“If you’re worried that Ren’s angry, don’t worry,” Shin said with a small laugh. I didn’t understand how he could act so carefree.
“But I’m not sure how I should face him…” I admitted honestly.
“Hmm…your town decided to send you as their offering to the capital so…you should have some of it, right?” Shin said, clearly he was teasing me.
“Some of it?” I asked, not understanding.
“Skills. You should have some skills to please a man, right?” Shin said with narrowed eyes.
“Umm…I’ll…think about it…” I muttered before sighing loudly.
I wished Shin was right and that I had some skills to please a man, some womanly skills like those that the other women displayed along with their self-introduction in the grand hall. The truth was, apart from my medical skills, I coul
“After months of being forced to serve the emperor, luckily or unluckily, I became pregnant. Yes, that child is you Ren. I became the empress after safely giving birth to a healthy son. However, I felt no love for you and definitely none for your father. I was treated as less than a human being and I felt less than one. I’m sorry…” she said as her voice shook with intense emotion.“It’s ok…mother…” Ren whispered as he squeezed his mother’s hand a little tighter.“When I look at you all I can think about is the hatred I have for your father and all that he has done to me, my people and our land. I thought as time went by, I would forget…but it was impossible. Every time he touched me; I was so disgusted I wish I could die. Whenever I saw your face, I was reminded by all those nightmares. Whenever I felt any joy from the luxuries that the life of an empress had to offer, I felt guilty
I looked down at the simple porridge that I made for him. It was indeed a far cry from the dishes that we were usually served in the palace, but I made sure that it had all the healthy ingredients, even adding in spices and herbs that I knew were good for the body.I didn’t know what to cook for him and ended up deciding on the same porridge dish that I had cooked for him when he was wounded and a patient staying at my house. I cooked his meal for him every day back then and he seemed to enjoy his meal or, at least, he acted like he enjoyed it. I wasn’t sure if that would still be the case now that he was Ren the crown prince instead of Ren the trader, but it was the best idea that I had.“I’ll eat it if you feed me,” Ren said almost emotionlessly. His face though was serious.“I beg…your pardon?” I said, not believing my ears.“I said that I’ll eat it if you feed me,&rdq
I squirmed on his lap as Ren changed the angle of his kiss. I could taste the porridge and his tongue in my mouth. How am I supposed to eat like this? His tongue entwined with mine as his hands captured my chin to better control the angle of his kisses.This is so unfair. Why am I so docile when I’m wrapped up in his arms? His kisses are making me feel weak, breaking down my defenses. I closed my eyes as I started moaning softly into his kiss.Ren broke our kiss and I gasped for air. I managed to swallow the porridge before I choked on it. I looked at Ren with a frown on my face showing him that I disapproved of what he just did. Ren smiles back at me without a care, it was clear that he was enjoying himself.Well, at least he seems to be in a better mood now and the tension between us has melted…somewhat. I couldn’t help it when a little smile began blooming on my lips. It was hard to explain, but I felt relieved that we cou
“There are always other options available and situations that may sway the current emperor and the high court to choose the other options. For example, what if I’m unable to produce an heir? That would lead to complications following my own rule on who would succeed me and issues like that are complicated and never welcomed. In that case, it would be cleaner to select an emperor who already has a successor,” Ren began to explain.“I see…” I mumbled as I followed his line of thought.“In my specific case, the other option available is my younger brother, Kin,” Ren said, his face suddenly stern and serious.“Prince Kin?” I said, curiously.“Let’s just say that Kin and I have different values and beliefs. We were raised…very differently despite being brothers…” Ren said, his face darkening as if he was remembering some unpleasant memories.
“Ahhh…” I found myself letting out a soft moan when I felt the tip of Ren’s wet and warm tongue lick my earlobe softly and teasingly.His large hands held my wrists, keeping me from struggling against him. His seductive touches were making me more aware of how close I had let myself get to him. My body writhed on his lap as he started licking and sucking on my earlobe. I didn’t think that my ear could be this sensitive. With each suck, I wanted to moan loudly as the heat of his passion ignited a fire within me.Ren hugged one of his strong arms around my waist, hugging my body tightly to him. I could feel his body heat on my back as he began kissing the side of my neck. My body trembled and I began panting when his kisses changed to flicks of his tongue against the sensitive skin of my neck.Before I could protest, his large hand had captured my chin and began angling my head back so that he could capture my lips
Ahh…that’s not the point at all! I wanted to tell him, but I couldn’t concentrate on anything else besides his fingers on my nipple and the fact that his other hand had begun running down the plain of my stomach. His kissed my lips as his hand parted the fabric covering my legs. His warm hand touched my thigh and I whimpered into his kiss in response.Slowly, his hand inched up my inner thigh towards the heat in between my legs. Ren continued to kiss me, stripping me of my ability to think about anything except for him and the pleasure that he was giving me. I can’t believe that I’m in this position with my legs spread wide open when we’re outdoors like this…With much effort, I managed to protest in a weak voice…“Stop…someone…will see…Ahhh…”“You better pray hard that no one does. If a guard sees you naked, and in this position, I’ll have n
“There’s a solution?” I asked hopefully.“Of course. Be mine, Rin. Let me pour my seed deep inside of you until you become pregnant with my child…” Ren said passionately.His hands reached for my legs and wrapped them around his hips. My eyes widened, I could feel the shape and size of his hardness clearing, pressing against me. Ren looked down at me as our eyes met. Silently, I stared into his earnest eyes and for a moment, I forgot to breathe.I could tell that he was serious and my attempt to laugh this whole matter off died.“What are you saying?!” I cried out in shock as I broke our eye contact.Ren just laughed; however, I could tell that his proposal was seriously on the table. It was my choice whether I decided to take it. This is just plain crazy…“I’m serious and I know that you kno
The journey so far had been peaceful just as Ren had predicted and I was relieved. Ren seemed to be in a good mood as well and judging from some conversations that he had with the soldiers, he knew some of them.“This is for you…” Ren said as he handed me a small drawstring cloth bag.“For me?” I said, a little confused. I reached out my hand and took the small bag from him.“You were bored, right?” Ren asked, perceptively.“Thank you…Ren…” I said with a smile.“I’ll see you when we’re at the palace,” Ren replied before closing the window to the carriage.Ren was gone and suddenly I felt kind of lonely. I was alone once again in the quiet carriage with the sounds of horse hooves beating against the dusty road as company. I looked down at the small drawstring cloth bag
“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