The sh.o.r.eline was silent except for the sounds of the nature. Chenglei who felt awkward seeing another man breaking down in front of him silently stared at the horizon to let the Water Emperor calm down. He could in a way understand him. Losing his wife is messing his mind. Chenglei could sympathise with the Water Emperor since he thought he had lost Xing that day and he made an awful decision since his mind got messed up too."She should have used her sword, not her hand", Chenglei sat beside the Water Emperor as they moved to a shady place nearby.
This was his way of checking to see the thoughts of the Water Emperor about getting slapped by Xing.
"Is this your apology?", the Water Emperor sneered but his eyes paused on Chenglei"s face. He always was surprised by the way both of them resembled each other.
"I"m not going to apologise for her. She has no need to apologise",Chenglei immediately retorted, his eyebrows furrowed showing his refusal. "She has the right to correct you if you did wrong"
" Hmm?", the Water Emperor chuckled dryly. Even though both of them are of same age, this one is mature enough to know not to belittle his wife.
Why wasn"t I like him?
Seeing the Water Emperor getting silent as he was running his hand through the sand in deep thoughts, Chenglei went silent too and he didn"t know what to speak.
"Silly woman! Where did she go? Did she leave me behind to have a talk with another man? Did she forget that I mentioned previously that men don"t talk about feelings with each other? What should I do? "
"Always a.s.sume your wife is right. They are actually more perceptive than us men in recognising other people"s intent", the Water Emperor suddenly said as he dusted his hand off the sand.
"I know. My Xing is always right", Chenglei proclaimed. He actually believed that and he didn"t even have to think hard for it. There were a lot of instances where she actually helped him.
"Tell her how much you love her everyday. You won"t know when she won"t be there", the Water Emperor spoke whatever came to his mind.
"Yuki... She had the perfect green eyes... Like jade... I really loved her eyes. But I never told her that. I used to go with her when she goes to the first to collect herbs. That day...By the river, her green eyes were s.h.i.+mmering in the golden rays of the setting sun", The Water. Emperor smiled. He kissed her that day for the first time. And married her the day she turned sixteen since he couldn"t wait.
She was always with him and now she is not.
"How long are you two together?", the Water Emperor asked with a slight smile that was painful to watch.
"I was twelve when I met her", Chenglei replied wondering why he was engaging in this kind of talk with this man he is not familiar with.
"Me and Yuki... We grew up together. I knew her as long as I remember", his lips curled up looking back and there was silence for sometime as he went back to the time when he was happy with her.
"Palace.... It"s an..."
"Filthy place?", Chenglei finished the Water Emperor"s sentence for him making .
" I was too naive... My wife told me the woman can never be my mother....", the Emperor rubbed his palms on his face hiding his face. "I didn"t listen... In the end, The one I called mother killed my children. She wanted her daughter to be near to her on the phoenix throne... And my wife died. Filthy, that word not enough to describe that place. ", the Water Emperor scoffed.
"The Empress dowager"s daughter on the phoenix throne? ", Chenglei was not that shocked by the revelation. There was only one person the dowager wanted to put on the phoenix throne and it was Kei Takano.
"So the dowager had Takano out of wedlock and sent her to his brother to raise and wanted her on the phoenix throne since she deserved to live with her? Twisted... And possible in that twisted place...
That should be the case", Chenglei concluded.
"My wife had doubts... I didn"t listen to her. If only I had listened to my wife...", the Water Emperor sighed. He still remembered the way that dowager looked at him when she sneered and laughed at him telling him the truth.
"You sent my daughter away from me and I sent your wife where you cannot reach!", the dowager laughed. That woman he considered a mother!
Yukiko knew! She knew! I didn"t listen.
"Familiarity breeds contempt. True words! ", the Water Emperor said after a long silence.
"I knew Yukiko for the longest and as my life changed after becoming the Emperor, I started to think little of her and dismissed her as not so smart. I used to listen to her... I used to and then I got conceited. My head got heavy with the crown I wore and I let all those flattery that came with my position, get to my head. I trusted the wrong person and ignored the one person I should trust. That woman I called mother - she seemed sincere with her smile and care for me.... But she wasn"t. My beautiful doll - she was sincere with her love, till the end. But I left her alone.. I thought all I had to do for her is to not look at other women and she"d be happy there. I thought I"m giving her everything... But I took every last bit of happiness from her and her life too. Me... I did that with my own naivety. And I lost everything... I don"t deserve anything good. I deserve to die. "
Chenglei heard his words and a chill pa.s.sed through his spine.
"He is right! The more time you spend with someone, the more you take them for granted and start to ignore them. Especially when you know the other person loves you more than they love themselves, you won"t bother to try and take note of their feelings much. This would make the Fire in the relations.h.i.+p sizzle and it would eventually die out.
I almost did that to Xing although for entirely different reasons. I saw her staying quietly no matter what I did and took her for granted and that day I went too far making her snap.
I should be careful in the future not to ignore her, no matter what, no matter who else comes to my life, even if it is our child! "
Chenglei decided in his heart and felt he got something out of this conversation with the Water Emperor.
"You didn"t lose everything", that voice that was melody to him made Chenglei turn to look. Seeing the child in her arms his eyebrows furrowed in displeasure.
Xing looked at the Water Emperor who was kneeling and tearing up seeing the child in her hand. She looked at her husband who was angry at her.
She should have been numb doing what she didn"t want to do. But she wasn"t. It hurt each time. It hurts doing the right thing each time.
"HiroYuki, meet your Imperial Father, the Emperor of the Water Kingdom", she said her voice shaking and pa.s.sed the child to the Water Emperor who was still kneeling.
Little Xinxin who didn"t understand all the big words his mother used, stretched his hand at the father he knew sitting on the floor with an angry expression but he was pushed to another man.
But why is this man looks like daddy too?
The Emperor got him and his lips quivered as tears streamed down from his face. He was trying to smile but he couldn"t stop his tears of joy.
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"Well... You have your mother"s eyes", he said as he hugged the pet.i.te little child close to his chest and resting his forehead in his pet.i.te shoulder and Xing could see his shoulders shaking.
Little Xinxin who was embraced, felt pinned and wronged to get out of his hold and his little hand tried to catch Chenglei"s hand that was stretched. His little face was the only thing that was visible since his whole body was embraced by his father and he looked pitifully at Chenglei.
His father and mother are throwing him to strangers today. He didn"t like it at all.
"You are squeezing....", Chenglei tried to get the child but Xing placed her hand on Chenglei"s shoulder and shook her head.
"Let him", she mouthed making him frown.
No father will have the strength to squeeze their child to death, she knew.
But all Xing could see was her father in the Water Emperor. She knew her father saw her as a part of her mother who was left behind for him... A last gift from his beloved.
The Water Emperor must feel the same way looking at little Xinxin too and she shouldn"t deny a father that.
"Take care of the rest. Bring back Xinxin", Xing said to Chenglei and she could not control her emotions and she turned to leave when she felt a strong grip in her hand. Being pregnant messed with her moods a lot and she felt like she"d bawl her eyes out if she stayed here watching this meeting of a father with his son.
"I"ll be fine... I"ll be resting in our courtyard. You stay here", she spoke in a nasal tone trying her best not to break down crying and left after Chenglei nodded.
Sometime pa.s.sed and the Water Emperor was still holding Little Xinxin in his lap and Chenglei was glaring at the Water Emperor. He just wanted to pick the child up and leave.
"Dada...", little Xinxin held his hand out towards Chenglei and his face bloomed immediately.
That"s right! I"m your dada... Come to dada...
But before Chenglei could get Xinxin, the Water Emperor was picking him closer.
"That"s right, I"m your dada... Useless... But still, I"m your father", he said making Chenglei frown deeply.
Sensing the coldness emitting from his side, the Water Emperor turned to see the man glaring at him as if he was going to pick a fight with him.
"How far along is your wife?", he asked as he placed lite Xinxin on his lap and making silly faces at his son.
"He does not like it. He gets scared", Chenglei spoke gritting his teeth.
Just as he finished, little Xinxin"s lips started to tremble and he was about to cry but the Water Emperor blew in his face and Xinxin didn"t cry but started giggling.
"Traitor!", Chenglei hissed at Xinxin. Chenglei couldn"t deny the connection the Water Emperor has with the child is superior to his. He is his father by blood and blood is thicker than water. He knew he would always lose. But still, he loved him.
The Water Emperor could sense Chenglei"s emotions too. He could understand Chenglei"s thoughts.
"Why? Your wife is pregnant. So why do you love this child who has no blood relation to you this much?", he asked.
The Water Emperor knew the man by his side is no normal man who is filled with love. He is the "Lone Wolf" - a merciless killer. What made him this attached to a child, not his own?
He was curious.