Chapter 0: Prequel

It's a mild, sunny morning in May.

A nurse silently tidies up the folding breakfast table beside a hospital bed. The person on the hospital bed sits quietly, looks out the window, not sure if he is thinking deeply or just sitting there idly.

That's a lovely man.

The man is skinny, with white hair and a facial expression that looks like he is in his fifties, but the hair reflects it all that there were many people, many things have passed through his life, even more than what a person could have been through in fifty years, and the time has passed whitening his hair.

Miguel Thretcher Nguyen Huu Van Quan is the name written on the medical record at the end of the bed.

Huu Quan was still alive and kicking a few days ago, still fascinated by the rose bushes in his mansion's garden. However, internally, perhaps Huu Quan forgot that he himself is no longer young enough to endure the heatstroke. And now they have brought him to the nursing home.

"Mr. Thretcher" The nurse said calmly with a thick Eastern French accent. "Your niece paid you a visit."

God knows, Huu Quan knows, and even those people who were just a little close with Huu Quan know that he does not have any grand daughter. Huu Quan could not even have a sun or daughter to stay with him in his old age, so where would he find a precious grand child who cares enough to visit him in the nursing home in his late life?

But Huu Wuan doesn't want to analyze the problem too deeply. Perhaps the woman would not be able to meet him in such a dignified manner if she used her true identity.

"Looking for me?" Huu Quan responds. "Where is she?"

"I'm here." A delicate voice answers from outside of his room door. Huu Quan turns his face to see the newcomer.

It is a young lady with the smart and sharp beauty of an urban person. The lady is in her twenties, wraps her slender figure in an expensive Balmain-style gown. Huu Quan acknowledges it. Balmain was one of his favorite clothes brands until he was forced to wear these plaid hospital outfit. Huu Quan clicks his tongue, these patient's clothes turn him from a weak-looking person to even worse.

Huu Quan has to tilt his head back and forth. It's not because Huu Quan can't see her clearly, but because he has never imagined crossing by or having a conversation with a woman like this in his mind.

"Excuse me, miss. But I do not think we've ever met before." Huu Quan's voice is quiet but firm.

The young woman draws a chair and sits beside his bed to make sure that she's here to see him. Although it's only a fleeting thought, Huu Quan is aware that the young woman is showing off with him, he unconsciously stretches his back straight.

"You are right. We haven't met before." The young lady responds and clasps her legs in an elaborate Western Royal style. "However, we have heard about each other. My name is Monique. Monique Thai Thuy."

Ah!

The introduction was brief, expressive but clearly exposes a wicked intention.

Huu Quan smiles, which surprises Monique. It's nothing more than a smile, with no goodwill, hostility, welcome, or irony. It's as if Huu Quan just raised his facial muscles emptily without intending any attitude.

Then he turns his head to look out of the window again.

Monique is frustrated, frozen on her chair, and unsure of what to say or do next. Even if she says or does anything, it will not affect Huu Quan, who is sitting on the hospital bed, as the way she wanted it to be.

Monique thinks that Huu Quan's heart perhaps is not completely at ease. It's just that he knows how to hide his emotions neatly inside that dull expression.

Yes, that must be it.

"Mr Thretcher..."

"Missus Thai Thuy!" Huu Quan abruptly cut off her words, "Even The Governer General didn't dare to call my name like that."

Monique gulps as if she was trying to swallow her rage. The man's simple warning is more frightening than she has expected. That's right, by becoming the Empress of Hoang Chinh, Huu Quan has done something that no woman or man can or dare to do.

"Empress Nam Phong!" Monique lowers her voice "I do not come here with any bad intentions. I just bring some news for you. I think it would be better if you heard it from me instead of the press."

Huu Quan sits there like a statue. His mouth is shut, makes Monique unsure whether to repeat what she has just said or not.

"Go on." Huu Quan allows.

"The Former King wants me to move to his mansion and live with him as his spouse, starting from next month. He thought perhaps Empress Nam Phong would want to bless us."

Huu Quan slowly turns his head and stares at Monique. His thoughts fill his eyes. Monique can read it at some point, but not all of the time. Linh Nam people have bright brown eyes which are gentle but also extremely perceptive.

"Oh, and The Former King wants to have my permission to live with his mistress?"

Monique's face becomes paler. It's not because she's afraid, but because she's angry. Angry with herself as she's a young lady who is far more beautiful than Huu Quan in every aspect but is trembling like a deer in front of a gun when she faces the former spouse of Former King. The word "mistress" came out of that person's mouth so easily, even if it was a little difficult to hear, but it was an undeniable fact. The Former King did not order her to be here. Of course, Monique came here to meet Huu Quan by her own decision. Her main purpose was to see what does the husband of the Former King, who shook the whole court of the Kingdom of Linh Nam, look like as well as how brave he is. He is just an old man, isn't he? Surely there was no man that had never give it in, when they were in a conversation with her.

However, Monique was wrong. Huu Quan is a delicate man, but he is far from gentle. Huu Quan used to be a person that more powerful than thousands of people, mean while, he only needed to obey one. Huu Quan knows how to defend himself, even if it is only with his mouth. And the bitterness in the Empress's voice was not like how the Minister claimed. Of course Nam Phong was not simply greedy for power. His voice was a mixture of jealousy, rage, and love.

"Oh, you have no idea, didn't you?" Huu Quan stares blankly at the corner of the blanket where there is an ant crawling around. "The Former King and I have not divorced yet."

That's the truth. They are still legally married, and Hoang Chinh will not divorce Nam Phong. Monique Thai Thuy has no choice but to wait until Huu Quan passes away before attempting to occupy the Empress position.

"But the Former King promised me title."

This is probably Monique's last chance to be less inferior to Huu Quan. And she did it. Huu Quan appears to be hesitated. Although he is still unbelievably calm, Huu Quan's heart sinks when the Decree with an accident style seal stamped on it is spread in front of him.

As expected… Doggoned! This polygynous marriage life!

Monique will be ordained according to proper procedure. She will be crowned as Royal Consort after the wedding. If both Hoang Chinh and Nam Phong pass away, Monique is surely to be crowned as the Empress.

Having nothing to say, Huu Quan gives a faint smile. What else should he say to save this embarrassing circumstance? Not to mention Hoang Chinh's abandonment, Huu Quan could not complain about anything.

Nobody can imagine that someone as cold as ice, as smart as a whip, like him will be weakened because of love.

"Have you decided on a pseudonym yet?" Huu Quan inquired.

Among many questions Monique could have imagined Huu Quan would ask her, he asked the one she least expected the most.

"Pardon me?"

"Pseudonym. Like Nam Phong. When Hoang Chinh dies, will you have to worry about the funeral while trying to come up with a pseudonym for yourself? Do you enjoy drinking wine while painting? Choose a name for yourself first, give it some thought, and it will be both beautiful and meaningful to write in Linh Nam's record. I'm sure you don't want to be be known as an Empress with stupid pseudonym."

Monique is completely overwhelmed. It was the longest friendly sentence Huu Quan has ever said to her. As if he cared about this silly pseudonym more than the fact that his not yet ex-husband's mistress shows off in front of him. Huu Quan, as Hoang Chinh stated, is an extremely elusive person. Perhaps no one will ever be able to understand Huu Quan better than Hoang Chinh. Monique suddenly felt envious.

"I have already considered it." Monique admitted, "I decided to take the name Thai Phong."

Huu Quan turns around fastly and looks at Monique with wide eyes . The old man then holds his stomach and laughs, a genuinely happy one, like a child going to see a play at the square, carefree and refreshing.

Needless to say, he knows who suggested this name to Monique.

Extremely amusing. The pseudonym Empress Thai Phong was originally just a little funny joke, but now someone dares to use it. Unfortunately, the creator of that joke was not alive to see.

Is Khac Tuan smiling in heaven just like him right now?

"All right, Thai Phong, good luck to you." Huu Quan wipes his laughly tear.

Monique has no idea about what to say next, all she can do is to say goodbye to Huu Quan and leave. She just has such little time to stay and talk before going back to prepare for a prosperous future with The Former King Hoang Chinh.

Not so long after the farewell, that night, a telegram was sent from the hospital to Hoang Chinh mansion.

Empress Nam Phong breathed his last breath at seven o'clock in the evening, age of forty-nine.