My Liege And I

Pigeon

Chapter 52

Bai Yang Liu

Royal Princess Yang Liu

Lance kicked the fallen deer, and when he saw no movement, he smiled at her.

"Unexpected. Who would have thought a well kept princess can hunt so well."

Yang Liu hung her bow on her shoulder and smirked. "Even Nevorian women are capable. Do not look down on us."

Lance gave her an unconvinced gaze, trying to act unaffected, yet failing. It was all over his visage that he was proud she could hunt down food where needed. His blue and green eyes didn't leave hers as passionate affection swum in them. It could be recognized as hints of desire, admiration, want, and respect. All mixed together and flashing in waves.

Unbeknownst to him, she was good at this since she was raised as a prince. It was a past that brought her shame, though no fault of hers, but still.

Lance carried the heavy deer and led her back to their cave. The rest of the work of preparing the fire and hanging the meat over the blazing logs was taken care of by him.

As dawn brought about darkness, the flames became their source of light. Yang Liu huddled close to it to warm herself, with a small blanket she also used over the last night. They had been staying at the cave for more than three nights.

Just her and Lance.

It was no easy fit. With each day that passed, the desire Lance held towards her simmered and brewed, breaking his restraints bit by bit. When he would boil over, she had no idea.

Disturbing their peace and silence, amidst the crackling of the fire that burnt the fat of their roasting meat, a bird shrieked from above. It produced a piercing sound that Yang Liu was now accustomed to as the announcement of the arrival of the pigeon. The bird was used by the Queen and Lance to communicate or update each other.

As expected, the glamorous white pigeon landed on Lance's shoulders, dumping a small piece of paper to the ground.

Lance gently stroked the bird and picked up the message.

Yang Liu observed as his large hands opened the smallest of papers. How the Queen and Lance managed to write anything in such an area was beyond her.

Quietly, he read it over, and she watched unusual lines gather on his forehead, masking a frown. He folded the little paper and took a while to look at its crumbled form.

"Everything well?" she asked.

He shook his head in deep contemplation, taking his time to respond.

"I think everything 'wrong' happened."

Her heart uncontrollably accelerated. "What happened? Is my brother all right?"

"Physically, he must be." His jaw ticked. "Princess Elora was caught by the emperor, and she has been imprisoned."

On one of the nights she spent with Lance gazing at the moon, he had been open about why they abducted her. Who Li Lian was to the nation of Furia and what she was to be for him―his wife.

Unsurprisingly, it was but a matter of time before Li Lian was discovered. What has horns, you cannot fold over it.

Yang Liu imagined how her brother had to be devastated. His love for Li Lian even scared her.

"We are to set off for the palace tomorrow. The Queen has received reinforcements we were waiting for."

Queen Elora had brought sizable military from Furia in the beginning, but the emperor had raided the camp they were stationed at, looking for Yang Liu. Many casualties occurred, thus the Queen was stranded and unable to enter the palace to start negotiations when there was not enough manpower to protect her in case matters escalated.

The Queen was quite intelligent and forward thinking. She anticipated the possibility of the emperor ambushing the entourage of Furia to forcibly get his sister back. That is why Lance and Yang Liu secretly camped at the borderline between Furia and Nevoria. They could not risk losing Yang Liu without doing the needed swap.

Only when the emperor has agreed to swap Yang Liu and Li Lian could Lance fly with her to the agreed place of exchange.

"If everything goes well between our nations, we will leave this place tomorrow."

Lance was quite skilled in fighting, thus she was believed to be in good hands.

"All right," she replied.

She was caught off guard by the news. Heavens knew how the palace must be in chaos with the empress-to-be being the child of the Huticah King.

What bothered her mind, even more, was that only a few hours and she would be separated from Lance. Chances of seeing each other again were next to nil.

Yuwen Hong would marry her off for an alliance with another nation he chose. She would leave her motherland and start afresh in her life. Her yesterday would be but a memory.

She felt the heavy gaze of Lance on her and looked up to lock eyes with him. Lance's face was lit with dancing flames, looking glorious.

"We do not have to end this if you ask me not to," he said in all seriousness, as if reading her mind.

She shook her head. "What will you do?"

"Anything you want me to do, I will do."

"You are the betrothed of the princess."

"She is married to the emperor now."

Her heart knotted. Lance wanted her badly, but did she?

"I respect the friendship between us. I enjoy things the way they are."

She could not allow her heart to fall for a man again. General Feng taught her a lesson for life. Snow surrounded her heart and nothing was good enough to melt it away.

"Yang Liu," he started softly, "I think we have the greatest of friendship, but however, in the few days we spent together here, we had leeway to explore what was between us. I believe we can be more than this."

"You said you wanted to marry me from the first day, didn't you say the same when you met Li Lian?"

"Right."

"It seems you fall for every princess you meet."

He winced at her words. From their friendship, she knew better than to imply that. "What I had was unrequited love. Li Lian chose someone else, and rightly so, I moved on." He took on a piece of wood and threw it in the fire. "Everyone is allowed to move on when the situation is not ideal."

"I do not think Queen Elora has moved on from you. In her mind, you are the right person for her daughter."

"I can refuse and take on whatever punishment given to me."

She did not want that, but those words were like a river that cascaded toward her and enveloped her body in warmness. That... That was what General Feng failed to do for her―putting her first before anything and willing to go against duty and the world for her. Finding her as enough.

But it was too late. Strength was gone, winter came, and ice gathered. There was no return for her heart. To trust, have faith and carelessly love; in the past that was as easy as breathing, yet now it was as impossible as breathing without lungs.

"I am sorry," she said regretfully, "your feelings cannot be returned."

Yang Liu saw hope leave his body. And she grieved for him.

S.V