Li-Rong watched himself through the mirror, the gold headpiece in his head glinting, his robes finest material. The tassels on his waist were made with the softest thread soaked in gold. His dress shoes are one of the best kinds, everything was immaculate befitting a crown prince.
His eyes hardened, his jaw squared and he leaned down on the table. After the meltdown with his First sister, more weights were dropped on his shoulders for him to carry but no one cared if he was capable of lifting them.
His First sister as he suspected knew nothing about how her mother came to know about Wei's Fourth Prince searching for a wife.
"Sorry to interrupt your highness, your brother, prince Lianyu has arrived" the voice of his eunuch broke through his thoughts and he stepped back from his mirror in his inner chambers.
He looked back to his room, everything stiffly in place. He exhaled, the hot long breath flying into the air. He closed his eyes to the visual of Xin-Yi laughing when his mom carried her on her back flitted.
When they travelled for a vacation and were alone. Those memories of them together could never leave his brain, he lived to relive them. Every single one. He only needed to stay calm and play wise and everything would fall in place.
"Coming" he said, loud enough for the eunuch to hear him. He released a breath one time before going to drag the doors aside and there sitting on one of the chairs holding a cup of tea like it would soothe him was his Fifth brother.
Prince Lianyu
"You are late"
"Because you are"
He grunted into his tea, almost rolling his eyes. Prince Lianyu was a teenager pumping with hot blood, ready to conquer and defeat, his aim pointed at their enemy's head ready to strike but failed at the last minute to shoot a good shot.
He was everything he thought he was at that age. Undefeatable. But that ended badly.
"They are already here. I think we should use a carriage to go to the gates. Father told me to make sure you arrive before the soldiers at the perimeter signals they are here."
Li-Rong bent down and picked up a cup of tea, the vapour swirling around, people were already filtering in, the next few days were going to be hell.
"Did he now?"
Prince Lianyu hummed and stood up, "I want to get this over with. I have somewhere to be. Father insisted I do this with you which I disagreed and he threatened to remove the title of prince in my name. Not like I care"
"Then why are you here?" He said over his tea, he wasn't shocked or appalled at his father saying such, he would do it and not bat a lash. "You can go," he shrugged.
"My mother needs the title to retain her nobility."
Oh yes, his mother was a consort. A noble consort that was once a concubine and got promoted after the birth of a son who now didn't care about his titles.
"Hmm. That's…nice of you to think about her but I don't…leave it. Let's move" There was no reason trying to advise him on what to do about his mother. Prince Lianyu was a good kid but had a selfish mother which was weighing him down. However he would sort himself out in the long run.
"Let's move"
They left Li-Rong's chambers where a carriage was awaiting them which they got in and left for the First Gate of the Palace. That was where he was going to meet up with his father's guests.
The carriage moved slowly and had his body itching. He knocked on the window that connected to the coach but no one answered. Prince Lianyu turned to him "what has your body in a twist? We're going to meet no one special. Xin-Yi is definitely not amongst them you—"
"Don't mention her name" he gritted out, his hands ready to tackle him if he mentioned her name one more time. "Her name shouldn't be on your lips"
The loud echo of a laughter filled the space, prince Lianyu guffawed, thumping his chest with his fist as he cackled. "Are…are you really serious right now?"
Li-Rong groaned, sliding to the edge of the seat, he stretched his hand and knocked again this time hard that had the window springing open "sorry your high—"
"Get this thing moving fast right now. I don't want to sit here for the whole day. I have important things to do other than welcoming people"
"Sorry your—"
"Get. Moving"
The small window closed swiftly and then barked out orders to whoever was in charge up there rang through. He sank back, this was going to be a long stressful day.
He only needed to see Xin-Yi's face and all his worries would dissipate like a sun in a coming hailstorm. But this was reversed, his life was a hailstorm and she was the shining light in his life.
The sun. The moon. She was everything, he dropped his head into hands and a long suppressed sigh left his lips. He closed his eyes, willing a picture of her to appear. He just…
"You know Father would never approve of that. I'm sure you must know already. Over his dead body as he had said numerous times would such atrocious action take while there is still life inside him"
The pathetic voice of Prince Lianyu flitted past him but he caught them because he couldn't let them go. They were true but also lies.
"Then he might as well watch from up" he lifted his head from his hands, a snarky grin on his face "or down in hell"