Back in time

Chapter 12 - Who is she ?

Chapter 12

Kame's POV

2 years ago

" Miya , just what are you doing ? " I asked tiredly , pinching the bridge of my nose.

We were currently at the back of a palace in the Forbidden City , during a time of rest. Father has sent us here to celebrate the Qing Emperor's birthday as a sign of peace between us an the Qing Empire.

Looking at the woman that I love, I could not help but sigh tiredly. The quarrel that I had with her over Saikhan and our relationship a few days back has taken a toll on the relationship we had. We have not spoken much since that day. I thought a few days of space and quiet between us would allow her to cool down and understand the things that I do.

She gave a cryptic smile before speaking again, " Kame, do you remember how we met ? We met under such circumstances too.We met here, right at this exact same well then. Don't you remember ? Of all the people around there, you were the one that came to help me. And I thought it was fate , I thought you were my price charming, like in all those fairytales that I told you about. But, I forgot that I was no princess."

A shiver went down my spine as a strange sense of uneasiness overwhelmed me. Her words sounded so ominous. It was as though... as though these were the final words she would say to me before leaving.

" Miya, what are you trying to say ? "

She did not give a direct answer to my question. Instead, she gave me a deep long stare that increased the sensation of uneasiness.

"Kame, thank you for teaching me how to play the zither. Let me play a song that I wrote for you about us. " She said softly as she stepped aside, revealing the zither that I gave to her to practice on .

" Hearts beat their last,
Promises that never did last.
How could I have loved ?
How could I have been so dumb
To have believed in a fairytale ?
A fairytale love that existed like the
Moon, the wind and the nothings
That you have promised to me.

So the ending of our story has now arrived .
And the ending of our love has now arrived .
The ending of all these is now
Time for me to leave.
Time for us to return
Back to the way it was,

Back to the way it was
Before we ever met . "

She sang in her melancholic voice as she plucked gently on the strings on the zither.

Cold sweat began running down my spine as I realised that my premonitions from earlier on was correct.

Miya was planning to leave.

"Miya, Miya , don't . Don't leave. I've already told you from earlier on that you are the only one I love. Even if I married Saikhan as my primary wife, you would be my secondary wife and the only woman that I would love even after marriage. And you should know how much Saikhan's marriage to me would help me achieve what I want.Please understand." I said desperately as I stepped forward to try and close the distance between us.

But Miya moved backwards and away from me.

"I understand. I understand very well why you have to do what you have to do.But, I have my own principles that I live by. From the place that I come from, only the primary wife is considered the legal wife. The secondary wife and any wife that comes after, they are considered as mistresses that break up marriages. And it isn't my principle to be a mistress." She said sadly as she inched towards the side of the well.

My heart sank as I heard what she said. I have always known that Miya came from a world that was different from the one I lived in . Yet, I didn't know just how different our two worlds were. What was normal and perfectly acceptable in my world was something that was horrid and illicit in hers. The way she was brought up and the way I was brought up was completely different.

Choose the only woman that I have truly loved or the dream that I have always pursued ? Those were the only two choices that lay before me now. It is difficult to give up the only woman that I love, but it is also impossible to give up the dream that I had since young.

Knowing that it was difficult for me to choose, Miya spoke with a choking voice , " I love you Kame, I really do love you a lot .And that is why, I'm going to leave and allow you to fulfill your dreams."

With that, Miya leapt into the well.

"MIYA-" I screamed as I ran over to the well, hoping that I would be able to catch her before her compete descend. Somehow or rather , I knew that if I allowed her to fall , I would never see her again.

But I was too late. My hand was too far away from her to be able to grasp hers. The only thing I could catch was wind that came from the flutter of her sleeves and the sight of her tears flowing down her cheeks.

I love you Kame, I really do love you a lot. And that is why I'm going to leave and allow you to fulfill your dreams. The last words she said reverberated inside my mind as I slumped down against the side of the well. Because of her love for me , she was willing to sacrifice herself as she knew that she was in my way. Yet, I wasn't able to choose her decisively even at the last second. It just shows that I did not love her as much as she loved me.

"MIYA-" I shouted her name in agony as tears flowed freely down my cheeks for the first time...

Loud applause at the end of the performance brought me back to the present.

Swiftly wiping away any tear stain that maybe present on my face , I stared intensely at my new wife who looked stunned and embarrassed up on the stage.

Just who is she ? How did she know of this song ? And how is she related to Miya ?

Seems like my new wife is not as simple as who she seems , I thought darkly as my eyes followed Minori's returning figure.