He’s right. Ren is here again.
By this time, everyone knew well that Ren was here to see me. With some reason or other, Ren would drop by to see me here.
“Crown prince, I don’t mean to be disrespectful but as you can see there are so many patients here that require our help and there are not enough doctors. So, unless you really need help, I would appreciate it if you would not turn up to the hospital every day like this…” I said, trying to sound serious but not too offensive.
Ren and I stood in the hospital hallway, and I could feel countless pairs of eyes on us.
“Royal doctors!” Ren called out quite loudly.
“Yes, crown prince,” the doctors said as they bowed simultaneously to Ren.
“My Lady is telling me that there are too many patients for talented men like yourselves to handle, is that true?” Ren asked, challengingly.
I hate
“Yes…I do remember that…” I replied, recalling the time Ren had introduced me to the various layers of his palace walls.“Before I teach you how to ride, you’ll need a horse of your own first,” Ren explained.“Oh…that makes sense,” I replied as I nodded.“Of course, it does,” Ren muttered as he got on his horse and reached out a hand towards me.I remembered the time when he wouldn’t help me up on this horse. That seemed so long ago now too and just look at how much things have changed between us. I smiled a little and took his hand. He helped pull me up onto the horse and I was sitting in front of Ren.“Thank you…” I whispered.“You’re welcomed, My Lady,” Ren replied as he held the reins with one hand.I could feel his other arm around my waist as he held me against his warm b
I looked in front of me at the four horses. One was white, one was brown, one was black and the other one was white with brown markings on its body. Apart from that, nothing else caught my attention.“Come, Rin. Let’s get closer so that you can engage with them,” Ren suggested as he pulled on my arm, urging me to follow him.The horses were bigger up close although smaller than Ren’s horse. I began to panic a little now that I was so close. Needless to say, I wasn’t used to horses.“Try petting them…” Ren said gently.“Umm…” I hesitated.“There’s no need to be scared. I’m here,” Ren said as he took my hand and slowly guided it towards the horse.Slowly, Ren placed my hand on the horse’s neck. The horse looked quite calm, and I could feel it’s fur and the warmth of its neck beneath my palm. Ren helped me
“You’re…so mean!” I cried out. “I’ll focus on balancing myself and looking straight ahead if I were you…” Ren said close to my ear. The path had gotten narrower and bumpier again as we proceeded deeper into the woods. It was clear that the further we ventured inside, the path got more complicated as well. This was probably because fewer people used it, and no one bothered to maintain it. “How far are we going to go?” I asked.“You’ll know when we get there…” Ren replied carefreely. It was true. I knew immediately when we got there. Why? Well, because the path came to an abrupt end. There was just no way forward at all. We had arrived at a body of water. I guess that this was a stream and surprisingly there was a waterfall as well. The scenery was so breathtakingly beautiful that I couldn’t believe my eyes at first. The sound of the waterfall filled my ears as the wind blew against my face. I didn’t know that there was a stream on the palace grounds, and it was a pleasant surpris
I wasn’t sure if we could ever come to an agreement on this but whatever protests that I could think of died on my lips when he claimed my lips in a passionate kiss. As if continuing where we had left off from before, Ren’s kiss was immediately deep and wet. His tongue teased mine playfully as his hands began stroking the sensitive spots on my body. “Ren…” I murmured his name in between our kisses. Suddenly, Ren stood up and pulled me to my feet. My eyes widened in slight confusion at his sudden action but before I could ask him if something was wrong, he took my hand and began pulling me behind him. “Ren…where are we going?” I asked softly. “The woods…” Ren replied in short. “Huh?” I said, not quite following. “Unless…you want to do it by the stream…” Ren said with a wry smile. I gasped when I realized what Ren had in mind. My hand unconsciously flew to cover my mouth as I realized in shock that Ren wanted to take me in the woods. “Wait…Ren…” I started to protest, although I
I closed my eyes in embarrassment as I pictured the position of my body in my mind. I could feel Ren’s presence close behind me before I heard the sound of him removing his clothes. “Ren…I…” I began protesting weakly. The truth was I was a little scared of what was about to happen. “Let me have you, Rin…” Ren said passionately. I didn’t know what else to say so I just turned to him and nodded slightly. I felt Ren’s large hands on my buttocks as he stroked them and then he started positioning his thick member at the opening of my womanly entrance. The heat of his cock grazed against my wet opening, and I shuddered in anticipation of what was to come. Ren griped my hips tightly in his hands before his cock thrusted forcefully into me. I cried out loudly at the sensation of my love opening being stretched and penetrated by his thick and large cock. He’s so big and so hot. I could feel him stretching me before his length filled me. Ren thrusted roughly into me, burying his cock deeply
That brings us to today, the day where Ren is visiting to see me perform a little dance based on what I’ve learnt and practiced so far. Although it was just a mock performance in my own palace without any special clothes or anything, I was still very nervous to perform in front of Ren. Then again, why did I bother learning these dances if I wouldn’t show Ren? “You don’t have to be so nervous,” Jeely teased me with a small laugh.We were waiting for Ren’s arrival which could be at any moment now. “I wish I am as confident as you are,” I replied with a shaky laugh of my own. A maid came in to announce Ren’s arrival before Ren came into the room. I prayed that he didn’t have such high expectations of me because he would be sorely disappointed. Somehow, I had convinced Jeely to perform the dance along with me. The idea that I had was that if I failed miserably then Ren could always look at Jeely and her beautiful dance instead. Then his trip here wouldn’t be totally wasted. “Crown pr
“Does she interest you, crown prince?” the eunuch asked, feeling a spring of hope in his chest. “Not at all. She’s still a kid no matter how much they’ve tried to dress her up. Why don’t you just send her back home?” Ren said, half with disgust. “But…that would be…” the eunuch whispered in shock. “Better yet…send all of them home…” Ren muttered darkly. “We absolutely cannot do that, crown prince. You do understand that these women are…” the eunuch said in a panic. “Political hostages…” Ren finished the sentence for the old man. The eunuch bowed, unable to come up with a suitable reply to Ren’s words. No matter what the crown prince said, there was no way that offerings to the capital could be returned. It would be utterly disrespectful, and it would be an utter disgrace to the girl in question. …The music came to a stop, and I posed for the final ending of the dance. I cannot believe that I live through that. Somehow, I had successfully reached the end of the dance without fal
When I looked up in surprise, I found that he was smiling a little at me. I wondered how he could read my mind when I realized that I had instinctively placed my hands on my stomach. Quickly, I yanked my hand away from my own belly. He’s getting it all wrong…but I don’t know how to tell him…It would be weird for me to tell him that I actually don’t want to get with child, right? I mean, I am supposed to be working hard to make a baby with Ren…and perhaps we are actually doing that…but…“Umm…” I said, not knowing what to say. “Oh…sorry if I embarrassed you. Please forgive me, My Lady. You just looked so worried that I thought…” the doctor apologized rapidly. “Oh no, that’s alright. You are right. I am a little worried about…conceiving…” I replied before offering him a tight smile. “Well, I am sure that there’s a lot of pressure on you. Please try not to stress and get enough rest. Stress can make it hard for you to get with child,” the doctor advised. I guess, I couldn’t ask him
“Really? I think you’re as young and as pretty as before…if not more pretty…” Ren said reassuringly before he bent down to kiss my cheek tenderly.Although I knew that he was probably just saying it to please me, I couldn’t help but feel my heart flutter at his words. The truth was that I have aged, and I definitely don’t look as fresh or young as I did all those years ago. Even I wasn’t foolish enough to believe that I haven’t aged. “Thank you, Ren…but that’s not really the point…” I replied with a small laugh. “Can’t we try for one more? Please…just one more…” Ren pleaded sweetly. “But we already have three children…” I pointed out. “But we don’t have a daughter yet…” Ren said with a sigh as he looked depressed and deflated. I wanted to roll my eyes at fate. Most women had problem pleasing their husband and his family because they couldn’t produce a son. In my case, I had no problem producing sons, but my husband was adamant in wanting a daughter so that he could spoil her like
My political influence changed again when I became pregnant with my second child and soon gave birth to another very healthy son. Having two sons for the emperor gave the entire empire confidence that the line of succession is secure. Despite Prince Kin’s women giving birth to a few sons as well at that point, it was clear that the line of succession will continue in Ren’s branch of the family, much to the dowager empress’s joy. Strangely, I have developed an amicable relationship with the dowager empress over the years as she had taken much interest in her great grandchildren. Naturally, I was favored without needing to do anything much. Unfortunately, the dowager empress passed away from old age before she got to see the face of our third child. To my utmost surprise and to many others’ jealousy, she had chosen to leave all her treasures to me so that I could distribute it to my children’s wives when they got married. I cried so much at her funeral that Ren had to step in and lead
Lately Ren has found his work as the emperor boring and repetitive. As a result, he has been spending more time with me and our children. That was a great thing for me and our family, but I wasn’t sure if it was best for the empire. “Shin can take care of most things. He’s unmarried, has no kids, and loves the empire. He’s perfect for the job,” Ren said before laughing loudly. That was his response when I asked him about skipping out on some of his royal duties. It’s been around 7 years now since Ren and I got married but Shin was still as single and free as a bird. Despite our efforts to get him to settle down, Shin had some how successfully evaded the topic of marriage all together. Even an arrangement by the previous emperor couldn’t tie him down. Shin now considers my children as his own and acts as their loving godfather. …When we arrived back at the main palace, I was greeted by my second son, Rem. Rem is more of a carefree spirit compared to Rou. He doesn’t seem super devot
“It sounds very complicated. In my town, weddings are something that you celebrate with your close friends and family in a simple way…” I mumbled. “I’m sure that doesn’t apply if you marry a prince or if you’re becoming the next empress,” Ren said with a laugh. “I guess you’re right…” I said with a nod of my head. “Don’t worry too much. We’ll both have it easy until the day itself. If you’re not too picky, you can leave the preparation to the officials and the staff. They’ll get everything done and if you have any special requests, just let them know and they’ll figure it out,” Ren said before he patted my head. I guess planning my own wedding was out of the question. I was sure that whatever the officials in charge had in mind would be very different to what I wanted. Recalling the minimal version of the wedding dress that Ren once made me wear to appear in court, I shuddered at the thought of the real wedding dress itself and the ceremony involved. “I’ll leave it to them then.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the baby?” Ren asked the moment the door to my bedroom closed behind us. “I…I was just waiting for the right moment to tell you,” I said honestly. “When did you find out?” Ren asked. “About a month ago while we were still in the middle of war,” I confessed softly. “You should have told me,” Ren insisted. “But you were so busy, and you were out there fighting every day. I didn’t want to add to your burdens,” I explained. “Regardless, you still should have told me,” Ren repeated his same opinion. “I’m sorry, Ren. It wasn’t like I was trying to keep it from you,” I apologized sadly. “I would have taken care of you better…” Ren muttered. Is that why he was so mad? “You’re so sweet, Ren,” I said before giggling. It was probably the first time that I think I saw Ren blush. I couldn’t stop myself from giggling at the sight. “Thank you, Rin. I can’t wait to raise our baby together,” Ren said as he hugged me close to him. “Me too…” I replied before sm
“But if you go, they might kill you…” Shin said. “Isn’t there someone who can help me?” I asked as a thought struck me. “You can’t be seriously thinking about…” Shin muttered as he probably caught on to what I was thinking. “Please, Shin…please help Ren…please help me…” I begged. “Shit…this is crazy…” Shin said in pure disbelief. I watched as Shin sprinted off. After he was gone, my legs lost all its strength and I eased down onto a nearby chair and concentrated on keeping my breathing calm. I placed a hand on my tummy as I prayed that all three of us would be safe. …**Back to the present**Everyone looked towards the entrance of the hall, where a frail old woman walked in slowly with her most trusted eunuch supporting her arms on both sides. Despite her age and her weakened body, the Dowager Empress walked with a straight back full of pride. In unison as if they had practiced it beforehand, everyone stood up from their seat and bowed. Ren and I did the same. “Mother…” the em
After quite a long while had passed, all five doctors were done with inspecting my body. Ren returned back to my side before he placed a comforting hand on my shoulder as we all waited for the verdict from the doctors. “So, what is your opinion regarding the Lady White Lotus,” the emperor asked impatiently. Each doctor was asked to present his view one by one starting with the least senior and ending with Doctor Pai, who was the most senior of them all. “Your Majesty, I believe that the Lady White Lotus is with child,” the first doctor stated before bowing deeply to the emperor. The whole hall erupted in whispers and gasps of shock. Some members of court who had undoubtedly been eagerly waiting for the next royal heir cheered and clapped their hands. “Silence. Next…” the emperor said firmly as he invited the next doctor to give his opinion. “Your Majesty. The Lady White Lotus is indeed pregnant,” the second doctor said before bowing to show his respect. “Next…” the emperor said
I can do this. I can do this. I can do this! “There is no need to punish the crown prince because I am without a doubt loyal to this empire. I wish for a bright future for this empire because that would mean a bright future for our child…” I said, making sure that my voice rang loud and clear. “Rin…” I heard Ren whisper my name. “What are you saying?” the emperor asked as a frown formed in between his brows. “I am with child. I am pregnant with the crown prince’s child,” I stated firmly. I could feel and hear everyone’s shock. Loud gasp of surprise filled the room followed by whispers. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, and I placed my hands over my stomach as if to protect the baby that was inside. “What are you saying? Leave with Shin right now,” Ren hissed to me as he came to my side. “No…I am not leaving you…” I said stubbornly. “Is it true, Rin?” Ren asked softly, I could feel his gaze on my stomach. I smiled weakly at him as I nodded. His eyes widened in surprise befor
Ren stood up from his seat and all eyes were on him. He took in a breath to calm himself before facing the emperor and the members of court. “I believe that the punishment decided for the town of Amber Leaves is just and fair. The emperor who also approved it seem to share my beliefs. The people of the town had no knowledge of what was going on and did not benefit from the enemy. Because of this, I believe that they should not be punished. I spent more than three months fighting the war. Compared to someone who had never stepped foot on the battlefield or the town itself, I believe that it should be fair to say that I am more knowledgeable about the situation,” Ren said calmly.“What about the punishment for Lady White Lotus? It is indeed her town that rebelled against the empire,” a senior member of court inquired sternly. “The Lady White Lotus has failed to deliver a royal heir for this empire as well. It has been a very long time and she is not yet with child,” the empress spoke