The lively atmosphere turned stiff and gossip-ridden after Beichen and Wanyue showed up. It was especially suffocating for Yanyue who was the legal wife. She always thought that she was excellent at enduring this kind of stuff, but tonight everyone's eyes were on her so she found herself in a bind, not sure of how to act or what to say to people. In the end, she remained quiet and ignorant as if the two people next to her did not exist.
After a while of sufferable waiting, the king and queen arrived. Formalities were done and soon the food came out one by one. They enjoyed the performances of traditional dances and music playing in the center of the room as they munch on their food.
On the table was Yanyue's favorite lotus ribs soup, but she didn't have an appetite. Not because it wasn't cooked to her liking; the soup might have been one of the best versions that she had come across. The real reason why she couldn't swallow anything was the lovely atmosphere coming from her side.
While Yanyue struggled to down in her food, the two people next to her ate with ease. Wanyue found Beichen's favorite seafood stew and had the maid served him more. The man did the same, asking the maid to serve nutritional food to the pregnant woman. They showed affection without a care as to who was in the room. It was like they were invisible.
Grandma Lu regarded their display of affection as shameful and unfilial. Ever since her grandson arrived, he did not bother about his wife. Instead, he gave all the attention to his mistress, disgracing the royal family. Furthermore, she could not allow her granddaughter-in-law to be treated unfairly in front of all these important guests.
She cleared her throat and sternly demanded her grandson to put some food into Yanyue's plate. Beichen, who could never ignore his grandma's request, sighed and began choosing a dish. Truthfully, he didn't know what the woman liked at all because he was never interested. He didn't want to waste too much time guessing what she might like, so he chose the aromatic lotus root with pork ribs and served her a bowl.
Yanyue was surprised when Beichen picked the lotus ribs soup. He never took time to learn about her likes or dislikes, but he blindly chose her favorite dish to give to her. So, even if she didn't have much of an appetite, she felt a little happy and began drinking the soup that he delivered to her plate.
Once everyone finished feasting, the dancing session began. The crown prince and crown princess started the opening dance to open up the dance floor.
"Don't want to?" Jinchen whispered to his partner, whose face was a little irritated.
The crown princess whispered back with a cunning raise of her cherry lips, "No, I love it. Let's make the play more real shall we? But...I'm just afraid that your little ex-girlfriend will be very heartbroken."
Dancing with another partner was Chu-hua, who took every opportunity she could get to glance at the main couple waltzing in the center.
Jinchen did not respond to the crown princess's remarks, instead, he pressed her closer to his embrace, surprising the woman so she uttered out a yelp.
Suyin murmured to his ears, "Too close!"
"I still think we're not close enough. If you want more gossips, then the closer the better," said Jinchen as he twirled Suyin.
"Then, bye so-called fiance," emphasized the woman as she broke from Jichen's clutches and into the hands of another handsome man around his thirties.
The crown prince was left speechless as another woman stretched into his hands. He glared at Suyin for a second before accepting his new dance partner.
"Crown princess," said the man, whose eyes stared at Suyin in a daze.
The woman's lips arched lightly and she said with a tease, "General Feng, you look different tonight."
General Feng blushed from ears to ears. He dared not look at Suyin anymore.
"Do I look funny?" asked the young general.
"No, I think you look great in your formal suit. You'll make an attractive businessman," answered Suyin flirtatiously.
"Crown princess...don't make fun of me."
"Aren't I right though? You used to be a great businessman when your wife was still alive..." Suyin brought up the topic on purpose.
And as expected, General Feng's body became stiff. Suyin smiled internally. She needed to advance the topic.
"I heard that you love your wife very much. Even after her death, you haven't been seen in public with a woman. As a woman myself, I must say that your wife was a truly lucky lady."
"Indeed, you're right. I love my wife, so I can't bear to move on," General Feng replied pitifully.
Suyin caressed his back softly and gazed into his hazel eyes, "General Feng should not stay in the past anymore. Perhaps, it's time to move on?"
There was a heavy pause from the man as he looked into her clear indigo orbs. They were radiating so much warmth that he felt himself slowly falling into her trap.
"Crown princess, we are not fated to be as you are already the crown prince's person..." declared the man, his voice echoed a sense of yearning and loss.
"You won't even take me away?" asked Suyin softly.
"I..."
Bingo. She got him. With a twirl, Suyin gracefully stepped back into Jinchen's arms. General Feng stared at the couple enviously.
"He's a dangerous man," warned Jinchen.
Suyin wrapped one hand around Jinchen's neck and stroked his hair. She leaned forward and whispered, "Aren't you a more dangerous man? I slightly recall that someone banned me from my own home country for six years. If there's anyone I need to be more cautious of, then it is you, my fiance." She made sure to stress the word fiance.
The music ended before he could say anything back to the woman. Suyin walked first to their seats. Jinchen followed behind her with a gloomy expression.
"Crown prince, crown princess," greeted Yanyue from her chair.
She was sitting beside Grandma Lu while enjoying the couples waltzing to the music on the dance floor.
Suyin grinned back and bowed to Grandma Lu, "Sister-in-law, grandma."
"Why don't you dance more? Was it Ah Jin who forced you to stop?" asked the old lady, who was already grumpy about her second grandson.
Suyin giggled and shook her head, "No, grandma. I'm just a little tired, so I asked him to stop."
A voice emerged behind them, "Grandma only knows how to blame her grandson. If I didn't know any better, then I would have guessed that I wasn't your grandson but she is."
Jinchen took a seat beside his fiancee.
The old lady glared at her grandson, "Xiaoyin is like my granddaughter. She is also much more available compared to you or your two brothers. All you brothers only know how to work and work. Luckily, I have Suyin who always accompanied me back then. If it weren't for you, then I wouldn't have been so lonely for six years," she scoffed, "and all because of that lowly woman. How dare she appeared tonight!?"
There was contempt in the old lady's voice as she looked at Chu-hua who was still dancing. Grandma Lu was unhappy as she recalled the lonely times when Suyin was exiled. Back then, the girl was so innocent and bright, but now when she saw her again, she couldn't see the purity of the old days in the girl's eyes anymore. Instead, it was full of hostility and secrets.
What did the humble girl from back then experience after she was exiled?
As the grandma of the person who forced Suyin out of the country, the old lady felt some guilt in her heart. However, now that she was back, the old lady only wished that she could forgive her grandson and get together with him. In her eyes, only Suyin was the best woman for Jinchen.
Suyin felt the tight atmosphere between the old lady and her grandson, so she changed the topic. "Grandma, I've been out of the country for so long that I've been missing your tea ever since I came back. I wonder how your tea tastes like now..."
"Then, this old lady will brew some tea for you tomorrow," said Grandma Lu as she pouted, "I'm sad that you never visited me since your return. Xiaoyue is also pregnant now, so she can't visit me as much anymore. I'm getting old, so no one wants to talk to me."
Suyin scratched her head in guilt, "Alright, grandma don't be sad. I promise that I'll visit you every day from now on!"
"Child, don't make a promise that you can't keep! You will make me sad again!" remarked the old lady.
"Grandma, I swear that after everything, I will hang out with you every day for a week!" asserted Suyin as she raised two fingers in promise.
The old lady grinned, "Make that two weeks!"
"Uh...okay, okay anything grandma wants!"
Then, the old lady turned to Yanyue, while still ignoring Jinchen.
"Xiaoyue, I'll have Ah Li pick you up tomorrow. Bring some of the tea from the garden too. You and Xiaoyin have never met, but you will get to know each other better after spending some time together."
Yanyue smiled and nodded to the old lady and the crown princess, "I would love to, grandma."
They continued to chat until Grandma Lu had to leave for her treatments. Yanyue didn't want to become a third wheel between the crown prince and crown princess, so she excused herself.
She walked to the balcony to get some fresh air. The balcony was spacious and in its view was the Rose Garden. The moon was bright and sharp. Its moonlight hit every corner of the Palace, making the scenery more serene and melancholy.
Everyone was inside enjoying the banquet, so the outside was rather quiet. There was only the vibrating sound of cicadas buzzing throughout darkness and chirping of crickets from afar.
In a moment like this, how nice it would be to share it with the person that she loved. But, that was impossible, so she sighed deeply in her heart from loneliness.
From below the garden, she saw two sneaky silhouettes as they whispered to each other.
At first, Yanyue thought that it was just a young couple sneaking out to enjoy some time alone, but as she listened further, the woman sounded like Wanyue. She was more sure when the name was called out.
So, she thought that the man must be Beichen. However, as the man spoke more, his voice did not resemble Beichen's deep yet gravelly and husky voice at all. Then, the conversation that she heard next put her into a great shock.
"The baby is not his highness's baby at all."
"Shut up!"
There was a muffling sound and the shadows looked like they were struggling to keep still.
"I won't because the baby is mine."
"It's not yours!"
"You..."
There was a silene and then the man continued.
"Aren't you scared that his highness might find out that you cheated him?"
"No one will know if you keep your mouth shut."
"So, it's my baby?"
There was no answer, so the man continued speaking.
"That night when we made love to each other, you said that I'm your only man. Is that still true?"
"Yes, it's still true."
The smaller shadow embraced the broader shadow.
"I love you, Wanyue! When will you let me marry you?"
The shadows broke apart abruptly.
"I can't! His highness thinks that this baby is his from that night when he was drunk. You know that I can't move from him yet. I'm sorry..."
"If he loves you, then he wouldn't have married another woman! My family is as wealthy as yours, so we'll be the perfect match."
"He loves me, but he's too tempted by that bitch. I just need to get rid of her, then my problem will be solved!"
The smaller shadow lied back into the taller shadow's arms.
"If you love me, then you want me to be happy right?"
The taller shadow nodded.
"Then, do something for me, will you? Get rid-"
"Yueyue!"