Yamato sat there alone, on the wide red victorian sofa inside his room. Immediately longing for the lingering scent and warmth from his beloved person he had just sent off. His feelings was complicated, a mix of heart wrenching bitterness and relieve.
He really didn't want to do it, but he had to. He had to let go of his love for one sole purpose, for her happiness. For her to fight for the love of her life. For Yuuki. For that guy who loved her as much. For all those things which possess no slightest benefit on his side, he had to surrender.
Yamato always looked carefree, a bit gaudy, but easy-going and dependable. However behind all those contented facade, he was very lonely. Only that girl capable of cleaving apart those facade and found his deep hidden weakness. Only that girl would act tough when he was weak. Only that girl would comfort his miserable side. However he was too late when he found out that he was attached to her warmth. It was too late. Her heart already belongs to other person. He was too late.
He indulged his heartbroken self. At least he would be allowed to shed one two drops of tear wouldn't he? At least he would be allowed to crouch in his bed and wept in his heart for two days wouldn't he?
For god sake i want to hold her.
And thus he fell asleep.
***
In another world-
An Xiao's chest was heaving up and down heavily. Sweat was drenching her lying limp petite body, damping her clothes. Her complexion was pale as sheet, and her sweet soft brows furrowed with no break.
Crown prince Qing Rui was overly distressed at her sight. He was dying to hold her then wish for her pain to be placed upon him instead. He could only caress her small face gently and trust her well being to the imperial physician.
A very rare restless expression was revealed on his graceful face, making everyone felt distress on his place.
After checking her pulse and looking at her symptoms, the physician declared, "It's poison, probably in the tea.. I recall there is an antidote for this in the palace treasury."
"Immediately go fetch all the antidote in the treasury! i will hold all responsibility! Hurry!" panick could be heard loud and clear, as though it was himself who were dying. Everyone knew the prince liked this girl, but no one realized it was to this extent.
The physician leads some servants and immediately scurried out, leaving the prince to hold his beloved limp hands.
An Xiao opened her eyes, still in frown. "Your highness.."
"Yes, yes, i'm here, i'm here, are you hurt?? what is it that you need??" he held her hands and closed their distance, feeling a bit relieved but still in panick nonetheless.
An Xiao rummaged her pocket weakly and took out a small folded paper. "Could i bother his highness to feed me this pain killer?" she muster every ounce of her strength to squeeze a little assuring smile.
Qing Rui's heart squeezed in distress. He fed the pain killer to An Xiao and he tried to calm himself when An Xiao fell asleep.
He stormed out of the room and found the figure of Ren Xiu, his legal wife.
"Your highness, how is she doing? Is she alright??" Ren Xiu plastered a worried face with a sweet intoxicating voice.
Instead of an answer, she got a hard slap to her face that she fell on her butt.
Qing Rui looked at her like he was looking at a dead person, if eyes could kill then Ren Xiu would already be dead a thousand times. "I know you poison her" his voice was as cold as though ice were made with his every breath.
Ren Xiu widened her eyes, her plan was perfect, no one would know it was her. How could the prince deduct, she dared think he was just bluffing to make her spit the truth when she begs for forgiveness. She wanted to refute, however her husband's eyes sent shivers down her spine, it disabled her to utter even a single sentence for her body was trembling in fear. She could only bow her head in hope to even reduce the pressure Qing Rui exudes.
Ren Xiu didn't get to see Qing Rui's hardened cold eyes. "Guards.. Flog her."
Ren Xiu recoiled in shock, lifting her miserable beautiful face in utter disbelief. After all she didn't expect to be punished. How much her husband loves An Xiao, she was just an ordinary girl, not even a concubine, and Ren Xiu was her legal wife. How could he flog his legal wife for a mere unrelated peasant!?
"Your highness i'm your wife!!" she screamed in a hurried rasp tone, hoping to find justice or logic from her husband.
"You're just a wife in status, don't get so full of yourself. If you dare repeat this kind of thing, i will not hesitate to beat you to death and annihilate your entire clan."
Ren Xiu froze at those ice cold words, tone, and eyes. She only hoped to support and help her husband to become the emperor, she only hoped to be loved, she only hoped to get his attention. Afterall he was her husband, they gonna live their whole life together right? Everybody said so. She was just desperate, she was just too jealous, and here she was the legal wife, isn't she justified?
No, she isn't. She was nothing in her husband's eyes. Compared to that peasant An Xiao, she was nothing. She have no idea what she was lacking, she tried her best. However she now knew every effort she had mustered til now, was merely worthless in his eyes. However she tried, she wouldn't even compare to a single strand of hair in An Xiao's head.
Ren Xiu despaired. She gritted her teeth bitterly. She bore a huge grudge on both Qing Rui and An Xiao. She hate them for making her this sad, she hate them for stomping her efforts and pride to pieces, she hate them so much she could make no more words to express it.
Ren Xiu was afterall a girl born into nobility and raised in boudoir, she was always respected and graceful with a flock of men chasing after her. It had never crossed her mind that she would be reduced as a mere worthless disgrace once she married. She had never expected that the outside world would be this cruel. Her mother had said that everything would be alright as long as she was the legal wife, as long as she could deal with the concubine's scheming, as long as she pleases her husband's needs. She couldn't help but spit at those words, none were true.
Qing Rui goes back to An Xiao's direction with a flip of his sleeve. He didn't even spare a glance at his wife who were being dragged by the guards.
The guards were feeling pity for their mistress. They could feel the lack of resistance and they could see the emptiness on her eyes. They could feel her despair.Their mistress was only an ordinary nobility, with a bit of haughtiness and naivety with no actual harm. They also thought that the crown prince was being unreasonably cruel here, however they wouldn't dare voice it.
Ren Xiu was dragged to the storage house, hands tied with rope, mouth stuffed with cloth.
The guards forcefully disrobe her, displaying a snowy soft back without a single blemish which even Qing Rui had yet to see. The guards were quite reluctant to whip her as it was such a waste of such a beautiful back.
That slap Qing Rui gave her earlier was the first hit Ren Xiu have ever received her whole life. She was foreign to physical pain. However that whip on her back which could make even a strong man screams was too much for her to bear.
She screamed in silence as her mouth was stuffed with cloth, tears were pouring nonstop like waterfall, she fainted on the third whip, yet woken up on the seventh and faint once more on the tenth. It ends. Ten bloody gory whip scars were dressing her once pure back. The guards could feel nothing but pity, everyone felt pity, except for that cold crown prince Qing Rui.
~
An Xiao successfully cured and was as healthy as ever, the poison was unique however it was not life threatening, at most it would only cripple her.
On the other side, Ren Xiu was having a high fever. She was already bedridden for a week yet the fever didn't seem to lower by any degree. Nightmare came every night, her personal servants were crying while treating her, and as given, Qing Rui didn't even visit once.
Ren Yuan and Qin Yixue, Ren Xiu's parents came and requested an audience with the prince. Initially he didn't plan to grant it, however his mother the empress would rage at his incompetence if he happen to neglect his in-laws.
"This humble servant greets his highness" Ren Yuan and Qin Yixue bowed.
"En, lift your head." Qing Rui waved his hand, "What business did you come for today?" he goes to the point without even exchanging pleasantries, wanting to end it as soon as possible.
Realizing it, the in laws wanted to frown, feeling dissatisfied with Qing Rui's attitude, "With all due respect your highness, the letter from Xiu'er maid servant had said that Xiu'er was suffering a high fever due to flogging, is that right?" Ren Yuan sounds worried, however he actually felt rage. The daughter he had spoiled since birth was being flogged, while he haven't even slapped her even once!
"Yes, that's right" Qing Rui answered calmly, his tone stable with no slightest scruple.
"Is she alright now?" Qin Yixue was greatly worried at her delicate daughter. The letter arrived three days ago which needed three days to deliver.
"She's still sick."
"!" Qin Yixue was barely able to contain her tears from pouring, she knew it totalled for a week and her daughter was still sick. "Could we meet her?"
Qing Rui finally had a slight pity for the worried looking mother. "Yes, please follow me."
Leading his in-laws to his wife's courtyard, he finally remember that he had only visited here twice for a whole year, it was all nostalgic yet still foreign.
Catching sight of the crown prince approaching, a guarding maidservant was startled she stuttered, "H-his highness has come!"
The moment Qing Rui was about to enter, a maidservant immediately broke out from inside, as though not minding any punishment that would come for such rudeness.
Spotting Ren Yuan and Qin Yixue, the maidservant exclaimed, "Master! Madame! Miss Xiu- Miss Xiu-! H-Hurry!!" her eyes were red and her whole face were wet of tears.
"Calm yourself Xiao Ming!" Ren Yuan immediately panicked and shook the maidservant's shoulders while Qin Yixue stormed in without a cue.
It all startled Qing Rui and he followed Qin Yixue.
Inside the room, Ren Xiu were trembling heavily, her pupils had gone to the back of her head. She was burning hot yet she didn't drop a single sweat. She crouched to the side as though she was freezing and inevitably displayed a red soaked back. She looked very miserable and pitiful that even the cold Qing Rui felt a tug of guilt.
"Immediately call the imperial physician!" Qing Rui ordered the servants around.
"What happened!? What happened!? Does it hurts!? Xiu'er! Xiu'er! It's mother!!" Qin Yixue ran to her side to hold her hands. She felt great distress accompanied with bulging rage to Qing Rui. She had expected that her daughter would somehow suffer from marriage, but definitely not in this way.
Ren Xiu blinked and her unfocused hazy pupils came back, "Mother..." her voice was hoarse and weak, she couldn't even muster any strength to grip her mother's hold. "It hurts.."
Qin Yixue cried, "Yes yes where does it hurts?? Mother's here! Look, father is here as well! Where does it hurts??"
Ren Xiu pointed slowly and weakly to her chest, "Whole body.. But heart.. Hurts most..." a drop of tear fell down her pale cheeks. It was so dramatic and cliche however the impact was big nonetheless, Qing Rui felt guilt.
Qin Yixue disregarded her status and dared to glare at Qing Rui, showing blatant contempt, then swifted her head back to her daughter. "It's alright it's alright, the doctor will come" she rubbed Ren Xiu's hot hands while still silently dropping tears.
Ren Yuan was also trembling slightly while holding his daughter's hands. For years he had treasured and protected his daughter only to be treated like this by her husband!? Ren Yuan was distressed and raging inside.
Qing Rui didn't know what to do except to wait for the imperial physician.
Suddenly the parent exclaimed, "Xiu'er?? Xiu'er!!" they looked panicked.
Right on time, the imperial physician came, "What happened!?"
"Doctor! Doctor! Please!" Qin Yixue cried and made way to the physician, "Suddenly her temperature lower so drastically!" she was almost hysteric.
The physician eyed her and checked her pulse, again and again, from her vein to her neck and back again. Until he finally stopped and heaved a low sigh, "I'm sorry..."
Qin Yixue staggered in shock and fell on her knees, Ren Yuan hugged her and cried silently while gritting his teeth. Ren Xiu's personal maidservant, Xiao Meng dan Xiao Ming cried without reservation.
There stood Qing Rui, confused while being hit by guilt and panick. What would his mother empress say when she heard that her son killed his own wife for a peasant? He definitely wouldn't get to be the emperor.
However just when all the grief and rage began to accumulate, Ren Xiu wake up, "I'm sorry.. May i know what's happening right now? I'm kinda confused."
Everybody present was dumbfounded, staring straight at the back from the dead yet clueless Ren Xiu.
No one knew it was Yamato inside, waking up from a nap only to be met with grieving ancient people, he was so clueless his mind was basically blank.