Chapter ninety-four: Cold feet?

The royal bedroom had a soft fragrance of flowers flowing in the air, the bedsheets had been changed to crispy white one, pillows had the same treatment.

At the centre of the room, just before the bed sat an alluring bride, a true paragon of beauty whose red glowing lips shamed the roses. A centre table laid carefully before her bearing light refreshments and the customary wine jug having the famous white wine taken before consummation.

She wore a translucent white nightie infused with rose scent. Her hair cascaded down in a jet black flow, her face was flushed red probably due to steam from the warm herbal bath or the stifling anticipation.

Few minutes ago, a doctor had given her a herbal tea which is strongly famous for warming the womb and aiding conception. Acupuncture needles had been used to relieve her tensed muscles and allow circulatory flow to the right locations.

Consistently, she looked at the door waiting for his arrival. A courtmaid waltzed in to make sure her mistress was alright and to inform her of the prince's delay.

"It's alright court lady Cha, I know better than any one on how to wait patiently". She smiled ruefully at her own words then dismissed her to calm her tumultuous heartbeat.

One hour... two hours... there hours... No sign of the crown prince. Panic struck her heart and her calm mind was smitten. What could be keeping him? It's already Ten PM.

Did he forget his own wedding night?

She sat up impatiently, but sat back down again to hope against hope.

...

Crown prince's palace

The chief eunuch had stretched his mouth to the point of breaking in the process of urging his master to leave for his wedding night. His throat was also dry and cracked due to too much talking.

"Choha! Please... you have to leave now, the negligence of this important night might lead to abusive gossips towards the crown princess. This is her first official duty which should leave no room for failure!"

"Seja Choha! please keep the princess company tonight ... please!". The rest of the eunuchs and servants alike joined in the process of talking sense into their master, not only because of him but because of them lowly servants. The empress will deal ruthlessly with them if he doesn't go.

"Choha! listen to our humble plea!", they chorused sincerely, kowtowing on the ground and drying their tears.

"So noisy!", he finally said as he looked up from the mountain of documents before him. The conflict arising in their borders due to Panja attacks has become cancerous, eating deep down into the fabrics of the nation. Prince Song who has been sent as a delegate seemed to be idle. What is he even doing there, chasing girls?

He turned to look at the pitiful faces of his servants, a human would be touched by the scene unfolding before him and oblige to their request. But alas, Prince Soon isn't human.

He threw a question at them suddenly. "Between national duty and personal gratification, which is more important?".

"Of course national duty, your highness!", the chief eunuch answered in one breath with a bubble of excitement growing inside him. He understood that the young man may be having cold feet, after all it will be his first time hence he answered truthfully, but his hope didn't last long.

A crown prince's wedding is a national celebration and one that happens once in a while. The common people always pray for that day to end successfully hence it's become a national event and duty.

"Keeping our borders safe is what?", he slyly asked still expecting the eagerness attached to the first answer. The chief eunuch felt he had fallen into a trap but didn't know what it was.

"National duty", he said in a low defeated voice, then bang! It occurred to him what the trap is.

"No... no your Majesty! The highest national duty is procreation of successors who will keep up the royal lineage", he quickly added as his heart nearly somersaulted.

"What's the point of posterity if their nation isn't safe?", he asked again, this time more aggressively.

He waved his hands aside making his eunuch swallow up his words. "If you have nothing else than nagging then I suggest you copy ten copies of the analects of Confucians". He dismissed them then turned to his documents.

"Seja!", Suddenly, the voice of his mother reverberated inside the room. She came so suddenly that the servants almost scampered to the safety of their nests.

"What are you people still waiting for?... Prepare the prince for his most important duty". The servants breathed a sigh of relief in appreciation and scurried away to prepare his baths and robes. Luckily for them, there is an empress that gets whatever she sets her heart to, and for the first time they are grateful for that.

"Royal empress, what a pleasant surprise!", he said in mock surprise.

"If you don't read and address this documents this night the border won't fall, but if you insist on disobeying my orders and disappointing the people who look forward to this night, then I will have to prepare you myself. Should we start from the bathroom? I'm very good at scrubbing bodies ", she said without batting an eyelid.

"Eww! are you demoting yourself to my servant this night?", he asked, amused at his mother's desperation.

"Anything for my son". She made herself comfortable besides him and closed all the documents.

"Just spend the night with her so that she won't be disgraced tomorrow, you don't even need to do anything... just stay the night there". He looked at her quizzically, searching for answers and wondering what she's up to . She pretended not to notice as she busied herself with tidying up his work.

He left the room to entertain her, later he will ask his servants to send over the untouched documents.

Immediately he came back to his room after bathing and putting on of robe, he met a doctor waiting for him.

"Your Majesty, may I ask why am being served a concoction?"

"It's to calm your weary heart and make you sleep comfortably", she answered nonchalantly.

"You dare to feed me aphrodisiac! Royal empress Min!", he hollered , his gaze glowering at his mother, the physician and the bowl bearing strange coloured water.

"Seja! You dare doubt me and accuse me?... Insolent!", she grabbed the bowl and downed the content at a go.

"Will you also say I'm trying to poison you?". She rubbed off the remaining particles from her mouth with her hanky, then looked arrogantly at him.

"Prepare another bowl!", she ordered the physician.

At that moment, he was lost for words. He didn't expect her to drink the liquid but he wasn't all that convinced. Something in his guts felt something wasn't right.

The last bit of doubt evaporated when he saw her sipping the second bowl to check the temperature of the strange liquid.