My Liege And I

Understand

Chapter 38

Wei Li Lian
Princess Elora
Her Highness Wei
The Dragon Palace

Li Lian on her knees, Yuwen Hong sitting in his welcoming room, she would not guess that both were lovers just from the picture, rather, she would think it was a servant and master.

She had been bundled away from Yuwen Hong for some time, not knowing how to face him or bargain on behalf of Hu-go. Li Lian thought she could pretend she was never connected to Huticah, maybe all the dust would be hidden under the rug for life and she would live with Yu'er for happily ever after.

But not so fast.

Li Lian watched confusion spread on Yuwen Hong's face due to her request. She had been lazy in the past, letting her guard down. Mistress Ki would have been disappointed. She would have called her a waste and a disobedient student. All the years spent on her, and she became that weak.

To Yuwen Hong, she was now predictable and an open book. He could easily tell when she was not being honest. That is how she ended up there, a sister with her own brother on the brink of death.

"My love, do you know who you are bargaining mercy on behalf of?"

Yes, she did, but she could not openly admit this.

Yuwen Hong took her silence for ignorance. "That man is the heir of the nation that killed my father." Anger and detest was illustrated by his pronounced fists.

"Yu'er, I cannot sleep. The sight of him clings to my memory. What will happen if you kill him? I will be haunted for life."

"You want me to forgive him just because your conscience is weakened for the oppressed?"

She avoided meeting his eyes, hers plastered on the floor. "Death is not always the answer."

Piercing silence overwhelmed the chamber. She could hear the crickets chirping and the owls hooting from outside.

Yuwen Hong let out a heavy sigh. "Get out," his voice suddenly came, void of emotion.

When she delayed from standing, Luo Meng dutifully came to her side, ready to pull her out dramatically, just as he had done with her court lady.

"There can be other ways to rectify this matter," she offered, hopeful.

"Get out!" Now he was resigned and done with her.

She could not face him. She knew what he expected of her. Li Lian was supposed to be understanding of his pain, his hunger for revenge, while fully supporting him. The death of his father was his biggest life altering event. How could she not understand what needed to be done? Only when there was his vengeance served could he rest, but she was coming to him and asking him to forget it all just because she could not sleep at night after having trespassed into his locked dungeon. A place she was not supposed to be found at, to begin with.

He should be accusing her for not respecting his palace and that it was not his fault she was having nightmares. Selfish is what he once called her at the Blacksword Academy. However, he was not doing any of that on this day. Her disloyalty was too painful for him to express.

Realizing she was losing him, she panicked.

"Yuwen Hong..." she began to crawl, "I can explain."

He waved his hand in dismissal, indicating his finality.

"It is not as how you are envisioning it," she scrambled to explain.

"I am so angry that I could have you killed with him, right now," he spoke through his gritted teeth.

She shook her head, tears submerging her eyes.

"What this proves to me is that whatever you are hiding is worthy enough to try manipulating me by using my feelings towards you. You will do anything for your agenda, won't you? Our love means nothing to you."

She hiccupped. "You do not understand what I am going through."

"Understand? How will I understand when you tell me nothing? The only person ruining everything is you." His hand rubbed his temple tiredly. "I am building while you follow and destroy what I am stacking."

"It is not that, Yuwen Hong. Can you not blindly trust me?"

His eyebrows rose in belief. "Did I not, Li Lian?" he was now accusatory, air seething through his teeth and his eyes wild with disbelief. "I blindly trusted you with my heart and look what you are doing with that."

"If-if-if I tell you, you will kill me," she whispered.

He did not hear her, already decided that he wanted her absent from his vicinity.

"Luo Meng," he commanded.

Luo Meng took her arm in his hand and attempted to pull her up.

"Do not touch me!" She violently shrugged him off, then turned back to her beloved. "Yuwen Hong- "

"Please, Your Highness," Luo Meng interrupted her plea. Seizing her with both hands, he pulled her up and she began scrambling against him.

Luo Meng dabbled backwards, letting her go, when she shoved him away with her elbow. He grunted in pain and clutched his stomach, yet he determinedly continued to reach for her again.

"Luo Meng, let me go!"

"Li Lian!" Yuwen Hong silenced her, and she met his commanding stare. "Don't test me."

That was when Luo Meng managed to push her towards the exit, Li Lian now partly willing to be ushered out. Her shoulders were surged, and she felt like a failure.

When they reached the ground after descending the stairs. Luo Meng swung her around to face him, and whack!

A harsh slap bounced off her cheek causing her to hit the ground. Black marred her peripheral until she found herself tossed on the ground. Her eyes teared while breath was out of her.

"Punch me again and I will do worse," Luo Meng swore and spat onto her hand, before agitatedly disappearing.

Li Lian bit her lip, still trying to get her bearings. She was dizzy and blood raced within her uncontrollably. Her vision blurred until above her she manifested an angry Mistress Ki looking down at her in disappointment. She had failed and her Mistress Ki was not pleased. The woman who cared for her, though in negligence, she would not be wrong to crown her as mother. Li Lian doubted that she followed her teachings as she should have, because if she had done so religiously, Hu-go would live.

Love was blind. It took away reasoning and comprehension. Yuwen Hong still had reasoning and comprehension, thus she did not successfully entrap his heart. But for what it was all worth, this was not a place she could go back on and reverse her actions. She felt pain and sadness towards the unjust killing of the previous dragon, definitely, on that one she was not on the side of her nation.

However, no matter what was done due to the spite of losing him, nothing could bring him back to life, while Hu-go could be spared and live. She had to fight for him and hopefully, the feelings Yuwen Hong had towards her could save her from the heartache of losing the brother she grew up with.

She loved Yuwen Hong, yes. His suffering was unbearable to witness. He was a wounded dog still licking himself and yearning to heal. However, this same man was she battling with for her brother, forcing her hands to be seemingly uncaring and evil.

~Author's Note~

Do you understand Li Lian or you are mad at her?

S.V