Chapter 14 Why me?
When I wake again, I'm alone. Next to me sits the steaming bowl of medicine on my bedside table. Goji berries and jujubes swirl within it. If I want to go back home, it looks like I need to drink it to continue.
It's surprisingly sweet.
But what's more surprising is the gentle breeze that blows through my hair. Light pink cherry blossoms filter into the room. My heart pounds in my chest as I wrap myself in a nearby cloak.
Spring has arrived. I've missed my birthday. And it seems I'm not any closer to getting home.
I rush back to bed and quickly scan the room around me. When I'm sure no one else is in here, I do the one thing I can think of.
"Voice," I call softly. "I need your help."
Everything stills and the faintest ring of bells marks the arrival of the voice.
"I would like to read any Webtoon chapters I haven't already read," I request.
"You are lucky the author finished the Webtoon today," the voice announces.
A book materializes above me, dropping neatly into my hands. It looks ordinary at first glance, but as I flip through the pages, I know it's the Webtoon I had picked up. For the first time in a while, hope blooms in my chest.
"You have two lives remaining," the voice quips. "If you had refused to take the medicine again, you would have had one left."
I don't bother to ask to go home. By now, I already what the answer will be. The voice vanished without another word, and the world around me unfreezes. Along again, I curl up with the book, flipping through the remaining chapters.
Turns out my choices have been good ones.
I was right to not trust Ying. Turns out she'd been plotting behind Lady Sora's back the entire time.
If we hadn't pulled off that switch in the middle of the night, the voice was right— the story would have had an abrupt end.
Instead Ying suffers the consequences of her actions.
But what's more concerning is Lady Jia. She ends up capturing the heart of Prince Jin so much so that he elevates her to be his wife. Lady Sora's father accepts the broken engagement gracefully after reminding the Imperial Family that they didn't fulfill their promise to his family.
I can't help but smile. Lady Sora's father may have made mistakes in the past, but now, he's really making up for them.
The story takes a darker turn when rumors of Prince Jin's erratic behavior spreads. Turns out the culprit was a love incense concocted by Lady Jia's people. I can't help but roll my eyes.
"The oldest trick in the book," I mumble to myself as I skip through all that drama.
Finally, the story shifts to focus fully on Lady Sora and the Legendary General. My heart leaps as I see myself, or her, through his carefully guarded perspective. The voice was right.
He is drawn to her, but his past makes him wary.
My stomach twists as I turn the page. The other gods and goddesses have learned of the mortal hidden within his estate. Worse, they suspect a breach of divine law, given his family's history of defying martial rules. They plan to ambush him and expose me.
The catch?
Mei Mei ends up sneaking in my quarters and getting captured in an elaborate trap created for me. My heart pounds as I glance outside. The sun is beginning to set, casting a pink glow over the gardens. Cherry blossoms float lazily in the air.
The timing perfectly matches the scene in the Webtoon. My blood runs cold. I shove the book into my robes and sprint out of the quarters.
I trip over my feet. All the time in bed has weakened my body. Still I force myself to push forward.
"Mei Mei!" I scream, my voice echoing in the empty courtyard. "Bao Bao!"
A silver flash appears next to me. His glowing eyes take one look at me and he dashes towards my quarters. I try to keep up, my heart hammering in my chest.
We burst into the courtyard just in time to catch Mei Mei halfway up the stairs to my quarters. Through the intricate screens of my quarters, we can see a faint shimmer of divine energy coiling around her.
With swift lethal grace, Bao Bao snatches her by the back of her robes just as the trap begins to reveal itself. He sets her down next to me shielding us from view. Mei Mei gives me a confused look as I pull her into a tight hug.
"Oh, thank goodness," I exhale. She clings to me.
I motion for her to stay silent, my fingers trembling as I hold her hand. Together we retreat back to the Legendary General's quarters. When he's certain we're safe, he tilts his head back and lets out a deep howl that reverberates throughout the entire estate.
With a final look, he bounds outside.