The House Of Bloody Lotus

The Strange Sister

"She's afraid of me." Murmured Ying Yue softly. Her hand cupped He Lian's cheek gently. The way she did when He Lian was nothing but a little girl. "I've missed her so, the last time I saw her was the day my family left after our wedding."

"Yes, I remember. "Groaned Prince Wang Jian. "Give her a chance, she's still going through a lot of shock. She'll get used to you before she knows it."

The prince bent down and slid his arms under her, picking her off the ground. He carried He Lian over to the cushioned sofa. "She's not used to seeing demons. She's been through a lot lately, your sister is still exhausted. Maybe, I set up this meeting between you and her a little too early. I should've considered her state of mind more."

Ying Yue smiled with the most tender caress, she followed Wang Jian to the sofa while he lowered He Lian to it. "Look at you, Jian. Taking care of my sister."

"It was like seeing you all over again at that age. She looked just like you, I can't help it." He answered.

Ying Yue reached for his hand and closed it inside hers. "She came to you, Jian. She came running to you for help when she had no one else."

There's nothing more the prince wanted to do than yank his hand away. Though he found his heart had betrayed him. He missed her, he missed his former wife and he couldn't deny it. Wang Jian yearned for her touch, her voice, no matter how cold her skin felt against his, and no matter how low and deep her voice had become.

There's not a day when he didn't think of her, staring out to the courtyard, wishing he could have done something different, wishing he could turn back time, wishing she was still his.

"What do you want me to do? I've already done so much. I can't send my own people to fight a war that's not mine. You are no longer my wife, your husband can afford to send an army of his demons to protect your family. They don't even have to do anything, I'm pretty sure they'll scare those northern soldiers to surrender just by marching up in the field."

"Banye, my husband..."

Prince Wang Jian jerked his hand at the mention of her husband's name. A pang of pain and betrayal stabbed him.

"I'm sorry, Jian. We already sent two hundred demons strong to protect mother and father. They don't know it, but the army is there, lurking in the shadows unseen by mortal eyes. They left days ago, as soon as you sent me the news."

Prince Wang Jian loosened an amused laughter. "Of course, that conniving demon prince would piss himself like a dog, trying to please you."

"He cares for me..."

A soft growl left Wang Jian's throat.

"Please, let's not argue about Banye right now." Said Ying Yue.

"Then stop mentioning him around me. You know how much it pisses me off. Banye stole you away from me." The prince snarled with a savage intensity that Ying Yue issued a step back to ensure a cushion between them. It's been a long time since she'd seen prince Wang Jian enraged, and she felt the ripple of that familiar fright that used to control her.

"He still gets a rise out of you, doesn't he?" Ying Yue whispered carefully.

"Why shouldn't he? I lost almost everything because of him, and he had not had a single remorse about what he did."

Ying Yue's eyes glided over to her sister, having enough of the conversation. He Lian looked peaceful even at her passed out state. She saw the dampness in her dress, He Lian had pissed herself out of terror. A smile caressed Ying Yue's cheeks. She remembered those days when He Lian wet her bed. It seemed not even that long ago.

"It looked like you gained someone in return. Not all is lost after all. You should give yourself a chance of happiness" She murmured to the prince. "Look at her..." Ying Yue looked at Wang Jian again. "She'd been through a lot, she could use someone to look after her right now."

"She's welcome to stay at my palace as long as she needed. She's safer here than anywhere else and I certainly wouldn't send her back to the Yi's manor surrounded by an army of unseen demons. I'll look after her, you need not worry about your sister, Ying Yue."

"That's not what I meant, Jian."

He gasped and turned to her in shock. "What're you saying?"

She took a brave step closer, her smile never left her face. "You know what I'm saying, I could see it in you, you already fell in love the first time you saw her."

"No, that's not it. She merely reminded me of you. It's not fair to her, she deserves something better. What would she think? She will think I'm trying to replace you with her...she'll never get over that insecurity."

"Who said, you have to rush it?" She grabbed his hand again and made Wang Jian look at her. "I could hear it in your voice, the panic in your vibrato when you denied it. I'm happy that she found you, I wouldn't want anyone else for my sister."

"You ask too much of me. I can't do this."

"I'm not asking and you don't have to do anything. Just let things fall into place. I know she can turn your life around." She kissed the bony knuckles of her former husband's hand and took one last look at He Lian before vanishing back into the darkness.

*****
Writer's note:

I probably won't go on a full detail explaining Ying Yue and Wang Jian's relationship. For those who want to know I have a book called 'The Cruel Prince' where Ying Yue is the FL and Wang Jian is the second Male lead.