Chapter 23: In this dangerous place đłrđewđbnđveđ.cđŒđș
Li Hua walked through the cobblestone path of her house. Everything was so quiet. It seemed no one was present in the residence.
She was scared of quietness and aloofness. She ran through the corridor of the residence but found no one.
âFather! Mother!â She called them out and ran down the stairs, holding the long skirt. Her feet stopped as she saw her fatherâs body lying on the ground in blood, surrounded by many dead bodies.
âFather,â she murmured, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She heard the clanking and turned to look, when she saw her elder brother was fighting with a masked man.
âElder Brother,â she stepped forward when the sword pierced through her brotherâs body, and she screamed. She brought her hands to her ears and did not want to hear the sound of swordsâ clanking. âPlease, donât kill,â she murmured when a hand grabbed her arm.
âLi Hua,â the voice called her name softly.
She gradually opened her eyes and realized it was a nightmare. She could feel the tears on her cheeks and wiped them from the back of her palm.
.....
Ever since she lost her family, such nightmares had become prominent. She sobbed and tilted her head. To her surprise, LĂłng Wei was standing tall in front of her.
âYour Highness.â She immediately sat up and wondered if he was the one who called out her name. Did he hear her screams? If he had, then it would be tough for her to explain to him. She clutched the edge of the quilt tightly, pondering over LĂłng Weiâs possible questions for her.
âSoon, the cleaner will come,â LĂłng Wei said and locked his hands behind his back. Li Hua realized that LĂłng Wei didnât hear anything, which meant she didnât scream. It was only a nightmare.
Li Hua got down from the chaise lounge and carried the quilt in her arms when LĂłng Wei took it from her.
âYour Highness, I will do,â Li Hua said and walked behind LĂłng Wei, who took the quilt to bed. He threw it on the mattress and turned to gaze at Li Hua.
âForgive this servant for waking up late, Your Highness,â Li Hua said with guilt and lowered her head. LĂłng Wei walked to her and stroked her hair.
Li Hua lifted her head to peer at him.
âI hope youâll tell the truth soon because only I can help you,â LĂłng Wei stated. Li Huaâs eyes grew bigger upon hearing the statement. He moved his hand down from her head and traced her face from the back of his pointer finger. âWhatever you have in your mind, you can share that with me. Except me, who will help you in this dangerous place,â LĂłng Wei said with a tiny smile on his lips as he withdrew his hand back.
Li Hua pondered why he said so and lowered her eyes.
âI am heading to the Greeting Hall. Everyone is waiting for me,â he told her.
Li Hua could not believe that she had slept for so long. âYour Highness, could you please give me ten minutes? I will freshen up and dress up soon,â Li Hua requested. She was surprised that LĂłng Wei didnât scold or punish her for waking up so late.
âYou need to take a bath and change clothes which will take at least half an hour,â LĂłng Wei said. âMoreover, you are not needed in the greeting hall. Stay here. I will meet you at breakfast. Donât tell anyone that you woke up late,â he explained to her and left the chamber.
Li Hua found another side of LĂłng Wei. He was considerate of people, or probably, he was considerate of her only. She ruled out that fact. LĂłng Wei loved to play with people. The previous day, he might have done the same.
âA prince can never like a servant,â she told herself.
âLi Hua, donât go to the servantâs quarters.â Li Hua was shocked to see LĂłng Wei back in the chamber. But he was near the door.
âYou might get punished in my absence. Use my bathhouse. No one comes in my manor without my permission. The cleaner will come an hour late. You have enough time till then,â LĂłng Wei stated and went away.
Li Hua bit her bottom lip. The Sixth Prince was concerned for her. The previous dayâs talks of LĂłng Weiâs started to roam in her head.
Why?
The only question that she had in her mind for him.
~~~~~~
The five princes encountered each other in the corridor leading to the Greeting Hall. The two princesses also arrived, except the First Princess, who was told to rest in her chamber.
They all greeted the Crown Prince, who responded to their greetings.
âSixth Brother will be punished today. I wonder what our Royal Father has thought about,â Third Prince Tianjie said and looked at Ai Fen. âHow is the First Sister?â he queried.
âI have not met the First Sister Yet, Third Brother,â Ai Fen answered.
âThe First Sister is better than last night. She has accepted her mistake of using a bad word for the Sixth Brotherâs late mother,â Xiaoming answered.
âForgive me, Crown Prince, but Brother LĂłng Wei was angry because Li Hua was called a whore. The Sixth Brother never respected his mother, and he doesnât care if anyone uses a bad word against her. He only cares about a petty palace maid,â Qiu Mu said. His words felt provoking to Xiaoming, but he decided not to argue with the Second Prince.
âEvery time the Sixth Brother returns from the cold palace, something big happens in the palace,â the Third Princess, Xiaolian, said.
âHowever, yesterdayâs incident wasnât expected of anyone. The Sixth Brother didnât even flinch to do such a heinous act,â Zhang Xi pronounced.
âWe are no one to decide on this matter,â Xiaoming stated.
âThe Crown Prince is wrong. Brother LĂłng Wei killed his mother. Does the Crown Prince think he will not do the same with us? He loses his senses any time, anywhere. We need to convince our Royal Father to find a permanent solution to this problem,â Qiu Mu affirmed, and the rest agreed with him.
âI have become so popular that in this pleasant morning, I am the topic to be discussed.â They all turned and found LĂłng Wei coming in their direction.
Xiaoming didnât find Li Hua and wondered why she didnât accompany LĂłng Wei.
âSixth Brother, the First Sisterâs face is charred by those pimples. At least, show remorse for your acts,â Xiaolian scolded him.
âSadly, I donât feel many emotions,â LĂłng Wei said and walked past her. He didnât greet any of them and walked ahead.
âMannerless!â Qiu Mu muttered.
The Crown Prince gestured to him not to say anything and walked ahead, followed by them.
LĂłng Wei was astonished to see Yuze in the Greeting Hall, who was smiling at him. LĂłng Wei furrowed his brows together and then turned to look at his father, who was patiently waiting for his arrival in the Greeting Hall.
NEW BOOK ALERT
The Second Husband