Thank you to Sandra for reviewing my chapter and giving me pointers. I appreciate your efforts ^^

This chapter is so long, so please, don't read under your school/work desk. Behave yourself and find some time later on haha

Please, comment. It means a lot to me. You have no idea how reading a comment encourages me to go on, because to be honest, my motivation recently has been low. Doesn't mean I love the story any less, but wow.

Lastly, thank you all for dragging me on to not to give up. You don't let me stop, but will email me, DM me, message me until I post the next chapter. It is so hard but you make it easier and bearable.

Last, last, last. Enjoy this chapter we have anticipated since Book 1. I revised it up to 20 times and sought second opinion, that is how much I wanted it to be satisfying. So enjoy! More is still to come!

Chapter 50

Wei Li Lian
Princess Elora
Her Highness Wei

"What do you mean by Her Highness, Noble Consort Qi, is dead?" The Minister of Criminal Law stood to question the court lady reporting to His Majesty.

"She is dead, My Lord! The last we saw of Our Highness alive was when she entered the dressing room of Her Highness Wei!"

They all turned to ogle Li Lian and noticed her bleeding hands. Instantly, the silent accusations arose. In their eyes, already, she was the killer. Whether guilty or not, no one cared.

Everyone eagerly spoke over the other, such an opportunity to strip her down from the high pedestal Yuwen Hong had given her, none of the Wing factions would let it pass. If Li Lian was sentenced to death, this meant the Phoenix throne would be left empty and up for the taking.

Li Lian finally summed up the strength to look up to Yuwen Hong. He was taking sips out of his wine cup, unexpectedly calm and controlled. However, it meant nothing, even if he was feeling any sort of way, he would not let on his emotions. It was a skill he long adapted, handy in times of leadership.

His hand waved towards Eunuch Nam and a few words were whispered between them.

Eunuch Nam bowed and rushed to stand before the steps.

"His Majesty has heard your grievances. Please, spare him time to investigate and return to you with an answer. For now, everyone will gather at the Ground of Festivals and all will be served the afternoon meal. Gathering adjourned!"

The hall erupted with discord as everyone stood to leave. Most were unsatisfied to not hear the thoughts of their emperor on such unheard of matters. Even Li Lian, was caught off guard by Yuwen Hong's lack of response.

She had expected him to shout and rage uncontrollably, a few heads falling and blood scattering all over.

As they exited, many made a point to "accidentally" knock on Li Lian. Some even spat on her in disgust, and a few derogatory words were shared.

"The witch has fallen from grace."

"A wench from Huticah deserves to eat among the dogs."

Li Lian recoiled to herself, nursing her bleeding hand by tearing the inner white skirt and wrapping it around to stop the bleeding.

Black boots passed her as they emerged from the direction of the exit. Spotting the person wearing unusual black trousers with a dark cape, she looked up to find Luo Meng unsheath two swords and stretch his hands horizontally, holding out the two swords. He stood ahead of her and her entourage, the image of a dolled person positioned to scare the scarecrows from feasting on the crops.

Avoiding the outstretched swords, people took other routes to reach the door and did not pass by them. They were averted from her and therefore, the insults and spitting stopped.

Li Lian's heart softened. Why was he being kind to her now when her death was near? Luo Meng always despised her.

"I hope the slap I gave you can be forgotten and bygones can be bygones," Luo Meng said without turning to her and holding still in his position.

Li Lian did not respond. What could be said when all had been said and done?

After the room emptied, Luo Meng sheathed his swords and left.

"We shall be outside, Your Highness," Ai told Li Lian as she summoned the entourage to leave with her alongside that of Yuwen Hong.

Left alone with her husband, Li Lian was surprised to hear him in all his tenderness, saying to her, "Are you going to kneel there all day?"

She rose and ambled to him.

He sat forward on his throne seat, elbows balanced on his thighs with his fingers entwined together. There was an open scroll before him with a painting of her younger self still in Huticah.

"Do you think someone in the Inner Court was behind this?" His voice was soft.

Li Lian frowned.

"Maybe someone intended to disrupt the wedding ceremony and coronation," he added.

The gears in her mind changed, not knowing whether she was receiving his words rightly. He was not angry that she was the princess of Huticah?

"I will believe you, my love, you are not the Princess of Huticah."

He tilted up a little and took her hands that she was forced to go on her knees, her head between his thighs. His fingers slowly caressed her palm to lull her into calmness.

She stole a glance at him. Yuwen Hong looked dazed, as if the reality of everything had him in a state of emptiness, one he did not seem to want to come out from. He was not the Yuwen Hong she knew.

Her eyes captured his and she could see the fear hidden in them. He did not want to face what was before him, and silently, he was begging her. He wanted her to admit all of it was a farce, just so he could believe her and silence the world's accusations.

She shook her head. She could not do it anymore. Lies were tiring, they stole from you the ability to live freely. As the saying went, "Concealing the truth is like wearing embroidered clothes and travelling by night."

She raised her hand and delicately feathered her fingers from his temple to his chin. She shook her head as tears slid on her cheeks.

It humbled her that he loved her so much to have desired to believe her till the end, even if the glaring truth was before him, he would believe her all the way. His trust in her had chained him to bear her lies for so long. This was not the love she wanted for him. The truth was now there to set him free.

He closed his eyes and relaxed towards her touch.

"Say something," he urged, taking her wrist so he could direct her palm onto his mouth. He tenderly kissed it, pouring himself for her.

It made the pain much worse. She wanted that forever. Nothing else.

"Actually... I... I am... the princess of Huticah."

"No, you are not," he scowled, eyes widening.

It didn't register right away. It took a few breaths. Only when his face began changing to white did she know her words were settling in.

"King Tobba's daughter, Queen Elora's first born. It's me."

She disliked her mother, but selfishly she was using the weight of her name in the hopes of living to see the next day. Furia was Nevoria's sister nation. It had to count somewhere.

He squeezed her wrist, his face twisting to be the image of one tasting unbearable sour food. She could see the invisible transition in him as he digested what he did not want to. She hoped he was not going into shock because never had she seen him so clammy and pale as cotton. The only contrasting color was redness glazing his orbs with tears coating his eyelids.

"What took you so long to tell me?" he muttered quite vulnerably.

"I was afraid."

"Did I ever give you a reason to be?"

She shook her head, "Not directly. Your sense of duty to your father was the reason."

He sighed and pushed her away from him. It was the beginning of their distance. She went on to kneel uprightly before him.

She was trying so hard to disassociate from the jumble coiling and toiling around her mind. Images of Hugo cut into pieces, Hugo boiled to death, people Yuwen Hong easily slit off their heads. It made it hard for her to concentrate and be coherent.

"I don't want you to be the princess of Huticah," his voice broke and he took a moment to swallow a sob. "You have always been my Wei Li Lian. I don't want to lose you."

She wanted that too, so badly. "Me too. Me too, My Liege." She would do anything if she could.

Gut-wrenching sobs shook his chest as he ducked his head between his legs. Anyone could tell by the stiffness of his body he was trying so hard not to succumb to breaking apart, yet failing.

"What about us? What will happen to us if you are from Huticah?"

She slid towards him and ran her hands over his hair, kissing his head. If all the love she had for him would heal him, she would be a content person and welcome any outcome that was to follow.

"Wǒ zhīdào (I know)," she whispered. "I was afraid to tell you due to that predicament."

She hurt him again. That was all she was good at. She was selfish, he had said before. Heavens, she hated herself, just everything. She just had to do one thing, to be with him till her last breath, yet she ruined it.

So she cried, she cried and cried alongside him. Her sobs were louder than his, the aggrieved, but she didn't care. She wailed until mucus was stuck in her throat and she couldn't breathe.

She was so pitiful that Yuwen Hong felt sorry and began to comfort her instead. He gently shushed as he wiped her tears with his thumbs.

They had shared so many moments together, sharing the same bed, eating together, leading together, just to state a few. However, crying together would be their last shared memory.

When she finally quietened, opened her eyes and looked up at him, she saw the most beautiful man. Hers. The one she had broken.

The expression on his face spelled out defeat. Like a hand around her throat, his solemn appearance strangled whatever she could say to make him feel better. His eyes were black pits on a reddened swollen face. His cheeks, his lips, his jaw, were rigid with loss and fury.

"I love you," she sniffled.

He nodded as a response and that was a stab in the heart.

"I'm sorry, Yuwen Hong. I apologize for everything."

He exhaled heavily and looked up with both hands on his face, groaning.

"You are mine, my Li Lian, I cannot get myself to believe you are from Huticah." The raging fire in his eyes dimmed, his expression softening. "I mean... it is not too late," those words were said to himself more than her, "we can take this as a joke. Imagine this away as an ugly possible scenario where someone in the Inner Court is trying to frame you." His fingers massaged his temple in thought. "My grandmother, for example. We could say she is after you, afterall she told me you were from Huticah, maybe she wanted to separate us and worked out this horrible plan."

Li Lian knew the truth would hit him hard, but she had not expected him to be arrested by the throes of denial.

"We could do that, but if we are to continue, I humbly ask you to accept me for who I am. Not take the parts of me you like and dispose of the imperfect pieces of me―the glaring truth."

"Accept who you are? Who are you?" he taunted impatiently.

"The woman you already know, but now you know that she has a horrible past and comes from the place you despise. She is flawed and has made mistakes she is not pleased with."

He dismissed her question, in a way that illustrated she should know better than ask that of him.

"I am my father's son."

Meaning as a filial son he could not accept her identity.

"So you will tolerate but not accept?"

He shrugged. "We choose our truths, I do not want that to be my truth."

"What does that mean?"

"There are three truths: my truth, your truth and the truth."

She was confused. It was a mental session she could not grasp or understand.

He went on, "Your truth and the truth does not necessarily have to be my truth."

She asked carefully, "You want to love me based on 'your truth' and not on 'the truth'?"

His next take was accusatory. "All this time I have loved you based on 'your truth' and not on 'the truth'. Does it matter?"

She sat back and crossed her legs, looking up at him. "I am confused."

"Maybe I just don't want to face reality. Maybe I just want to pretend all is well and continue as before."

"Then what happens after you finally accept reality?"

He avoided looking at her and poured himself wine. "What needs to happen will then happen."

That meant living a life in which she always looked behind her back and hoped he would not wake up one day and realise he despised her for being the child of the man who killed his father. He could just wake up in bed next to her and decide to choke her to death. Maybe at that time she would be a mother, she would leave her children motherless, or better yet, she would have deep relationships with people that would be left to grieve for her.

"A relationship with fear, lies and deceit will not birth true love. I do not want it."

She regretted her words as soon as they left her. She came off a little demanding and Yuwen Hong was going to use it against her.

"Well, that's what it has been thus far, did you allow me to choose whether I wanted that either?" he snapped.

She tried to swallow but her throat was dry.

"We have been doing it your way, now we shall do it my way!" his voice raised.

"I don't have the strength for it."

"It's not you who confessed, it means you still had the strength to go on lying!"

"I was going to tell you!"

"WHEN?" he snarled. "Time and time again, I told you that you could trust me, that I could fix it, that I could find a way, but did you believe me? No!"

"You told me you would kill me! Did you expect me to confess when I knew I could die?"

He heaved in some air, silenced by her words. This time he didn't pour his wine but drank from the bottle.

"If you thought I would kill you, there is no love here." He tossed the wine cup and sent it tumbling on the steps. "No trust, no belief, no love here!"

She wanted to protest that wasn't the case, but with his mood, he was past seeing reason.

He nodded to himself, lowering his voice, the foreshadowing of his surrender. "I guess this is the end... Princess Le-anne."

An involuntary whimper escaped her. "I love you, Yuwen Hong." She was repeating it in the hopes that it would remind him of their love and he would fight for them with her.

He laughed, a copying mechanism.

"Sad, isn't it? Your feelings are unrequited because I loved Li Lian, not Princess Le-anne."

There and then she realised they had crossed the line they would not be able to return from.

"You killed Noble Consort Qi, who was next? Me?"

"I did not kill her. I would never. You know me."

"Do I?"

She stumbled over her words as she replied, "Nothing has changed."

He chuckled to himself, mocking her. "Everything has changed because of the truth, Li Lian," he emphasised on 'the truth' to refer back to their earlier argument, "The truth is it seems you just murdered someone." He purposely eyed her bandaged hand. "The truth is you have embarrassed me before my subjects, in my court, when you knew how much my reign mattered to me. In the history books of Nevoria, you have tainted me forever."

"Yuwen Hong―"

"Shut up!" he burst into tears as he spoke on, "The truth is you have lied, deceived, and committed treason repeatedly. The truth is you are a spy and your father murdered the fallen dragon of this nation." He reached over and snatched the dragon sword from the stand next to the throne. "As a filial son, I must kill you with no second thought!"

She threw herself at his feet and complete hopelessness converted into tears that rained down her face at lightning speed. "You said you would fix it, whatever it was, you would fix it if I told you the truth."

"Well then, that is correct. If you told me the truth, I would fix it. However, that is not the case. You did not tell me, did you? My grandmother did. I owe you nothing, Li Li―Princess Le-anne."

He attempted to shove away her hands latched onto his leg by using his boot. Failing, he unsheathed his sword and pointed it to her, which had her hurriedly crawling far from him.

"Royal guards!" he shouted.

Two guards ran in.

"Imprison her!" he spat angrily.

S.V