LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS

Maybe I am like that flame, attracting broken people towards me as they find me attractive... And not so different from them....

I did kill a woman previously with no thought spared and I have no problem killing hundreds within hours given the opportunity to do so and even now, I just killed a little girl! Reasons aside, killing is killing and I am the ultimate killer there is.

While Xing was accusing herself, s.h.i.+hong continued not minding Xing"s words as they went over his head,

"So I got angry at my mother who refused my luxurious life and let me go through these cruelties and we had a confrontation and... She died...", s.h.i.+hong cleared his throat and Xing who was bowing her head in deep thoughts, looked up to him in utter disbelief.

Did he just tell me that he killed his mother..? HIS MOTHER?

Seeing her disgusted look, s.h.i.+hong chucked,

" Don"t look at me like that, sweetie..! It was an accident, alright? Who asked her to come in my way when I was swinging a knife?", his cold voice made that place unbearable for Xing and she almost threw up but s.h.i.+hong still felt the need to continue,

"So I found a old woman who was hiring maids for the palace and with dreams of meeting my father who will punish those who have wronged me till then, I embarked that journey of a maid... And guess what, being a maid in the palace is tough too", s.h.i.+hong chewed noisily a raisin kept in a tray on the table,

"Women there were having affairs with eunuchs and other women even, because my imperial father didn"t visit them. And I was with an unflavoured Concubine. She was a silent and pa.s.sive one who was not liked even by her maids. Guess who was it....? Come on... Ah,you wouldn"t guess who it is... Just try... ",s.h.i.+hong didn"t mind the nonchalant expression of Xing and rubbed his hands excitedly, " Concubine Zhao", s.h.i.+hong said smiling with his eyebrows raised and Xing snorted by the plays enacted by fate...

The Emperor"s mother?

"Eunuch Xin... He always looked weirdly at the Concubine while she didn"t even care...", he whispered with a gossipy smile that almost made him look human in Xing"s eyes ,

"But, That aside" , s.h.i.+hong continued, "When I told the Old lady that I am a princess, I was lashed and kept in the firewood room for a week with no food. So I learnt to keep my mouth shut... That is the only way to survive there... ", s.h.i.+hong picked another raisin and looked at Xing who was completely spent by this annoying person and wonderded what was keeping her there still... She wanted to leave yet not leave at the same time.... The children are almost brought out... So why?

Right, I want to look at Chenglie one more time.... Her heart answered.

"Oh, where are my manners", s.h.i.+hong suddenly stood up and picked some raisins up and tried to feed it to Xing, " Come on, have some... You haven"t eaten anything in hours....", he stuffed a couple of raisins in her mouth.

Xing spit out that raisins without even letting it touch her tongue, "Where is that dog of yours? Did you already tell him that you were a woman?", she tried to change his topic.

Chenglie come quick... Let me take a glance at you and leave this place!

That changed s.h.i.+hong"s expression and made his mood go sour visible by the creases in his forehead,

" Let"s continue...", he said after slightly slapping himself to compose himself. Xing wondered why is he trying to control his anger when he really wants to tear her apart? What might he be planning?

" I tried to get away from that Concubine"s service but was denied.... But by the tricks of that eunuch, the Emperor - My Imperial father visited that Concubine one day... Oh..! How pleased I was...!", s.h.i.+hong smiled like an excited child.

"I found a perfect chance to show my face to my father. I know I looked exactly like my mother and my father would recognise me. But he didn"t, that day. I was disappointed but still tried to meet him. Thankfully that Concubine got pregnant and the Emperor visited her after childbirth. It was a difficult birth and.... Guess who the midwife first gave the baby to,... ", he clapped his hands excitedly and looked at Xing who was bored to death.

" Yep! You guessed right...", he wasn"t disappointed by Xing"s cold shoulder and continued, "Little old me was the first one to hold the current Emperor! And I was the one who showed the baby to my father. He really looked like my father... That little brother of mine!.... Cute with that jet black hair and green jade eyes... He really was a big baby... " , he smiled like a child making Xing cringe hard.

Aren"t you the one constantly trying to kill him now?

" Anyhow! ", he stopped smiling and continued, " I was the one who showed him to my father and he... Recognised me.... I was glad my father could recognise me... He was a majestic man... "

While s.h.i.+hong was going on explaining his meeting with his father, Xing remembered her first meeting with her father. Chenglie had her arms around her waist, hugging her from behind and both of them were holding her mother"s hairpin when her father started screaming at Uncle Feiye that how come she was wearing "His Ming Ling"s" clothes, had her hairpin and was with Chenglie...

That was awkward!

Xing still remembered the gentle way her father looked at her and patted her head and asked her to call him "Father".

Unknowing to herself, Xing was smiling as she reminisced but was snapped out of her thoughts by a loud bang on the table.

s.h.i.+hong was extremely angered by her constant disengagement with him and seeing her smiling all by herself as if she had it all and more importantly, not listening to the praises of his supercalifragilisticexpialidocious father made him raging mad. But still he composed himself,

"My father... He refused to acknowledge me because I was a girl and told me I could have been the crown prince if I were a boy. He asked me to leave the palace and out of his face as he was not willing to look at me", s.h.i.+hong took a deep breath.

Phew! We all know how bigoted your father is! Must you repeat? And, When will he finish? Xing lost her patience as her b.u.t.t hurt by sitting in a place for too long. She wanted to stretch her hands and legs. She had long untied her wrists and pretending to be tied still and she could sense almost all the children were rescued. But to her dismay, s.h.i.+hong had no intention of finis.h.i.+ng, Chenglei showed no traces of returning and s.h.i.+hong continued,

"But I was not willing to leave and tried to change his mind for the next year and a half. And my life in the palace got worse from then on but I still persisted. That"s when I met my wolf...", he grinned and Xing peeked up unconsciously when he mentioned Chenglie.

And didn"t your life became hard because your " Imperial father" ordered for it?

And Chenglei knew s.h.i.+hong from back in the palace? Bet that blockhead could not remember because he was dressed as a girl... Xing laughed in her heart. He never remembers the faces of women unless they are important.

" It was a cold winter day", s.h.i.+hong stated, "And the stone pathways were filled with snow. I was. .h.i.t by another Concubine and my lips were bleeding and my head was spinning that made me unable to move. It was the five year old Third Prince who walked through that place like a mighty Grey wolf with no fear, who saw me and gave me the kerchief he had in his hand to me.... Can you imagine the compa.s.sion in his heart and his excellent intelligence that made him to take notice of me and recognise me as his sister in his heart and in his overwhelming joy and empathy he committed such an act of kindness? ", s.h.i.+hong intertwined his fingers together and supported his chin and fixed his gaze on Xing to see her reaction. Xing"s entire face twitched...

So, he gave you... A kerchief...?

And that made you think he knew you were his sister and he helped you?

But wait.... why did he give that s.h.i.+hong a kerchief..? Was he really compa.s.sionate? To another woman? I thought his love, compa.s.sion and everything is for me only!

Suddenly Xing felt a bit jealous.

She knew Chenglie was that aloof, haughty and pompous Prince. Even when he was living with them, he could not entirely hide his demeanour and even though he tried hard to act like commoners he always used to fail miserably. He didn"t like touching others and also not being touched by others and he never even once concerned about others. Unless she gets involved, he"d never help anyone with anything.

And he gave s.h.i.+hong or s.h.i.+ Hua a kercheif? That too because he was hurt? Wait... Didnt he give me his kerchief during the family banquet and also now? So is he used to it?

That guy... Giving kerchiefs to other women, travelling with women in tow... Stupid Chenglie... You are a cheater...! I trusted you! You cheated on me...! Darn you casanova..! Xing wanted to cry.

But she kept her face stern to not let any emotions shown on her face. s.h.i.+hong saw the slight flicker in her eyes that showed her pain and was skeptical if she really is over his wolf now. It seemed like she was jealous, right?

"So that dog and you were meant to be, after all! But isn"t he your brother.. ? Emmm.... Never mind... You are a Lu and so is he... You can do whatever.... Be happy, enjoy life, have no morals... ", Xing who realised she almost slipped up tried to salvage the situation.

Even if Chenglie cared about other women, it was before he met her. So it cannot be taken as cheating... Xing, the one who is selfish at heart as she ever is, convinced herself to believe that.

Also he promised her that he had nothing to do with that girl he travelled with. I cannot doubt him!

I really really love you no matter what!