Chapter 177: A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do
The Prime Minister looked up slowly, and that unsettling smile of his slithered across his face once more. His fingers tapped idly against his side. "My, my," he drawled. "What a surprise to see the Crown Prince here himself. Your lady said your rage would be quite strong if you came and saw what was happening. I must say, you two must have telepathic abilities. She isn’t wrong."
"Shut up!" Hua Jing shouted, staggering forward, her steps uneven, her strength nearly gone. Zhao Yan was already moving, swift and sure, his bow discarded, his steps purposeful. Before she could collapse, he caught her against his chest, cradling her as if she were something too precious to fall.
She looked up at him, his features sharpened under the torchlight—so handsome, so achingly familiar. There was comfort in his eyes, warmth that cut through the pain.
"Is this what you meant by ’coming late is better than not at all?’" she asked, her voice a whisper, weary but teasing, her lips trembling with fatigue.
Zhao Yan’s heart twisted. She was covered in blood and sweat, her breath shallow, her body nearly limp in his arms. The thought of arriving a moment later haunted him already. He clenched his jaw.
"I am so sorry," he said, voice low, sincere.
"The only apology you can give me," Hua Jing murmured, closing her eyes briefly, "is making sure that man is completely finished."
Zhao Yan looked at the Prime Minister, eyes gleaming with unspoken wrath. "It shall be done."
The Prime Minister watched them quietly, standing with his guard—a hulking figure clad in iron-grey armor, a massive sword resting across his back. The man stood in front of the Prime Minister, feet apart, eyes fixed on Zhao Yan with grim readiness.
"Isn’t this quite the excellent spectacle?" the Prime Minister said, clapping his hands once, mockingly. "But this is not what we came here for now, is it?"
Zhao Yan gently shifted Hua Jing in his arms and rose to his feet, his right hand unsheathing his sword in one graceful motion. The blade slid free with a silken hiss.