Lok Son finally meets his mother for the first time since birth. It might be the bond between the mother and son, and it might also be because they have communicated before by letters. The two felt an instant bond with each other. Something that he had never felt before with his foster mother.
"Um...mother. Where is a father?" Lok Son finally decides to ask his mother.
"Your father and I don't live together and I didn't let Gao Sing report it to your father that you have come back."
"Why?" Many things went through Lok Son's head. Why don't they live together? And why doesn't she wants his father to know he's back? Is he an unwanted child, Lok Son thought.
"I have a fight with him years ago so I moved out of the palace to live here by myself."
"Does the fight regards me?"
Meng-Gi took a deep breath and decides it's time to tell him all about this world and his father.
"Our fight is not your fault, it's your father's fault! I know your name is Mak Lok Son given by your foster father. But your real surname is Ming, so you are called Ming Lok Son, and your father's name is Ming Jun. Ming is the surname for this world's royalty. And your father is the ruler of this world, so you are the prince of this world."
(Author's Note: Ming is written like this 冥 in Chinese. It means dark, underworld or hell.)
"Wait! If I'm the prince, then aren't you the queen? Why do Gao Sing call you Madame?" Lok Son feels like he might really be an unwanted child now. Since his father is the ruler of this world, he probably has tons of women like his foster father, the emperor of Fu country.
Seeing her son's weird expression and the questions he has just asked, Meng-Gi knew her son must have misunderstood something.
"Your father only has me as his wife, so I'm his queen. You are also the only son that he currently has. After having the fight with him, I told him that I don't want to be his queen anymore and move out of the palace. I told everyone to change the way to address me when I'm not inside the palace."
"You still haven't told me why you two fought."
"When I first found out that I was pregnant with you, I was so happy. But then your father told me that I can't raise my own child. He said that all his children have to be raised in a different world, preferably the lower plane world. The reason for that is because they need the prince who might be the future ruler of this world to know more about the other worlds and its people.
Due to that, children of the king must be sent to other worlds to grow up like normal people to understand the outside worlds. I have no choice but to agree to send you away.
I have an older sister who has been missing for a long time. Well tactically, not missing, but goes traveling all different worlds for a very long time that we can't find her anywhere. At that time, I have received news that she had appeared briefly at the lower plane world, the one that is called Yuan Ren World. Since I need to find a world for my son to be born and raised in, I went to that world, hoping I might find my sister there. But I didn't find my sister there, instead saved the emperor of the Fu country.
I thought about leaving you with a normal family, but the emperor of the Fu country made a move on me. So I figure it won't be too bad for you to be a prince in that country. I'm sure Gao Sing told you about what had happened back then. I left the two best-hidden guards to guard you in hidden to make sure you are safe. This wasn't allowed by your father since it's against the rules, but I insisted. Your father made a compromise and let them stay in the other world with you.
But when I heard from Gao Sing once again after 8 years, my heart sank. I knew that you must have been in danger and the two guards that I have left behind must have shown up in front of you. Otherwise, they won't need to contact me so soon. Just as I had expected, there was a lot of assassins going after you and your foster mother. Concubine Din was killed and you need to pretend to have a mental disorder in order to keep yourself safe.
I knew being a prince is not going to be easy and thought that it could train you better in those conditions. I thought that your foster mother will be able to protect you since she needs you in the back palace. But I never thought that the Empress will send so many assassins to get rid of concubine Din and you. I panicked since I know that you will have a hard time there by yourself and might face more danger. I went to your father and told him to bring you back but he refused!
He said that it's part of your trial and that all prince have to go through this kind of hardship at a young age. I understand what he is saying and it's a tradition that has been past down for many generations. But as a mother, I can't accept it and have fought with him many times. Eventually, I have enough of fighting with him. So I moved out of the palace and secretly keep in touch with Gao Sing and Junzhi to receive news about you. But that soon wasn't enough for me, I long for more so I eventually start communicating with you through letters too.
I hope you won't blame me for not being able to care for you all these years " Meng-Gi said with her eyes reddened and trying to hold back her tears.
Mak Lok Son, who is now called Ming Lok Son, held his mother's hands and look at her seriously. "Mother, I don't blame you. It is what happened in the past that makes me who I am today."
Just as the mother and son talking inside the room. The door flew open and a man walks inside. He looks like in his early twenties with the same eyes color as Lok Son with at least a 50 percent facial similarity. His face looks cold and expressionless.
"Why are you here?" Nan Meng-Gi yells at the man that just suddenly came in without knocking on the door.
"Why didn't you notify me?" The man said in a calm voice as he looked at Lok Son.
Just as the man had looked at him, Lok Son is also looking at the man. They look just like brothers with their face looking so similar. Lok Son has a feeling that he knows who this man is.
"I was going to let you know about it tomorrow morning!" Meng-Gi said while avoiding to look at his eyes. She really didn't want to let him know that Lok Son is back so soon.
"Are you my father?" Lok Son asked outright with the question.
"Yes. Welcome back, my son." Ming Jun said calmly.
"Lok Son, it's late and you have just come back to this world. You should rest for now, I have prepared a living quarter for you this mansion." Meng-Gi said.
"I have to go back to the hotel for tonight, there's someone there still waiting for me to go back."
"I heard that you brought someone back with you, is it your friends? You can bring them back here too to stay."
"Not a friend. She's my future wife!"
Meng-Gi and Ming Jun's face is normal but their inside is going crazy! Their son who barely turns 20 years old brought back a woman and said she's his future wife!
"Lok Son, don't you think it's too early for marriage? I don't mind if you date for a little, but..." Before Meng-Gi can continue, she was cut off by Ming Jun.
"Your future wife cannot be a normal human from the lower plane world!" Ming Jun said coldly.
Looking at his father with his freezing cold eyes, he said, "she is someone that I have decided on. I won't have anyone else but her." Lok Son wanted to say that he will also leave here soon with her but decides to not mention it yet. He's worried that they might try to stop him from leaving.
Ming Jun's face turns freezing cold, he was going to say something but was stopped by Meng-Gi. She secretly pinches his back, and he immediately starts sweating cold sweat even though his face is still normal and expressionless. He knows Meng-Gi doesn't want him to say anymore and is starting to get mad at him.
"Lok Son, you go back first. You can bring her over here tomorrow. I would also like to meet her." Meng-Gi said with a smile on her face.
Ming Lok Son nodded his head and took his leave. After he is gone, Meng-Gi then closes the door leaving just her and her husband inside.
"Gi-Gi, why are you so mean to me? My back still hurts from the area where you just pinched me." Ming Jun acts cutely toward his wife with his puppy eyes. He looks and acts completely different than how he was just now with Lok Son there.
"Humph! Who told you to show up here unannounced! And you were going to say something to make our son mad. This is our first time seeing him, how can you act so cold and expressionless toward him!" Meng-Gi rolls her eyes at him.
"But this is how I always act toward others and since I'm his father, I need to show him my dignity and manly figure." He continues to act spoiling toward his wife. This side of him can only be shown to his wife. Otherwise, how is he going to rule this world and lead his men?
"Lok Son isn't just anyone, he is our precious son! When he brings back the girl he like, don't you dare give them any trouble!"
"You know that's not possible. His future wife can't be decided by himself or us. It has to be someone from this world and will be voted by the elders of the royal family." Ming Jun suddenly speaks seriously.
"But what really matters is our son's happiness! Back then, the elders voted my older sister to be your wife and the queen of this Spiritual World.
My older sister knew that I love you and you also have feelings for me. She ran away from home and travels to the other worlds just so that we can be together. The elders couldn't find my older sister and change your wife's candidate position to me. If my older sister didn't run away so that we can be together, would you have married her instead of me?" Men's-Gi is getting more upset as she speaks about the past. It's their fault that her older sister has to stay outside and can't come back home.
"I...umm... this is all in the past now." Ming Jun tries to end this subject.
"No, it's not! Until we find my older sister and brings her back home, this will never end!"
Ming Jun knows it will end badly again with them fighting if he lets it continue. But he also knows that his wife is right. If her older sister didn't run away back then, under the pressure of the elders, he might really marry his older sister first and then tries to marry her as his concubine. But he is grateful that her older sister ran away so that he can be together with Meng-Gi. He didn't have to be forced to make a cruel decision for all three of them.
"Let's talk about this later. And when will you finally come back home with me? Our son is already back home now, so shouldn't you also come back home now too? Ming Jun said, he sounds tired. It's already been 12 years since his queen left the palace to live on the outside. He sealed this information from everyone, especially the elders. Otherwise, the elders are going to make trouble for him. They already insisted on him marrying more wives to have more children but it has been all rejected by him. He only loves his wife and knows his wife very well. If he were to marry more women into the family, she will end things with him and never come back again.
Even though he is the king of this world, but there are things that he can and can't do. When he learned of the news that his son might be in danger back then, he also wants to bring him back but the elders wouldn't let him. They were pursuing him at the time to take more women as wives already back then. He wants to abandon all these old traditions and rules and make new ones. But it will take time and needs the perfect chance for it. If possible, he wants to rid of all those old folks from the past.
"I'll come back home when you accept Lok Son's future bride and when you find my older sister and brings her back home!" She can't go back to the palace and live happily ever after with the person she loves. Not until her son gets his happiness and her sister have also come back home first.
Ming Jun took a deep breath and sighed heavily. He knows that it's going to be hard to make his wife come home. "I'll be back again," he said as he walks out to leave. He came out long enough and it's time to head back.
As he's leaving, he walks pass by Junzhi who's still standing at the front door waiting for him.
"Let me know if there's anything," Ming Jun said to Junzhi as he walks past by him.
Junzhi didn't say anything, he just nodded his head and also leaves to go back to the hotel. Just like Gao Sing, he is also one of the head royal guards. He has been reporting everything back to Ming Jun all these years.