"Oh my, what happened... again?" The queen inquired as soon as Han Xin entered the hall with Meng Huo in his arms and Wu Xin by his side.
"The second ge has numb legs because of the cold weather!" Wu Xin explained with a smirk, finding it funny.
Han Xin kept his silence as he placed the prince on a cushion carefully. At least he was quite weightless, so carrying him around was not that an issue.
"Maybe you should carry him to his room to rest," the queen suggested, seeing the embarrassed face of Meng Huo and Han Xin gave her a terrified look which was saying I just put him down!
Feeling Han Xin's distress, Meng Huo forced himself to speak, "I-I am okay, I would like to sit here... with you, my queen."
The trio directed him a shocked gaze before the queen said "stay then so that you can enlighten me about what happened."
Han Xin wanted to warn Wu Xin to keep his mouth shut, but it was too late.
"The second ge's arm was broken because of ge's misunderstanding!"
"What?!"
"No!" Han Xin shook his hands in front of him, denying the allegation, "it was only dislocated," he said as it sounded milder.
"What?!" Well, apparently for the queen, it was all the same.
"I..." Han Xin started, but a low voice stopped him.
"P-Prince just tried to protect his little brother... it was only natural," Meng Huo defended Han Xin again.
"But he wrongly accused you, aren't you offended?" the queen asked with a serious face, her gaze piercing through Meng Huo's all existence.
The intimidated slave shook his head swiftly, "I-I am not, he said sorry, put my shoulder back, and even carried me here... I am just grateful."
Another shock wave hit the trio. They had no idea how a person could be so nice, let alone he was from the East royalty. Didn't he know that after what Han Xin did to him, he could even start a war between the kingdoms? Even if he was a peace-seeker, he could still demand a punishment for Han Xin and ask to stay in the main palace. Then why...?
Maybe Han Xin was right... there was foul play behind the whole ordeal...
"Wu Xin, can you leave us alone for a while?" the queen asked very nicely and the little prince left the hall reluctantly yet obediently. When the door was closed again, the queen focused her gaze on Meng Huo.
"Are you, my prince, really the youngest son of the king of the East?" she blurted out suddenly.
The prince of the North gaped with astonishment in the face of the queen's sudden dare while the slave of the East felt like fainting.
Fear seized him and he jumped on his numb feet without a particular reason in his frozen mind. Unfortunately, his sudden move caused a collision with the maid who brought tea and a flying teapot ended up on Meng Huo's arm, spilling a bit of the hot tea on him before following the tea cups towards the floor.
"I am so sorry," the poor maid threw herself on to the floor, not minding about the broken pieces of the tea set.
"Oh my, are you okay? Did you get burned?" the queen asked with horror as Han Xin walked towards him to check the burn.
Only after seeing Han Xin's approaching figure, Meng Huo's frozen mind acknowledged what had happened. Another surge of fear struck him although this time it was for the maid, and without thinking, he pulled the terrified maid behind him.
"It was my fault! I am so sorry, please don't hurt her," he begged anxiously as the memories of severe punishments of the East filled his already agitated mind.
"No one will hurt her," Han Xin promised Meng Huo as he grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up to his feet.
Sniffing, Meng Huo asked "really?" with suspicion.
"Of course, in the North, we don't hurt our people," Han Xin emphasised reassuringly, contrasting his usual hostility. Well, as the weird prince defended him twice, saved his brother and tried to protect a mere maid, he deserved that much of a nice treatment.
"O-Okay," Meng Huo nodded, convinced, and let Han Xin help him to his seat.
"You can leave, but lips-sealed, okay?" the queen told the maid, who let out a sigh and left the hall after collecting the tea set from the floor. Poor girl, if it wasn't her first day as a maid in the palace, she would know that the North royalty never used heavy or physical punishments.
"Now let me check if you are burnt," Han Xin turned his attention back to Meng Huo who was sitting still with a pale face.
"No need!" the poor slave exclaimed as soon as he felt his sleeve was being unfolded. Hastily, he pushed Han Xin's hand and grabbed the hem of the sleeve, keeping it in its place.
His extreme reaction abashed Han Xin, "why are you acting as if you are a chaste girl and I am a pervert?!" he yelled at the flinched man and tension rose again.
"I-It is not..." Meng Huo started but couldn't continue as the remainder of the sentence would be about the ugly scars on his whole body due to the severe punishments he received before. Seeing them, they would understand he was not the prince of the East and the revelation would put his sister's life in danger.
"Then?" Han Xin pressed, his cold gaze piercing through Meng Huo's soul.
"I-I am really okay, but I want to rest... I am sorry for all the trouble," he mumbled and escaped the room with a manner which was highly unsuitable for a prince.
They know... now they know there is something wrong with me...
YOU ARE READING
You Are Worthy
Storie d'amore[Completed] A framed slave of the East has to act like a prince in the North so that his and his sister's lives will be preserved. But how easy can it be for a slave to pretend as a prince? What if his act discovered by the North prince whom he is...
