His Majesty And I ✔️

Secrets

Li Lian twirled around as she climbed off the back of the man who carried her. Her eyes widened at the sight of her. Definitely, Dao in front of her was something quite unexpected.

"Dao?"

"It is I, My Lady!" Dao leapt into the arms of her mistress, excitedly. "Mistress, I missed you so much," she laughed happily, feeling content.

"Dao, what are you doing here?" Li Lian did not sound as happy.

"Greetings, Li Lian." Luo Meng smiled at her mistress. It was a first for Dao to see him smile at Li Lian. Probably, the time they had been gone had softened him a lot.

"Luo... Meng... Dao..." Li Lian ran her fingertips through her hair, panic and discomfort evident in her demeanor.

Dao could also not understand why Li Lian had her hair down. She was an imperial woman and therefore should be refined at all times, her hair tied. Only the citizens had the duty to have unpinned hair before the emperor reigned for a total of five years.

"What are you two doing here?" Li Lian finally made a coherent sentence.

Dao glanced at Luo Meng for help.

"We were sent by the palace to come to look for you. Remember, I have a condition that does not enable me to recognise faces, thus His Majesty granted permission on me coming with Dao."

"Yes, we were looking for you." Dao muttered after Luo Meng, not knowing what he meant by such words. Why must they search for her? However, from being in so many places on the run, Dao was accustomed to following the lead of Luo Meng on everything.

Li Lian's face fell. "They are still looking for me? Even now?"

The young man who had been carrying Li Lian approached them and rested on Li Lian with his arm over her shoulder.

"We have guests? Please introduce them to us, Li Lian." He genuinely smiled. "Fang Qing is my name, who are you?"

"Don't touch her! You are risking her life by acting so casually like she is a woman not belonging to His Majesty," Dao couldn't help setting the young man straight. It annoyed her that someone would play with her mistress' life like that.

"Who are you?" Fang Qing was clearly annoyed.

"Fang Qing, go away." Li Lian pushed him from them. "Go back to the others." She pointed at the rest who were sparring with each other for the betterment of their sword skills.

"As you have asked," Fang Qing replied, sour about being excluded.

Dao skeptically glanced at Luo Meng, who was grinning, quite apparent that he enjoyed every moment of this. Reason why, Dao was not sure.

"Luo Meng, Dao," Li Lian began, "I need your help."

"Depends," Luo Meng smirked.

Li Lian swallowed hard. "Please don't tell them you saw me here? I'd rather have you act like you could not find me, please."

"Mistress... why?"

"Dao." She took her shoulders. "Woman to woman, was I ever free in that place? How can I go back?"

"But His Majesty―"

"Please, I beg of you."

"The palace has never been a place that many women like, I understand you Li Lian." Luo Meng took her side.

What is it that he knew to make him less rattled by the situation?

"So you will not tell?" Li Lian was hopeful toward Luo Meng.

He grinned. "What do you take me for? Of course not."

Li Lian exhaled in relief. "Thank you so much.

"Aiyah, Li Lian." Luo Meng informally took her hand into his. "You probably have suffered, why should we make it harder for yoy? Just go on and relax here, treating yourself with no worries. You deserve to rest."

They then continued to converse, speaking of how Li Lian ended there, the massacre at the palace, and Gurio's assassinations. Li Lian asked Dao where she was during that time and she just said "she had fallen sick at home," as an excuse.

What was weird, was how Luo Meng seemed updated about what had happened when they were gone. Dao guessed that he had kept things from her so as to protect her from anxiety while she was sick. He was such a considerate man.

And so was her mistress who organized good food for them before they could leave, introduced them to her companions who she called "juniors" and even showed them around the library. They also got to enjoy the scene of the speckles of light in the waterfall that created a rainbow and the fog that swam over the mountains.

When they separated, Dao could still not wrap her head around the situation. So many things had taken place when they were gone.

"I am so glad we were not there when they invaded the palace. Because of it, you are safe." Luo Meng lovingly kissed Dao's forehead after they again crossed the bridge.

"Me too." She rather kissed his lips. "But if my mistress is not in the palace, why should I go back? We too would be safer away from the palace."

"Dao," Luo Meng sighed. "Unlike her, remember you are not well. We need you to have the best physicians at your disposal. Besides, didn't Li Lian ask you to look after Ai in the palace?"

Dao rubbed her arms, huddling herself in the snow-white wool coat Li Lian had given her when they were together. She could indeed protect Ai since she had many connections in the palace, due to having grown up there.

"You are right but it's still annoying. Besides, why are you so happy after seeing Li Lian? Weren't you on bad terms with her beforehand?"

He laughed. "It's nothing, sweet Dao. I just realised that life is good, so why not enjoy it?" He then pulled her and tongued her mouth. "Do not worry, there is nothing for us to worry about now."

S.V