one
Y U M E I
˖᯽ ݁˖
I CAN’T MOVE, NOR DO I want.
Blood. There’s so much fucking blood. Everything happened so fast that I didn’t even see it coming. It’s bad enough that the foul scent is starting to overpower my senses.
No, not here. I mentally warn myself. He can still be alive.
Screams flood the grand hall. While all the chaos surrounds me, my guard is lying on the floor. His obsidian eyes are staring up at the ceiling; they almost look lifeless. I’m paralyzed with fear from head to toe. I don’t know what to do in this moment other than sit here by his side.
I could’ve sworn that my father was told that the palace was secure. They told us. Unless…
“Guards, go make sure that the emperor and the empress are taken somewhere safe!” General Liu orders as he rushes to my side. His hand tightly grips his sword. “Gōngzhǔ, please. One of my men will guide you through the evacuation route.”
“I-is he—” I can barely get my words out. The back of my throat is a mixture of bile and hunger.
“He’s going to be okay, but right now, the safety of you and your parents is our main priority!” The general locks his hands underneath my arms to bring me to my feet. My heart is beating fast.
Amidst the turmoil, I follow one of the Forbidden Troops to the evacuation route. Before the construction of the Imperial Palace, the predecessor, way before my father took the throne, made sure to think ahead about building a secret route to the gardens.
My father was sitting right there at the banquet table next to my mother. My consorts and I had our own table. He was right there, where everyone could see, and yet, the man chose to go after me. It’s no secret that one who tries to kill royalty is punishable by death.
There will definitely be hell to pay once they find the person responsible.
When we reach the royal gardens, my haven in the palace. I breathe in the fresh air while attempting to steady my heartbeat. I cling to the locket around my neck as if it’s my lifeline. The thing within me wants to go back in there and do what it was designed to do.
“Bao Bao, are you alright?” My father asks frantically. The pad of his thumb brushes from my cheek down to my chin. His eyes trace my face, searching for any scarring or wounds.
I nod. “I-I’m okay.”
It all happened so fast. Everything was lively. There was music and laughter. Nobles were drinking the finest wine. All was fine until one of the guards swooped in to take a blade in the back for me. He stood between the mysterious man and me. And I watched his eyes go wide as he collapsed into my arms and gasped for air.
“Search the castle! High and low! I want the person responsible for this dead!” My father seethes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this upset before. He’s usually the calm and collected person, though; that title belongs to my mother.
The Imperial guards bow in unison before retreating into the grand hall, swords ready to be drawn.
My mother rushes to my side, embraces me, and pulls me close to her chest. Her gentle fingers run through my long, dark, silky hair as a way to calm me down. Deep down, I know she’s just as terrified as I am.
“My sweet MeiMei. Are you sure you’re not harmed? Let me get a look at you,” She cups my face, making my eyes meet hers. Her honeyed voice is now rushed and almost out of breath.
I shake my head.
Her eyes wander down to the silver locket, and she lightly smiles. “Thank the Gods that you’re still wearing your locket,” She comments.
Since I was a child, I was promised never to take it off. Not just for the safety of others, but for mine as well. I never understood why until that first night… it happened.
General Liu and two of his men from the grand hall, as things are starting to die down. Their left hands over their right as they bend on one knee in the presence of the Emperor. “Your Majesty, it appears that the assassin has fled the premises. They must’ve found a way to blend in with the crowd to slip out.”
I watch my father’s jaw tighten, and his brows furrow in frustration. He growls, “Search high and low in the kingdom. He couldn’t have gotten far. Search deep into the forests if you must! If you do manage to find him, kill him. I’ll make sure he’ll make another appearance to do it again!”
In the Lotus Bath Hall, the hot, herbal-infused water is comforting against my skin. Every trace of the guard’s blood has been washed off me. Steam rising from the surface.
I knew it was a lie that he wasn’t going to make it. I’ve seen it in his cold, dead eyes. Hardly anyone can survive a knife dipped in poison. From what I’ve overheard, the poison had rapidly spread across his body and made its way to his heart.
Zhu Li, my head lady-in-waiting, sits across the tub with a towel draped over her arms. I flinch when the sponge touches my bare back.
“Breathe, your highness,” She reminds me. When I do, it still comes out shaky and exhausted.
“How on earth am I supposed to be calm about this? Someone just tried to kill me!” My watery finger latches onto my hair. “Do you think whoever sent them knows about—”
“Your highness, please. The only ones who know about is you, his Majesty, your mother, and me. I highly doubt anyone would know, and they shouldn’t.”
“Not until the suitors arrive,” I mumble.
The banquet from earlier was not only a fancy way of celebrating my turning nineteen, but it was also a way of letting the other kingdoms know that I’m still eligible to be married. My mother managed to convince my father to hold off on any courting from the suitors until things started getting under control. And now that the attempt on my life was made, my father is sure to throw me into the den of hungry lions. And I pity the poor souls.
“That poor man’s family,” I eventually stand up in the tub. My heart sinks to my stomach when his eyes flash in my mind. He died for me. And there was nothing I could do about it, no matter how much the hunger in me wants to put him out of his misery even more.
“His family is sure to be notified in the morning and receive compensation. The person I pity more is his wife and children.” Zhu Li wraps the towel around my body and helps me get out of the tub.
“He had a family?”
She nods, and I want to cry. As if my heart couldn’t sink any lower, it breaks into a million pieces. And to make things worse, I never knew his name. Then again, I rarely saw his face other than in the palace halls.
“Your highness, I know that tonight burdens you, but there was nothing more you could do. Right now, it’s best that you take your rest. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?” Somehow, those words alone were able to bring me comfort, yet not enough for peace itself. Zhu Li has the other ladies-in-waiting dress me in a silk robe before I am to be escorted to my bedroom quarters.
From the bathhouse to my room, it feels like it is miles away, and it kind of is from the palace grounds to the inside. The air feels calm again despite the tragedy that had happened from within. The pale moon, resembling a thumb, glows in the night sky while surrounded by a sea full of stars.
When I’m inside my bedroom, my maidservants help me prepare for the night, attempting to take my mind off my near-death experience. The bath did manage to take off some of that overwhelming anxiety. I dismiss them when I’m ready for the night, and Zhu Li is the last one to lock the door as they exit. I play with my locket again before I eye the reflection in the vanity mirror.
A reflection that isn’t mine.
