Marked [COMPLETE]

eight

"It hurts! It hurts so much!" I screamed, the labor this time being more painful than the last.

"Your Highness, if you focus it'll hurt less! I can see the head, just keep pushing." The doctor replied, trying his best to calm me down.

"I want my husband!" I cried out, sobbing as I tried my best to finish this quickly. "Don't fetch Qianli, I don't want him."

"He's your husband, though." A maid replied, earning a glare. She bowed, knowing her mistake. "I can only fetch him. Anyone else is banned from entering."

With one final scream, I felt an almost instant relief from the pressure. I paused and breathed as deeply as I could, sweating up a storm from the intensity of the day.

"Tell the emperor it's a prince!" The physician demanded, a maiden quickly running out the door. "Would you like to hold the boy, Your Highness?"

"Don't put him anywhere near me. I don't want him." I replied, making him look surprised. He looked around for a moment before leaning in towards me.

"Even if you dislike the father, the child is still yours. You should love him regardless." He quietly said, making me sigh as I thought of his words. With a nod, the boy was placed in my arms.

I began crying, knowing my hard work gave way to a blessing for the kingdom, but was still putting me at a loss at the end of it all. All I wanted was Yanli to hold me and tell me that I'd be alright, but I couldn't even be sure if he was still alive after these few months.

"How is our prince?" I shot a glare at Qianli as he walked in, high and mighty as his proudness seeped in every step. "Have you decided on a name as lovely as Jinghan?"

"I don't want to name your son." I spat, earning a chuckle.

"All is well with that thought. I already have a name for every son I will receive from you. The firstborn son will be Jincheng." Qianli replied, smiling happily as he looked at the small boy sleeping next to me. "He will be a strong emperor in the future, now won't he?"

He left shortly afterward, leaving me alone in silence as the child was taken alongside him. To ensure I wouldn't hurt him and ruin the lineage, I wasn't allowed to see Jincheng at all for the first few months of his life. During this time, I prayed and read about the palace matters, wishing with all my heart to be a good mother to my children and my nation.

My heart continued to sink as the months turned into years, knowing that I could probably never return to the freedom I craved. The memories I held dear could never be shared, for if I did it would mean the death of my precious daughter. No matter how badly I wanted to, I would never hurt her.

"The Emperor wishes to see Your Highness." A eunuch announced, awaiting my move as I was to obey immediately. I quietly followed, not happy but feigning it for the sake of the people around me.

"Mother!" I happily smiled as my two children ran towards me, just as excited to see me as I was them. We hugged one another and chatted a bit before Qianli cleared his throat, expecting attention immediately.

"Jinghan and Jincheng, go out and play a little before your studies commence, I need to talk privately with your mother." He softly spoke to them, making me sick to my stomach. No matter how kind he was to them, I would never forgive him for what he'd done to me over the years. "Ruilin, dear, I have something to share with you."

I sighed as he waved his hand, turning to the opening door. Upon seeing who was being dragged in, I gasped and ran up to him with tears in my eyes.

"Yanli Ge!" I cried out, making him look up and give me a smile. I hugged him, crying into his neck as he wrapped his arms around my waist. "I feared you had already been killed."

"Nothing in this world can kill me." He replied, earning a laugh from Qianli.

"I've noticed, seeing nothing I've done over the years has even made a dent in your strength and vigor." He spoke, making me look between them with confusion. "We are all aware that the Lan people come from Ekigala, a few systems over. What we didn't know, however, is that they have superior strength and live a lot longer than we Rayeryn people do."

"What does this have to do with me? What does it matter where he's from? Why can't you just let us be?" I asked, making him chuckle again.

"We all know that Zhao and Yue are the prominent clans here. But did you know that your family is not a true Zhao?" He answered, earning even more confusion. He smiled as he leaned down and grabbed my chin, holding me in place. "Your family is, in fact, from the Qiu clan, strictly found on Ekigala."

He shoved me to the floor, folding his arms as he walked away. Yanli reached to hold me, but was stopped by the guards.

"Your name, in fact, isn't even Zhao Ruilin. It's Qiu Jiaoli, and you are the first woman to be an empress from that clan." Qianli continued, facing us again with an astonished expression. "Do you not realize your strength? Your children's strength? I will be a mighty emperor thanks to your genes. My reign will never end because of your help."

He laughed a bit as he directed the guards to beat Yanli, ignoring my cries for him to stop. An unnerving wave of power swept over my body, rushing through my veins in a way I'd never felt before. Seeing a bright light, my mind went blank as I stood up and faced the guards.