Prince Lu had just spoken when the girl slowly but steadily opened her eyes.
"So you found out…I was hoping that you never find out but it looks like that isn't possible now. I made you worried, didn't I?" She muttered in a soft voice.
"Don't be silly. What's there to be worried about? Instead, I'm happy that I'm going to become a father " Prince Lu Wang said as he hid his worries behind a slight smile.
"But… Your marriage? " The girl asked with a sad look in her eyes.
"I'll go talk to my father about a solution. I can't break the marriage to the princess but I can try convincing him to let me keep you…" Prince Wang said as he gazed in the girl's eyes with an emotional look on his face.
"You don't need to go through the trouble. You're marrying a Princess of another empire, not a commoner. War could ensue because of your wrong decision…I can take care of this baby on my own" The girl replied in a low voice as she looked towards the roof.
"It's fine. I'm sure everything will be alright. I'll go talk to my father as soon as possible and will be back when I can." Prince Wang said as he stood up. Before the girl could say anything, he had already left.
Prince Wang went back to the Royal Palace. After asking around, he found out that his father was in the study room.
He walked towards the room and knocked on the door. After getting permission, he entered the room.
Emperor Lu Junwei was standing near a shelf of books.
"What brings you here today? Is there something you want to talk about?" Emperor Lu Junwei asked as he looked towards Prince Wang.
" Father… There's something …I need to tell you…" Prince Wang let out with a worried look on his face.
"Why do you look so worried? It's the first time I'm seeing my brave son with a worried look on his face. It can't be that bad. Tell father… I'll solve all your problems." Emperor Lu Junwei said with a smile.
"It's… The thing is that… There's a girl I was in a relationship with…" Prince Lu Wang started telling Emperor Lu Junwei everything.
Emperor Lu Junwei heard silently with a frown on his face, but he didn't interrupt the prince.
"… After hearing about my marriage with Princess of Qiandi, for the prosperity of both Empires, I decided to bury my feelings and forget her… But today I accidentally found out that she is pregnant with my baby. She is such a kind girl that she wasn't willing to tell me about the baby so that I could marry another girl peacefully. I can't leave a girl like that, especially when she's carrying my baby… While I can't break our promise of my marriage to the Princess of Qiandi either. I beg father to help me…" Prince Wang fell down to his knees as he said to Emperor Lu Wang with tears in his eyes.
Emperor Lu Junwei stayed still for a long time as he gazed at his son on his knees in front of him with a shocked look on his face.
"History is repeating itself…" Emperor Lu Junwei muttered with a blank look on his face.
" I won't let things go down the same path as the past." He let out with a determined look on his face.
" I have come to a decision!!!" Emperor Lu Junwei said in a heavy time as he looked at his son.
"It's too late now. You can't marry the girl and you must marry the Princess of Qiandi." The Emperor decreed. Prince Wang's tears started falling faster as he looked at his father.
"But…I can't make you leave that girl either. I can't let your kid grow without a father. You can not marry her but you can keep your relationship with her if you want. Everything's fine as long as it never sees the light of day. When the kid is older, we can find some ways to make you adopt him. It might not do justice for the girl but it's the best decision for everyone" Emperor Lu Junwei said in a heavy tone.
" This…I agree with father's decision…" Prince Wang said as he lowered his head.
" But you can't go to meet the girl or have any contact with her until your marriage with the Princess. That's an order. You can leave now" Emperor Lu Junwei said as he turned his back towards the Prince.
Prince Wang stood up and left the room.
"I apologize son but that's the best decision I can take as an Emperor right now. If it was before, I could've canceled the marriage saying that you're not agreeing but now it's too late… This marriage… must happen…" Emperor Lu Junwei said in a low voice after Prince Wang left.
Prince Wang stayed in his room as he followed his father's order. Still, He decided to write a letter to the girl explaining everything to her. The letter was sent secretly through a servant.
Another day passed as the day of marriage arrived near. Only one day was left for the marriage.
A letter arrived in the palace for the Prince which was delivered to him by a servant. He opened the letter and read it but its content made him stunned.
"Prince Wang,
I received your letter but I still can't believe that it's true and that you wrote it. It might be someone playing tricks on me. I want to meet you face to face and talk to you about it. You don't need to be worried about your promise as we won't meet inside the city. There's an empty hut in the desert at the southern edge of the Royal City. It will be the place where I'll be waiting for you till the evening. If that letter was true, then this place will be the best place for our meeting as no one will see us here. If this letter was false and written by someone else just to play with my feelings, I'll just consider our separation as my destiny and leave this Empire so that I don't create any more worries for you. I'll wait for you …
Yours Jiayi"
Prince Wang read the letter again and again with a worried look on his face. He looked towards the door with a thoughtful look as he noticed that it was already pretty late. Without thinking anything,he hurriedly left the room.But in his worries for the time, Prince Wang forgot that letter right there on the bed.
He exited the palace and left on a horse.
Half an hour after Prince Wang left, Princess Mingyu arrived in his room.
