Chapter 61 I’m Alive

The maidservants lowered themselves even further until their foreheads almost touched the ground.

No one dared move again.

Xue Yao could no longer hear them clearly. A loud ringing filled her ears.

Her fingers clawed desperately at Lie Lang’s wrist, scraping against his skin until her nails hurt, but nothing changed.

Her chest burned, and her vision slowly began to blur around the edges.

The moment she looked into his eyes, her heart suddenly sank. There was no hesitation in those eyes... only the cold chilling aura of killing intent... He wanted her dead.

Her fingers gradually stopped pulling at his hand. ’He’s really trying to kill me... Why? I only caught a few fish. If I’d known they were this important, I never would have touched them. Wasn’t he the one who said everything in the Eastern Courtyard belonged to me? Then why... why is he looking at me like that?’ Her eyes burned.

Tears slowly gathered at the corners of them, though she couldn’t tell whether they came from fear or from her body desperately trying to breathe.

She wanted to ask him what she had done. She wanted to tell him she would never touch another fish again. She wanted to apologize, but she couldn’t say a single word.

The pressure around her throat tightened little by little.

Dark spots slowly spread across Xue Yao’s vision until everything around her became hazy. The strength left her body bit by bit, and even the hand clutching Lie Lang’s wrist began to loosen.

It felt as though her whole body had suddenly become weightless, floating somewhere far away while the burning in her chest grew worse with every passing second. She desperately tried to draw in another breath, but nothing came.

A painful lump rose in her throat, and for the first time since arriving in this world, a terrifying thought quietly crept into her mind. ’...Am I really going to die?’

She didn’t want to. Not like this.

She had finally escaped that prison cell. She finally had a proper room to sleep in, a warm bed instead of a cold stone floor, and she hadn’t even had the chance to enjoy her breakfast.

Honghong was still waiting for the two fish she had promised her, Tian Lan still hadn’t woken up, and there were so many things she still didn’t understand about this world. If she died here... everything would simply end before she had the chance to do any of it.

Her thoughts gradually became slower as the darkness continued closing in around her.

Lie Lang looked at the woman hanging in his grasp without the slightest change in expression. His fingers slowly tightened around her throat, calm and merciless. Just a little more, and everything would be over.

Han Luo watched the scene with his hands clenched tightly at his sides. In all the years they had known each other, he had seen Lie Lang angry more times than he could count. He had seen him show no mercy to his enemies and execute people without batting an eye, but never... never had he seen him lose control like this.

"...Lie Lang." His voice was quiet, careful, almost as though he was afraid even speaking too loudly would make things worse. "She’ll die."

Lie Lang didn’t even look at him. "I know."

Those two simple words sent a chill through everyone present. Because they all understood what they meant.

He wasn’t threatening her... he knew exactly what he was doing, and he intended to see it through.

Every servant remained on their knees with their heads lowered, afraid that even the sound of breathing too loudly might provoke him again.

Han Luo stood frozen where he was, his eyes fixed on Lie Lang’s back.

Lie Lang remained standing exactly where he was, his fingers still wrapped around Xue Yao’s throat. His golden eyes stayed on her face, but the murderous intent that had nearly consumed him moments ago began to fade.

It was still there, heavy enough to suffocate everyone around him, yet something invisible seemed to be holding it back. The muscles along his jaw gradually tensed until his teeth ground together, and after what felt like an eternity, a low curse slipped from between them.

"...Damn it."

His hand trembled ever so slightly before his fingers slowly loosened. Xue Yao didn’t even have the chance to pull in a proper breath before he flung her away.

Her body slammed hard against the stone path and rolled across the courtyard before finally coming to a stop near the flower bed.

The moment she hit the ground, a violent fit of coughing tore through her chest. "Cough, cough...cough."

She curled into herself instinctively, one hand clutching her bruised throat while the other pressed desperately against the cold stones beneath her. Air rushed painfully back into her lungs, but every breath felt like swallowing shards of glass.

She coughed again and again until tears streamed uncontrollably down her face, her whole body shaking as she fought to steady her breathing. She had never imagined that something as simple as drawing another breath could feel this precious.

’...I’m alive.’ The thought came slowly, almost too unbelievable to accept.

Only moments ago she had been certain she was going to die. She had seen it in Lie Lang’s eyes. There hadn’t been the slightest hesitation or mercy in them. He truly intended to kill her. Yet somehow... he had stopped.

’Why...?’ She couldn’t understand it.

The courtyard remained in silence, the tension too thick to ignore.

Only after hearing Xue Yao’s coughing did Han Luo finally realize he had been holding his own breath. He quietly let it out, his shoulders relaxing ever so slightly, though his expression remained grim.

Behind him, the little prince cautiously peeked around his sleeve. His small face had turned pale, and his wolf ears drooped sadly against his head as he looked at Xue Yao lying on the ground.

"...Brother..." His tiny voice barely echoed across the courtyard.