Love In The Palace

Mother

"Mother Empress..." Lis pulls back the doors and shuts it from the outside, leaving only the Imperial mother and son in the room.

Empress strolls towards Crown Prince, trying her best to keep her calm and composure, for she understands that she will not be able to use any force on the Crown Prince right now. So she positions herself on the cushion right across the table from Crown Prince, her hands are on her lap and her eyes never leave his.

"Do you even know what happened at the Court today?"

"..."

"The Shines are trying to pull you down from your Crown Prince position."

"..."

"You are the Crown Prince, you must stand up and fight against those people who want to harm us, before it is all too late, especially when the Emperor's health is worsening day by day." He slams his jug of wine on the table, his finger cut by the small piece of the jug that chipped off due to the force. His pain creeps out of his heart, slowly inching towards his eyes, the heat of all sadness, disappointment and anger is pushing his tears onto his lids.

"Have Your Son not always done that? Your Son has never asked for anything from you, Mother Empress. All that Your Son has ever asked of, is only a woman. Yet, Mother Empress always disagree, even to the point of trying to poison her to death?!"

"H-how did you kn-"

"Your Son has had enough. Since Mother Empress has never listened to just a mere single wish of mine, Your Son too will never listen to Mother Empress anymore. Heaven's Son? What is so amazing about that?"

"Ridiculous! Who does not want to be the Heaven's Son?! Being the Heaven's Son means that you can own the world! Not everyone is able to become one! You are meant to be one, and you must be!"

"Is that true? Then if Your Son does become the Heaven's Son, can I have Mistress Leanne again then? Can I?!"

"She is already dead."

"Every single one of you...every single one of you is only trying to gain power through me! It is only because I am the Crown Prince! If I am not, all of you will not even bother with me!" With one swipe of his hand, all the jugs of wine on the table shatter into pieces on the floor, the wine splashing all over the place, forming patches here and there, just like his heart, and the Empress' heart.

"Ze...Zeth..."

"Scram! All of you! Scram!" Crown Prince goes berserk, his hands swiping anything that is on the table off, throwing them onto the grounds, finding as many things as possible to smash.

"Zeth! Calm down!" And he does. Strands of hair fall loose and cover parts of his vision, his eyes that were unfocused are now shooting deadly glares at his own Mother Empress.

"I...hate you..." For the first time ever as an adult, he sheds a tear before his Mother Empress, and it will also be the one last time.

---

A continuous strings of dry cough can be heard for hours already, echoing throughout the wide bedchamber that has many red curtains draping from the ceilings to the grounds. Her bed is covered with golden silk sheets, she herself is propping herself up with her elbow while leaning against her lady-in-waiting who hastily digs out her pale green handkerchief from her sleeves. Empress coughs endlessly into the cloth, only to find a patch of blood staining the center, she and Lis are both horrified by the sight of the redness."

"Yo-Your Highness...this is blood! Summon the Imperial Physicians! Quick!"

"Lis..."

"Yes, Your Highness..."

"Why is it...that I have done so much in my entire life, for my child...but it only brings about hatred...from him..." She tried to hold back her tears, but those crystal clear droplets just cannot be held back anymore and they get heavier and heavier. Those are the tears of a mother, who cries for her child. All her actions are for her child, her one and only surviving child. No one understands the pain of white-haired people sending the black-haired people* as much as she does. She had sent two of her children off, and almost had to send her last child off in a planned accident. It is no wonder that she has morphed into such a ruthless Empress, because everything that she has gone through has made her like this, and it is cruelly and ironically justifiable.

If only people will understand her and her pain, they perhaps may understand her cruelty and ruthlessness, but they will never ever be able to.

She has lost almost everything, her first daughter, her baby, her parents, her sister, her love and she is only left with Crown Prince. How can she ever let her son to be driven away by a woman of lowly status, whose existence is already a taboo in the palace?

To people, she may be an evil, but after all she is merely a mother who is able to go to all lengths to protect her son. Like a tigress protecting her only cub.

---

Well, this is the reason I've never hated the Empress and actually love her. She's this extremely strong motherly love for her child, obviously exceeding Jade's love. She's way too pitiful after so many things have happened to her. And of course she can only resort to ruthless methods and scheming because that is the only way to survive in the palace. :(

Anyway, see you in the next chapter! :)