My clothes were not completely dried, but it was dry enough to wear. I quickly got dressed because I had a sense that Ren would not wait for me if I was slow. My mind was still in a dazed as it recalled the embarrassing things that took place between Ren and I last night.
How am I supposed to face him this morning? I dreaded having to spend time alone with him on his horseback until we arrived at our destination. I didn’t know how far we had left to go but I prayed that it wasn’t too far. I didn’t know what to say to Ren and I felt extremely uncomfortable. As I finished dressing, my mind had already wandered beyond imagining our daytime together and was already imagining the worst that could happen tonight…What am I thinking?! I must be crazy…I felt hotness burn my face and realized that I was blushing at my own thoughts. This is the worse…I grabbed my stuff and quickly made my way out of the cI tried to struggle but his arms around my waist kept me in place. Ren sucked on the side of my neck, causing my body to quiver. My mind felt dizzy and foggy. Once again, I felt a pleasurable ache in my lower abdomen that intensified as Ren continued to fondle my body. Soon I felt the heat of his hand on my naked thigh.“Ren…Prince Ren…” I whimpered helplessly.Without caring to reply to me, Ren slowly ran his hand up my inner thigh. Inch by inch, his hand slid up my thigh, forcing my legs to part. I knew where he wanted to touch me next, and my body trembled in fear mix with anticipation.I moaned loudly despite myself when his fingers finally reached my womanly opening in between my legs. When I felt his fingertips prod my love flower, I realized that the ache I had been feeling was actually in between my legs. I moaned louder when Ren’s fingers began stroking my opening up and down firmly.“Ah…no…Prin
I wasn’t sure what made the building appear so beautiful but if I had to guess it was probably the rich array of colors and what seemed to be colored stones that decorated the walls and pillars. The palace wasn’t as big as the one in the capital; however, the decoration was equally if not more sophisticated and definitely more unique.Rich colors of red, green, yellow, and blue meshed together to form intricate patterns of leaves and various flowers covering the entire building. The flowers were heavily decorated with colored stones, making them look shiny and three dimensional. In all my life, I have never seen anything like this.“Wow…this palace is so beautiful,” I whispered in awe.“I told you so,” Ren said almost emotionlessly as he pulled me after him, leading me quickly inside.Six women dressed in light yellow maid costumes greeted us with their eyes lowered respectfully to the ground. The eldest maid ges
My feet hurts and my body aches. I guess sleeping in the cave wasn’t as comfortable as I wished it to be, and my body was paying the price. I flopped down on the wooden sofa before sighing loudly. Once again, I asked myself how I ended up here.Soon after, I heard a few soft knocks on the door and knew that the maids must be here to help me wash and dress. It wasn’t like I couldn’t do that by myself since I’ve been doing it by myself all my life, but I had learnt that it was better to go with the flow rather than fight everything. I had to pick my battles wisely if I wanted to survive and go back home.Since the maids could not speak the whole ordeal went by in silence. They professionally cleaned my body, dried it, and then began the process of dressing me and doing my hair. I couldn’t care less what I wore or what ornaments they put in my hair. However, my job was to select what I wanted based on the pile of dresses they had to offer a
“It’s not as big as the one at the Imperial palace back in the capital but it’s got some unique local herbs that can only be planted here on this mountain,” Shin explained.“Thank you for suggesting this. I can’t wait to see it,” I said, unable to hide my thrill.I hurriedly follow Shin along the path through the garden until we arrived at the medical garden that he had mentioned. Although he said that it was small, what I saw before me was anything but. If this herbal garden was considered small, then I couldn’t imagine how big the one back at the Imperial palace was.“You see these small yellow flowers here. These are golden lion tears. They’re good for healing burns and cuts to the skin. Supposedly they hurt less than the other herbs and are popular for usage in children,” Shin began explaining as he touched his finger gently to a very small yellow flower.I crouc
“Thank you so much once again, Shin. I know you’re busy so…thank you for spending time with me,” I thanked him again.“There’s no need to thank me. I’m always happy to help. I had a good time too,” Shin replied with a pleasant smile.“Thank you for sharing your medical knowledge with me. I know you mentioned that you were no expert, but I think that you’re really knowledgeable,” I said enthusiastically. It didn’t expect to find someone who shared my passion so close by. He reminded me of the talks I used to have with Uncle Gobei and so he reminded me of home.“Enough compliments, you’re making me shy. It’s getting late, you should head inside,” Shin said.“Yea…I should go…” I said hesitantly as I slowly turned and headed for the entrance of the hot springs.…I stood completely naked at the
“Let go…Ren…” I said as I tried my best to struggle against his grip on my wrist. “Stop struggling, you’ll only hurt yourself,” Ren warned as he moved in even closer to me. He’s so close, our chests are almost touching. This is so embarrassing. I felt his eyes on me and I desperately tried to look away. “Please…don’t look…” I whispered. “Why? Are you embarrassed?” Ren teased me softly. “…Yes…of course, I am…” I replied, feeling even more embarrassed that he could tell how I felt. “Hmm…then I’ll close my eyes for a bit…” Ren said. “Really?” I asked, surprised at his proposal. “Yup. In exchange, let me kiss you…” Ren said seductively as he moved in closer. “Ren…mhhhmmm…” I called out his name but before I could finish, his hot mouth had engulfed mine in a passionate kiss. &
“Why? What is this all of a sudden?” I asked, still very confused with what was going on. “You never smile for me…like you smile for Shin,” Ren said emotionlessly. Did Ren see me together with Shin in the garden earlier today? Is that what brought this on? “You were watching us?!” I asked incredulously. “Smile for me, Rin” Ren commanded once again without responding to my question. “You’re insane…” I whispered. “Where did he touch you?” Ren asked bluntly. Although his voice was cold and emotionless, I could sense the boiling anger bubbling just under the surface. Ren is extremely angry… “He didn’t touch me…Shin was just helping me because I slipped,” I tried to explain what really happened. “Hmm…is that so?” Ren asked and it was clear that he didn’t believe a word that I had just
Suddenly, Ren let me go of me, snapping me out of my depressing thoughts. He stepped back a little so that we had some space between us. Ren looked seriously at me as our eyes met while I considered my answer to his proposal. “Why are you doing this?” I asked exasperatedly. “Because I don’t want to take you by force…even if I know that I can,” Ren replied seriously. “…What?” I whispered in shock. “Do we have a deal…or not?” he repeated his question again. His eyes were intense, and I could tell that his patient was wearing thin. What do I do? I can’t drag Shin or anyone else into this mess. I can’t get Shin or anyone else killed because of me. This is so ridiculous. How come Ren won’t believe a thing that I say? I was very aware of how close Ren was to me. The fact that we were both naked made me feel even more exposed and vulnerable. I sigh in defeat. I didn’t have a choice. To be perf
“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