Saving the Heartthrob Frenemy-Chapter 200: "Nothing is for free."

Unable to heed the advice of the wise, Yunning yelled after Jolie asking her what she meant. After Jolie left Boran followed without comforting Yunning or saying anything to her.

This made Yunning very upset. Desperate to have anyone on her side she called after him. "Boran, was I wrong? He deserves to die," she said but Boran seemed quite defeated. He knew she was right. Who here didn’t know what Eling had done but like he had mentioned before, he was loyal to King Luo and no one else. He didn’t understand why King Luo’s attitude towards Eling had changed but he didn’t question it.

"Your highness you should remember that he is his majesty. He is not a child. He knows what he is doing."

That he was right. King Luo knew exactly what he was doing. With the moon hanging high in the sky, King Luo walked into the small dining room Boran and Yunning had gathered in. They were in the middle of eating dinner. Neither Jolie nor Qie Xieling was there.

He had left Qie Xieling in the bedroom he chose to occupy for the night and Jolie was who knows where.

Yunning had calmed down from her outburst earlier but now her heart raced as King Luo abruptly entered the small dining room. She didn’t think she would see King Luo tonight but there he was standing right in front of her. Anxiety gripped her, manifesting as a desolate knot in the pit of her stomach.

Her eyes fixed on King Luo as he nonchalantly walked over to the dishes on the table, his regal demeanour untouched by the tension lingering in the air. Yunning’s mind spun, caught between the lingering fury she harboured towards him and the undeniable love that was still ablaze within her heart.

Her gaze flickered to Boran, who maintained a composed facade beside her like nothing happened earlier.

King Luo’s care for Eling irked her so much that she couldn’t swallow it. The thought of Eling’s comfort taking precedence over her own chafed at Yunning’s emotions. She had hoped that King Luo’s coming here would spark some form of acknowledgement or at least a trace of concern for her. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

But he deliberately ignored her as he dished up food without sparing her a glance. Yunning felt her heart sink. Against her better judgment, she mustered the courage to speak, her voice laden with vulnerability.

"Can I assist you, your majesty?" Her words hung in the air, tinged with both longing and apprehension.

King Luo’s indifference pierced through her like a shard of glass. With no response, he continued his actions unperturbed, the distance between them growing wider by the second. The wound of being ignored and belittled by the man she loved cut deeper than Yunning had expected, her hurt mixing with a lingering sense of betrayal.

The room felt stifling, the silence amplifying Yunning’s anguish. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she watched as King Luo gathered the dishes and turn to walk out. Out of fear she blocked his path and said, "Don’t ignore me... please. Just let me explain."

Boran sighed upon hearing this. It seemed his words earlier entered one ear and left in the next. King Luo barely spoke but that didn’t mean he was kind hearted and weak. Not wanting his dinner spoiled by her he got up with his plate and left. He would rather eat outside.

As soon as he left Yunning took a step forward while nervously picking at her fingers.

"Don’t... come any closer," he said his voice stern and chilling to the bone.

King Luo raised his finger without looking at her as he said, "Yunning, have you forgotten who I am and what I am capable of?"

"I...," she said before shutting her mouth. She knew in this situation silence was her best bet.

"I understand you are hurt but I can only tolerate you this far. If you dare raise your voice at him again... you will be the demise of your people," he said before turning to leave.

Yunning inhaled tremblingly. She watched his disappearing figure her eyes misty.

The realisation that he would protect and defend Eling a person who betrayed him stung like salt in an open wound.

She struggled to maintain her composure, her trembling hands betraying her turmoil. She lowered her gaze, battling the tears threatening to spill. The anguish of unrequited love and the disillusionment of shattered expectations mingled within her, a maelstrom of emotions she tried desperately to conceal.

Her heart ached, yearning for the connection they once shared. But at that moment, all Yunning could feel was the crushing weight of King Luo’s neglect, the knowledge that her presence had become insignificant to him. The pain welled up within her, leaving her feeling vulnerable, unloved, and cast aside, a feeling she never thought she would experience in the presence of the man she loved.

Qie Xieling however felt the opposite. He found clothes in one of the rooms and he began to cut it up to fit a small dragon. There was no need to tell what his plan was.

When King Luo entered the room, Qie Xieling raised it and said, "What do you think? I think it will fit you."

King Luo hadn’t yet caught up to his meaning as he placed the dishes on the table. "It won’t. Can’t you see it’s small?"

Qie Xieling’s smile grew bigger as he corrected him. "Yes, it will if you turn yourself into a dragon. Come on. Hurry up and change into a small dragon."

King Luo, "..."

"You do realise it’s not a switch I can just turn on and off, right? It doesn’t work that way," he said and Qie Xieling was a little disappointed. He had seen cute videos of dogs and cats dressed up online and was suddenly inspired to make King Luo wear clothes in his dragon form.

"Then will you wear it if you turn into a small dragon?" he asked and King Luo walked over in unhurried strides. He bent down and pressed his forehead against Qie Xieling’s before whispering,

"As long as you give me something in return. Nothing is for free."

Qie Xieling, "..."

How was this a gentleman? He was obviously a bandit here to cheat him out of his purity. King Luo didn’t glance at his lips for a split second before slowly standing upright and stepping back.

Qie Xieling bit his lips as he followed King Luo’s back with his eyes. If Luo Muchen was anything like this in the real world, Qie Xieling was certain that he would fall helplessly in love.