(WANG HUA)
I was surprised when dinner with Baba, Father and Jin turned out to be pleasant enough. When Baba and Jin got to our home, Father told them that we will have an early dinner to have more time to talk later on.
Father also warned me not to be gloomy while eating and to just be my usual self.
"No need to worry yourself about your engagement with Prince Jin. It is not dissolved yet. You are still marrying this Prince..."
"I am not worried about that, Father. I am worried about you. Do you feel deeply insulted by what Jin's mother did?"
"Don't worry about me, Hua. I would feel more upset if I am worrying you."
"I was glad you were there with me when I met Jin's mother. That was so unnerving...I feel cold. But then I remember that you are with me and I am safe. I feel safe everytime I am with you. I know no one can hurt me as long as you are close..."
"Thank you, my flower. You are right, no one can hurt you while I am around."
"And I won't let myself get hurt, Father. I swear..."
"Good. That lifted all my worries away..."
I am glad I lessen Father's worries by telling him that I won't let anyone hurt me. That I will protect myself. It's part of me fulfilling my promise to my brother. Dao sacrificed himself for me. My twin choosing to leave our home to serve as Crown Prince Han's close guard. I promised that I will live quietly and won't cause trouble for my family so Dao won't worry about me anymore.
So my twin can go and have his own adventures and take his own destiny.
I won't get hurt. I will be strong. I won't worry my family.
That's why even though the presence of Jin's mother proved unexpected and could potentially cause my family trouble, and may endanger my engagement as well, I want to assure Father that I am fine. We don't know all the variables yet. I think it will be too soon to panic and think my world is doomed just because Jin's mother disapproved of me.
I met disapproval before. This won't be any different. I will meet it head on. Hopefully with Jin beside me.
The two of us...being strong together.
But Jin choking on air when he learned from my Father who visited us this morning is not a good sign for us.
We are gathered in the library, having our after dinner tea when Father broke the news to Jin and Baba about who came to see me in the flesh.
"W-who...came here?" Jin's shocked eyes found my face. "Hua...?"
I nodded to confirm what he heard. "Your mother, Princess XiLen, came here to see me."
"My m-mother was here?" Jin looked utterly confuse. "As in here, in your home? In China?"
Father frowned at my fiance, "You mean you have no idea that Princess XiLen is here, your Highness?"
"No, Master Dayu." Jin grasped my hand gently in his hold. "I didn't know, Hua...why will my mother...?" The man I love looked baffled at the information that his mother has come back to her motherland.
"What about you?" Father turned to Baba who is quiet as he contemplates the situation. "Do you have an idea that the banished princess is here? What about the Emperor?"
"I didn't know," Baba shook his head. "And I think the Emperor has no idea as well. If he has, then he should have addressed this with his former brother in law, First Minister Tan. It looks to me like Princess XiLen came home without informing anyone."
Father frowned, "Can she do that? Is she allowed to come here in China? What about the Empress, what will be her reaction to this?"
"Not good of course..." Baba said with a grim look on his face. "What's baffling me is how Princess XiLen entered the Capital without anyone informing me?"
I stared at my parents. I know Baba is the one in charge with the Imperial Family, the Palace and the Capital's safety. But does that mean that every person entering the Capital should be reported to my Baba? That's a lot of people to monitor because the Capital has huge economic market.
"Your guards are slacking then. Or someone has bribe them." Father sneered.
"That will be bad," Jin said. "If my mother managed to enter the Capital stealthily, who else has passed under our noses without us knowing?"
Father scoffed on that, "She entered here secretly but her mistake was revealing herself to me." Father floated a piece of paper on top of the table where we are sitting around. "The name of the place where Princess XiLen is staying while she is here in the Capital. She has five persons with her, three armed guards and two maids who personally see to her every needs."
We all stared at that paper.
"How did you..." Baba reached for the paper.
Father turned his eyes to Baba, "I feel threatened that's why I immediately took action."
"You feel threatened? Why?" Baba scowled. "What happened on the Princess' visit?" Baba's eyes found me. "Hua...?"
I saw Jin's eyes also focused on me. I winced before sighing. "I think Jin's mother doesn't like me." I simply said.
Jin coughed this time as he got a second surprise tonight. "She doesn't like you? Is that possible?" His eyes gave me a once over. "Who wouldn't like you? You are not just likable, you are lovable." My fiance is truly utterly confuse by the notion of his mother not liking me.
Father groaned in disgust. "Spare me. Stop waxing exaggerated praises on my daughter in front of us. Fine, you love her, we caught that fast. But it looks like Princess XiLen is not warm on the idea of you marrying our Hua."
"But why would she protest Prince Jin's engagement to our daughter?" Baba couldn't grasp the idea either.
Father shrugged. "I don't know her reasoning. I could guess. I have two theories already. It's either she doesn't like the Wangs for some unchangeable reason or..."
"Or?" The three of us focused our attentions and ears on Father.
"Or she has other plans for Prince Jin. This afternoon, she said something that I can't get out of my head. She said, Prince Jin will leave with her. Leave where? Go where?"
I turned my eyes to Jin who looks like he is deeply on his thoughts. "I don't understand, why will my mother think that I will leave this place? Hua is here. I will marry and start a family with her. We already have a place where we will reside after we get married. I am not going anywhere." He smiled at me.
"Then why did Princess XiLen said that you will leave this kingdom with her?" Father's expression tells us that he doesn't like that thought.
"I don't know..."
Baba stood up, "I think I should go back to the Palace and tell this to the Emperor." He waved the paper on his hand where the information on Princess XiLen were written on.
"No," Father shook his head. "Stay here with us. We don't have to do anything." He said to Baba.
"Dayu ah," Baba sat down again. "What are you thinking?"
Father looked at me. "We don't have to do anything because I think Prince Jin's mother will soon reveal to us why she came here. If she has a mind to take Prince Jin or if she wants something more, we will know it soon. For now...the Wangs had nothing more to prove to the Imperial Family. We met all their conditions for Hua to get engage to Prince Jin. We have nothing more to prove. We gave them our loyalty, respect and trust. And Dao plus Hua. If anyone has anything to demand, it's us to the Imperial Family."
We got quiet at that. Father has a point. My family met all the Emperor's conditions. Our family had to see my brother leaving our home, breaking many of our hearts. Yes, we did our part of the bargain. Father is right.
And I think Jin agreed with my silent sentiment. My fiance nodded, "You are right, Master Dayu. I will talk to the Emperor. I will confirm things and if I have to, I will seek my mother to talk to her as well. But only to make it clear to her that I am not going anywhere. I am not moving away from this Capital. Hua is here. My future is here. My family is here. My brothers and sister. I am not leaving." Jin took my hand. "I will stay here...with you."
I smiled at my fiance. "Remember your manners while giving your thoughts to your mother. She is still your mother."
"Don't worry about that." Then Jin himself gave me a worried look. "Are you alright? Don't take her words to heart, my love. After all we have been through, I will permit no one to take our future together away from us." Jin raised my hand to kiss the back of it. "I love you..."
My heart was filled with my love for him. Everytime Jin is saying that he loves me, I can see in his eyes that it's his truth. I can see there that I am his love.
"I love you too, Jin." I shyly reply. Staring at my fiance's eyes, I felt myself losing in those dark depth but I don't mind it at all. It's Jin's eyes. I am safe with him.
Until my Father cleared his throat loudly. The spell Jin spun around me got disrupted. We look at my parents. Baba looked resigned while Father's eyebrow was arched at us.
"The sweet words you are uttering at each other, remember them while you are talking to people trying to keep you both apart. We all know the road to your union is not an easy one. But we will fight for it...because love should always prevail. And when one day, you two had your wedding, keep holding on to those words of love. Because being wed to each other is not the end of your story, it's only the beginning. Being married is like lying on a bed of roses...with thorn on the stems. You can get hurt but..."
"But love can heal you. I remember, Father." I said.
Love heals. Father's love heals my body physically. His tireless care for me, the exercises he imposed on me, the medicines he cajoled me to drink, the healthy food he served for me to eat. All the strict rules and routines he gave to me to follow. All of it came from his love for me and his desire to make me healthy.
Father's love for me literally saved my love. Baba's love keeps me protected. Baba taught me to value myself. And Dao...Dao is a part of me I would never want to lose. He is my twin, brother and hero.
Then there's Jin...Jin's love makes me feel...well, loved. He makes me feel needed. I know Jin needs me like how I need him.
Love heals. But it has it's trial. This situation with Jin's mother, it is still vague and giving us with questions but it's a trial Jin and I had to overcome.
Our advantage was Jin and I, together with my family, are not new to trials.
We have experiences with traveling roads not many will choose to traverse.
"As long as you hold on to your love and to each other, you have a big chance to overcome anything," Baba said. "And don't forget that we are here. We will help..."
"Thank you, General. Master Dayu," Jin bowed his head to my parents.
"Thank you, Baba. Father..." I smiled at my parents. The luckiest day of my life was when fate deemed that I should have them as my parents and Dao as my brother. I am truly blessed to have them as my family.