Royal Guardian

CHAPTER 14

When she woke up from getting knocked out, she immediately saw a familiar ceiling. She got up and saw the house where the empress is locked up. A minute later, the empress came in holding a plate of food.

"You're awake now. Come and eat your breakfast now."

She immediately looked at the window when she heard the word 'breakfast'. "It's morning already? Why was I unconscious for so long?"

"After they knocked you out, someone let you smell sleeping oil which made you sleep longer."

"Why would they do that? I was already unconscious and they still put something that will make me unconscious. Isn't that double sleep?"

The woman shook her head. "Silly, woman. You still have the time to joke around even when you are locked here now. Here, eat now so you can have strength. I heard from the helpers that the grand empress dowager will ask my son to visit her today but I don't know why."

"Would the grand empress dowager use us to dethrone the emperor today? This is bad. What should I do?" She said while thinking something then she felt a hard object in her pocket. She immediately took it out and saw the whistle which her master gifted her. "I know!" She immediately focused on the whistle and started making a sound hoping her master would hear the message. "Your majesty, please tell me about what happened and why you got here and be their prisoner. Also, tell me about the late emperor."

"Okay." The empress said and started talking while she was listening and whistling it to her master.

The whistle message is the most important and hardest part of her training with her master. It consists of music and messages which is helpful in times like this where she is locked up and can't use any equipment.

She keeps on whistling until she finishes what she wants to tell. She remained closed eyes until she heard the whistle of her master, indicating that she got the message she sent her.

Only then she looked at the empress and smiled. "Your majesty, why are you looking at me like that?"

"It just came to me why I always find you familiar. Miss, it's you right? It's you who my son wanted to marry three years ago."

"H-how did you know? As far as I remember, the Emperor never brought me to the palace."

"Well, the late emperor and I got scared when Wen Xin told us he wants to marry a commoner woman he loves. That's why we followed him and we saw how you two look at each other with so much love, only then I feel at ease because I know that my son have found the woman he'll be withe for the rest of his life."

She smiled sadly. "It's just a pity, that even if there is love between us, it might be impossible for us to be together anymore. Wen Xin is bound to be an emperor while I am a wanderer who loves freedom and the palace is a cage of no return."

"I can't blame you because I also thought that this palace is a cage full of greed and unkindness. But it's a pity my son will be alone in this dangerous path." The empress said and sighed.

"Your majesty, it's not that I don't want Wen Xin to be an emperor because I know for the past years, he really is a good emperor. I saw how he loved the people and how he didn't do anything that could hurt the civilians. It's just that I don't want my son to know and stay in this place where power struggle is more important than unity."

"S-Son? You have a son?"

She smiled and nodded. "He is Hong Xin."

"Hong Xin. Is it Xin'er's?" The empress looked at her, hoping.

"Or else?" She smiled. "Wen Xin and I already had our marriage even before he became an emperor. Then I became his guardian months ago and he even met my son one time but I don't want to disclose to him about my son yet unless he'll make up his mind about what he wants in the future."