Reborn To Be The Imperial Consort [BL]-Chapter 75: Zopyra — XIV

Long ZhenHai did not know how much time had passed since he’d been taken prisoner by his own kinsmen.

Sure, he did not have a particularly close relationship with them where they would be willing to die for each other, far from that really. Him dying for the clan of dragons?

Pft. In their happiest dreams.

From the day he was born to the day Hu Lijing and he got closer, physically as well as mentally, Long ZhenHai’s loyalty only ever lay with Hu Lijing.

Only Hu Lijing. No one else.

He was his own person, he was a dragon with his own autonomy but the very meaning of his existence, the very reason of his existence was Hu Lijing and Hu Lijing alone.

If not for the destined ten-tailed fox spirit’s birth, Long ZhenHai would never have been created from the spirit of water in the first place.

Hence, from the beginning of their story, to this day, Long ZhenHai was loyal only to one person, regardless of how his heart had been broken by the said fox before he himself had come forth and repaired it with his own two hands.

(It never truly healed because — of course — they were not lovers, not in the normal sense anyway. Yes, Long ZhenHai’s heart was not healed. Not yet anyway.

But that didn’t really matter at the moment.)

Perhaps this was why they were holding him captive in a place he did not even consider his home.

Long ZhenHai was now blind.

Not physically blind, but blind in the sense of the things going on in the world outside the pitiful, luxurious, cage of his courtyard. He did not know what was happening, what was the year, even.

For however many years — at least three decades — he had been put under house arrest with plenty of people to interact with but did he have any sort of freedom?

No.

His powers were sealed to a certain extent, Long ZhenHai could not transform into his dragon form and fly in the sky whenever he wanted.

He had too many servants but none of them were loose-lipped enough to spill even a morsel of information that might be of his interest.

Most of them, at least. Most of them took care to keep their words, their chats to themselves, speaking with their eyes or simply with gestures.

Never their tongues.

Except this one young dragon who was too naive for his own good.

But as long as he served Long ZhenHai’s purpose, the dragon of the infinite sea could care less for a youngling’s care-free behaviour.

It was through him that Long ZhenHai found out about the war of clans that had been going outside this damned courtyard for decades.

It was through him that Long ZhenHai found out what a predicament Hu Lijing had found himself in. It was through him that Long ZhenHai found out that the entire realm had turned its back on the Spirit Foxes.

It was through him that Long ZhenHai realised how miserable of a situation his Jing’ge must be in.

His Jing’ge, his beloved Jing’ge was out there fighting for his life every second, every minute and every day and here he was, living uselessly in his gilded cage, with nearly everything of his power sealed and taken away from him.

It hurt him. It hurt him worse than when Hu Lijing had rejected his feelings. It hurt him worse than when he had to distance himself from his beloved Jing’ge.

It hurt more than he could hope to put in words.

At this point, Long ZhenHai did not know — he did not bother — what the point of his miserable existence was, apart from that of a pitiful prisoner.

Every day, every second passed in a blur, what he ate, what he drank, how he slept or if he laid away, Long ZhenHai had not a single idea of it.

To himself, he was just drifting by, his existence barely afloat by the knowledge of Hu Lijing being alive still.

Perhaps, he would live the rest of his eternity alone, rotting within these damned four walls, a tall, opulent cage of grandeur with his hands bound by the golden ropes of restraint.

Perhaps the rest of his eternity would pass by before Long ZhenHai would be able to see his Jing’ge. He lived in the misery of that knowledge.

His robes were changed by servants, almost all of his needs, except for his estrus, were taken care of by his servants. His food, his clothes, his baths, all of them were done with the servants present nearly every moment.

His hair ran wild, one of the servants helped tame it. His robes tore apart, his room in utter chaos credited to his fits of rage, the servants took care of it.

He was a prisoner of mind and body, merely breathing on his own terms now. He basically had no control over his actions.

It had been a long time since Long ZhenHai had last spoken to someone. Or anyone for that matter. He was starting to forget if he knew how to speak.

He was not so sure. His mind was deteriorating, collapsing within himself thanks to his chaotic thoughts filled with nothing but boundless panic that surged in his veins whenever he thought of Hu Lijing.

How was Jing’ge doing? Is Jing’ge alright? Is he injured? Is he in pain? Does he feel hungry? Is he cold? Is he too warm? Can Jing’ge sleep at night? Does Jing’ge overwork himself? Does Jing’ge feel overwhelmed? Is he fine? Has he made peace with the fact that he cannot be the one to protect everyone in his clan?

Does... Does Jing’ge miss Long ZhenHai?

Does Jing’ge still love him?

Does Jing’ge still remember him?

Has Jing’ge forgotten about Long ZhenHai?

He didn’t know.

As he sat in the silence, his back braced against the wood of his bed, the silken sheets covering the mattress rubbing against his clothes every so often whenever he shifted even a little.

Long ZhenHai heaved a sigh, his throat tight and the lump in it thick and heavy as he raised his head, facing the ceiling as he gazed at it through the thin veil of his long hair that curtained his pale face.

His lips pursed as he brought his knees to his chest, hugging them as the golden chains binding his hands clinked together.

As though he was a beat, not a divine dragon spirit with his own conscious thoughts.

Then again, perhaps these thoughts were the very reason why he was trapped in this hell covering itself in the gaudy mask of comfort and luxury.

As he shifted, the curtains of his room were tightly closed, blocking out even a sliver of sunlight which forced the servants to light oil lamps to illuminate the room.

Initially, Long ZhenHai allowed them to set the room alight for those dancing flames reminded him of his beloved Jing’ge. But as the despair in his heart grew and along with it grew the void, the water-borne dragon simply refused to let them light up the room.

What was the point of a bright room when the darkness in his mind was maddening?

Thus, Long ZhenHai lived in constant darkness now. Accompanied only by his dying thoughts.

It had been a long time since he had seen the ligh——

—Creak...

The door of his room opened, making Long ZhenHai instinctively cover his eyes as he let out an undignified hiss.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

His back tensed as he sensed the familiar energy.

"You know... The Spirit Fox clan has been wiped out for good today." A disdainful voice drilled into his now sensitive ears.