A Flower Without Rain

Chapter 42

In the study of the Treasured Palace of the Sui Kingdom, sat Crown Prince Han Yinjie as he read a collection of poems; The Melancholy of Ying. Although he favored every poem, his favorite was The Lake of Mirrors. Silently, he read it to himself inside his head.

"Here shall you reach the end of the beginning,
In the lake of mirrors you will find your truth,
The truth that has been hidden since your birth,
However,
Should you go astray,
The once calm waters shall engulf you,
Claiming your life as with the others who follow you,
Retribution is your only end."

He always thought this poem was something he resonated with.

"Your Highness," the servant at the doors of his study suddenly spoke. "Your guard, Xue, has returned."

Han Yinjie's lips raised with delight, "Let him in," he ordered.

Entering, the doors shut behind him as he made his way to the Crown Prince. Bowing in respect, Xue gave his report. "The mission was a success."

Hearing so, made the royal's expression fall deeper into joy. A low range of laughter, Han Yinjie eventually settled. "I'll make everyone she loves disappear."

Reading the scrolls that were brought by Jie, they were revealed to be about the Plum Palace of the Crown Princess and the Jade Palace of the king. Only such information could only be obtained from the Treasured Palace of the Crown Prince, which was guarded heavily.

Already finished with the scrolls of the Plum Palace, her attention was now to the Jade Palace. The information inscribed was about the underground passageways that were made if any siege or invasion of the palace was to take place. This would allow the king to flee to safety. However, despite the official entrance to this passageway being within the Jade Palace, there was another.

It was located in the shed of the Royal Garden. The history behind this shed was rather gruesome and filled with horror. Many young maidens' lives came to an end and this was the result of black magic that was being abused in order to fix one's own regret. This regret caused a chain of reactions that led to life and the truth coming to light. The shed, where Crown Princess Ha Lee, was brought back to life in another's body.

Rolling up the scroll she had been reading, Lian Yu decided that there was enough information. Setting it back on the table where the others lied, the Xie Crown Princess sighed heavily as she rested against the back of her chair due to fatigue. Slowly, she then shut her eyes to try and relax.

Suddenly, she was reminded of the story of Xiuying and this caused her eyes to open with a stern expression. Positioning herself to sit up straight, a deep breath escaped her lips. As though in thought, determination then filled those phoenix eyes of hers.

"I will not let him take my eyes."

It was later that day as nightfall fell upon the Sui Kingdom. Sitting as Lian Yu read that novel Esse, Crown Prince Han Yinjie entered without letting his presence be known. Despite this, Lian Yu already knew it was him as she heard the steps of another, Xue, stop outside her quarters. She decided to ignore the Sui royal.

Seeing that she was ignoring him, he laughed as walked about the room. "To not even greet me, you are truly an entertaining woman." he spoke. Then, his feet stopped at the mirror adjacent from where she sat that held make up, jewelry, and any of the sort that was placed there for her personal care. "You know, the title I hold isn't even mine." This sparked an interest in Lian Yu but remained silent as her eyes looked at him from the side.

Seeing her untouched jewelry, Han Yinjie strayed from what he had just said. Picking up a necklace that held great value, he observed it before putting it back. This reminded him of something. "For the past centuries, there has been a plum blossom hairpin that has been passed down through generations of the royal family." suddenly speaking of such a thing. "Apparently, the tradition is that the holder gifts it to someone they hold dear."

This made Lian Yu raise a brow. Was he testing her in some way? However, she didn't let this bother her as she decided to also give her own words. "That hairpin originally come from the Jin Kingdom's royal family before meeting the Sui Kingdom." It was where the tradition began.

As if the test was over, Crown Prince Han Yinjie then shifted over to stand behind the detained Crown Princess Lian Yu. A smile, he continued on from that piece of information earlier that caught her attention. "Did you know that the late queen's first born was a daughter?"

This made the woman raise her brow again as he using "late" and how it was known that the first was actually him, Han Yinjie. Where was he going with this? Was this another test? A mind game?

A short answer, she responded. "No, I did not."

Han Yinjie laughed, "Of course you didn't. No one did as a matter of fact...... The queen was so desperate for a son that she traded her own daughter for me, an illegitimate child."

This made the air in the room become tense, and causing Lian Yu to completely cut her attention away from her novel and shutting it. "What exactly do you mean?" she questioned.

"It's exactly what I said." confirming it. "My real mother was a servant in the palace who was forced to carry the king's seed without his knowledge for the queen." Every single word that came out of his mouth turned more and more treacherous as who would have thought such a thing went unnoticed.

Keeping her composure, Lian Yu asked more questions, "Where is the princess now?"

"Upon finding out about everything, I ordered Xue to kill her." This sent shock throughout Lian Yu's body as her hands came together. "I did this in order to silence the true legacy."

"Your actions have done nothing but bring upon despair." Turning to look at him, her voice raised. "She was your sister!"

"SILENCE," he shouted causing her to seal her lips.

Brows pressed, her eyes shifted to the side and away from him. But coming closer to her, he brought his hand to her chin and lifted her head as to try and meet gazes. A devilish smile then formed on his face as she slowly brought her attention back to him.

"I've also silenced the queen and king along with my real mother," he continued on. "Do you want to know who else was silenced?"

Focused on him for fear he may do something, she gulped. Leaning down to her ear, he whispered. "Your mother and father, they're dead." Her eyes widened. "I killed them." She seemed to freeze from the dreadful news.

Coming back to stand, Han Yinjie looked at her now weakened stature and laughed. Pulling something out from his sleeve pocket, he threw it onto her lap as he left the confines of her quarters.

Picking it up, she inspected it and recognized it all too well. Holding it close to her chest, water began to fill her ducts and she tried to deny everything she had just been told. A deep frown forming, she denied it again and again but it only hurt more doing so. A cry of anguish as her nose turned red along with her cheeks, her body began to heat up due to her overwhelming emotions.

"Give them back!" she screamed.

"Give them back!!!"

What she held so dearly, were a matching pair of jade rings her mother and father always wore.
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