The Eighth Prince (Rewriting) (Barely Updates)

9: Chia-Hao's thoughts

Co-authored by Relendria

Chia-Hao and the two soldiers assigned for his personal protection returned to the waterfall pool. Chia-Hao knew that his fastidiousness would probably cause the soldiers to all ridicule him but he was sweaty again after fighting with his men from the capital and he had to wash the sweat off.

While he washed up for the second time that day and cleaned his sweaty clothes, he sent one of the men back to oversee the settling of his men. The man returned as Chia-Hao finished dressing in his clean clothes.

Chia-Hao looked at the man as he wrung water out of the second set of clothes he had washed that day.

"The soldiers, how are they?" He asked in a calm and mellow voice.

The men had to admit that the prince's voice was pleasant to the ear. It barely fluctuated in tone but that tone was somehow calming and seemed quite mature considering the prince's age. It also had pleasant undertones, almost like a hum. His voice alone made him seem gentle and approachable but his solemn expression and stiff mannerisms made him seem unapproachable.

"They are finishing up preparations for the night, Your Highness," the soldier answered. "Your men are fine."
Guang Chia-Hao didn't say anything more and just nodded and looked back at the waterfall. At first, it had been too noisy for his liking but as his ears adjusted, he found the steady sound soothing. The water was cool while he bathed but not cold and he had always particularly loved the sensation of water against his skin - even after his terrifying experience as a child.
Looking into the water, Chia-Hao's heart jumped. For a moment, he thought he saw his mother. He quickly realized it was just his unsettled reflection in the pool.

He looked like his mother. While he hadn't inherited her sunny, golden hair, he did have her beautiful sky blue eyes. He knew they were very pretty as he remembered his lover telling him how lovely his eyes were during their past life. Chia-Hao wasn't sure why he remembered his lover so much lately but he had a strong desire to hear his voice telling him how gorgeous he is once again.

It didn't help his image as a strong leader that he had the soft and smooth skin of a pampered young miss and a somewhat more masculine version of his mother's ethereal face. Even though he was only 15 years old, a few men had approached him for his hand in marriage. Fortunately, his mother was very protective and firmly refused all offers for marriage saying that Chia-Hao would only be with the person whom he desires - only the person who will make him happy.

At that time, love was something Guang Chia-Hao didn't understand. His mother had told him that it was something he should feel rather than understand but other than his love for his mother and respect and admiration for the Empress, he had no clue what "love" was supposed to feel like. Chia-Hao remembered his days as a child researching "love" trying to understand it only to be more confused in the more he studied.

His eyes went to the cliff above the waterfall and his thoughts diverted from ephemeral topics like his looks and flashed back to his current problems.

He knew that place was the perfect training ground for the men. In his former life, it was the swamp above the waterfall where he gained enough strength to survive his first battles. Now he knows that when the Emperor learns that he is not dead or assassinated the Emperor will become uneasy and send out an order to have him participate directly in the battle. This life he is sure that he will have no problem surviving and even winning on the battlefield. Knowing this pleased him for now that he isn't confused, angry, and frightened, he actually wants to fight and win for Zhong. However, to fight and win he knows that he needs strong support from the men around him. If he falls in battle, how can protect his love - the man who should show up at the front to participate in the war about a year from now?

Guang Chia-Hao's ultimate goal now is to live a happy life with his lover, the ger who had disguised himself to join the military and had secretly protected him. His lover had spoken to Chia-Hao of the life he wanted many times in the evenings before they retired for the night. Back then, Chia-Hao hadn't understood that he was describing the life he wanted to share with him, Chia-Hao. Because he didn't understand love, he didn't recognize his lover's sincere heart and his response had been perfunctory. In this life, however, he understands enough about love to know the man loved him and that he loves that man in return. This life will be different. He will gain a lot of power during this war - so much power that the Emperor can no longer harm him or the ones he loves.

Chia-Hao is well aware that his father is powerful, has a heart of stone, and has pride higher than the mountain. He knows his father will not simply hand power to him even if he earned it and so he must also earn the respect and trust of the men in order to have strong backing.

Feeling that the prince had been staring blankly at nothing for too long, one of the soldiers cleared his throat.

"Your Highness?" he prompted cautiously. When Chia-Hao failed to respond he began to call: "Your Highness, Your Highness!" continuously to attract Chia-Hao's attention.

Finally, Chia-Hao registered the guard's increasingly urgent calls and snapped out his troubled thoughts. "Mn?"
Seeing the prince back to his senses, the guards relaxed slightly, although they wondered if the retarded prince was deaf as well as stupid. He had been calling him for a good time before he answered.

"The sun is going down," the guard said in the politest tone. It wouldn't do to let the prince know of his critical thoughts. "It would be best if we return to camp, Your Highness."

Guang Chia-Hao looked at the sky and saw the sun was indeed setting, dying the sky with a beautiful reddish orange. He turned to the guards saying in a flat manner.

"I apologize," Chia-Hao responded emotionlessly. "Time has passed without me noticing. It is indeed past time to return to camp."

The two men nodded, relieved that the prince was not hard to deal with as the rumors indicated.

Nobles and the Imperial Family were never simple people and the infamous behavior of the prince had been spread throughout the Zhuang Empire - much of it through rumors the Emperor started himself. Many knew him to be the cause of the conflict between his mother and the Emperor. Through the rumors, the men expected Chia-Hao to be practically mute, prone to tantrums, and very demanding. Instead, Chia-Hao had earned the Sergeant's respect, shown a certain talent for combat, and been relatively undemanding during this time together. The guards were beginning to question the rumors they had previously accepted as truth.

"Let us return, Your Highness," the other guard suggested.

Guang Chia-Hao nodded and gathered his wet clothes together. They returned to the caves in a companionable silence - Chia-Hao going over his plans for training and strengthening the men and the guards going over the rumors they had heard and comparing them to the man they were coming to know. Sergeant Chu met them at the edge of the camp.

"I hope Your Highness enjoyed your bath," he said politely.
Chia-Hao nodded silently as he gathered his words.

"After I deal with my clothing, may I have a word with you?" Chia-Hao asked.
Sergeant Chu was startled but willing.
"Come to my tent when you're ready," he agreed.

Chia-Hao turned to the job of hanging his freshly washed clothes next to the ones that were already almost dry from earlier. His expression remained blank but satisfaction glinted in his eyes. Tomorrow would be the first step in his plan!