The Woman In The Palace

The Third Prince's Return

The Emperor threw a big celebration for his youngest sons' return. The palace bustled with paid entertainment. Singers, contortionists, actors, comedians performed at the courtyard while the waft of food bloomed intoxicatingly, stinging our taste buds. The feast was served for everyone to consume as the emperor opened the palace's gates for people to come and celebrate his son's return.

The third prince arrived in a fancy palanquin decorated in bright colors of gold and red. He waved his hand to his people who admired their prince from the streets.

From the distance, I watched and observed the young concubines dressed in their most beautiful dresses. They wore makeup to highlight their eyelids, lips, and cheekbones in hopes of catching the attention of the unmarried prince.

I smiled, finding my own excitement, reminded of the time when I used to see swooning concubines drop like flies at the sight of the handsome prince parading himself after his daily training routine.

A sudden slap on the back of my head woke me from my daze. I turned around scowling at Bailing. "What the heck did you do that for?"

She glared at me, her lips pursing. "Stop your drooling."

I loosened a snort. "I wasn't drooling, I was just reminiscing those days when prince Julong was around. I never thought how entertaining it was to watch those silly little concubines swoon over him."

"Yeah, they're all stupid and so are you! We both know the third prince isn't going to pay attention to any of those girls."

My attention was stolen from Bailing as the palanquin passed us, lifting my gaze to admire the dashing prince sitting in the moving barrow. Third prince Julong looked the same as he did with the mildest difference.

His face that still had traces of his youth only two years ago vanished, his jaws are cut stronger, more defined, even his muscles that were already toned are larger. He looked more like a man now than a boy teetering the edge of his teenage years.

For a moment, he caught my eyes, flicking his gaze away quickly. He was distracted by the descent of his palanquin on his steps to the palace's entrance.

I loosened a sigh. Not from disappointment due to his lack of regard, but it was more from the stress of what's to come still.

The sting of Bailing's palm hit me on the back of the head again.

"Stop doing that!" I complained to my personal servant as I caressed the ache on my head. "Seriously, Bailing. Don't you have anything else better to do?"

She shrugged. "No, not right now. I don't."

"What about your boyfriend? Don't you care to be with him instead?"

My desperate hint of getting rid of Bailing went nowhere. "Nope!" She said sourly.

"Having problems?"

"No, I was reprimanded by the second prince for neglecting my duties."

I laughed. "Oh, I see."

By the evening, I was bathed and prepared by my maidservants. I was to attend the family dinner with my husband and it was declared as a mandatory affair by the emperor. The emperor demanded his entire family's attendance, including his living brothers and sisters along with their extended family.

It was a night for the emperor to brag about his son and his accomplishments in a foreign land. I grew exhausted being reminded of the emperor's storytelling habit. He had the tendency of talking endlessly without knowing when to stop.

"Hoon..." I murmured, half pouting. There's nothing more I wanted than to skip this feast.

His lidded eyes lifted and met mine. "What is it, my love?"

"Do I really need to go? I'm not feeling so well." I moaned, holding on to my stomach, butterflies fluttered tickling the walls of my belly.

He got up from the bed and strolled casually towards me, his barefoot steps are soft and soundless as he ate away the distance between us. Hoon wrapped me in his arms and pressed me to his torso, while I lifted to my tiptoes reaching to give him a kiss.

"What's bothering you?" He asked softly.

"My stomach, my stomach felt like I ate something alive."

He smiled, pushing my hand away from my belly. Hoon pressed his wide palm in place, feeling for tenderness. "Are you sure it's not a baby?"

"That would be wonderful, wouldn't it?" I murmured in a voice so soft, it's audible only to him and me. "How nice would it be for us to finally become a family?"

"I will strive to make myself the best father in the world." He purred and kissed my neck. "We will be the happiest family, I promise." His hands mapped around the familiar crevices of my body, slipping them underneath my dress, touching me sensually. "All this talk about you being pregnant is making me horny."

I moaned, turned on as he is. I enjoy the way my husband drags his fingers so soft, so slow, and so careful that I whither helpless at his mildest touch. "Hoon, you know we must go."

"Now?..." He groaned, undressing me by this time.

I pushed away, "I'm sure everyone else is already there. We can't have them waiting."

He crooned pulling me back to him. "A few minutes wouldn't kill them."

We walked into the dinner a few minutes late. Everyone already sat on the table on their designated spots. The crown prince frowned at my husband with irritation having the entire family wait for us while the emperor only grinned at his second son with pride.

Third prince Julong sat on his usual spot, beside the second prince. His attention already occupied by his favorite cousin, lord Hooney who traveled almost an entire day away from his manor just so he can meet with him. They laughed and chat as they drink the sweetest wine. Prince Julong and his cousin were already getting drunk, loud, and rowdy.

My head dipped afraid to catch his eyes as I made it to the seat beside my husband. I expected the same prince I knew before, the young helpless in love who couldn't resist admiring his brother's betrothed.

But I guess, two years was long enough for him to move on, because not once he turned to me, not once be bothered to greet me, not once he acknowledged I was there. His attention was for everyone else but me. Each time I tried to catch his eyes drifting around the dinner table, the prince avoided my stare.

It is as if I was invisible and I didn't exist. He treated me the way the crown prince treats me, but I was used to crown prince Yuan's coldness and I didn't expect anything from him, while Julong, on the other hand, was different. His total disregard left a pang of hurt I could not deny. I felt a burst of pain swell in my chest, pulling me down deeper and deeper until I was ready to leave and escape this uncomfortable dinner.

The dinner became more than I could bear, and at the hour's end, I turned to Hoon tugging on his robe. "Let's go, husband. I don't feel so good."