The Third Prince looked at those tightly closed lips and the beautiful eyes that had gone still as dead water. Something warm inside him was being swallowed inch by inch.
Mu Xueshi had forgotten. He had forgotten everything from the past two months. It was as though they had returned to the beginning, and the person whose temperament had once been stripped away had returned to the Third Prince’s side. Those two months suddenly felt like a dream. Just when the Third Prince had stopped demanding that Mu Xueshi “return to normal,” and had even begun fearing that very thing, Mu Xueshi had done exactly that.
The game had gone off course from the start. Just as it was about to end under an entirely different set of rules, it had somehow returned to the original starting point. The player had already become addicted to it, yet everything else had vanished like smoke.
No… absolutely not… The Third Prince’s eyes reddened as he stared at Mu Xueshi.
No one in this world dares play with me like this. If these feelings have already sunk into my bones, then I will force everything you cast away back into your blood, inch by inch.
The Third Prince shoved Mu Xueshi backward, sending him onto the bed. His pale under-robe slipped from one shoulder. With a light movement of the Third Prince’s fingers, the smooth shoulder was exposed.
Two beautiful pairs of eyes met, one cold, the other bloodthirsty. The Third Prince lowered his gaze, ignored the unfamiliar expression, and focused instead on Mu Xueshi’s soft red lips.
After everything that had happened, Mu Xueshi’s lips looked even more vivid. The Third Prince hesitated only a moment before kissing him.
Mu Xueshi clenched his teeth. He had expected to feel disgust, yet his body did not reject the familiar touch. The contradiction between his revulsion and his body’s response stunned him, and his resistance loosened enough for the Third Prince to deepen the kiss.
Seeing even the slightest softness return to Mu Xueshi’s gaze stirred the Third Prince. His violent movements gradually eased, and the hand restraining Mu Xueshi at the waist softened into gentler touches.
The kiss lingered. Mu Xueshi’s taste was still painfully familiar. Looking into eyes that showed physical reaction despite emotional distance, the Third Prince felt something sharp and bitter pass through him.
No matter how much you change, you are still Mu Xueshi. The body I held and cherished was always yours.
The Third Prince’s hand moved across Mu Xueshi’s chest as he removed the last of his clothing and continued downward with deliberate intimacy.
Mu Xueshi’s body tightened as a wave of sensation reached him. He could not believe this sensitive body was really his.
Why is this happening? Cold unease rose inside Mu Xueshi. The Third Prince’s hands moved lower, and the fear broke through the calm he had forced upon himself.
Feeling Mu Xueshi suddenly grip his arm, the Third Prince gave a low laugh and leaned near his ear.
“What? Is this already too much for you?” His voice carried both seduction and mockery.
Mu Xueshi pulled his reason back together. He turned and stared at the Third Prince’s handsome face for a moment before coldly saying two words: “Disgusting.”
The Third Prince did not look angry. He gently pressed Mu Xueshi’s resisting hands to either side of his head and continued provoking his body, which betrayed him despite his hostility.
A small sound escaped Mu Xueshi before he could stop it.
Desire showed in the Third Prince’s eyes, but his words remained taunting.
“Why pretend to be so reserved? I have heard you cry out beneath me more than once.”
The words filled Mu Xueshi with humiliation. His mind went blank, and the shame froze what little warmth remained inside him.
The Third Prince parted Mu Xueshi’s legs and prepared him with lubricant. The injuries from earlier had already begun healing, though some redness and swelling remained.
Compared with the violence before, the Third Prince was much gentler this time. He moved slowly and watched Mu Xueshi carefully, only continuing once he saw no obvious sign of worsening pain.
The smallest change in Mu Xueshi’s expression made the Third Prince treat him like a priceless treasure. Gradually Mu Xueshi’s body began responding out of habit, even wrapping around him the way it had before, while involuntary sounds escaped despite the emptiness in his gaze.
The Third Prince watched those eyes while the intimacy continued and felt as though his heart were bleeding.
Those eyes were dead, hollow enough to make him afraid.
The expression and physical response seemed alive, but the person behind them felt completely gone. The Third Prince suddenly understood that this kind of resistance was more cruel than any struggle. In the end, he was the one who had lost.
When the encounter ended, the Third Prince withdrew, dressed without expression, and stood beside the bed.
“What is my name?” he asked while staring toward the window, almost as though he were asking himself.
Mu Xueshi lay motionless, unclothed and silent, like a toy its owner had abandoned. Without anyone caring for it, it could become miserable while still preserving the same face.
The Third Prince waited despite knowing no answer would come, clinging to the last bitter hope anyway.
The door closed softly behind him. He scanned the courtyard and finally stopped on Sun Ye. Sun Ye hurried over and stood before him.
“Your Highness, please give your orders.”
“Go to the Valley of Witch Physicians and visit Elder Duan. Ask him for a prescription that can force someone to remember the past.”
“Understood…”
Sun Ye’s expression did not change, though questions filled his mind. Why did the Third Prince want such a medicine? Did something like that really exist? And if it forced a person to remember, would it not also force them to relive every painful memory?
Since when did I become this curious? Sun Ye was unsettled by the chain of thoughts. Before leaving, he instinctively glanced toward the deep grass where someone often used to linger. Wind moved across the tall blades, revealing no sign that anyone had stood there.
That damned man… he hasn’t come for days… Sun Ye’s steps unexpectedly quickened with irritation as he disappeared into the night.
One person was hurrying out of the palace while another hurried in. By the time Su Ruhan reached the rear mountain, the Third Prince had already been standing there for who knew how long. Night wind moved gently beneath a cold moon, and despite the summer insects and birds, the place felt chilled.
“Has Xueshi improved at all?” Su Ruhan skipped the formalities and asked directly.
The Third Prince heard the anxiety in his voice and felt complicated. He disliked anyone else caring about Mu Xueshi, yet having one other person who could understand his situation offered a faint sense of relief.
“He forgot me,” the Third Prince said quietly with his back turned.
Su Ruhan frowned, surprise appearing on his sharply cut features.
“Forgot? How could he forget? Like two months ago…”
“No.” The Third Prince cut him off. “He only lost these past two months.”
Questions flashed through Su Ruhan’s eyes before understanding settled there.
“Your Highness means… he has returned to the person he was before, and forgotten everything that happened during these two months?”
Hearing the words spoken aloud struck the Third Prince all over again. He no longer had the strength to conceal his feelings. Pride and isolation fell away, leaving only anger, grief, and unwillingness to lose the person he loved.
“Yes. He forgot everything from these two months. He forgot what he said to me, what he did for me. He forgot how to smile at me, how to beg me for mercy… He does not even remember my name.”
As he finished, the trees surrounding the clearing split apart. The sword in the Third Prince’s hand still trembled, and fury burned in his eyes.
Su Ruhan was completely stunned. He had never seen the Third Prince like this: anxious, furious, grieving, heartsick, every emotion visible. After so many years beside him, Su Ruhan had become accustomed to seeing him alone. Only now did he understand how lonely that life had truly been.
The violence in the Third Prince’s eyes slowly cooled. The frost beneath it disappeared, leaving only enormous grief.
“I gave up Linhan Palace for him, and he became this heartless…”
The Third Prince braced himself on his sword, brows drawing together, then suddenly coughed up blood.
Su Ruhan’s face changed. He hurried forward to support him, but the Third Prince’s sword stopped him a short distance away.
Su Ruhan had known the Third Prince had fallen in love. He had not realized the feeling had reached this depth. Perhaps outsiders could not understand what existed between them. They had not survived wars or legendary trials together; instead, they had been conquered by countless small moments of warmth.
“Your Highness, perhaps this is not as irreversible as you think. Mu Xueshi first forgot what happened before, yet later remembered it again. That proves recovery is possible. Perhaps one day he will remember these two months too. You should be patient. His body has been behaving strangely. If he is pushed too hard, the consequences may be worse.”
The Third Prince’s emotions slowly settled as he considered Su Ruhan’s words.
“Perhaps you are right. But how long am I supposed to wait…” His voice was steady, yet emotion still moved beneath it. He wanted Mu Xueshi back immediately. Even if Mu Xueshi could not become exactly the person he had been, the Third Prince at least wanted some sign that what had vanished was only memory, not the person himself.