The Devil's Son: I Am No Angel

Chapter Thirty Four: The Emperor, The Queen, The Heir, The Prince

It took exactly two hours for the shower to finish. Obviously, what they two had been doing during these two hours of showers is too private to be described. Now, they are all dressed, wearing they’re sweaters and jackets to keep them warm. It was clear that outside is cold because the room’s heater was at full blast. The moment they step out of the hotel, cold air blew at her making her shivered.

‘It’s not winter but its freezing.’ Damian said came out like smoke. She nodded and turned to scan her surroundings. Her mouth fell open and she couldn’t speak. Chinese words written all over the streets, Chinese people walking on the streets, building high up covering most of the skies, it is so clear now, they are in Beijing, China. Why would he bring her here? ‘We’re in China?’ She asked as she was still in shock. Damian chuckled and gave her a ‘MmmHmph…’ nod. ‘Why?’ She asked. Damian smirked and pulled her down the streets. ‘I heard this hotel is near the Forbidden City.’ Damian said. She frowned back at him in confusion. ‘Give me a tour, love.’ Damian said cheerfully.

She sighed and shook her head knowing that he must be planning something fishy. ‘Why are you doing this, Damian?’ She said with slight frustration. ‘Because you stayed here before?’ Damian asked in a ‘duh’ tone. She sighed and shook her head. ‘What is your objective? What is your motive for bringing me here?’ She asked and glared at Damian wishing that he would not lie. Damian eyes flashed a second with guilt and then he smirked to hide it and she could see it clearly. ‘I have not been to China before.’ Damian said cheekily. Angrily, she got closer to him. ‘You’re lying!’ She spat, clearly, Damian had been to China before because he told her he had been reincarnated so many times that he had visited all the countries in the world. She narrowed her eyes at him and waited for the reasonable answer. ‘Come on.’ Damian pulled her and got her into the cab. ‘Let’s go to the Forbidden City.’ Damian ignored her.

‘Damian!’ She was practically shouting when both of them got into the cab. ‘You’re trying to hide things from me again!’ She said. ‘Will you translate?’ Damian asked. She grunted and turned to tell the driver to bring them to the Forbidden City. She turned back and glared at Damian but his phone rang. He picked it up and his expression fell into a serious one. She used her super hearing to hear who was on the phone while hoping Damian wouldn’t notice.

‘Her family is safe, Damian. Well, as long as they are in the barrier.’ She could here Dominic on the other side of the line. She shuddered at the thought that Damian might have actually read her mind in the room. Damian caught her eavesdropping at quickly spoke in a foreign language that she was sure it isn’t French. Dominic replied as well until she heard Damian said. ‘Spacibo’ to Dominic that she realized he was speaking in Russian. She grunted angrily knowing Damian was hiding something and was obviously didn’t want her to be involve. She folded her arms in front of her and turned to face the outside world outside of the stuffy cab.

She could feel Damian’s arms rapping around her waist pulling her closer to him when clearly she was keeping some space between them. He breathes in her scent from her hair and breathes out making her shiver. ‘Please stop hiding things from me.’ She said as she felt her frustration grew. ‘I am not.’ Damian said softly. ‘You are!’ She replied. ‘You spoke in Russian when you saw me eavesdropping!’ She added. ‘That was to teach you a lesson.’ Damian said with a low chuckle. ‘Eavesdropping is a bad habit, love, you should learn to stop that.’ Damian said. She growled with anger when she knew he was trying to change the subject. ‘Are you still dying?’ She asked bluntly. Tears formed under her lids and were begging to let it flow out. She knew even if she cries now Damian wouldn’t be able to see because she was still looking away from Damian. ‘Yes.’ Damian replied bluntly. Tears flowed out of her eyes involuntarily and she begins to sob. ‘Hush, love, I am not finished.’ He said as he pulled her closer and turned her around to let her face him. ‘No, I won’t die forever. I would be free.’ Damian said with a smile.

‘What do you mean?’ She asked while still crying. Damian rubbed away the pearl like tears of hers and kissed her forehead. My true form will be out of this shell, love. He sent the thought to her. Relief washes over her and she sighed gratefully for his words. She cannot imagine him dead nor can she imagine her without him. She could already feel the loneliness seeping through her defenses. Damian held her tighter as he felt her feelings. ‘Never, will I leave you, love.’ Damian said as he smiled. She smiled back as their eyes met. She felt a longing pull like magnet pulling the both of them together and in his arms she felt safe.

When they got there, both of them stood in front of the gate of the Forbidden City. Neither of them is showing any sign of being dumbstruck by the grand and beauty but nostalgic. She could remember how she had her very first kiss here with her first boyfriend. How much he had taught her when they were here. But it was also the very first place she got dumb. She felt stupid and childish for her how she had acted when that had happened. She never actually had feelings for that boy the first place but she acted like a baby that lost his bottle.

She turned to face Damian, but Damian was already at the front gate. He touches the golden orbs on the gate like he had been there before. His fingers move along each of them as he steps into the city. She ran in closer to him. ‘I lied when I told you I can’t speak Chinese.’ Damian said. She just watches him speak with a knowing look. ‘I was once reincarnated in this city.’ Damian added.

She smirked cheekily at him. ‘So were you a prince again?’ She asked. Damian nodded. ‘Wow, that’s new.’ She added sarcastically. ‘Love, being a prince in the Forbidden City isn’t as easy as you think it is. In England or France, princes are allowed to go out the castle. But princes in this city aren’t. You may think that a city this huge shouldn’t be a problem but it is. That is because a prince does not make you an heir to the throne. The Emperor has thousands of wives, hundreds of sons and daughters. His entire concubine is all challenging each other to gain power as Queen. You might be the Queen today but you might not be the Queen tomorrow. That was how the life in the city is. I had watched many of my talented brothers poisoned or assassinated by their own stepmothers. I had seen my stepmothers plot evil plots to kill each other to gain power. I had seen newborn babies killed here. I had seen innocents killed for the sake of power. This city was never a heaven it was like a living hell.’ Damian said with a weak tone. She nodded as she had heard the story about the Forbidden City from her ex-boyfriend before. ‘Like a cage bird waiting to be killed, I waited for my life to end. But it was also because of my brothers that I had lived. When I was a child, things weren’t like that. My brothers would protect me and I would protect them. We would practice martial arts together, pull pranks together, and study together, but then as we grew up, things begun to change. Our mothers poison our mind to kill each other so that we could be the heir. I had done it before, plotting and planning to kill my own brother. I hated myself for doing so.’ Damian said as his voice seems disgusted and she knew he was actually disgusted of himself.

‘When I had killed so many of my brothers that only about two close ones were left alive, I reached the age of seventeen. It was a month before my birthday, when my memories came back to me. That was when I gave up the throne. But my father, the Emperor had then named me as his heir. Because I didn’t want the throne, I when to tell both my brothers that I am already sick and tired of the fight and that I would not want to have the throne. But they didn’t believe me one of them stabbed me in the chest and left me dead.’ Damian said. His tone was obvious that he was not angry of what his brother had done to him but it was because of how their mothers poison their mind. ‘Power is one dangerous drug, Damian.’ She said. He nodded to her.

‘Why would you still come here?’ She asked. ‘To pay my respect for those who I had actually loves.’ Damian replied. A smile spread across her face and she gleefully held his arms. She was glad that Damian still has the good side in him. She looks around the big space and begins walking with him. A huge fleet of stairs brings them towards the main alter and the dragon carvings showed the power of the kings. ‘Do you know that only the kings can walk up on these carvings?’ Damian asked and she nodded. ‘Well, now, there isn’t a king, no one should walk up there.’ She replied and he smiled. ‘I was glad I didn’t survive to be one.’ Damian added. She frowned back at him. ‘Because my father, the king, told me he knew all along what was happening. But he couldn’t do a thing about it. He said that he may be able to stop one or two of such happenings but it would still continue on. And he said human is vulnerable when it comes to power. I don’t want to be in his position at all.’ He said and Shane nodded understanding how the King had felt.