- Long'Er -
Watching Li Xun leave the manor was more difficult than taking the arrows for him.
She could still feel the warmth from his body; still feel the firm yet gentle pressure of his velvet lips on her forehead. The moment they shared ignited a fire within her. The flame spread all over her body and she no longer felt cold.
He liked her. More than a friend.
The thought placed a smile on her face, but it faded quickly. With slow steps, she returned to her room to find her godmother still sitting by her bed, petting Jade on the head.
"Come and rest, child. You must be worn out."
Long'Er obliged. Once she tucked herself back into the soft bed, her godmother took her hand and began rubbing circles on the back. The gesture had her relaxed immediately.
"How are you feeling? Are you still hurting anywhere?"
Long'Er shook her head, her lips pulling back to form a smile of reassurance. Her hand reached for the spot on her thigh where she was shot by an arrow earlier, but now, she no longer felt any pain.
There was only one explanation behind this.
She glanced at her godmother. "Thank you for healing my wounds, Mother."
The troubled look in her eyes didn't go unnoticed by her godmother. "Worried about the Crown Prince?" She asked in understanding. "He will be fine. Trust him."
Long'Er nodded but the words didn't ease away the concern in her eyes.
"It seems like he has fallen head over heels for you, sweetheart," her godmother remarked, nudging her thigh lightly. "What about you?"
The question rose a lump in Long'Er's throat and she closed her eyes. "Mother," she said quietly. "I honestly do not think that I can remain by his side."
Who was she exactly? She was an ignorant girl who had lived most of her life in the mountains — a place far away from human civilisation. She knew nothing about politics and the wellbeing of the people in this country. She possessed no qualities that would fit those of a princess. If she and Li Xun wanted to be together, they would be disapproved of by many others.
"My dear child." Her godmother brushed hair off her face affectionately. "A man doesn't need a perfect woman... He just wants a woman that's perfect for him and is supportive of what he does. I believe he doesn't care about social status and all. If what's holding you back is the fear of judgement by his people, prove to them that you can make your own path in life and the right people will accept you for it."
A thoughtful silence ensued between them. Before Long'Er could string words together, footsteps approached their room.
The calm expression on her godmother's face shifted to one of eagerness. "Do not waste your chance again," she said quickly, giving her arm an encouraging squeeze before vanishing into thin air.
Long'Er was confused.
What did her godmother mean by that?
Soon, she got her answer. When the doors to her room swung open to reveal a friendly face that she had seen previously at the Emperor's birthday party, she swore her heart almost stopped. Propping herself on her elbows, a surprised gasp escaped from her throat.
"M-Minister Han?"
What was her father doing here?
Shutting the doors behind him, Minister Han entered the room and chuckled at her gaping expression. "It's a pleasure to meet you, young lady. I'm aware that I'm a rather famous man but you do not have to get up from the bed to greet me. Especially not in your current condition. How are you feeling?"
Embarrassed, Long'Er eased herself into a comfortable sitting position. "I'm feeling better," she answered meekly.
Being this close to her father again was nerve-wracking and she tried to steady her pounding heart. She watched as he took a seat beside her, taking in the confusion written across her face.
"This is one of the Intelligence Bureau's secret hideouts," he explained patiently. "Since our job is to gather information from all sorts of places, our people are scattered across the lands and we need living quarters. You'll be safe here under our care until further orders from the Crown Prince."
She nodded her head in understanding. "When will he be back?"
"When he has caught the perpetrators and deemed that everything is safe, he'll arrange for your return."
Nodding her head once more, she fiddled with the hem of her sleeves anxiously. Unable to look at her father right in the eye. And being the observant man that he was, he caught her anxiety.
"Are you alright, Miss? Are you in shock from the attack earlier? Please rest assured that you're safe here–"
"It's not about that," she interrupted him quickly to clear his worries. "It's just that...there's something that I've been meaning to return to you."
He didn't understand her. "Return me what?"
Long'Er was at a loss at how she should explain herself. After squirming nervously for a few seconds, she gave up. Her hand slipped under the collar of her clothes, pulling out a red-thread necklace and showing him the object attached to it.
The sight of the familiar gold ring stunned Minister Han. "T–that's–" He stumbled over his words, shattering his normally calm appearance. He knew exactly what she was holding in her hand. "How is it possible?" he gasped. "I-I've the same identical ring in my safe back at home. I–It can't be..."
Tearing his gaze away from the ring, he stared at her. Incredulous and utterly speechless.
"It belonged to my mother," Long'Er explained slowly. "However, she had passed on several years ago and this was the only thing she left behind."
"Your mother... Who is she?" He grasped her wrists with trembling hands. Beseeching her with a pleading look. "Tell me."
She lowered her eyes to the ground and answered quietly.
"Her name was Huang An Qi."
Her revelation stunned him.
His lips quivered. "You're saying the ring belonged to my first wife? Then does it mean that you are m-my–?"
He couldn't seem to finish his sentence but she already knew what he was asking and began nodding her head. If the ring wasn't enough, there was something else that she could do to prove her identity.
"Mother and you were childhood friends. You've a small scar right below your right knee. She mentioned that you had gotten it after falling off a tree when you were young. You were trying to jump over the walls to play with your friends."
Bereft of speech, Minister Han pulled her into his embrace. He buried his face into her shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably at the fact that he had just discovered himself having a daughter with his first love. Years of grief and longing were brought to the surface and he couldn't seem to stop his tears from flowing.
"I can't believe it," he rasped. "I've a daughter. We have a daughter."
His reaction surprised Long'Er and she burst out crying as well. Her fear of rejection vanished immediately.
For the next couple of hours, they spent some time grieving their loss and celebrated their reunion. He questioned her childhood, her mother's remaining years and where they had lived. She was more than happy to share it with him. Even if she couldn't finish telling her story today, there was plenty of time in the future to catch up with each other.
Her father couldn't stop staring at her with affection and remorse in his eyes. It was clear that he was silently reproaching himself for not being there for her when she was a child.
"Do you hate me?"
She shook her head with a smile. "How can I hate someone that my mother loved?"
Once again, her honest words brought tears to his eyes. He took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze, allowing his eyes to roam all over her face to memorise her look.
"There's something else that you should know too," she admitted, biting her lip.
"What is it?" he asked, his voice laced with gentleness.
She watched him from under her eyelashes nervously. As if she was a child being caught red-handed for doing something wrong. It was pointless to hide from her father, especially if he was going to question her arrival at the capital and how she came to know Li Xun.
"Actually...we've met before during the banquet for the Emperor's birthday. My name is Long'Er and I'm the bodyguard to the Crown Prince."
***
Days passed, followed by weeks and a month.
News of the Emperor's attempted assassination spread like a wildfire. It rattled the entire empire. Rumours in towns revealed that the former Emperor's son was the culprit behind everything.
Long'Er couldn't imagine what Li Xun was experiencing at the moment. She felt useless for not being able to stand by his side and aid him. During the entire time that she spent at the Intelligence Bureau's quarters in this village, she didn't receive any letter from the capital.
Assuming that Li Xun was busy, she decided that she would wait for his news patiently.
She idled around the residence and spent much time fostering her bond with her father. Despite his high status, he was a humble nobleman with a sense of humour that easily put people around him at ease. She could now understand why her mother had fallen so hard for him.
It was amusing at how he forbade her to wear male clothes or place a mask on her face. His reason was simple – he wanted to see his daughter's beautiful face as often as he could to make up for the lost time. And yet, whenever young men who passed by gazed at her with interest, he would glare at them until they scattered off.
Their reunion turned him into a far busier man. He would often make trips back and forth between the capital and village. Whenever he spent time with her, he would often shower her with gifts and bring her out to the nearby restaurants to eat. However, this only made her feel guilty for causing him to spend less time with the rest of his family.
"Soon," he promised her. "I'll bring you to meet them."
During the days she had to spend alone, her immortal godmother would appear out of nowhere to keep her company. The first time she had appeared, her eyes brimmed with tears. Clearly, she knew all about Long'Er's successful reunion with her father.
One late afternoon, when Minister Han returned to the residence and was cooped up in his office to clear his paperwork, Long'Er decided to serve him some tea. He beamed widely, obviously thrilled that she had come to him voluntarily and was growing more comfortable being around him.
After exchanging some lighthearted words, Long'Er decided that it was probably time for her to request for his help on a matter that had been troubling her mind for days.
"Please, Father. Will you do me a favour?"
His eyes grew wide in concern, noticing the shadow in her eyes. "What is it, my child?"
She hesitated. Seeing how there was no news coming from the palace for a long time, she was convinced that Li Xun had forgotten about her.
About them.
A day earlier, she had gotten into the market to purchase some groceries. There were plenty of rumours circulating around the place about the Emperor's recent announcement; that he was relinquishing his throne to his son and selecting a bride for him.
This was probably the reason why Li Xun didn't contact her.
Her hope extinguished and her heart sank, feeling that the man she loved was drawing further away from her reach. With a heavy feeling in her chest, she knew there was only one thing left she could do.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to meet her father's curious gaze.
"Will you convey to the Crown Prince that I'm resigning from my post as his bodyguard?"