6 Chapter 5: Trauma
Li Imperial Study
" Second, let me introduce you to Li Wei, my baby nephew," said Princess Li Mei while introducing Prince Li Wei to me.
Prince Li Wei:?
"Nice to meet you, Prince Li Wei!" I said while greeting the prince.
Prince Li Wei:?
"Why isn't he saying anything? Is he sick?" I asked Princess Li Mei questionably.
"About that, my nephew, Li Wei is deaf-mute!" replied Princess Li Mei sadly.
" He's deaf-mute?" I asked shockingly.
" I'm sorry! We should have told you. We shouldn't have hidden it from you. The truth is, after the empress passed away, Li Wei lost the ability to speak. We went to see several doctors, but none of them were able to cure him. Despite his condition, he's still able to communicate with people using a diary" said Princess Li Mei informatively.
In the corner near the imperial study
"This is it! The truth is out! She'll leave before even starting it" said Concubine Chu Hua happily.
" She won't leave so easily. As a nanny, she has to be able to take care of special children and even those with disabilities" replied Concubine Ah Lam.
" Whose side are you on?" Concubine Chu Hua asked me questionably.
" I'm on no one's side. Prince Li Wei deserves to be happy. After his mother, the empress passed away, he hasn't uttered a single word. His voice shuts down and no one has ever heard him speak. I know it might sound silly to you, but I want to hear him speak again". Concubine Ah Lam replied.
Li Imperial Study
" We hid things from you and we're very sorry about that. We should have mentioned this from the very beginning. I would understand if you refuse the job. It would be completely understandable" Princess Li Mei said sadly.
In the corner near the imperial study
" Goodbye Ying Yue!" said Concubine Chu Hua while waving goodbye with a simple hand gesture.
Li Imperial Study
"Your highness, may I ask you something?" I asked Princess Li Mei questionably.
"Of course!" Princess Li Mei replied.
"Why did you tell me all this? What was the purpose?" I asked her.
"Excuse me?" Princess Li Mei reacted speechlessly.
" I never thought, not even once, of backing away from my job. No matter the reason why you told me all this stuff, I thank you very much for that, but I don't find a valuable reason to refuse the job" I replied.
The imperial princess was shocked at my response.
"Really! Thank you very much! You can't imagine how much this means to us. Thank you!" Princess Li Mei said happily.
"No need to thank me! I'm a professional and as such, I have to act like one". I said to the princess.
" I was supposed to introduce the emperor to you today, but as you can guess, he's very busy with imperial affairs," said Princess Li Mei.
"It's okay, Princess! Don't stress yourself! I'll meet him next time. If there's nothing else, I would like to have a private session with Prince Li Wei" I replied to the princess.
" Of course! We'll leave you to it!" said Princess Li Mei while exiting the room along with Empress Dowager.
(Princess Li Mei and Empress Dowager exit the room).
I stayed in the room with Prince Li Wei. Prince Li Wei is a kid with light blue hair and brown eyes. He must be five years old at most. He's expressionless. How will I get through him, I thought to myself while looking at the prince.
" Prince Li Wei, listen, you don't have to be careful around me. You don't have to be afraid of me either. I'm not here to take your mother's place in your heart. That's not my intention. The reason why I took this job is that I love children and taking care of them. If you trust me, I might be able to teach you a lot of things. I have a lot of expectations. First, I don't want you to see me as your nanny, but as your friend. Second, I want you to tell me anything that bothers you. I don't want you to hide anything from me. I want to have the opportunity to get to know you better if you allow me to". I said to the young prince in an informative tone.
Prince Li Wei (Scribble on his diary): I don't need your sympathy. You don't have to act around me.
" I'm not acting, Li Wei. I want to get to know you". I responded to what he has written.
Prince Li Wei (Scribble): Why?
" There's no apparent reason. You don't need a reason for wanting to know someone". I simply said.
Prince Li Wei:?
" I know it isn't easy to trust a stranger's words. I completely understand how you feel. I won't try persuading you with my words. Instead, I'll persuade you with my actions. I want to make one thing clear to you". I said in an assertive tone.
Prince Li Wei:?
" My purpose for taking this job isn't to control you in the slightest. I'm aware of what people say about nannies these days. I don't want you to believe anything you hear. I want to build a relationship based on trust with you and I'm waiting for you to do the same. If anything is bothering you, anything at all, don't hesitate to tell me. Don't keep it all to yourself". I spoke out in an assertive tone.
Prince Li Wei:?
" Let's stop here for today! We'll continue tomorrow! I'll take my leave!" I headed towards the exit.
Prince Li Wei:?
(Ying Yue exits the room).
Li Imperial Library
Knock! Knock! Knock!
" Enter!" The princess granted permission for me to enter.
" Ying Yue greets her highness!" I said while bowing in respect to the princess.
"Rise!" Princess Li Mei ordered.
"Thank you, your highness!" I said while rising.
"How was it, Ying Yue? How did it go?" the princess asked me questionably.
"It wasn't that bad. He's not comfortable around me yet. Also, he doesn't show any kind of feelings and emotions. He's going through some kind of trauma" I replied.
" A trauma?" the princess asked me with a concerned look.
" Yeah! The trauma that Li Wei went through is way too deep. It won't be easy to get through his heart. Kids with this kind of trauma take time to recover from it. Some of them stay like this forever!" I replied sadly.
"Oh no! What would happen if my nephew were to never recover from his trauma?" said the princess worriedly.
"Don't worry so much, your highness! That won't happen!" I assured the princess.
" I don't understand!" said the princess speechlessly.
"The young prince hasn't lost hope yet. You see your highness, people with this kind of trauma don't try communicating with others. Instead, they shut themselves from the outside world and from any kind of emotions that might hurt them. They feel vulnerable and scared. They don't trust anyone from their surroundings as they're afraid of being hurt. To avoid that unbearable pain, they shut themselves behind a shell with no hope of ever recovering from their trauma, but that's not the case with Prince Li Wei at all. I observed him well. Even though he's insecure and doesn't trust anyone from his surroundings, he still communicates with you, his family using his diary, isn't that true?" I asked the princess questionably.
" That's true, but how did you guess? I mean, he uses his diary to write out his feelings most of the time, but how did you guess he also uses it to communicate with us? Have you read his diary by any chance?" the princess asked me questionably.
"Not at all!" I replied.
"Then, how did you know?" the princess suddenly asked me.
" By observing him closely, I was able to notice all that" I replied.
"You amazed me, Ying Yue! In just a day, you were able to make a complete diagnosis. I wasn't wrong for choosing you as my nephew's nanny" the princess said happily.
" It's getting late, your highness! I'll be taking my leave. See you tomorrow, your highness!" I said while waving goodbye to the princess.
"See you tomorrow, Ying Yue!" the princess replied back to me with a smile.
(Ying Yue exits the imperial library).
outside of the imperial library, I thought back about my private session with the young prince.
( Prince Li Wei must have suffered a lot after the loss of his mother. How to get through to him? I want to help that child somehow, but how? How should I proceed?)
The next chapter hits on September 3rd, 2020!!!
