A Flower Without Rain

Chapter 9

Waiting in his chambers, Crown Prince Xin Hua sat slouched over as his finger tapped the table. There was something he absolutely had to ask.

Then, a female servant's voice came. "Your Highness, Clan Leader Lian Gen has arrived." she announced.

This brought his tapping finger to halt, and sat straight, "Let him in!" he told the servant.

The doors slid open and shut as steps followed before then reaching the seat before the Crown Prince. A bow, the Clan Leader greeted the royal. "Greetings, Your Highness."

The expression Xin Hua held was a calm one, "Sit," he told him.

Settling into the offered seat, Lian Gen's eyes remained lowered. "Your Highness, what brings you to call upon me?" he asked.

Xin Hua's hands now rested on his lap, "Why is it that both your daughters are the Crown Princess?" that was what puzzled him most.

It couldn't be a coincidence.

At this, Clan Leader Lian Gen seemed to freeze. "......I'm sorry, Your Highness but I do not know." he didn't know how to answer that exactly.

"Clan Leader Lian Gen, I ask again. Why are both your daughters the Crown Princess?" repeating the question he so desperately wanted to be answered. He thought that if he knew the answer, everything would make sense.

Or would it?

The Clan Leader's answer, remained the same. "I do not know."

Crown Prince Xin Hua's voice raised, filled with frustration. "I DEMAND THAT I BE GIVEN THE DETAILS!" he roared. It was painful to be in the dark about everything.

The mid-aged man kept calm, "Your Highness, as a Clan Leader of one of the Three Great Noble Clans, I absolutely cannot be rash about the information I hold." the expression he held was unwavering. He will not say anything no matter what.

Xin Hua seemed to fall apart even more. With a voice that shook, the Crown Prince's gaze turned to the table's surface. "Do you even know how your daughter died?" his tone was low and remorseful. To not know the true meaning of Lian Song's death haunted him.

He loved her.

Just hearing his daughter's name, a frown filled with hurt came over him. "I know very well how she died, Your Highness." He did not like the mention of her name as it only reminded him that he now only had two children, no longer three.

Silent, was what Xin Hua became. He realized the outcome of his words and actions he's brought upon this man. Without intending or meaning to, he returned the memories of when he learned his daughter left the world forever.

"......You may leave, I won't ask any further." deciding to leave it at that and no more.

Not saying a single word, Clan Leader Lian Gen left the room as silence followed. Now alone in his grand chambers of the Vermillion Palace, hands covered the Crown Prince's face. He could only wonder what exactly happened.

There are still secrets he's yet to know.

As Crown Princess Lian Yu finished yet another handkerchief she had finished sewing, she placed the different sizes of needles and colored thread she used to their respective areas. This particular piece was simple as always being a plum tree in its blossoming season. She always thought this tree was beautiful throughout the many seasons as it told a story that no one else knew.

Placing the last needle into its section, a female servant's voice came from behind the door. "Your Highness, the 2nd Princess has come to visit." she announced.