THE ASSASSINS EMPRESS

Chapter 6

The weight of the world seemed to settle on Yingzi's shoulders as he waited for the doctor's verdict.  He had watched Xiu Ying grow weaker each day, the vibrant light in her eyes dimming with each passing hour.  Especially after she had woken up.

"How is she?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper, barely audible above the hushed silence of the chamber while looking the lady sleeping after a while turn his gaze to the doctor.

The doctor, a man known for his stoic demeanor, seemed to shrink under the weight of Yingzi's gaze.  He avoided the prince's eyes, his gaze fixed on the floor as he spoke.

"Your Highness, her wound is healed.  Completely healed," the doctor said, his voice strained.  "But..." He paused, his brow furrowed in concern.  "She needs rest.  She needs time to regain her strength.  To heal."

Yingzi felt a flicker of hope ignite within him.  He had feared the worst, but perhaps the worst was yet to come.

"Is there anything else?" he asked, his voice regaining its strength, though the tremor in his hand betrayed his inner turmoil.

The doctor sighed, a deep, mournful sound that echoed the emptiness within Yingzi.  He looked up, his eyes filled with a sorrow that mirrored the prince's own.

"Your Highness," he began, his voice barely a murmur, "I fear there is more.  Much more."

He gestured toward the door, his voice barely audible.  "May we speak outside?"

The air outside was heavy with the scent of jasmine, but it did little to soothe the knot of dread that tightened in Yingzi's chest.  He watched as the doctor, his shoulders slumped with weariness, paced back and forth before him.

"What is it, doctor?" Yingzi asked, his voice edged with desperation.

The doctor hesitated, his lips trembling slightly.  "Young Lady Xiu Ying," he began, his voice barely a whisper, "She is suffering.  Emotionally, mentally, physically.  These past few days, I have observed her.  She flinches when I touch her, even when checking her pulse.  She washes her hands repeatedly, as if trying to scrub away some unseen stain.  She is afraid to be touched.  I do not know the cause of this torment, but it is clear that it is a heavy burden she carries."

He paused, his gaze filled with a deep, abiding sorrow.  "I fear, Your Highness, that these wounds, these scars, they will not easily fade."

Yingzi stood there, his heart heavy with a grief that was both profound and inexplicable.  He had witnessed the physical wounds, the ones that had bled and scarred, but these unseen wounds, these wounds of the soul, they were far more terrifying.  He had never seen Xiu Ying so broken, so afraid until when she finally opened her eyes back then.

"Thank you, doctor," he said, his voice hoarse with emotion.  "You may go now."

The doctor bowed his head, his eyes filled with a silent plea for the woman he had come to care for.  He turned and walked away, leaving Yingzi alone .

                         Yingzi POV

The doctor is right I have notice the changes in Ying'er these days. The fear that flashes faster on her eyes everytime someone would approach her and the flinches. She barely even spoke a word. Her family was worried about her during their visits and even the empress and the emperor also the other princes notice the changes in her.

If she was not vanished back then nothing like this should have happened. Plus her attackers stop attacking ever since she wake up.

"Your highness, my lady has woken up from her sleep," Jingyi said that made me go back from reality.