In the company of his trusted comrade Li Hung became relaxed, there were very few people he would allow his true self to be seen and Ronald Wayling was one of them.
He was the first person to have really understood the burden Gang Li Hung was carrying and did something that truly helped him.
For Li Hung had always found his curse challenging, his most difficult times came during his childhood years. Being a child with the ability to hear and understand others, yet being unable to communicate your own self, with the added pressure of maintaining it as a family secret, lead Li Hung into a great depression.
He found it tedious having to always write down how he felt or what he wanted to say, not to mention humiliating. His only companions being Princess Zhang Wu Shu and Prince Zhang Wu XiaoSheng, and this was not being by choice, saw his already becoming personality turn cold. In reality He truly found the pair to be tiresome, and he despised XiaoSheng who always found every opportunity to belittle him.
As time went on, he began to isolate himself more and more, only finding solace in developing his fundamental ability. The once happy and innocent child, who thought nothing much of his inabilities, started to understand the harsh reality of life. Before his eyes he saw how the Zhang Wu family used his father's and his curses against them, each time demanding more, and now they dared to covert something that doesn't belong to them.
.
.
"Your majesty cannot avoid his duties forever, if you do not wish to hold her whilst sober, would you prefer some liquor to aid you though the night?" ask Ronald, he knew it was a waste of time asking but nonetheless he guessed hoping the prince would change his mind.
//Captain, do you mock me so that you wish for me to lay with the enemy so freely\\ Gang Li Hung snapped.
"Your majesty please, that is not what I meant, need I remind you that the enemy is your wife, and until we can find the one, well am afraid his majesty will just have to take one for his country'' Ronald said seriously.
Li Hung signed, he knew he couldn't hide away from his problems forever, but neither can he go against his conscience. Pulling the liquor flask that sat among them on the table towards him, he poured himself a drink, the thought alone of laying with Zhang Wu Shu needed to be blurred away from his memory. He had not long till the next blue moon, and he was no closer to finding the one prophesied about.
"If I am not to find them, am I to remain like this forever?... Am I to become like my father? And become nothing more than a shell of a man, who needs help from the likes of the Zhang Wu family to rule over his empire?... no, I must break this curse," Li Hung worryingly questioned himself, whilst pouring another full glass of liquor and gulping it all down in one mouth full, the sweet milky taste, was a welcomed friend to drown his worries.
//what of XiaoSheng, has he made any further movements?\\ Li Hung was now cold in his expression, his demeanour hostile.
Being familiar with the young man, Ronald was not surprised by his sudden change, but simply watched as Li Hung gathered his thoughts.
"I've heard that he's been frequenting the omega institution as of late and even requested quite a few omegas…... I will visit the institution shortly and investigate as to what kind of omegas, but I doubt they were the domestic kind. There were even rumours of him recruiting illegal omegas into the palace army. If that's the case will need to be on guard, speak with your father about possibly getting some omegas ourselves" He informed.
//I've spoken to father on previous occasions, but due to the agreement with the Zhang Wu family, father his forbidden from taking on fighter omegas, and he's only limited to a certain number of domestic omegas….. With them watching our every move, the gathering of fighter omegas would be too easily noticed. Does XiaoSheng still have the favour of the Kazakh border tribe?\\
"Yes, from the information I have collected, it appears he's been supplying them with trading rights, farming lands and the markets …. Well Prince" Ronald paused thinking of the best way to continue.
"The people are suffering, XiaoSheng is tactical, allowing the Kazakh people to take control of the market areas and some of their farming land, reducing their crop profits. Also, the Zoultanian people have been ordered had to pay double in tax. Am afraid that once the people have lost faith in the 'Gang' family to maintain their livelihoods and this empire. The Zhang Wu family could easily overthrow you by the vote of the people without the need to go to war. And What of your wolf form, have you been able to transform?" he asked worryingly.
The most important attribute of an Alpha, especially being that of a emperor or king was his ability to transform into his wolf form, in fact it is a must. An emperor who cannot protect his people was no emperor at all, Li Hung inability to transform was a secret only known among themselves. Like with Zhang Wu Shu, he had avoided the need to reveal his true form, he is hoping the one to break the curse would also heal his wolf form.
Gang Li Hung paused, his expression revealing his true answer, //I'm working on it….. Once… I find that person I'll be able to… I ju…\\ he tried to explain before being cut off by Ronald.
"And what if you don't? You've never left the palace grounds further than to its marketplace. With the Zhang Wu Family watching, how are you to embark on a journey so important and with so little time left. Before XiaoSheng has you be the throat, use his sister to hinder him… w…"
'SLAM!' Li Hung slammed his glass on the table, smashing it to pieces, his aura cold with a chilling glare. //do you also have such little faith in me, my dear friend\\ he spoke in a cold tone.
Ronald shivered under his aura; it was strange that though Li Hung's wolf form hadn't emerged, his alpha pheromones were still strong; Ronald felt himself quickly submitting, "N… no...your majesty, …... please forgive me…. That was not at all what I meant…... I… I just care for his majesty deeply and wish to see him have what his rightfully his…. I apologise your majesty, I was careless with my words" his voice slight trembled as he spoke,
"he truly is worthy to be an emperor, no matter what I must keep trusting and helping him" Ronald reminded himself.
Li Hung composed himself, the thought that his only confidant didn't have faith in him was heart ranching. He cared little of what others thought, but Ronald was different, though Ronald may not know this, but he looked up to the man as though he were an elder brother, in Li Hung's eyes he was someone worthy of his highest respect, though he often used his status as prince to scare him a little.
//forget it…. You're right…. Let's proceed as planned. I've had Haruto Toshiaki gather a few good men to accompany us, we can use Toshiaki's abilities on the journey, though he's only entered his foundation stage visionary… I've been told that if we travel to Mangyan village we should find the visioner called Chung-hee Lim he's said to have mastered his ability to prophesied but turned mad in the process, if we find him then maybe he could tell us where to find her\\ Li Hung explained his intension.
A complicated look came over Ronald's face, //what?\\ asked Li Hung.
Ronald paused, questioning whether he should continue, //just say it already\\ Li Hung signed, getting slightly annoyed.
He took a deep breath, hoping not to get murdered for what he was about to ask… "Ahem…. Well, the thing is your majesty…. What if all these years the royal family has been looking for the wrong gender?" Ronald paused, gauging the prince's reaction.
Bewildered at his question, Li Hung questioned, //how do you mean wrong gender?\\.
"What if the one we seek is a man? The heart you must win is one of a male, it could be that the reason we haven't been able to find this chosen person, is due to the fact we've been looking in the wrong place, don't you think?", suggested Ronald genuinely in thought.
Gang Li Hung thought it over for a moment, in all his years he had envisioned a woman, the visioners had never said her, they said he must win the heart of the chosen one, "could it really be male…. No impossible" he pondered.
//it's impossible, the prophecies states I must win their heart, doesn't that mean to make them fall-in-love with me?\\ asked Li Hung
"Not entirely, could it not be to make them accept you in their hearts, it maybe that the one who cast the curse held a grudge against the royal family, could it not be that grudge needs to be resolved, by winning that person's heart? I've been questioning lately whether this is maybe why in the past according to the story prince Gang Li Kang Failed to break the curse. Besides, there are parts to the story we haven't been told, like why the curse was cast and by whom? There are many unanswered questions, I believe if we can figure out these answers we'll find the one" Ronald expressed, he had been trying for years to look tirelessly for the one they claimed could break the prince's curse, but more questions than answers came along his searched.
Li Hung pondered for a while, if Ronald is correct, then what his he to do? He has been saving himself for them, he refuses to accept such a possibility.