You Are Worthy

8. A New Companion

"So you believe me?"

"Hmm?" the queen hummed in a daze, her gaze still on the door where Meng Huo left from a while earlier.

"Meng Huo can't be a prince, let alone being the prince of the East," Han Xin voiced his thoughts explicitly.

The queen let out a sigh and nodded, "he is indeed a bit... peculiar, let's say."

Yes! Han Xin shouted inwardly. That was one of the reasons why he liked his step-mother; she was very sensible and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Leaning on his elbows, he said "we have to do something about it before the marriage happens, we can't be deceived by the East."

The queen took a sip from her now-cold tea and contemplated their options. Indeed, the Kingdom of the North would not be a plaything in the dirty hands of the East, but they couldn't afford acting on impulse. The king of the East was a manipulation master, so it would not be wise to attack without solid evidence.

"Well, if we want to reveal the plot, we have to gain good evidence," she said in the end, "and the only lead we have is Meng Huo."

Han Xin nodded with a grimace, "I know, but he doesn't say a word as you saw it earlier."

"Forcing or threatening him won't work, he even wanted to receive the punishment for a maid," the queen replied with an all-knowing tone, "he is a gentle soul, so you should try to be friendlier with him."

The prince rubbed his face with irritation, but he knew the queen was right. "For the sake of our kingdom, I will try," he promised the queen.

She let out a refined laugh, "that young man is very charming and has a kind heart, so you might not try very hard, who knows..."

"No way," Han Xin denied the possibility fervently, "he is the enemy and will always remain as one."

While Han Xin was giving big promises, Meng Huo was dying out of anxiety in his room.

They will catch me... my sister will die because of me... I am so stupid... my sister will be dead...

The poor slave kept repeating as he sat on the cold floor, his arms circled around his knees. He wasn't a bit afraid for himself, no. He could die that day just fine, but his sister was innocent and he didn't want to cause her death.

Knock... knock...

Gasping, Meng Huo thought the guards were finally there to take him away. With no little difficulty he rose to his jelly-like feet and said "come in" with a hoarse voice.

"My prince," the very same maid whom Meng Huo defended, entered the room with a tray, but seeing the condition of the prince, she put the tray on the floor and rushed to him. Holding his arms, she asked "are you okay? Do you want me to call someone?"

Meng Huo shook his head tiredly and let her drag him towards the mattress. "Why are you here?" he asked as no one else entered the room to collect him.

Remembering the tray on the floor, she rose to her feet and brought it to the small table in front of the mattress. Serving a cup of tea, she said "the second prince told me to bring some tea."

"Oh," he murmured, a heavy burden leaving his chest. Han Xin wouldn't send tea for him if he knew his identity, right?

"My prince, since I am here, I want to thank you for standing up for me. As a mere maid, I can't express how grateful I am," she said as she knelt in front of him.

Despite all the nervousness he was feeling, a rare smile appeared on Meng Huo's lips. Gently, he pulled her shoulders up and made her sit face to face with him.

"You had no fault in the incident, so don't thank me," he said reassuringly before asking "so is it true that here they don't punish the workers?" If it was true, he could beg the queen to accept his sister after everything was over... before he was killed either by the North or by the East.

"I am sorry, I don't know since it is my first day," she said apologetically, but seeing the disappointment on the prince's face, she added "but it should be true, look I am here, unharmed, right?"

Seeing her kind effort, Meng Huo nodded with a forced smile, and only then it dawned on him. "Your first day? How come?" he asked with curiosity.

Hearing the question, she lowered her head with a melancholic expression on her face. Seeing her reaction, Meng Huo wanted to apologize for being nosy, but she was faster. Plastering a slight smile on her lips, she said "my father used to have a tea house in the town. We weren't rich but I was content... Well, apparently my mother wasn't. She left us for a soldier and my father lost it. He started gambling and here I am."

After that, silence reigned in the room. Going through a kind of similar experience, Meng Huo was highly aware that no words could make her feel better, so he kept his empty words to himself. He rather looked at her carefully and saw she indeed looked different from the other maids; she had a lovely young face and a mischievous aura reflected in her brown eyes.

"I did bore you, my prince, I am sorry," she said regretfully after a half incense stick of time as the prince kept his silence.

"No... I was just thinking," Meng Huo replied with a smile and she directed him a questioning look. It was super inappropriate for her to do that, but somehow she knew the prince would never hurt him.

"Would you want me to ask the queen to let you go?" he asked softly, "I believe she can help you."

She looked at him in awe. How could a person be so nice? They just met and he was offering to get her out of the palace. Getting a maid free!

"I don't have a place to go, my prince, so if you accept, I want to serve you with my life," she said with tears in her eyes and gratitude in her heart.

Now, Meng Huo was in awe. He stared at the maid who resembled his sister and slowly nodded, promising her inwardly that he would do everything to convince Han Xin to let her be his maid.

"Then let's meet officially, I am Meng Huo."

Although she was startled by his intimate behaviour, she recollected herself quickly. Smiling, she said "I am Zhu Lei, my prince."

While the victims of the cruel fate were bounding, an anxious soul was strolling up and down in the hall, waiting for a certain maid to show up.