"Who"s that?", the Water Emperor asked with indifference making Xing scoff.How heartless is he?
"My father"s wet nurse. She..."
"So a servant?", he looked at her with his eyebrows knitted and a smile that made Xing have the urge to break his nose.
"You"ll avenge for a mere servant?", he continued. Yukiko standing beside him gasped and took a step backwards as she was surprised by the indifference in his tone.
Did he forget his Past? His mother who raised him was a servant in a rich household! She worked hard every day to take care of his necessities. How could he belittle servants like this?
"Katsu...?", she looked at him with her eyes filled with tears. She looked like a frail branch that would snip any moment by the strong wind blowing unable to accept her husband"s change in att.i.tude.
His wife"s dejected look did bring down his temper, "I will advise him to stay out of your kingdom", he looked at Xing who just scoffed at him, gave a bow, held Yukiko"s hand and turned to leave.
"Yukiko, you"ve made the wrong decision", Xing spoke in a loud manner but her voice was filled with concern, " Remember, you can ask my help anytime you want", she nodded at Yukiko who turned to look at her. Xing was pained to see the smile in her face that looked so confused and helpless.
"Me too", Ayane added, "You are my cousin and brother Lee"s sister. And we will offer a.s.sistance to you", she ended it with a sigh.
" If only we could openly announce you as my cousin your life might get easier. But you refuse... ."
"I"m the Empress of a nation and that isn"t doing much. How would a t.i.tle of a" Princess" from a neighbouring nation protect me?", she said bitterly and without expecting Ayane"s reply ran out in tears.
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"If anything happens to my cousin...", Ayane"s threatening voice resounded in that silent room.
"I will protect my wife. No need for others to interfere!", the Water Emperor"s eyes were fixed on his wife"s back that was getting smaller as she ran away from him and his hands fisted within his sleeves.
I can and I will protect her well this time!
The Water Emperor and Ryuga left the room leaving the others when Ayane"s voice broke the silence,
"How the t.i.tle of Princess from a neighbouring country can"t help her? Stupid woman!", she banged the table. "She is just scared that my Kingdom will wage a war with her Kingdom for treating our Princess like trash if she accepts the t.i.tle!", she tried to get the wine jar by Xing"s side and Xing held her back.
"I wouldn"t want a r.e.t.a.r.ded son-in-law"
"Hmpf!", Ayane snorted, "Then get onto make babies... Preferably girls!", she started eating and Xing felt relieved seeing Ayane calmed down a bit.
"You said you wanted my help with something, right?", Xing asked to distract her from thinking about Yukiko. She knew Ayane cared about Yukiko as much as her too but in the end she still decided to follow her husband and put herself through that torture even though she was given a way out. Then she"ll have to find a way to live in that place.
You"ll have to lay in the bed you laid for yourself, right?
"It"s just... There are some drugs... Opiod like ones, circulating in our kingdom and we have strong evidences to believe the Fire Kingdom is responsible for it... But never mind, I told you I"ll take care if it... And that drug has already reached our Western Borders and it won"t take longer for it to reach your Eastern borders. Just pa.s.sing the information ", Ayane leaned on Xing"s shoulder.
" Mmm... ", Xing was almost drunk by then as she started drinking in deep thoughts.
Prince Kang, what are you upto?
The sky already started to darken when Ayane and Yi Kwan took their leave and Yi Kwan had to almost drag Ayane away from Xing as she tried to give Xing a good bye kiss and the drunk Xing didn"t have much resistance making Chenglei frown too.
Noticing her staggering, Chenglei picked her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her head over his heart listening to his heart beat.
"I"m scared that I won"t meet Yukiko alive again", she mumbled and Chenglei looked at her face red and the corners of her eyes were wet.
"Is she that worried about her friend? That fool of an Emperor. Why can"t he protect his wife well? Now my woman is sad! Fool!", Chenglei cursed the Water Emperor in his heart.
He knew the fate of the women in the Harem. No matter how bright and s.h.i.+mmering you were before entering the Harem, once you become the Emperor"s woman it would suck all the life out of you and you"d be reduced to the sh.e.l.l of what you once were or if you are smart to make your living there, you"ll become plain evil. It happened to his mother and many other women in his father"s Harem.
He was really glad that he doesn"t belong there anymore. He would never want to bring this woman inside that place.
"I"ll Protect you well, don"t worry", he spoke in a soothing tone and placed her on the bed.
"I"m glad you are not an Emperor", she slurred holding his sleeves and he sat beside her and fixed her hair sticking to her face. She really was happy he decided not to take the throne.
"Yeah, Me too! ", he replied. He really was.
"But you don"t have to protect me", she added making him surprised. " I"ll be safe just like I promised you. You... Just be safe. That"s all I need", she dragged his sleeves and snuggled his hand within her hands and there was a content smile in her lips and she closed her eyes.
That"s all she needed. For him to be safe and sound. As long as he is fine, she"ll be too. And he did won the biggest doofus award by making a deal with Zhu Rong thinking he was protecting her. She wouldn"t want him making anymore stupid moves.
"Do you know who you are talking to, woman?", Chenglei"s voice got dangerous as he leaned near her face.
She never promised him anything, right? Who did she make that promise with ? Is she mistaking him as someone else again?
"You dummy!", her watery eyes opened and a playful smile spread in her lips that were red and alluring. Her slender finger trailed from his forehead down to the tip of his nose, "Did you forget your name, Lu Chenglei...? ", she giggled, "Rascal Prince!"
"She knows she is talking to me?", A whirlwind of happiness formed in his heart sucking in the dark clouds of doubt that were forming, making him smile but then....
"Ahhh!", he grunted as her beautiful and slender fingers pinched the tip of his nose really hard.
He gritted his teeth in pain and his eyes welled up with tears uncontrollably.
This woman!
This woman!
"He hehe", she giggled seeing his struggle and his expression softened seeing her lying on his bed with no guard up as usual. In the Crimson dress she wore, she looked like a rose -- pure and fresh.
This adorable woman!
"You!", he bent and pressed his lips on the corners of her mouth as he couldn"t hold back anymore. It took his everything to not further kiss her. He didn"t want to do something awful to her again.
He thought she"d push him away but she kissed him back. It was a short and gentle kiss, merely a peck on his lips but for him it felt like an eternity in heaven.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and sniffed him like everytime she does when she"s drunk and it made him remember what Lin Mubai said in the past about how women would love the scent of the man they are attracted to.
JiaXing, do you want me as much as I want you?
"I really wish I was the one who forgot everything, Chenglei.... Not you... But me...", her frail voice reached his ears.
Chenglei was perplexed. "What is she saying? Why does she sound this sad? Forgot? Who forgot what? Me? What did I forget?"
He knew there were many discrepancies in his memory and for some questions there were no answers. Like, why he was so obsessed with s.h.i.+hong or why he did not take the throne.
Does she know the answers for these questions? But everytime I wish to talk about this to her, I forget about it. Do I forget it because I wait for the morning? Will I get the answers, if I ask now?
He was about to ask her but he saw her already breathing steadily and knew she was asleep.
Well, maybe I should try later!