Reunion of a second chance

Chapter 8

As time went by, the Emperor slowly got his wish granted. The Blind Concubine was letting him come closer and closer to him again, just like when they had met for the first time. He was not so wary of him anymore and he even looked like he was enjoying their time together.

The Blind Concubine slowly regained his health but the Emperor could still not leave anyone else to take care of him. He had to make sure that the Blind Concubine was eating properly with his own eyes.

It was making the Emperor happy to finally see his Blind Concubine not so sad anymore. He spent as much time as he could take off from his duties to come see the Blind Concubine. He also loved their time together very much.

Still, there were several things which were making this pattern of secret meetings – more or less secret anyway – hard for the Emperor. He had to balance both running the country responsibly with spending time with his little brother and the Blind Concubine.

The emperor's little scheme could also get discovered by the Blind Concubine at any time. It was making the Emperor feeling constantly on edge.

And the most important of all those inconveniences was that he could still not speak properly with the Blind Concubine. He dearly wanted to tell the Blind Concubine so many things, to finally have a proper conversation with him. But he had to remain silent all the time with his only means of communication being the small chime.

It was all truly mortifying and it was soiling the happiness the Emperor was feeling. His mood was becoming more and more gloomy by the day.

He could not help it. Although he had his Blind Concubine back and was able to spend time with him, the Blind Concubine did not know it was him at all. If things would go on like this for much longer, the Emperor was afraid that he would just go crazy.

The Blind Concubine noticed his mood change and he was starting to get worried. He would often ask what was wrong. In this kind of atmosphere, the happiness could not last long. The Emperor was once again feeling like he was losing it due to his own failure. It was truly unbearable.

In the end, it went so far that the Blind Concubine stopped eating again because he worried too much.

The Emperor could not see him do this to himself anymore. He now understood perfectly well that wanting to help their loved one but being incapable of it was perhaps the worst thing which could happen to a human being. He too wanted to be more helpful and provide the Blind Concubine with everything he could ever wish for. However, the Blind Concubine would reject him for that. And most probably, the Emperor's identity would be discovered.

In this kind of situation, the Emperor was at a loss about what to do.

Luckily, it was that very evening when his little brother came to talk to him that the child gave him an idea. It was a brilliant one, one that the Emperor was almost sure would work.

***

The Blind Concubine was sitting in his soft chair, waiting for Chime. He knew that his friend should be coming any minute now and he could not wait. Chime had been acting weird for some time already and the Blind Concubine was worried.

He had tried to ask what had happened but Chime would not tell him. The Blind Concubine was getting really anxious. He thought that perhaps he was the reason for Chime's uneasiness as of late.

Had Chime gotten tired of entertaining him day and night? Had he come to regret coming back to the small island in the middle of the lotus lake to keep a blind man company? Had the Blind Concubine been too demanding and Chime just had not known how to tell him that?

All those were possible and the Blind Concubine could just not bring himself to ask directly. For that reason, he tried to not be too bothersome. However, it seemed to have only deepened the rift between him and the other. Was Chime about to leave one day and never come back?

The Blind Concubine was sitting on the very edge of his chair, waiting anxiously. He was listening for any sounds which would indicate that Chime was coming back.

The Blind Concubine was actually sorry as well. He knew fully well that he should not be asking Chime, begging him even, to come back each time he was leaving. Chime was such a great friend, he always promised to come back. However, the Blind Concubine did not feel good about the fact that he was basically shackling Chime to himself.

Chime had most probably another life to live outside of the Blind Concubine's little island. It was not too considerate of the Blind Concubine to be pressuring Chime to spend always more time with him. But the Blind Concubine could not help it. Now that he knew what not being lonely felt like, he just could not go back to that life of solitude.

Even though he knew he was not doing the right thing, he still hoped for Chime to continue coming keep him company and talk to him in his very special way.

It took an eternity for the Blind Concubine to finally hear the sound of soft steps he had long come to know. He immediately perked up. Chime has come back after all!

The Blind Concubine stood up and went to meet him. He was walking very carefully, staggering only just slightly.

He had got a walking stick from Chime a few visits back and he was just getting the hold of using it. He had never needed one before because he had lived with his servant and he had always been warned about any dangers and taken care of around the clock.

It was not too bad like this either. He could move around his small island without having to fear falling down into the water or tripping over something and cracking open his head. It gave him some more freedom. He was grateful to Chime for giving him this present.

Suddenly, the Blind Concubine stilled in place and listened. He heard a noise that he would not have expected here. His heart skipped a beat. Could he truly be hearing right? Or was he just imagining things like during those long years of solitude?