The people in the room seemed to be stunned by Kate arrival ; they stared for a long while in confusion.
Kate / Spring couldn't help but give a small smirk.
"I can see you are all loosing your manners "
Her voice seemed to snap them out of it and they all bowed their head simultaneously " Welcome back to the palace Queen Spring!!!"
There was only one chair in the room ; Kate walked towards it and sat down comfortably; she slouched allowing the sleeve to fall off and her shoulder to show.
Seduction, beauty and power all combined in one move.
Nick carried him to the side of the court where Nick and Iran were standing . Bei Shang used the opportunity to survey the place.
It was just like the other rooms of the palace dark and illuminated by stones and paintings but instead of the scent of jasmine , there was another scent , pine. The only ones wearing white was them , the rest were dressed in other colors like colors of the rainbow; people with similar colors stayed together creating an harmonious atmosphere.
"Minster of defense"
A man in a red robe scrambled outside " Yes my queen"
"how's family?"
The man swallowed as if horrified by the question " Family is doing well thank you for being gracious"
Spring waved him to come closer and patted his head " Take care ; I just wanted to greet you "
The man shuddered again and scrambled back.
"Minster of agriculture "
A man in a green robe scrambled out " Yes my Queen"
" Wow you have shaved your head " she waved him over and rubbed his head as if smoothing out wrinkles" So smooth "
The man looked like he wanted to cry " I was going bald in the first place so I decided to cut it all off in the end "
"Aha.. it's suit you "
"Thank you for being gracious " he said fearfully and ran back into his group
Kate eyes turned dark and her fangs and claws shyly came out " General Summer"
There was a thick silence before a Man in a rainbow robe came out ; his long white hair was unbound despite the rules , his eyes were a deep red like blood and his fangs were also out .
He smiled lazily at Kate " Yes Spring"
He looks familiar….
Bei Shang felt his head starting to ache ; It was as if something was trying to burst out of his head but it's been restrained.
Where did he meet this Uncle Summer?
Kate let out a laugh; but it sent shivers down the spines of everyone present " You heard what he called me ? he called me Spring; Uncle Summer called me Spring"
"What did you expect me to call you ? Queen ?"
"I was expecting a form of respect after all "
"My respect only belongs to your father; he's the only one I can use a title for"
"What? You are being misogynistic ? " She laughed when his lips twitched " You are still angry that a woman became the Queen instead of a man "
"I didn't say that Spring "
"Well I don't care what you think " She waved him closer " Come closer I want to touch your hair "
The thick silence from before descended the Room again; Kate and Summer quietly watched each other as if expecting the first one to pounce.
Summer finally moved forward but instead of bringing his head closer , he brought his hand closer " You can kiss it if you want"
Kate lips twitched and she waved him away " Don't worry... I just wanted to see how you were doing"
Everyone released their breath at once.For a minute there ; they almost thought that the two will tear each other apart .
"Okay everyone, let's hear what have been going on when I was gone"
The meeting lasted till deep in the afternoon; Bei Shang felt his tummy rumble with hunger and his head pounding but he dared not say a word.
Not with the hidden battle going on.
Mitch was already dozing off , Iran seemed like she's paying attention but Rose know that the girl could probably be asleep with her eyes opened, the attendants were probably too fearful about doing the wrong thing and paid more attention to how they conduct themselves than listen.
Nick was the only one paying attention; He stood like a statue, watching everyone with his eyes and listening with his ears ; by the time they were done, everyone was tired except for Nick and Kate.
Uncle Summer passed right in front of them; Bei Shang eyes followed his figure ; trying to remember where the familiarity came from.
Uncle Summer stopped and looked straight into his eyes; the clear intent was to cause fear but Bei shang didn't feel fear ; instead he felt certain.
This was the insidious man in the painting. What was the connection to this man and having a throbbing headache in the middle of the day?
Summer raised his arm and went straight for his eyes ; Nick slapped it aside before it could reach it's destination.
His tone was cold " Don't Force me , Uncle Summer"
Summer laughed and turned to leave.
Now Summer was far away from the court; Nick's warm expression was back. Nick bent towards his drowsy son and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Aiyaa when I was your age, I was already training swords , Look at you ,already sleeping off at a court meeting"
Mitch rubbed his nose against his father's cheeks and kissed Bei shang's cheek.
"Mom…"
Bei Shang tummy rumbled loudly and he rubbed it in embarrassment; Iran covered her mouth and laughed at the sound.
Nick refused the urge to also laugh "Let's get you some food"
They got to the kitchen in no time; two women were already there making food. The woman in brown hair looked at Bei Shang with the corner of her eye ;
"Autumn; your husband is beautiful "
Nick smiled softly; For the first time, there was no malicious intent in his nature " I know right "
Mitch looked at Bei Shang before shaking his head vigorously "She made a mistake, Mom is a woman"
Brunette looked at Bei Shang again, seeing him reluctantly nod his head , she ahhed and smiled at Mitch.
"I made a mistake"
The woman with blond hair dropped a plate of fruits in front of him ; her smile was kind.
"I was always thinking that Autumn will die alone; but now he have a lovely partner and a cute son and daughter to top it "
"I am not his daughter, I am Mitch pet"
" Well you are a very cute girl"
Iran blushed and rubbed her cheeks in happiness. Nick dropped him on a chair and sat down beside him.
Bei Shang ,seeing the two were nice people, decided to make a bit of conversation.
"Are you two sisters?"
Nick choked on his water, One of the women opened her mouth agape while the other burst into laughter.
"Do we look like sisters?"
"Oh you are friends?"
Nick rubbed his forehead as if trying not to laugh; the blonde looked like she would burst into tears and the other laughed even harder.
The brunette placed her arm on the blonde shoulder "She's my ex girlfriend..."
"Aish stop that ! " Blonde smiled at Rose kindly " We are married...61 years now"
Brunette placed a plate of steaming hot soup and bread in front of her "61 years in which she nagged my ears off "
She looked at Nick whose body was vibrating with laughter. "Nice support Autumn"
Iran have already started eating ; she looked more worried about if the food will be enough for her than who is marrying who.
Nick looked at Bei Shang " Do you think it's weird?"
Bei Shang blinked his eyes in confusion "of course not … After all I am…". Gay myself…
Nick lowered his eyes and started playing with his hair; Bei Shang slapped it away but he forcefully grabbed Bei Shang hair , pulling some strands out ;He smiled when Bei Shang glared tearfully at him.
"I don't care about the gender of my partner; I just want them to treat me well "
Bei Shang lips twitched, Then at least do something about your Black bellied nature
The couple, Cali and Juliana have been friends since childhood before finally realizing their deep friendship was love and getting married. Their parents were against them at first but now , they were already starting to soften .
Cali was dynamic and playful while Juliana was gentle and sweet ; Bei Shang couldn't help but feel they complement each other.
It was already late when they left; Mitch have already woken up and was now having a discussion with Iran; he seem to be asking her weird questions because her cheeks kept turning redder and redder.
Bei Shang was curious and tuned in to their discussion.
"Iran , when you grow up ; will you also marry a girl like Miss Cali and Juliana?"
Iran shook her head " I don't know….but it's unlikely; I just want to stay by your side and raise your children"
Bei Shang felt his heart go soft ; Iran might act childish but she really has a heart of gold.
Mitch grabbed her hand; his face was flushed with excitement " I also want to stay by your side forever; let's get married when I grow up"
Bei Shang trembled and almost fell down; Nick grabbed him before he hit the ground.
How old were they to be making such statements?! By now, they should be thinking of what they will eat tomorrow not marriage!!!
"Mom , is everything alright?"
"Yes ; I am just playing with your dad "He faced the confused Nick " Did you hear what they said?!"
" They are still kids " Nick whispered and helped him upright " But to be honest; I'll feel more safer leaving Iran with Mitch, Iran is honest and loyal, too gullible for this world ; Mitch is sweet and loving…."
"Don't marry your own son off at the age of 8yrs old ; there's still a possibility that he will change "
"By that time he will probably love you more than me " Nick sighed sadly; his heart looked like it was heavy " When I was younger , I liked my dad more than my mom , when I entered puberty I liked mom more than dad "
Bei Shang let out a laugh. Nick looking at him suddenly lowered his head ; his cheeks were pink .
"This is the first time you are smiling at me"
Bei Shang felt his heart skip a beat and he held it subconsciously. Pink cheeks looks so great on Nick.
He quickly shook his head "Are you using enchantment magic again?!"
"I wish you will always smile at me like this"
A Sense of Deja Vu suddenly flashed through Bei Shang and he found himself staring at Nick.
Why are you so pretty.
I don't know….
Smile more frequently, it makes you look so soft.
Bei Shang held his head ; his head was banging as if it was at it's limit.
"Bei Shang, is anything wrong?"
"I…I…" He stared at Nick and shook his head " Can I leave for my room? I feel so tired"
Nick nod his head slowly "Okay"
Bei Shang looked at the floating foxes in his room , his heart filled with thoughts.
Was it because of their discussion there was such a high emotional response from him ? Why did he feel the need to stay and let Nick do whatever he wanted with him despite everything that have happened to him ? Why didn't he struggle enough ?
If he was truly desperate to leave, wouldn't he find all means?
Bei Shang sighed " He's a demon, he probably used an enchantment portion on me "
Long after everyone has slept including Bei Shang; Nick entered Bei Shang room and knelt beside his bed.
Why did you leave me?
He heard that voice repeatedly ask and he stretched his fingers towards Bei Shang throat ;but this time his fingers didn't reach his throat, he raised his fingers and lightly patted his hair.
There are stories of unsolved issues of the past lives sinking over to new reincarnation lives. He could try to figure out what happened but he didn't know why ; he felt even more scared of knowing the truth.
You want to leave me again… you promised! You promised!!You said you will marry me !!!
He felt the voice in his head getting restless again and he moved his fingers to Bei Shang throat when he felt the pulse in his fingers; he finally relaxed.
"Bei Shang…" He whispered and put his head on the bed "Bei Shang…"