His Majesty And I ✔️

Handkerchief Love

Chapter 7

Luo Meng
Lady Queens Manor

Luo Meng was aware of the door that slid open, and the hesitant steps that invaded his space. He was too stuck in his dark feelings to lift his head.

This day had been another of His Majesty's bad days. The Dragon had struggled with a fever for most of the day before becoming unconscious. Luo Meng would not admit it to anyone, but he too didn't think he was going to live up to the next seven nights. His Majesty's condition was sickening. His body had no color, feeding him was a pain because he wasn't holding any food, the medicine included. The Royal physicians also said his pulse was not consistent.

Luo Meng cursed at his inability to recognize faces. Otherwise, he would have gone after Oren. They were in dire need of the emperor's heart. If His Majesty was to wake, he was going to make it his priority to persuade him that he would rather keep his heart. But at the same time he was not a transparent person just as how Oren was with His Majesty. He had not been truthful about Elora.

The emperor ordered him to stalk Li Lian a month ago and later that day, they exchanged letters like love birds. This was after spending days drinking himself to a state of lacking mindfulness.

Luo Meng knew heartbreak when he saw one. The emperor had to know that she was Elora by now, considering he killed the fake Elora sent by the Grand Dowager Empress. But that didn't answer one standing factor, 'Why was Elora cast out of the palace to be a commoner?' She wore commoner clothes, and was not acclaimed to her lady status.

The hairs on the back of Luo Meng's neck stood. He felt a silk soft hand creep onto his. He froze, before lazily raising his head. Who had the nerve? Alarm bells were loudly ringing in his mind. He quickly shrugged the hand off him. "Who are you to touch me?"

"I'm sorry, you looked so sad and I wanted to comfort you."

He looked at bright honey coloured eyes. They were curious, and lively. He blinked his eyes rapidly.

"You don't have to be sad and alone." She was staring down at him with lovesick eyes.

Luo Meng closed his eyes for the longest time and opened them again. He couldn't believe it.

"Why do you keep closing your eyes? Are you feeling itchy?" She put her hand on his forehead, checking his temperature.

He lightly smacked her small hand off.

"No touching." He closed his eyes again, opening them to the same result. Her face was recognisable, her face was not like everyone. He could differentiate her from others. Like he normally explained to the emperor, faces to him could be likened to a person being surrounded by the same looking trees in a forest. He couldn't tell them apart. Yet, she was a tree he could tell apart.

She had plump lips, smudged with lip wear. Her eyebrows were pointy, a not too big or small nose, and don't forget the love sick eyes.

How was it he could tell her apart? The only person he could tell apart as far was the Grand Dowager Empress. Her case was understandable because she was like a mother to him. Several physicians said that his face blindness was a psychological problem. If Grand Dowager Empress meant a lot to him and he recognized her, maybe a certain kind of affection was the key to unlocking face recognition.

"Have we met before?"

The girl took that as permission to sit by him. "You remember me?" It was almost a squeal of excitement. "The guy in the garden said you wouldn't, wait till I tell him this in his face," she smirked.

"I actually don't remember you. We have met?"

Her eyes squinted, taking her time to think. "Yes, we have but not in a likely place."

"Where?"

"In a garden"

"Garden?"

"The palace garden. I was there to perform as a lady queen several years ago and we met there." She looked into her sleeves and pulled out a white handkerchief with a gold eagle on it. "I was crying and you gave me this. I will never forget that, that was the kindest thing a man has ever done."

He had seen her before and she was crying. Maybe that sad emotion was what accessed a part of the brain that allowed recognition. That means people's vulnerability and sad emotions can override his condition. He remembered how he liked touching Elora when she was sick yet he was a man who hated touch. Elora was weak and sick; she was vulnerable. Vulnerable people couldn't hurt him like the woman who abused him in his childhood.

The girl now sat with her head in her hands, looking at him like he was a god.

"You are a courtesan who entertains men every single night and you call my act the kindest. Isn't that sad?"

She shook her head sadly. "I am not a woman who serves men that much."

He took a sip of his wine. "I don't like to be touched."

"I am not touching you," she scowled.

"I can smell your perfume. Your perfume is touching my nostrils. Sit far from me."

She looked at him as if he was the most impossible man on earth and stood. She wore a red dress that hugged her small body. Small breasts. Wide hips for such a small body. He assumed her bottoms were full. Just his type. She chose to sit opposite him, on the other side of the table.

"I requested that they send no courtesan tonight. If they wanted to change my mind, they could have sent an experienced one."

"What if they chose one that liked you, instead of one who would not remember your face the next day?"

Fair enough. He wouldn't remember theirs either. "You like me?"

"I have for years." She was not embarrassed to state her feelings. Those eyes, they reminded him of the palace maids that seemed to only fall when he was around, walking in the palace. Like that would fool him, pretentious falling to have his attention. Nobody was ever brazen to state they liked him, like her.

"You like people easily, just one encounter and you were love sick. How can I know this won't be the same case with another man who gives you their handkerchief?" To be truthful, he didn't remember meeting her or that handkerchief. Eagles were his favorites, so maybe he owned it before and did give it to her.

"I swear, you are the only one for me."

"Well, I don't like you."

She was all smiles. "We can work with that."

He frowned, confused.

"Aiyah," she took the cup he drank from and downed the remaining wine. Didn't ask for his permission, again, but quite arousing she drank from the side he used. Sharing saliva has never been enticing, until now. "You don't like me. So that means you are already on your way to falling in love with me."

Was she dumb or faking to be?

When he saw the humor in her eyes, he knew she was playing him. He leered at her playfulness. Why not let her entertain him? He could use a friend right now and his only one was on his death bed. "What is your name?"

"Dao."

"Dao, I'm Luo Meng."

He hated women, but he could make an exception for ones his mind trusted to remember. Especially the one who had just broken down half of the walls he spent years building, like it was no hustle.

S.V