How To Hide The Tyrant's Child In The Apocalypse

A FEW DAYS LATER

MEI SHEN'S POINT OF VIEW:

The wind tugged gently at my cloak as I stood at the ridge overlooking the path leading down from the mountains. Below, the roads wound like thin ribbons toward the capital, toward him. I shouldn't be doing this. I knew that. My system knew that. Even the God who had been endlessly teasing me went quiet now, like holding his breath.

"So… you're really going back to him, after all this? I didn't think you had it in you, soft heart."He said.

"I don't have a choice." I murmured aloud, glancing down at my slightly rounded belly. "I can't let him die… not when I can help. Not when I still…"

"Still love him?"System asked.

I didn't answer. I just tugged the hood tighter over my head and nudged the horse forward. The journey back wasn't long, but every step felt like wading through memories. Every breath reminded me of the pain, of the night I fled, of his face the last time I saw it twisted in heartbreak and confusion. And yet, here I was, heading back into the lion's den with my heart aching and my hands trembling. The castle gates loomed ahead, as imposing as ever taller than I remembered, colder than I had prepared for. The guards didn't recognize me under the travel cloak and the hood shadowing my face. That worked to my advantage. My heart was pounding so hard it made my chest ache. I wasn't ready. Not for his eyes. Not for his voice. Not for what I might find.

"System." I whispered under my breath as I slipped through a side passage a merchant had let me through. "Get me to his room without being noticed."

"System Notification: Activating 'shadow steps – Level 1. Stealth increased. Guard awareness decreased for 10 minutes."System said.

"Oh-ho-ho." God's voice sing songed through my mind, lazy and far too entertained. "Sneaking into a man's room under cover of magic. Mei Shen, are you trying to awaken his deepest fantasies?"

"Shut up." I hissed. "I'm not here to seduce him."

"Sure, sure. Just secretly entering his bedroom after months of silence. Totally innocent."He grinned in my head.

The doors creaked softly as I slipped inside. The air in his chambers was heavy. Dim light filtered through gauzy curtains, casting gold across stone and silk. Everything was still, so painfully still that I could hear my heartbeat louder than my footsteps.

"This is a bad idea. A deeply reckless, emotionally volatile idea."The system warned.

"I just need to see him." I whispered, barely breathing the words. "That's all."

He laid on the bed, half covered in tangled blankets, his hair a mess of gold against his pale skin. For a moment, I couldn't move. Couldn't blink. His once sharp features were drawn, hollow, shadows hugging the curve of his eyes. My chest ached at the sight. Was this my fault?

"Don't ask that. You already know the answer. You broke him, sweetheart. Now what? Run again?"God smirked.

"Shut up." I breathed, more to myself than to the divine peanut gallery.

I stepped closer. Each inch forward made my legs feel heavier, like the gravity around him was pulling me in. His breathing was shallow, lips parted slightly. I felt the system's warning buzz in the back of my mind again, a desperate plea for rational thought. But I was already there, beside him. A single hand outstretched, trembling, as I reached for his face. Not to wake him. Just to touch him. Just once. He stirred. I froze. His lashes fluttered, and then his eyes opened. And gods above, those eyes. Tired, unfocused, but then… they saw me.

"Mei…?" He rasped.

I panicked. 

"I, I was just-"I whispered.

"You came back." He whispered, sitting up so fast I almost bolted. "You actually came back."

"I shouldn't be here." I muttered.

"Don't you dare leave." He said, voice hoarse but full of something frighteningly raw. "Not again."

"Run. Or stay. Either way, this is about to get very intense."System said. 

And yet… I didn't move because I was already too close.

"Don't you dare leave." He rasped again.

But I didn't answer. I couldn't. My hands moved on their own, slipping into the satchel I'd clutched all the way from the mountains. I pulled out the small lacquered bottle, uncorked it, and held it out.

"Drink this." I said, voice firmer than I felt.

He stared at me like I was made of glass. Or maybe fire. I couldn't tell.

"Mei Shen-"He started.

"I said drink it." I stepped closer, lifting the bottle toward his lips. "I didn't come here to argue. Or cry. Or let you keep decaying because of something I caused."

His brow furrowed, but he opened his mouth without more protest. I tilted the bottle, watching him swallow, the sharp scent of herbs curling in the air between us. Only when the last drop was gone did I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"Why are you doing this?" He whispered, voice quieter now.

"Because someone has to." I said, kneeling beside the bed to put the stopper back on. "You can't rule a kingdom half dead."

God gave a low, mock sniffle in my head.

"You're so brave. So strong. So obviously still in love."God smirked.

"She's lying to herself again. Classic regression. Recommend immediate emotional detachment."System agreed.

I ignored them both. He was watching me. Not with suspicion. Not with anger. But with the kind of soft devastation that made my fingers shake as I tucked the bottle away. I didn't want to see him like this. But I couldn't bear to leave either, and that… terrified me most of all.

AT THE SAME TIME

EMPEROR LIANWEI POINT OF VIEW:

The medicine was bitter, thick, sharp on my tongue, but not nearly as sharp as the ache blooming in my chest as I watched her kneel beside my bed. Mei Shen. The ghost who'd haunted my every breath for months. I swallowed the last drop, throat burning, and tried to speak. But her hands were already moving again, careful, practiced, putting the bottle away with quiet efficiency, like none of this meant anything. Like she didn't know she'd shattered me once already.

I let out a hollow breath, watching the way her hands trembled just slightly as she tucked the medicine bottle into her satchel. She didn't notice that I saw. She never did. God gave an exaggerated sigh in the back of my mind.

"Ah, yes. The woman returns, bearing bitter herbs and emotional confusion. Truly, a romantic tale for the ages."God smirked in my head.

I didn't laugh. Couldn't. Because now, with her so close, I could smell the faint trace of rain on her clothes, the sharp herbal tang of the medicine, the warm familiarity of her presence. And I realized she had come back. She was here. And I was terrified it was only for tonight. She stood as if to move away, and instinct took over. My hand reached out, not hard, not forceful, but firm. Fingers around her wrist, gentle but sure.

"Don't leave."I whispered.

Her breath caught, just slightly. I wasn't begging. No, it was something worse. Raw hope.

"If you go now… I won't survive it."I whispered again.

There. I said it. Like a curse I couldn't take back. She looked down at me, lips parting like she wanted to deny it or scream, or maybe just disappear. And in that moment, I knew that no matter what pain she carried, no matter what reasons she had for running, I couldn't let her go again. Not when she was finally within reach. God whispered again, almost gentle this time.

"Looks like you remember how to fight for something after all, Emperor."He whispered, and I had no other choice but to agree.

I needed her, and I was ready to do everything to keep her by my side.