The Untamed Princess

Chapter Twenty-Four: The First Truth

Ming Yue opened her eyes to familiar surroundings, but from an unfamiliar perspective.  She felt stiffness in her limbs, and went to turn her head to the left, but a sudden pain radiated from her neck and left shoulder.

The memory of Li Jun's disgusting mouth on her skin triggered, and she fought back the instant urge to vomit.

Turning gingerly to her right instead, the two figures of the prince and Luo Jian slowly came into focus.

Seeing her wake, Weisheng jumped up immediately and came to sit next to her on the bed.  As she tried to sit up, he pushed her back down gently, but she was not willing to talk to him in such a vulnerable state, so she went to rise again.

Seeing her persistence, Weisheng sighed and moved position so that he was now sitting behind her.  He gripped her arms and helped her up, resting her back against his chest for support.  Had it not been for the fact that they had found themselves in such a state of closeness several times previously, Ming Yue was sure she would have turned bright red at this point.

Weisheng motioned to Luo Jian to hand him the bottle that Doctor Xiao had left.

"You have to take this medicine," he said, "so that the...wound on your shoulder doesn't get infected."  He poured the concoction into a nearby bowl, and she reached out for it with her right hand.

She took a sip.  Surprisingly, it wasn't as foul as she expected, and she was able to finish it quickly.

That side of things taken care of, Weisheng shuffled slightly back and, with his hands on her upper arms, turned her to face him.

"Don't worry," he said.  "Doctor Xiao has been here and examined you.  Other than your shoulder, your throat, and a cut here," he gently touched the edge of her forehead, just underneath her hairline, "you're uninjured."

Ming Yue looked down at the simple shift dress she was wearing, and then back up at the prince, an unspoken question in her eyes.

"Xu Rong changed you after we brought you back," he said.  "Your dress was damaged.  Just here," he motioned to his left shoulder to demonstrate.

Ming Yue thought she understood what the prince was telling her, and sighed with relief.

"How...?" she mouthed.

Again, Weisheng knew what she wanted to know, and he knew that there was no easy answer.  He motioned to Luo Jian to come closer, and the man moved to stand at the corner of the bed, just behind where the prince was sitting.

Weisheng chose his words carefully, knowing that as soon as he had finished, Ming Yue would realise that this time she had to give them some proper answers.

"We found you in an abandoned summer house, where the orchard meets the forest at the back of the palace," he said.  "You were unconscious, and you were alone."

Ming Yue's eyes widened quickly. If she was alone, then did that mean that Li Jun had finished...?

Weisheng quickly realised his mistake.

"No, please.  Don't worry!" he said quickly.   "We were late, and for that I am so sorry Ming Yue. But," he continued after a brief look at Luo Jian, "from the looks of things, something else wasn't."

Weisheng went on to describe the scene that he and Luo Jian had witnessed, leaving nothing out, however strange it sounded to him coming out of his mouth and, by the time he had finished, Ming Yue's eyes had grown even wider.

"I think," said Weisheng softly, "that it's time we heard the truth."  With that said, he sat back and waited.

A hundred thoughts ran through Ming Yue's mind.  The easiest thing would be to do as she had done last time and deny any knowledge of it.  Of course, this time it was obvious that the strange behaviour of the trees and plants was linked to her, but that did not mean she could not claim ignorance.  Still, looking at Weisheng's calm expression, she was reluctant to say the words.