Turning my head to face upright, I close my eyes and inhale the cold air. Smiling at the fact that from now on, I will choose a life of my own and never be ever bounded by rules anymore, setting myself free from the prison that I caged myself in.

Dying 4 times (including the attack though I didn't die), nothing scares me anymore.

After peeling the apple, Xuan Di left it onto a clean surface leaf and reach out to the herbs he collected earlier on.

'These herbs are not the remedy, but it does help to alleviate the pain and allow her to move her arm at the very least.' Xuan Di thought.

Throwing the herbs into his mouth to chew and then spit it out onto this palm. Xuan Di then head over to my side and roughly pull my clothing downwards, exposing the skin of my left shoulder. Shocked by his action, I grab hold of his hand and attempt to escape from his grip.

However, very soon my right wrist has been controlled and contained at the top of my head while he straddle onto my body, with his thighs on the side of my waist. Under such weak condition, I am not able to fight a battle. All I could do is to stare at him with hate.

As though he felt my hate, he increase his strength on my wrist.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Being in such a state and you still want to fight against me? Stop being a kid." His hot breath spat into my face.

Releasing the grip on my wrist, he quickly use his right palm covered with herbs and press roughly against my wound.

As though I got stabbed once again at the very same spot, I jerked upwards abruptly, but his strong thighs stopped my body from thrashing.

"Ughh.." I groan in pain as I bite onto my lips to prevent myself from shouting.

As I wriggle like a worm in pain, my body slump down onto the floor like I exhausted all my energy. Xuan Di release his grip on my body and starts to bandage my wound.

Not going to lie, after he applied the herbs on the wound, though it hurts like mad, at least now I could move my arm.

Being a prideful woman, I refuse to thank this man and push myself upright, now in a sitting position. Readjusting my clothes, I start to gather my things and stood up.

Xuan Di notice my movements and immediately block the way to the exit.

"Where do you think you are going?" Xuan Di hissed.

As he is a very tall and huge man, my head ended at his shoulder which shows how petite and small of a woman I am. In the past, I love the height difference and the contrast we make because it felt as though I was protected by the very man I loved, the sense of security. But right now, I despise it.

How tall is he that I can't even see the exit ?

"Move." I coldly responded.

"How dare you speak to me in this way?"

"..."

"I have yet to decide your punishment for attempting to escape from the palace and the responsibilities of an Empress!"

"So?"

"The moment we return back to the palace, you are not allow to be given any freedom and you will await for my punishment to be order. Do you hear me?"

Looking at Xuan Di, the only thing that run through my mind was that he is speaking more than usual.

"Did I or did I not blocked the attack on behalf of you my Imperial Majesty?"

"Yes you did blocked the attack but..."

"Then as a matter of fact, I saved your life. Does that mean I am the saviour of your life?""

"That... That will be a separate matter."

"No it isn't. Basically, I saved your life and if it wasn't for me, you will be dead by now. Without you, the Xuan Kingdom will be turmoil into chaos. I, Huo Jae-in, saved Xuan Di, the Emperor of Xuan. I deserve a reward and not a punishment."

Knowing that every sentence I said were truths that he can't rebut, Xuan Di still stubbornly insist his way.

"Fine, I admit that you do deserve reward for saving my life. I will definitely reward you with limited treasure items in the world and richest of wealth. However, that does not mean that I will overlook the fact that you are escaping from the palace, abandoning the role of an Empress of Xuan, disgracing the reputation of the Imperial Family."

"So does that mean you will not let me go?"

"Never in my entire life."

"Fine."

With everything being said, I took a closer step towards him, slowly embracing him in my arms and I could feel his body tense up.

"H-huo Jae-in.. I did not give you permission to touch me with your dirty body."

Despite him saying that, I could hear his heartbeat starts to beat faster and faster as my head lay directly on it.

Using the silver needle hidden under my sleeve, I insert into his acupuncture nerve points that paralyse him momentarily. Once Xuan Di realised he couldn't move, he glare with anger into my brown eyes.

I sigh internally and regretted not learning the arts of medicine from Shi Fu. (A way to address a Teacher who impart skills and knowledge to their recognised disciple)

"How dare you. How dare you! Huo Jae-in, release me right now!" His loud voice echoed through the cave and I bet it also echoed through the forest.

Reaching into the baggage of mine, I took out the body paralysis scent bottle and prep it on my hand.

Taking a step back till I could him without arching my head upwards. With the self-made fire that holds the light of vision, I slowly prepare myself to the moment of goodbye.

"Xuan Di."

I calmly call out his name while looking down at my feet to gather my thoughts.

"After all these years... finally we have come to this final moment."

"Often, I look back and reflect on the things that I have done and what I could do to repay my debt that I owe you. To be honest, all that I have ever done was just to fulfil my undying love that I harbour for you, and only you."

"Xuan Di, do you know that I really loved you? I loved you with the bottom of my heart, till there is no space to hold others other than you. The moment I laid my eyes on you, back at Xuan border under the tree at my household, my mind was filled with thoughts of you."

"Enduring all the compulsory changes of lifestyle, mannerism, skillset, just to stand proudly beside you as your capable wife. You have no idea what a woman have to forgo and sacrifice in her life just to pursue the love that she desire."

"However, little did I know that this selfish love that I hold for you, in return, it resulted in the intentional distancing and lack of support from you. Do you know if you were truthful from the start, if you were to tell me that you had a lover or someone in mind, never will I ever force a marriage upon you?"

"I will never want to break the heart of someone I hold so dearly. If only you told me the truth, if only I knew, all these will never happen and you won't feel like a trapped being in this loveless marriage."

"If only I knew, and if only we never meet..."

Looking up directly into the eyes that is currently, in the midst of confusion and many other emotions that I am unaware of, I continued on.

"Right now, the love that I harbour for you has been used up. There is nothing else for me to give to you anymore, I am tired with the countless attempt to get your heart, even if it's just a small part of your heart."

"Now I just want everything to end and go back to the original place. And ... I am sorry, sincerely sorry for all the things that I have done to allow you to harbour such hatred towards me."

"It has been a long 4 years and it's time to end it."

"Let's bury this and clear the debt. I saved your life and so, I no longer owe you anything. From now on, we will not be bounded in any type of relationship. You are you, I am me. You carry on with your life as an Emperor, while I embark on a new journey.

You hit the high road, I cross my log bridge. Let's not cross-path ever in the future."

Ignoring his paled face, I forcefully made him inhale the body paralysis scent that will momentarily numb his nerve system and his body fall straight onto the ground, unconscious.

Whatever I have said earlier on was not even one third of the things that I wanted him to know. Probably those memories of the past has been too long and distant for me to tell him the injustice that I suffered for years.

'Letting him know the love that had once existed, me letting go of the love that I held dearly to, it should be enough... That's all I want him to remember.'

Taking a step out of the cave, just in time for the sunrise and the orange warm sunlight hit my face.

It's better for me to hit the road now.