Gluttonous Consort

11 - His Return

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The pair had somehow got separated from each other. Whether it was when Meilin was too busy drooling over the chicken skewers or when Li Wei was attracted by the dancing sword artists, what is clear is that they were not together anymore.

"Tsk, where has this prince gone to?" Meilin asked herself as she looked side to side and over people to try and find him. It was not easy to lose sight of him considering his tall, slender build stood out almost anywhere. But with the night sky and big crowd, there was just too many people around.

Just on the other side of where Meilin was, Li Wei was also craning his neck to try and find the small woman. He was starting to regret his decision of rejecting Yu Khei's offer to pace behind them for he had a much sharper eye and would have been able to spot her in no time.

Deciding that he would find her if he just walked around a little more, Li Wei abandoned the sword performance. He pondered on whether he should shout her name, but she might not even hear that over all the people chattering away in the market.

It was then that something caught the attention of the prince. He could not be sure if what he saw was right or just the figment of his imagination but he could not shake away the nervousness that was starting to creep up on him.

Abandoning the market, he took off to the sides where the alleyways were hidden. The change in the air was very much noticeable as a stray, cold wind swept by. Left behind were the joyous laughter and chatter of the people and now only a silence hung about.

'Could I have imagined it all?' Li Wei thought as his head spun from left to right in order to catch a glimpse of what disturbed him in the first place.

"Ah, I was not sure if my quick appearance would catch your attention...little brother."

That voice.

It had matured but there was no denying that Li Wei knew exactly who it belonged to. Such a precious sound that he had not heard in years. The prince wasted no time in turning to the direction of the voice, to see whether or not he was right.

Hidden behind a black cloth, a lean figure stood beside the entrance to the alleyway. It did not matter if his face was concealed, for all Li Wei needed to see was the scarring that lined up from the bridge of his nose to his left ear.

"Brother..." Li Wei's throat had suddenly dried up as he struggled to get his words out. "You're supposed to be-"

"Dead," the 5th prince, Li Jun, spat out.

An eerie silence took over once more as Li Wei tried to understand the situation. The older brother that he had so fondly grown up with had been taken away from him at such a young age only to show up again alive and well.

"I can see the confusion clouding your eyes and I do not blame you. For me to show up unexpectedly, causing such chaos..."

Li Wei's eyebrows furrowed together at his words. "What do you mean by chaos?"

Li Jun stood quiet for a second before a smirk crept up his lips - one his little brother could not see. "Oh, I think you can guess. If one day you, too, were dragged out of your bed to be murdered only to somehow miraculously survive, you would no doubt be angry too. It is only fair that I vent my wrath out, don't you think?"

The colour had been drained from the 9th prince's face for he could not comprehend what was being said to him at this moment.

"You could join me, you know," Li Jun continued. "We had always played together and out of all brothers you were the only one who had ever sided with me. This is no different."

"Everything about this is different!" Li Wei shouted out in frustration. "This is innocent people we are talking about."

"Innocent?" Li Jun shot up. His voice had now distorted to anger. "When the news of the murder of the 5th prince broke out it was none of these people who cared. No one...no one at all seemed interested that an 11 year old boy, so young, was mercilessly taken away. So why should I care, now?"

"Li Wei?" It was Meilin. "I have walked all over this market trying to find you. Come out now and I will consider not hitting you!"

A sudden laugh escaped the lips of Li Jun. "I see in the time I have spent away my little brother has already found himself a bride. It would be improper for me not to introduce myself."

Panic exploded within the 9th prince as he instinctively charged to Li Jun. Unfortunately the older prince was just far too quick. His skills surpassed Li Wei's in ever category and he managed to dodge the coming attack by flinging himself up on to the nearby roof.

From above, he looked down at his little brother. "I was hoping this was something we could see eye to eye on..." he did not finish his words as he leapt away in the night.

"Li Wei!" Standing by the entrance with her hands on her hips, Meilin glared at her husband. By the time she had found him, her feet had gone numb from all the walking. "You brought me here only to leave me all by myself? Just when I had a flicker of hope for you!" It was clear that anger had taken over at this point.

However Li Wei's thoughts were still occupied by the sudden appearance and words of the 5th prince. He could only absentmindedly nod and apologise as Meilin dragged him by the arm to where their carriage awaited them.

The journey back to the palace was filled with the girl rambling on about how it was unfair of him to have done what he did; the other party said nothing. The scene mirrored what the ride from before looked like, only this time it was Li Wei that was lost in thought.

'Should I say something?' The question gnawed at his brain even after they arrived to the palace. He had now learned a vital part of this case but something kept him from saying revealing it. After all, who would believe that a dead prince had come back alive? Even he was having troubles accepting this.

"Are you planning on staying mute forever?" Meilin asked casually from her side of the bed. She did not want to admit that his peculiar behaviour was starting to become of concern.

"Hm?"

"Li Wei! You have not spoken a word ever since I found you at the market!"

"Is that concern I am hearing?" Li Wei replied calmly in response to her outburst.

"I-I, no. The curiosity is simply killing me. Tell me what is keeping you from speaking your mind," she probed on.

Li Wei hesitates for the slightest second before replying. "I'm just tired, that is all." And with that he pulled the covers over him and turned away from Meilin. Part of him wanted so badly to tell her the truth but in order to do that, he figured he must find out more himself. As soon as possible, he had to set out to find Li Jun for answers.