She did not want to cause a commotion, but now it might happen. And she could be exposed to Zanaark if everyone's attention was on her. She couldn't let that happen and struggled internally to stop her empty stofmach from pouring out its content.
They were next to each other, so Beichen felt Yanyue's change in breathing pace. She was breathing in and out every or so second as if she was in pain. He glanced at her and snapped out.
He quickly asked, "Is the baby going to come out now?"
But she didn't answer him. Her face was pale, and he saw her eyes darting toward the blood on his hand.
He read that a pregnant woman's sense of smell could become sensitive to even the tiniest scent of anything. Perhaps that was why Yanyue didn't look so good seeing the blood.
The attendant took the bloody cup away and replaced it with a new one. Then Beichen took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood on his hand.
Everyone's attention was still on Advisor Vakha explaining the story behind the necklace, so no one noticed anything strange with them. The color returned to Yanyue's face, and her breathing was steady again. Beichen was relieved.
The assistant by Advisor Vakha finally closed the case after a long time and passed it to King Tiangong's attendant to put away with all the other gifts.
"I should personally send a thank you letter to Demeer Kaan for giving me such a thoughtful gift. I don't think that I will ever forget his kindness."
From a regular person's perspective, the King looked and sounded normal, but only he knew that somewhere in his heart was beating like a crazy animal.
The necklace.
King Tiangong had been looking for it for a very long time. The people who knew him understood that he wanted to look for the necklace because of his thirst for power, but they would never know that none of that was interesting to him. What he truly wanted was the person who owned the necklace.
That woman.
He couldn't find her body even with all the resources he poured into the search.
He remembered that dreadful day and often had a nightmare about it.
Before she jumped from the balcony, she glared at him with so much hatred that his heart broke into pieces. He reached his hand towards her, but he couldn't keep her. Her body was like a feather. She fell into the ocean right in front of their son. He was so mad and scared that he jumped immediately after her, fearing that he would never get to see her again.
Many of his friends said that she was dead. But her body and her belongings were nowhere to be found in that deep and black ocean water, so he never believed it.
She was wearing the necklace that day. Seeing it here in person sprung his already dead heart back to life. He had a hope that she was still alive somewhere.
Sometimes, he liked to believe that she was hiding from him because she was angry at him, and then when happy again, she would return to his side.
But a year passed, then two and five.
Now more than ten years later, she still had not shown up. King Tiangong didn't know what to do. Everyone said he was the most powerful man in the world, but he couldn't protect the woman he loved most. He was everything except a strong man.
He was neither a good husband nor a good father. Not only did he shut the world out, but he also shut out his son after losing her. Because every time he looked at Beichen, he would be reminded of the boy's mother and be in so much pain. That boy looked like the spitting image of her. He had her eyes and nose, and his smile was like hers.
So, he never blamed him for the resentment or for going against him at every turn. The only thing he had ever forced his son to do was to marry Shen's oldest daughter, and that was because he saw that the girl was sincere to his son. If his son missed the chance, then he would never be able to find someone as good as her again.
King Tiangong's eyes became watery when he saw his sons with their wives. He thought their mother would be proud of what they had accomplished if she was here right now.
He whispered to his right-hand man, "Go put the necklace in my room."
The assistant nodded and hustled away with the case.
After so long, the young prince regent of Korsan stood up and presented their gift to the King.
"Your majesty, we are a small country, but our hearts are bountiful. To remain at peace with Yilonguo, please accept the land rights. We present one of the three islands. As you already know those are our country's treasures. The island selected is full of rich resources that have remained untouched."
People had always curried up to King Tiangong for favors. His birthday this year had already begun quite unexpectedly, and it seemed that Korsan was the same. There would never be a "free" gift in the political world, and Korsan's three private islands were something that they took great pride in having. They were ready to give it to him, so that must mean that they truly needed him to do a favor for them.
"Thank you to the prince regent and Korsan for their big gift. I have been worried about expanding Yilinguo's tourism business industry, and the island would be a perfect place to expand to!"
King Tiangong was not an easy target like he had shown so far into the evening. He saw an opportunity and did not refuse, but he was already aware that Korsan did not come in simple terms this time.
The prince regent smiled, but his smile did not reach his eyes.
"I heard that King Tiangong enjoys the dances in the Palace very much. Today, I brought this dancer with talents in the arts of the traditional palace dances to put on a show that will move Your Majesty's heart very much. Please enjoy the performance."
The King laughed again and expressed spiritedly, "Good!"
The prince regent sat back in his spot. The woman who came in with him, who was standing by his chair, came forward to the middle of the venue. All the tables were in conference style, so the space in the middle was for performances.
The woman stood in the middle of the stage where all the lights were pointing and moved her body into an elegant pose with her arms covering her face. Another person came forward and sat a little further behind the woman with a big string instrument in front of him. He placed his hands on the musical instrument methodically.
He closed his eyes, and then gently plucked the first note, which created a sound so classical and melodic that it filled the whole room with peace and tranquility.
The woman began dancing as soon as the music played.
When Yanyue first became the princess consort, Grandma Lu had assigned traditional dancing classes for her, and she did well, but now she understood that some people were just born for these things.
The woman on stage moved her body along with the music as if she were one with the melody. Her steps were poetic, and she was speaking to the audience with nothing but only her body. She conveyed the music enthusiastically but fluidly. It seemed that the music was not controlling her, but rather that she commended the notes to bend beautifully with her movements and strokes.
King Tiangong was looking at her at first with just a fleeting interest, but when the dancer looked at him now and then from below with her bold and glittery eyes, he began to feel that his heart was beating a little out of control.
He was not young anymore and understood that the dancer was seducing him. Being in a position that controlled so much, he had always attracted a lot of women to his door. But throughout his life experience, he only had eyes for one person, and that had never changed. She may be gone, but he had never betrayed her in body and mind because he always felt that that woman would return to his arms.
He never thought that one day, a mere dancer from nowhere would raise the rhythm of his heartbeat so much that he became confused and a little lustful. All the ways she twisted and turned her body reminded him of a woman long ago who always knew how to make his body burn from the inside with desires. While she was dancing down there, all he could think about was how she would move and wriggle under his body. And he was bewitched by those stares.
His wild imagination ended when the last note of the instrument came with a single stroke, and the woman rested her hands back in the position when she started. The dance and music came full circle, and then the crowd that had been momentarily enchanted by the beauty of the dancer and her art clapped and cheered heartily. Yanyue noticed some of the audience wiping tears from their eyes. They were very moved and couldn't control their emotions, which made sense because the performance conveyed the story of forbidden love and betrayals, which resonated with many people in ways more than could be imagined.
"This lady dances so well I was brought to tears and almost thought that I had traveled back to ancient times," an elderly official with a long, white mustache commented and praised.
Then, another person commented: "It was truly poetic. Very proficient and true to the story of love and betrayal. You portrayed the woman's pain and loss with such stunning clarity that it was as if you have experienced that kind of love and betrayal yourself!"
The elderly official nodded in acquiescence and asked, "May we know this lady's name and who her master is?"
The woman was still in the middle of the stage, received praises and cheers, and became modest. It was a small gesture that showed no arrogance.
"My lord, thank you for your praise and flatters. I am only a lowly commoner with no name of her own and dance leisurely with no master to guide me professionally. Please excuse my poor art since I still lack many techniques."
Her voice was soft, and she was respectful and humble. The official who asked the question smiled and bobbed his head in satisfaction. She was neither rude nor pretentious, causing him to show great respect for her due to her gentle demeanor. He was way past his retirement years and had seen and heard many things, and it was now that contributed his life to be full of wonders and greatness.
King Tiangong was still stunned by the graceful dance, especially by the person who performed it. He watched her with a careful eye, never straying away from her for a second. His heart thudded as if discovered something, and the blood in his body became hot.
He whispered to his assistant again, "Make sure she comes to my chamber tonight."
The assistant, an elderly-looking man, raised one of his eyebrows in shock. He had been by the King's side since the King was only a newborn. It was he who understood his majesty best.
Since the day that woman was pronounced dead, the King cut himself off from the world and shut his heart. Women from all over the crooks and crannies of the earth willingly brought themselves to his doors, schemes or no schemes, but never once had he seen his King falter and betray his one true love.
But tonight, his majesty made such a request, confusing him but raising his interest in the dancer.
Who was this woman, and how did she catch his King's attention?
The answer was beyond his old years living in the palace.
The dancer bowed to the King and walked back, standing behind the Prince Regent's chair. The man playing the instrument also walked away after paying his respect to the King, leaving the attendants to haul the musical tool out of the way.