scarlet heart | exo

The Little Prince

"Xue!"

The second the midwives opened the door, Zitao was in the delivery room like an arrow shot from a taut bow. He haphazardly parted the drapery, almost ripping them off the ceiling in the process, and pushed the gaggle of people surrounding the bed until he laid eyes on his unconscious wife.

"She's just exhausted, and fallen asleep," assured the Empress Dowager. She carried a bundle of yellow silk in her arms. "It's a boy, Your Majesty."

Clocking Zitao's eager stare, Empress Dowager carefully transferred the bundle into his waiting arms. She gave her son a knowing smile, then excused herself, taking the servants with her.

The late morning sun shone brightly through the windows, the wax paper dampening its harsh and burning edge. The little bundle stirred as the band of warmth hit his face, and his little mouth— somehow resembling that of Xuefeng— made a little popping noise as it opened and closed silently, still too tiny to be capable of words.

"Little one. My son. My firstborn son." There was nothing else in Zitao's eyes but the fragile life form in his hands— a life that he created. "Your mother and I had decided that your name shall be Honghui."

The infant responded by trying to open his eyes, but only succeeded in barely cracking them open.

Then, he scrunched his nose, opened his mouth, and wailed.

"H-Hey! How can you not like this name? Your mother and I spent a lot of time picking characters and choosing it for you! You ungrateful little—"

"Language, Zitao. This is our baby son you're talking to."

"Xue! You're awake!" In his shock and haste to attend to his newly-awake wife, Zitao almost dropped Honghui— he's going to have to get used to the fact that some bundles, like this one, needed to be laid down gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just got run over by a herd of horses."

"I'm not going to ask how you know how getting run over by a herd of horses feels like."

Xuefeng laughed weakly, and Zitao tilted the still-wailing Honghui so that Xuefeng could get a good look.

"Look, it's our beautiful son," whispered Zitao, and Xuefeng smiled back, although she couldn't really see the beauty that Zitao spoke of wailing infant. Weren't babies supposed to be cute and chubby? What was this red-skinned, wrinkly and swollen-eyed mini-homosapien?

But Honghui was her firstborn son with Zitao, and she would love him nonetheless.

"He's got your eyes," she forced herself to say.

"Yep. And your nose and mouth. He's going to grow up to be a little heartbreaker, just like me."

"You— He's only just been born!"

"Your Majesties! Sorry to interrupt," came the nanny's voice from outside the chamber. "I heard the little prince crying, perhaps he is hungry. Would you allow me to take him to be fed?"

"Yes, yes of course," replied Zitao, reluctantly handing the infant to the nanny's experienced hands. "And send my order: declare through the nation that the Empress has borne a son, who shall henceforth be known as the First Prince, Honghui."

"Right at once, Your Majesty!"

As soon as he was done instructing the servants, Zitao was right back by Xuefeng's bedside.

"The physicians said that the birthing medicine causes drowsiness. If you're feeling tired, just go to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up."