Empress Of The Lost Kingdom

Throughout the journey, Li Juan incessantly spoke her mind and troubled her "Dragon" with countless questions like a curious kid. However, Chi Yan who was familiar with the eighteen-year-old Li Juan who is cold as the polar ice caps, almost had a mental break down witnessing her drunken behaviour.

Once they reached the four season's hotel, god knows how Tae Yang managed to bring a tipsy Li Juan to the suite room on the top floor. Even on the elevator, she was clinging onto him like a sloth.

"Are you sure you can handle her your own?" Chi Yan asked with a worried face as he placed the medicines and Li Juan's handbag on the table.

"She will be alright once her temperature lowers," Tae Yang tried to peel off a pair of slender arms from his neck as he settles down to the sofa with an exhausted face. Who knows handling a drunken woman is strenuous than conducting an eight-hour surgery? 

"But she appears way more difficult to handle," Chi Yan couldn't help but notice Li Juan's attempts to initiate physical contact with Tae Yang almost seducing him- one of the typical effects of aphrodisiac drugs.

"To be honest, I can't figure out whether it is the alcohol or the drugs making her acting like this. She has been taking medicines for anxiety disorders for a while, I assume that those roofie drugs won't leave much effect on her," Tae Yang explained and glanced at Li Juan whose dark eyes were silently sizing up him with a raging passion. 

"Hmmm, then I will leave you two...alone," Chi Yan emphasized the term "alone" and walked over to Li Juan, who only got eyes for Tae Yang, 

"Xiao Li," 

Li Juan responded to his call with a sidelong glance,

He crouched down beside her with a radiant smile, "Even if you don't remember me, I just wanted to say that its good to meet you again," 

"Do I know you?" Her eyes narrowed in doubt, "Aren't you dragon's friend?"

"Why are you calling him a dragon? Can't you see that it irritates him?"

Li Juan tilted her head and looked at Tae Yang with curious eyes before voicing out her assertation, "He is a dragon,"

Hearing her response, Chi Yan cackled so hard that he fell on his knees, "If he is a dragon then who are you?"

"Phoenix," 

"Ahhh.... that makes sense," Chi Yan's pursed his lips into a placid smile, "Then Miss Phoenix, have a nice time with your dragon, let this lowly human go back to his humble abode," Chi Yan grinned and rose into his feet, "See you later," 

Tae Yang stood up from the sofa and walked towards the door to send Chi Yan off,

"I know you are an upstanding and self-respecting man with a strong sense of values, but...that woman over there, she only got eyes for you," Chi Yan's commented while tidying his clothes,

"She is drugged,"

"Then why don't you offer yourself as an antidote?" Chi Yan commented with a smirk,

Tae Yang's eyes coldly swept over him with a murderous glint,

"Hahaha...I will call you tomorrow, bye," He walked out of the suite slamming the door,

Tae Yang turned back and met with Li Juan who elegantly sat on the sofa, scrutinizing every inch of him with blazing eyes. He strode towards her in steady steps and scooped her from the sofa,

Li Juan who has been waiting impatiently wrapped her arms over his shoulders as if she is claiming the man as hers,

Tae Yang who remained nonchalant took her to the bed without any delay.

"Handsome dragon," She traced his sharp jaw-line with her fingertip and asked, "Are we going to do something racy?"

He ignored the question and gently laid down her on the soft king-sized bed.

Li Juan refused to let go of him and clung onto his body.

"I am going to mark you mine," She tried to open his shirt's buttons.

"No." Tae Yang carefully removed her hands from his collar and slid down from the bed.

Li Juan sprang up on the bed unable to digest his rejection,

"Are you rejecting me?"

Tae Yang kept a safe distance from the bed and crossed his arms over his chest,

"You have been drugged and right now, you are not in a conscious state. Let's don't do this, okay?"

"You don't like me?" The rims of her eyes reddened resembling the turbulent sky before the storm. "You don't like me."

Tae Yang gritted his teeth and moved towards the bed,

"No, it is not like that," he tried to grab her shoulders. "Whatever you feel right now, it is because of the drug. Take a cold shower and you will be alright."

Li Juan remained unusually quiet,

"Would you like to have some water?" He formally asked, cutting off all kind of intimacies with her,

"Hmm," Li Juan slid to the edge of the bed, trying to remove her heels,

"Good," Tae Yang went back to the living room and brought a bottle of chilled water,

"Here, drink this," he opened the bottle and gave to Li Juan who was struggling to remove the straps of her heels. 

Li Juan obediently drank a mouthful of water.

Tae Yang crouched down to remove the straps of the black heels which was strangling Li Juan's fair foot.

As he loosened the straps and removed the heels with his head lowered to the ground, the crown of his head got drenched by a sudden spurt of cold water,

The narrow streams of water trickling down through his lush black hair, making its way towards his chiselled face.

Tae Yang let out a sigh and raised his head to witness Li Juan's mischievous face. As she emptied the entire bottle on to his head, 

Tae Yang wiped his face and stared back at with burning eyes, "Do you think this is funny?"

He was trying hard to remain sane and she was trying hard to seduce him. 

"Why do you have to be so hot?" The corners of her red lips turned curled up into an evil smirk as she leaned in to capture his lips,

Tae Yang slightly pushed her back and stood up from the ground,

"I am warning you, this is not going to end well," He retaliated with an arrogant smug and untied his wristwatch from the arm and took out the wallet from his pants.

Li Juan's line of sight following his actions in rapture. 

Tae Yang bent down and scooped her from the bed in swift motions,

"Where are we going?" 

"You should take a shower,"

"Are we going to shower together?"

"This girl," He cursed inwardly. Even though he kept a poker face, his ears flushed red, intending his shyness.

Tae Yang took her to the luxurious bathroom and made her sit on the edge of the bathtub. He opened the tap and cold water gushed out from the faucet.

"Are we going to shower together?" She asked again while playing with the streaming water,

Tae Yang gawped at the woman who was trying to lure him with beguiling words.

Li Juan in his memory used to be a mature and well-mannered lady, cough, unless she is drunk.

But who is this temptress, teasing and torturing his self restrain? How long he can curb his beastly instincts before the bewitching beauty?

"You are going to shower," He sounded firm,

"You should also join," Li Juan pouted.

"Li Juan," He stood there, unswerving, "Don't be like this."

"Why?"

"It's because," Even before he could explain Li Juan took the hand shower and sprayed water right onto his face, shattering the thin layer of his self-control.

Tae Yang wiped his face with the palm, "You little monster, come here," 

"No," Li Juan giggled and sprinkled the water again,

"Li Juan," His called her in a reprimanding tone, "Stop it,"

"No," She stuck out her tongue and stepped into the shower cubicle,

Tae Yang snorted and strode towards her with a darkened face, cornering Li Juan,

"I told you to not to be like this," his magnetic voice resounded in the glass walls,

"Why I can't be like this?"

"If you keep acting like this,..... then I won't be able to control myself."

Li Juan was taken aback for a moment,

Even before she could say something, Tae Yang tugged his wet shirt sticking to his torso, ripping the buttons one by one, revealing his smooth porcelain-like skin,

On his sculptured pectoral muscles and abs, her eyes wandered making her throat drying up in unquenchable thirst.

The burning sensation she experienced was nothing before this, 

"Didn't you tell me that you want to mark me?"

Li Juan reached out to touch the anchor and wheel tattoo on his chest, 

He looked at her hungry eyes and smiled mischievously, 

In a swift motion, Tae Yang caught Li Juan's slim waist and pulled her towards him. 

"I've warned you," He captured her silky lips and gorged them with fervour.

Their tongues danced together as warm breath and moans pervaded the bathroom.

Tae Yang's hand slid down her slender neck and found its way to unzip her dress, revealing a black lace bra on her glistening body,

He abruptly slammed his eyelids shut and turned on the shower.

He is not supposed to do this.

She is not in her conscious state.

If they cross the boundary, then it will be similar to taking advantage of her at the weakest state.

The cold water poured onto them, literally pouring water on their burning desires.

"Huh?" Li Juan looked at him through the water droplets.

"Let's do it when both of us are ready," He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and hold her under the shower, 

Once he made sure that Li Juan's dizziness is faded, Tae Yang switched off the shower and released her from his embrace.

"Li Juan," He called, "are you alright?"

He took a towel from the shower board and wrapped around her, another one to dry her hair,

"Can you get changed?" Tae Yang asked her as he gave her the bathrobe and left the bathroom with drenched clothes.

When Li Juan came out of the bathroom, Tae Yang has already changed into a pair of clean loungewear, 

He handed over a pair of his pyjamas to the woman who is covered in a bathrobe,

"I will wait outside," 

"Don't go," She said groggily, "Stay,"

Tae Yang turned to the other side and stared at the ground while Li Juan slowly changed into fresh clothes.

"I am done," 

He came over in steady steps and took her to the bed, tucked her under a warm blanket,

"I'm cold," she said in a feeble voice,

"Let me raise the temperature," Tae Yang took the remote of air conditioner and adjusted the room temperature,

"Are you going to leave?" Li Juan asked when she saw his familiar back leaving her sight,

"Let me get you the medicines,"

He walked over to the living room and brought the water and tablets for Li Juan. 

"Can you lie down here?" Li Juan asked as soon as she finished taking the medicines, fearing that he will leave,

Without any hesitations, Tae Yang laid down beside her and Li Juan snuggled up to him. She has regained her physical strength, but her mind was still under the effect of drugs.

"Are you still cold?"

"Hmm," she hummed.

He opened his arms and engulfed her in a warm and gentle embrace, "How about now?"

"Feels better," Li Juan replied, "Can you sing a song?"

"Huh? Song? How old are you?" He smiled warmly,

"Please?" She pleaded,

"Why are you always asking me to sing?" 

"You remind me of someone who used to sing for me," Her voice sounded weak,

"Who?"

"I can't remember," Li Juan immersed her face onto his broad chest,

"Sometimes he just appears in my mind. Sometimes I feel his warmth, his scent, his touch. But... but I can't remember his face,"

"Do you remember who I am?" Tae Yang asked her as he brushed her damp hair,

"No," Her voice laced in melancholy, "I think I am going to forget everyone,"

The lines on her forehead tightened in worry.

Tae Yang pressed his thumb on her forehead, loosening her creased eyebrows.

"No, that's not going to happen again. Not when you are with me." He assured,

Li Juan cuddled into his chest once again.

"Try to sleep now." 

He stroked her hair started humming.

Runaway with me,

put down your worries for a while

and instead, pack your bags lightly

Let's go, somewhere you can

laugh as much as you want to, 

over there, let's not think about anything

I'll be with you, like this

if your hand reaches out, I'll hold it

would there be anything to fear?

no matter where we go

we'll be holding onto each other tightly

because it's you and it's sufficient for me

even if we don't go far away, it will be alright

as long as I'm together with you, I'm fine with anything

a place where your heart can be at ease

wherever that is, tell me

I'll be with you, like this

if your hand reaches out, I'll grab it

wherever we go, however, we go

I'll be at your side, 

even if you're a little slow, even if you walk slowly, it's okay

I'll go with you, wherever you want

it's okay to be exhausted, I'll hug you

let's run away

until the light seeps in above your face

let's run away...

Once Tae Yang finished singing, he noticed that Li Juan has already fallen asleep on his arms,

He lowered his head to press his lips on top of Li Juan's hair and asked her in a low husky voice,

"Xiao Li, I was wrong...I was wrong about everything...please forgive me for making you sad...let's...let's end this...I no longer want to wait for you. I don't even ask you to marry me, let's go somewhere and live together." 

Li Juan who was half awake nuzzled into his chest, a small drop of crystal tear hanging on the tip of her eyes lashes,