Chapter 23 - The Second Prince

“There’s no need for you to be so nervous. Just act natural and follow my lead,” Ren said reassuringly as he smiled brightly at me and took my hand in his.

Today is the start of our pretend relationship between crown prince and his favorite concubine. Easy for him to say, how can I possibly act natural in this situation. His hand holding mine felt hot and my palm feel sweaty from nervousness.

“Easy for you to say. I’ve never dated anyone before, I don’t know how to act all lovey-dovey…” I mumbled to myself.

“Just hold my hand, smile sweetly at me, talk to me in a sweet voice and just follow my lead. If people ask questions, I’ll help you answer them. So just smile and keep your head up, ok?” Ren instructed confidently.

At a loss for words, I just nodded.

After the maids dressed me up fitting of my new position, we were ready to leave the White Lotus palace to meet the emperor at the main palace.

Here goes nothing…

…

“The crown prince and Lady White Lotus has arrived!” the senior eunuch announced as Ren and I walked into the hall to greet the emperor and the empress.

Prior to this Ren had assured me to just follow his lead but that didn’t stop me from feeling nervous. Perhaps he sensed my unease because Ren squeezed my hand tightly to reassure me and I squeezed his hand back. With our fingers interlocked with each other, we walked proudly into the grand hall where the emperor, the empress and other senior members of court were waiting for us.

This is it, I thought to myself.

“There’s no turning back now,” Ren whispered to me as he kept his eyes forward. I could tell that he was smiling confidently, and I wished I had even a fraction of his confidence.

“Greetings to you, Father,” Ren said confidently as he bowed to his father.

“Greetings, Your Majesty,” I said politely as I bowed as well.

“Good morning, my son and Lady White Lotus,” the emperor greeted us. I did not miss his use of my new title and it gave me the shivers.

With a nod from the emperor to the senior eunuch who served as his advisor, the old eunuch walked slowly towards us. I sucked in a deep breath and held it while plastering the sweetest smile onto my face.

Without exchanging any words, Ren placed the folded bed sheet stained with my blood neatly onto the golden tray that the eunuch held. I was so nervous that I was sweating as Ren continued to hold my hand in his. Please don’t let them suspect anything.

The old eunuch presented the bed sheet to the emperor and the empress who both smiled while they inspected the blood-stained sheet. This is driving me crazy with suspense. After what felt like an eternity, the emperor and empress smile happily in unison as they beamed at Ren and me.

“I guess it won’t be long until we get to hold our grandchild in our arms,” the empress said with pure joy as she smiled brightly.

“Yes, finally my eldest son is performing his duty,” the emperor said proudly.

I felt Ren stiffen a little beside me as he further straightened his back. Although his face showed no emotions, I could feel that Ren felt uncomfortable with this situation. I glanced over at him and smiled sweetly just as he had instructed earlier. I was caught off guard a little when he also smiled back at me sweetly. I think my heart skipped a beat but perhaps it was just my imagination.

“Well, if you’d excuse us. My lady is quite tired…from last night…” Ren said as he wrapped an arm tenderly around my waist as if to support my body.

Although, I knew that this was all an act, I couldn’t stop my heart from fluttering at his loving gesture and I cursed myself for it. Ren’s loving act truly caught the eye of everyone in the room who looked on with pure amazement on their faces.

“Well, this is unusual for you, Ren. Please take care of Lady White Lotus well,” the emperor commented, clearly pleased with that he was seeing.

“I see that my dear brother has finally started fulfilling his responsibility as the crown prince seriously,” a young man dressed in royal garments very similar to Ren said as he walked into the hall along with a very beautiful and elegantly dressed woman on his arm.

“The Second Prince and Lady Mimi has arrived,” an eunuched announced.

So, this is the second prince which means that this is Ren’s younger brother, right? Ren never mentioned that he had a brother or any sibling before for that matter. He didn’t look like Ren, but he was definitely quite good looking and I’m guessing this very poise and elegant woman must be his brother’s wife…or lover?

“Greetings, Father and Mother,” the second prince greeted his parents with a bow and Lady Mimi followed suit.

I found it difficult to keep my eyes away from Lady Mimi as I watched her graceful movements and her colorful clothes. However, the pair of beautiful eyes that met mine were sharp, cold, and intimidating. It was clear that my presence did not please her at all.

“This is my half-brother, Kin,” Ren said flatly.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Prince Kin,” I said as I bowed to him.

“The pleasure is mine, beautiful lady,” Prince Kin replied with a charming smile.

For a moment I was caught up in how handsome and cheerful he looks when he smiles. Unlike Ren who has an intimidating air around him, Prince Kin seems to radiate a warm and friendly aura.

“This is Lady Rin, my favorite concubine,” Ren said by way of introduction as his arm around my waist tightened.

I bowed as required by protocol. I’m sure many women would kill to be Ren’s favorite concubine, but this title didn’t make feel valued at all. All women are treated as mere objects to please men in this palace, and it was making me feel sick. I long to return to my once peaceful life where I could focus on studying medicine.

--To be continued....