The Story of Dusk 230 THE PRESENT FROM THE EMPEROR

She felt free, by letting out those toxic feeling.

In the end, she let out a deep sigh as she looked at Xiao Jun with clear eyes and took steps closer toward him. Qianru caressed his face while saying. "Starting from now, let's mind our own life."

It was almost like a word of goodbye from her, as if Xiao Jun would never be able to reach her heart again and he refused to believe it.

"No, Qianru… please…" He said barely a whisper as he inclined to her touch, he grabbed her hand and kissed her palm. "I love you Qianru…" Xiao Jun said pitifully, he wasn't look like himself when tears started to trickled down from his eyes. "I love you…"

Qianru shook her head. "It is her who you love, not me." She retracted her hand and left him.

It was a biggest decision that Qianru had taken, but it was a harsh fact that Xiao Jun finally realized that he loved her and he needed her in his life.

*** 

Xiao Jun really left to the north fortress that night as he couldn't hold back the call from Elder Dam and his other matters had reached critical point that needed him to put his focus on them.

That night, though Qianru felt better, but she still had a hard time to fall asleep, something was bothering her mind and kept her awake.

She shouldn't feel like that right? Everything was alright now and she was free from him, but her mind still thought there was something that missing.

When the first light of the sun shone through her window, Qianru covered her tired eyes. She didn't sleep. She wasn't able to sleep.

Jinse came to attend her and help her Mistress to get dress to start her day.

For the first time after three days she was very talkative to inform Qianru about everything, today she was oddly very silence.

Something was really wrong because Qianru was waiting for her to talk, but even after Jinse had done her hair, she still didn't say a single word.

"What time Jun left the mansion?" Qianru finally asked. She wanted to slap her face for asking that, but it was too late.

"Prince Xiao Jun left right away after he walked Princess to your room." Jinse replied.

"Walked me to my room?" Qianru knitted her brows, after she vented out her frustration, she left him alone in the yard, she didn't remember Xiao Jun walked her.

"Oh," Jinse slapped her own forehead. "Forgive this servant my princess…" Jinse suddenly panic.

"What is it?" Qianru asked impatiently.

"This servant didn't mean to follow Prince Xiao Jun, but last night, Jinse was very worried about Princess Xiao because I heard you are yelling, so this servant came to see what happened." Jinse tried to explain her reason for following Xiao Jun. "When this servant came, Princess Xiao had left the yard and there was only Prince Xiao Jun."

When Jinse came and only saw Qianru's retreating back, she thought to follow her, however, before she could do so, Xiao Jun had taken big strides and followed behind Qianru.

At that time, Qianru's mind was at mess, so she didn't realize that she was being followed, moreover Xiao Jun kept the distance between them.

Jinse followed both of them and watched Xiao Jun was standing under the tree while looking at Qianru's room, only when the light had been off, he left.

"Prince Xiao Jun knew that Jinse followed him, so after that, he approached Jinse…" Jinse's voice suddenly turned gloomy. "Jinse thought, I would get punishment…"

Qianru tilted her head, she looked at Jinse's body, but she wasn't seem like someone who had received punishment, moreover, Xiao Jun wasn't someone who would punish a maidservant for that kind of thing. Furthermore, Jinse was her personal maid.

"He punished you…?" Qianru asked for certainty.

Upon hearing her mistress's question, Jinse abruptly shook her head, afraid Qianru would misunderstand her gesture. "No, princess… Prince Xiao Jun didn't punish Jinse, instead he said something weird…" Jinse drawled her last words.

"He said something weird?" Qianru leaned her body, showing her interest. "What he said?"

"Prince Xiao Jun said to write a letter for Feng Jin every two days and informed Feng Jin if there is something happen…" Jinse knitted her brows, didn't understand why she had to write a letter for Feng Jin every two days? She didn't even that close with that guard.

Because Xiao Jun left Liu Wei to look after Qianru, so he brought Feng Jin instead to fill Liu Wei's position when he was there.

"Write to Feng Jin?" Qianru contemplated for a while before a faint laugh escaped her lips.

It has been a long time since Qianru was laughing, despite it didn't really sound like laugh, but Jinse's words could make a smile appear on her face.

"There is something wrong princess?" Jinse asked, befuddled by Qianru's reaction. She couldn't find something wrong or funny with that.

"Nothing…" Qianru turned to look at her complexion on the bronze mirror. There was a light in her dull eyes. She smiled at herself.

How foolish.

She knew exactly what Xiao Jun was up to. Because he couldn't ask Qianru to write for him, so he asked Jinse instead to report everything to his subordinate, of course that letter would be ended in Xiao Jun's hand.

That trick would only work for Jinse as she was the closest person to her, so everything that she would report mostly about her daily life.

Qianru didn't know whether she had to laugh or angry because Xiao Jun sneakily looked for news from her side, but one thing that she knew, she didn't mind it.

*** 

Dirt from the ground caked a woman hands until she couldn't even touch something without turned it dirty also.

Luna put another seed deep inside the hole that she had dug and buried it. She liked this activity, as there was nothing much she was able to do in this closed resort.

Her pregnancy had reached the fourth month and Xiao Tianyao had been busy with the matter with the Elder in the Zodasian Kingdom, he had been helping Xiao Jun to look for more information, though the relationship between them not yet got better.

Her stomach had slightly showing the life inside her, but not yet big enough to prevent her from doing her new hobby.

One of a few things that Luna remembered about her mother was her hobby of gardening and her favorite flower was the pink carnation.

Xiao Tianyao had asked Yang Yu to buy some of the pink carnation seeds for her and let her to plant them along the resort.

At first Xiao Tianyao didn't agree with her suggestion to plant them by herself and asked his guards to do it instead, however those guards knew nothing about gardening and after a week those seeds never grew.

That was why Luna insisted to do it by herself, and Xiao Tianyao has to agree in the end.

The relationship between the two wasn't as tense as before, ever since the murder attempt that Xiao Jun committed upon Luna, Xiao Tianyao slightly warmed up with her.

He still didn't say much, but he often showed his concern for her and their baby, sometime he would spend time with her, either it was only a lunch or dinner or stroll in the evening.

Xiao Tianyao also let Luna to stay inside his room while he occupied another room, something that would make Xiao Jun shock if he knew it.

Meanwhile, her father, Modama, still not aware about Luna's betrayal, he was too busy with his own plan with the Emperor Xiao Zi, it was her brother that had a little bit of suspicion toward her every time he came to deliver her medicine.

Moreover, with the slight bump on Luna's stomach, sooner or later, Gong Xu would realize that she didn't abort her child.

This news alone would create uproar once Modama knew about it.

Her father didn't want their bloodline stained with Xiao family's blood, though he was working with one of Xiao's generation, such an ironic fact.

However, Luna could be careless about it as Xiao Tianyao had guaranteed her safety, at least until she deliver the baby, afterward she would let her fate to lead her life.

Xiao Tianyao could kill her just like what Luna had promised him, or he could let her alive. Whatever, his choice later, Luna would accept it without holding a grudge as long as he kept their child safe and sound, there was nothing she could wish more in her current situation.

At the very least, that would be a good deed that she did in this life after all the dreadful things that she had done for Modama.

Luna stood up and washed her hand at the artificial river that streaming down under a bridge. Two guards, who always followed her, were standing a few steps away from her.

Despite the progress of the relationship between Xiao Tianyao and Luna, the former still took precaution against her by appointed two or three guards to follow her everywhere.

Not only that, she wasn't allowed to go out from the resort, so she was free to go inside the resort, but once she took a step out of the entrance gate, there was an order to kill her on the spot.

Luna didn't mind this order, just like she didn't mind there were more than a guard who tailed her every steps.

Afterward Luna walked toward her room and an old mama would attend to her need, the old maidservant that Xiao Tianyao had brought from his mansion was the only woman in this resort except Luna.

"A pregnant lady shouldn't do something so bothersome like this…" The old mama mumbled when she watched blotches of dirt on Luna's white dress, she shook her head helplessly.

"It is good to do a bit of exercise…" Luna said while smiling faintly.

"Prince Xiao Tianyao is waiting for you to have lunch together." The old mama didn't want to argue further about it. "Come, I will help you to clean up." She gave a little bit push on her shoulder to move toward the bathroom.

After Luna took a bath, the old mama helped her to get dress and fixed her hair, as Luna didn't like a complicated hair style, the old mama only pulled her hair up and put a white phoenix hairpin on her hair.

Afterward, Luna walked out of the room with the two guards who always accompany her toward the dining room.

When she arrived there, Xiao Tianyao had been waiting for her while sipping his tea, his expression remained emotionless like usual, he just spared Luna a glance when she sat down beside him.

"We will go back to capital city tomorrow." Xiao Tianyao informed her curtly.

"Return to capital city?" Luna reiterated his words with brows locked together. In the capital city, she would have a hard time to hide her pregnancy from her father's spies, he would know about it soon and it would endanger herself and the baby as Modama wouldn't let her off so easily.

"Yes." Xiao Tianyao ignored Luna's unsightly expression as he gestured to his guards to bring the food inside as they ready to eat.

"Xiao Tianyao, you need to think about it further." Luna still wanted to continue this conversation. "By returning to capital city, you will expose me." She said in matter of fact.

"I have thought about it carefully." Xiao Tianyao raised his head and looked at Luna. "There is no different where we are, your father will know about it and I chose to confront him."

"Do you think you can win against him?" Luna was squinted her eyes. "He had the Emperor on his side."

"The Emperor is occupied with the upcoming war, he will not have time to entertain your father." Xiao Tianyao said coldly.

"War?" Luna leaned her body toward Xiao Tianyao. She looked at him questioningly. "What war?" She really didn't know about it.

Xiao Tianyao glanced at her skeptical face and continued to put another food on his bowl. "My brother did something when he was in Rockstone Kingdom and it's ended as a war between the three countries." Xiao Tianyao said nonchalantly, but his voice laced with annoyed tone.

"Your brother is incredible…" Luna rolled her eyes and started to eat, she still remembered what Xiao Jun would have done that night, but thankful enough that he didn't do it.

"Yes, he is." Xiao Tianyao agreed.

"So, we will be in war?" Luna bit the chicken breast and tasted it before she decided that she liked the taste.

"Apparently." Xiao Tianyao replied curtly.

Both of them often didn't follow the manner to not talking while eating, but even so, they did it elegantly.

"Don't you want to help your brother? Join the army again?" Luna asked casually, though she couldn't use her ability as the mind controller, she could still feel his feeling.

Xiao Tianyao didn't answer her question and continued to eat, after he was done, he only reminded her to be ready before the sun arose tomorrow, then he left.

*** 

Xiao Tianyao really woke Luna up before the sun arose and forced her to get out of the bed.

Since her pregnancy she was a bit lethargic and could easily fell asleep, thus after she crawled inside the carriage, Luna wrapped her body with blanket and immediately fell into a deep slumber.

She only woke up when they had reached halfway to the capital city because Xiao Tianyao urged her to eat something, afterward she had a chat with him for a while.

"The seed that I planted will grow by next week, you have to ask someone to water them…" Luna said while looking at the crowded white clouds in the blue sky.

"Hm." Xiao Tianyao replied curtly.

"If they are growing well, next year you can see the carnation flower blooming." Luna contemplated. "Will you bring the child to see it?" Luna asked the question in low voice that she thought Xiao Tianyao wouldn't be able to hear it.

"I will." Xiao Tianyao replied without lifting his eyes from the book that he was reading.

"Thank you." Luna smiled at him, it was a sincere smile, which made her looked so beautiful.

Upon hearing Luna's gratitude, Xiao Tianyao put down his book and stared at her, there was no more hypnosis, but he was still drawn by her.

They stared at each other eyes, there was no hatred between them, no, the hatred had gone long time ago.

"We will see it together." Xiao Tianyao said as he stretched out his hand and cupped Luna's face. "The three of us…" He added.

Xiao Tianyao's statement caught Luna out of guard as she repeated his word in disbelief. "…the three of us?"

"The three of us." Xiao Tianyao replied with certainty as he leaned his body and captured Luna's lips with his.

Luna didn't reciprocate his gesture at first as she was still in shock, but the image of the three of them went to the resort and enjoyed the sight of blooming carnation flower was so beautiful for her, along with their child laughter and the breeze wind. Such perfection…

Did she deserve all of that…?

The scene of it was so perfect in her mind, she was so happy to even think about it, the happiness that she had never felt before.

Luna wrapped her arms around Xiao Tianyao's neck as he deepened their kiss.

When Xiao Tianyao and his guards reached his mansion the night had fallen and the moon didn't appear in the gloomy sky, not even a single star, seemingly rain would fall soon.

Luna was sleeping soundly and he didn't want to wake her up as this was her sleeping time, so he carried her out carefully from the carriage as his guard illuminated the road for him.

Luna didn't awake even after Xiao Tianyao put her down on the bed, afterward he tucked her inside the blanket and walked out of the room as there was another matter that he needed to sort out first.

*** 

The following morning in the Xiao Jun's mansion Jinse stared at the sleeping Qianru, waiting for her mistress to wake up.

It had been more than two months since Xiao Jun went to the north fortress to meet Elder Dam and ever since, Jinse had not written any letter to Feng Jin as Qianru didn't allowed her to do so.

And seemingly Xiao Jun understood the situation that his trick didn't work, so he didn't urge the poor maidservant to do something that Qianru didn't want it, besides he still could ask Liu Wei about the situation at the mansion.

Moreover, there was no significant event that happened, except Qianru had been invited to enter the palace two times to meet the Empress. No one knew about her miscarriage.

"What is it?" Qianru grunted when Jinse's face was the first thing that came into her view the moment she opened her eyes.

"My lady, you have to wake up now…" Jinse said hastily as she helped Qianru to sit down.

"What is it?" Qianru rubbed her eyes, trying to figure out what the things that made her maidservant was so anxious.

"My lady, you have been called to enter the palace for lunch." Jinse replied hastily.

"What the Empress want now?" Qianru grumbled as she couldn't turn down the invitation.

"This time, is not the Empress, but the invitation came from the Emperor, it said the Emperor will give a present for Prince Xiao Jun." Jinse explained.

"Present?" Qianru knitted her brows.

Chapter end