How To Hide The Tyrant's Child In The Apocalypse

AT THE SAME TIME

MEI SHEN'S POINT OF VIEW:

The faint golden light filtered in through the tall curtains of his chamber, brushing warmth across my skin. The room was quiet, still, almost too gentle for the kind of storm I carried inside. I blinked slowly, trying to remember where I was until I felt it. A heavy arm around my waist. A heartbeat behind my back. Lianwei.

Last night's conversation came rushing back. His quiet plea. The words I should've said no to but didn't. I had stayed. And he had fallen asleep holding my wrist like it was the only thread keeping him from unraveling. Slowly, I tried to shift. To rise quietly, like a ghost before dawn. I wasn't planning to run, just… breathe. Just sit near the window again, where the space didn't feel so thick with emotions I didn't know how to handle. But the moment I moved his grip tightened. Strong. Warm. Anchoring. I froze.

"Lianwei." I whispered, not sure if he was awake.

No response. Only a low breath near my ear, steady and calm. But his arm had locked tighter around me like his body knew what his mind hadn't caught up with.

"Well, this just got cozy." Zeyrith murmured inside my head, absolutely amused. "Is this the part where you sigh, stare at the ceiling, and wonder how you ended up in a prince turned clingy lover storyline?"

"I didn't stay for this." I muttered under my breath. "I only arrived to bring the medicine."

"You stayed." The god said with a knowing look.

"And that's how all great disasters begin."I muttered.

He shifted slightly behind me, just enough for his face to press closer into the crook of my neck. I could feel the heat of his breath.

"Ahem." The system interrupted coldly. "This level of physical proximity is… ill advised."

"Your concern is noted." I whispered bitterly.

I should've moved again. Slipped free while he slept. But instead… I stayed. Just a little longer. Because his arm around me didn't feel like a trap. It felt like a question I wasn't ready to answer. The silence was heavy, but not suffocating. Not yet.

I exhaled slowly, testing the boundaries of his hold again. This time, gentler. Less like escape, more like… intention. His grip didn't tighten immediately, which meant he was still deep in sleep, or trying hard to pretend. I peeled his fingers away from my waist one by one, careful not to wake him. My feet touched the cold floor, and for a moment I just crouched there, heart thudding against my ribs like a traitor. One step. Then another. I didn't look back. The soft rustle of the curtains caught my attention.

The window wasn't far. And outside, I could just barely see the sleepy beginnings of light, sunrise bleeding across the edge of the world. My horse should have still been tethered where I left her. I'd be out before the palace fully stirred. Before he could ask me to stay again.

Because if he did ask… I might say yes.

"I see the escape gears turning." Zeyrith sang in my mind, far too delighted. "One bare foot at a time. Classic silent heroine mode."

"Don't start." I whispered under my breath.

"Too late. Do I need to cue the dramatic string music? You slipping out while he sleeps, the tragic irony, the ache-"He smirked.

"Please shut up."I whispered.

Zeyrith chuckled, voice curling with dark amusement. "Leaving now makes you the villain in his story, you know."He said.

"I was never meant to be the heroine, you know how the story was supposed to end for me. I only wanted to make sure he survived." I muttered. My fingers brushed the edge of the window frame.

"I know." the god said. "But he thinks you are."

I hesitated. The sky outside was smeared in gold and fire, a painter's dream. It should've felt like freedom. Like a promise. But all I felt was dread befre a shadow moved behind me.

"Mei Shen." His voice.

Low. Sleep-rough. Not angry. Not commanding. Just hurt. I turned slowly. He stood there barefoot, hair tousled, eyes heavy lidded from sleep but sharp with something else. Not fury. Not suspicion. Desperation.

"I thought maybe… maybe you'd still be here." He said. "But you weren't in the bed."

"I wasn't leaving." I lied.

His gaze dropped to the window. Then to my boots. Then back to me. Damn it, he caught me in the middle of it.

"I wasn't." I said again, firmer this time. "I just… needed some air."

He took a step forward, bare chest rising and falling, every inch of him dishevelled and too human, and still he came closer. Not like the emperor from the novel but like a man who realized far too late what he had almost lost and now wishes to make sure it's not going to lose it once again.

"You don't have to run anymore." He said quietly.

"I'm not running."I whispered. "I promise."

He stared at me for a moment longer. Then turned to the side and whistled sharply. The door opened instantly. A maid peeked in.

"Clothes." He said. "For her."

My stomach dropped. How did he notice all that?

"Lianwei-"I started.

"And someone make sure her horse is unavailable for the day." He added without blinking.

The maid bowed and vanished.

"I'm not your prisoner." I snapped.

"No." He agreed, his voice too gentle. "But if I'm going to beg you to stay, I want you to be warm. Dressed. Fed. Not halfway to a panic before sunrise."

"You're insane."I whispered.

"I'm in love." He replied, stepping close again. "It's the same thing."

Zeyrith groaned like he was watching a drama unfold live. He was having fun at least. The system, for once, had nothing to say. And me? I stood there barefoot, frozen, wondering how the hell I ended up in a story that suddenly wanted me to matter this much.