When Mua Kong arrived at his place, Hli Ja was in the kitchen with the servants making dinner. She was not used to having people serve her so, even then, after Mua Kong took her in, there were certain things she still did for it gave her peace of mind. Mua Kong allowed her to help the servants prepare meals for he knew it was something she enjoyed doing, and it helped her keep occupied.
A servant greeted Mua Kong and Yee Len when they arrived at the front gate. He ordered the servant to get Hli Ja to his chamber.
Hli Ja was in the middle of tasting the dishes she had just finished cooking. When the servant relayed the message to Hli Ja, she quickly put down the tasting spoon, rinsed her hands, and hurried over to Mua Kong's study chamber.
Hli Ja slowly opened the door to the study room. In the middle of the room was a table, and Mua Kong was sitting on the chair looking at a document intently. She hesitated to interrupt him, but on second thought, she gently tapped twice on the side door.
Mua Kong looked up and saw Hli Ja smiling sweetly at him. The sight of her brought calmness to his heart. He smiled at her, the woman he loved, and signaled for her to come over.
When Hli Ja got near to him, he pulled her on his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. She grabbed on his arms and steadied herself before she asked, "Something happened?"
After a moment of silence, Mua Kong uttered, "I have to be away for a while."
Her heart froze at the words her love had just said. She recently migrated to live with him. She was not used to the place yet, and he already had to go away. Though her facial expression did not show it, Mua Kong could feel her tenseness.
"I know this is selfish of me, but I would like you to stay inside my palace as much as possible until I get back."
"Hmm..." Hli Ja nodded to give Mua Kong some comfort. She knew he was just as nervous leaving her alone as much as she was nervous about him leaving her. The only thing she could do was to give him peace of mind as he was leaving. "Have you had dinner yet?"
"No," he said, in a gentle tone.
"Great. Shall I bring in dinner?" Hli Ja exclaimed happily.
"Hmm... go."
Hli Ja strode off in a hurry. Ten minutes later, she walked in followed by a servant carrying a tray of food. When Mua Kong saw them, he quickly organized his document files and put them on the shelves by the wall behind him. The servant grabbed the tray and left once the food was set on the table.
*
In the bedroom, Mua Kong approached the bed and stared at the woman who was asleep soundly. He sat down next to her and parted some hair off her face. He gently traced his fingers on her lips.
He studied every detail of her endearingly before leaning down to kiss her on her forehead.
Outside, Yee Len and Chue Yi were waiting for their lord. When Mua Kong came out, they followed him back to his study chamber.
Inside, the study room, Yee Len went up to his lord and said, "I've prepared all the necessary stuff. We can leave whenever your Lord is ready to."
Mua Kong planned to spend a few days with Hli Ja and prepared some measurements before leaving for the military base.
In front of the bookshelves, he took out a rolled-up scroll and handed a scroll to Chue Yi. "I wrote this yesterday. I'll leave this for your judgment on when to use it. You'll stay behind and help Her Highness tend to the place."
Chue Yi was not as great in swordsmanship as Yee Len was, but he was smart, clever, and well versed in schemes and politics. Mua Kong would feel better if Chue Yi stayed behind to protect and assist his woman fending off against political schemes.
Mua Kong added, "Remember, the only one who has authority over you is me, not the King, not the Prime Minister, not the Military General nor anyone. Do I make myself clear?"
Chue Yi went up before his lord and accepted the scroll. "Yes, My Lord. I am honored and will do my best not to fail you."
In the next couple of days, Mua Kong freed his schedule to spend time with Hli Ja. He took her around town, bought her items she might need later. They went sightseeing and visited the temple to pray for blessings. On the third day, Mua Kong left with Yee Len and the royal troops heading towards their base in the southern part of the kingdom.
While Mua Kong was away, Hli Ja spent her time inside the palace. She kept herself busy. She started a flower garden and redecorated areas inside the palace to bring more flavors and liveliness.
Prime Minister was upset because Mua Kong declined to marry his daughter. According to him, Hli Ja had bewitched Mua Kong. He went to Prince Mua Kong's palace to see the woman who snatched his future son-in-law away, but he never expected to be turned away when he arrived at the gate.
He was angry. Mere gate servants dared to turn him, the Prime Minister of Law, down. All he asked for was an audience with Hli Ja.
One of the gate servants fetched Chue Yi who at that moment was writing a letter to update his lord. Upon knowing the situation at the entrance, Chue Yi grabbed the scroll and ran out of his room to the gate. He hoped that he would arrive on time to calm down the situation.
When Chue Yi arrived at the scene, he saw the Prime Minister had just forced himself through the front gate and that made Chue Yi almost yell, "Stop."