s sleeping." Grandmother said softly. "That name... we’ll talk about it later."

I held Mei Shen closer, tucking her head under my chin. My hand stroked her hair again and again, as if the motion alone could keep her here.

"You’re not allowed to leave." I whispered fiercely. "Do you hear me? You’re mine. You’re Huan’s. You’re ours. And we’re not letting go."

I pressed a kiss to her damp forehead, feeling her pulse flutter weakly under my fingers. Rosalie... Whoever you are... You can’t have her.

I didn’t move all night. The palace was quiet now, the sounds of laughter and clinking tea cups from earlier long gone, replaced by an oppressive silence. Only the crackle of the lantern and the faint sound of her breathing filled the room.

I sat there, cross legged on the floor with Mei Shen cradled in my lap, her head resting against my chest. My arms were wrapped around her, too tight maybe, but I couldn’t bring myself to loosen them.

She felt... smaller somehow. Too light. Fragile in a way that didn’t suit her at all. Mei Shen, who had stood tall and defiant in front of my entire court. Mei Shen, who had laughed at danger and soothed a frightened little boy like it was the most natural thing in the world. Now she was silent. Still.

I brushed my thumb over her knuckles where our hands were intertwined.

’’You’re still warm.’’ I murmured, my voice hoarse from shouting earlier. ’’That’s good. That means you’re fighting.’’

My mother and grandmother had left hours ago, reluctantly, after making me swear I’d send for them if her condition worsened. I hadn’t moved from this spot since. I couldn’t.

Huan had cried himself to sleep in my arms before I’d laid him gently in his bed. He didn’t understand, not really. But the fear in his eyes... gods, it mirrored my own.

’’Mei Shen.’’ I whispered again, pressing my lips to her temple. ’’What’s happening to you? Why can’t I reach you?’’

And then there was that name. Rosalie. When she’d murmured it soft, barely more than a breath I felt something twist deep in my gut. She’d said it like a prayer. Like someone clinging to the last shred of something precious.Who is Rosalie?

The question gnawed at me, insidious and cold. Could she be someone from her world?

The thought made my chest ache. She’d never spoken much about her life before arriving here, except in vague, passing phrases. But I saw it sometimes in her eyes loneliness, loss, a shadow of something she wouldn’t name. What if Rosalie is the one calling her now? What if she’s trying to take her back?

I shook my head fiercely, clutching Mei Shen tighter.

’’No. She’s not going anywhere. She’s mine now.’’ My voice was low, almost a growl. ’’This world chose her. I chose her. And I’m not letting anyone gods, system, or whoever the hell Rosalie is take her away from me.’’

For hours, I stayed like that, murmuring to her, coaxing her, begging her to wake. My voice cracked more than once, but I didn’t care.

A soft sound. A hitch of breath. Her fingers twitched weakly against mine.

’’Mei Shen?’’ My heart slammed against my ribs as I sat up straighter. ’’Can you hear me? It’s Lianwei. Open your eyes.’’

Her lashes fluttered faintly. Her lips parted.

’’...Rosalie...’’ She whispered, so faint I almost thought I imagined it.

The name again.

’’Mei Shen, no...’’ My throat tightened. ’’It’s me. Lianwei. I’m here. You’re safe.’’

But her eyes didn’t open. Instead, she gave a soft, almost imperceptible sigh and went slack again, her head rolling gently against my chest. No. No, no, no.

’’Damn it!’’ My voice broke, and I buried my face in her hair. I could still feel her heartbeat weak but there. That was something. That had to be enough.

’’You’re going to wake up.’’ I whispered fiercely. ’’Do you hear me? You’re going to open those golden eyes, and you’re going to scold me for worrying so much. And then you’re going to smile and tell Huan a story like you always do. That’s how this ends.’’

I pressed my lips to her forehead, clinging to her like a drowning man.

’’You can’t leave me, Mei Shen. I wouldn’t survive it. ’’I muttered.

The faintest warmth pulsed against my chest. Was it her? Or was it my imagination?Either way, I didn’t let go. Not once. Not even as dawn crept over the horizon and light began to fill the room.