"Did something happen?" Yibo ask as he fixed his clothes and I fixed mine, I stared at him and smiled, "no. Why you ask?"

Yibo stared at me with those loving heart eyes filled with concern and it was becoming harder and harder for me to look at him, knowing that all of this could just vanish with just one order from the king.

I felt nauseas.

"You are behaving a little different today." he said.

"Different how?"

Yibo shrugged, "I don't know, its just I think you are a little tense."

I smiled, "I am fine darling. Maybe I am just a little tired."

"Alright, I trust you." he said, "now we should head back, people must be wondering where we are."

"Yeah."

~~

"Zhan where were you, I was looking for you everywhere." my mother spoke.

"I am sorry mother I was discussing some important matters with Yibo." I said and just then Yibo came beside me and smiled at my mom, "I am extremely sorry Mrs. Xiao, it's because of me that Zhan had to disappear for sometime."

My mother looked at him and smiled, "oh dear, it's alright. Anyways how are you Yibo? It's been a while since you came to our estate."

Yibo smiled, "I am sorry, Mrs. Xiao I was busy with the tasks assigned by the emperor."

The tasks for killing innocent people whose only crime were to oppose the king.

And in future he will be assigned the task to kill my family as well as his.

I looked at Yibo and saw how he smiled at my mother, he looked so kind and gentle with her, nobody could say that this man could be a ruthless killer who would kill his family and the people he claimed to love in a single heartbeat.

It was hard for me to accept it, but what I saw was real, what I experience was very real, however what I am seeing right now is also real.

Just how can Yibo do what he did.

And even after everything that I have experienced, even after knowing what a monster Yibo can be I still can't let him go, I still feel my heart clench just from the thought that I might have to let him go.

Even after everything I still wanted him and that made me feel even more sick and pathetic. However one thing was clear in this life Yibo and I will not stand side by side, we'll stand against each other, we'll fight each other and we might have to kill each other, in this life he was my enemy and I was going to betray him.

It hurt to think that I'll have to draw my sword against the man I love.

"Zhan?"

My head snapped in the direction of the voice that called my name and I looked at my mother who was looking at me with concern laced her face, "are you alright dear?" she asked, "if you are not feeling well then we can leave early."

I swallowed, "I am fine mother." I then forced a smile, "I am really okay."

I then looked at Yibo who was looking at me with same worry and I couldn't look at him for long, but I could feel his stare over me.

"The emperor and the princess are here look." someone said and fortunately all the attention was now on the door.

My eyes hardened and my jaws clenched as I saw the man known as the emperor enter the room, and beside him was the princess. The emperor looked tall and dominating, he had the powerful aura around him and why not after all he was the most powerful man in the kingdom.

And also the most ruthless man in the kingdom, in reality emperor, was a cold corrupt monster who loved to torture people, he had no regard for human life.

He would take any woman or man to his chamber if he liked them and would force himself on them, he wouldn't even spare children. He loved to invent different ways of torturing people, he wouldn't even bat an eye when his people died of hunger or diseases.

He raided villages, slaughtered entire tribes if he did not like them, and this was the man that was protected by Yibo.

However all these crimes did not come to light so soon, at this point of time in my last life I was under the illusion that emperor was the good man and I was loyal to him, all of his crimes came to light when this bastard went after my sister. All because my father disagreed with him when the emperor suggested taking lands of farmers just to create a palace for his concubines.

The emperor took that anger out on my sister. He forced himself on her and kept her with him days before sending her back home however my sister was not the same when she came back, she was the shell of the person she was before and in the end she killed herself and wrote all her suffering in a letter.

In this life I was going to protect her and I was going to kill this man.

"I'll be back." Yibo said and my eyes followed him as he walked to the emperor with his family, I clenched my fists as I saw Yibo happily interacting with the emperor, my blood boiled as I saw that scene.

He should not be with him, he should not be by his side, he should be at my side, why can't Yibo see what kind of a man the emperor is, if Yibo was so close to the emperor did he know all of his crimes? all of his corruption? and still he supported him? It was getting harder and harder for me to breathe.

I needed answers.

I needed to know who was the real Yibo, the one who was kind hearted, calm , gentle and loving, the one who had strong morals, the one who I thought would fight for justice or the one who was nothing but the emperor's killing machine, his blind followers.

"Zhan." my father spoke as he kept his hand over my shoulder bringing me out of my trance.

"Yes, father."

"Lets go meet the emperor."