45 Maybe This Was Hell

Tianshi Xue pushed the prince's hand off her elbow. "Keep me? Oh, really?" she did not know on what part of her body she was getting all of this nerve. But she was so pissed with what was happening in her and the princess' life that if she wouldn't let it out, it would eat her from the inside. "Do you think you can stand me that long?"

The prince mocked her with his smile. "You would be surprised at how long my patience is."

Tianshi Xue returned his domineering smile. "Guess it's just a matter on who can last longer in this marriage then."

The prince let out a laughter that somehow sounded like thunderstorms. "Don't try me. You will lose." With that, the prince let her go and left her standing there.

She slammed the door of the shack and got frustrated at how soft the sound came out. She wanted to cause something loud—to break something but there was nothing that she could throw. She did not even have a pillow she could punch.

When dinner knock came, she ignored it and turned to the wall instead. She was in no mood to eat. She did not even feel her hunger. She just wanted to wallow in this darkness that the emperor had bestowed upon hher.

What was she even thinking daring the prince that way? Now it was established that they were on each other's enemy grounds. Did she really want to get into a fight with a war general?

Tianshi Xue shook her head. That was one of the stupidest decisions she ever made. How would she be able to handle it if the prince would truly not divorce her? Just think about it, for the remainder of her life, she was stuck in the princess' body and married to the person she loathed the most.

Maybe she really died when she fell off the yacht a week ago. Maybe this was hell.

Tomorrow, the first thing that they would do was get divorced. Then she would marry Prince Xiaodan and everything would be okay.

It'll be okay, she told herself.

That was what she kept on repeating as she closed her eyes, wishing for sleep to come and save her from this nightmare.

**

When Princess Yingyue did not show up for dinner, nobody dared to speak about it to the prince. They breathed in their food in four huge mouthfuls and disappeared in their own tents.

Doctor Jung and Prince Qui were the only ones left around the small circle that they made, half-way through their dinner.

"Are you not going to make the princess eat, Your Highness?" the doctor softly asked.

"She does not want to eat," he answered with a clipped tone. The last thing that he wanted to talk about was his new wife.

New wife, his mind scoffed. He did not like this idea either! It was not like she was the only one forced in this marriage. Why was she making it out like it was his fault that they got married?

"What time are we leaving tomorrow?"

"At daybreak," he answered again. "We have to get back to the palace as soon as we can. You already signed the documents?"

The doctor nodded with a bow. "Yes, Your Highness."

The augur would be the first to sign the documents, verifying the marriage and its legality. It was stated there that if there was anything that would falsify the document, he would be hanged.

"How soon can we get the divorce?"

"As soon as possible, Your Highness. But since you are a royal, the emperor's signature must be present to validate your divorce."

Prince Qui cursed in his mind. Surely his father would sign those documents, right? He cursed again. There was never knowing with the emperor.

"My prince," the doctor began. "If you would come to think of it, you would be the prince with the greatest power among your brothers. With Princess Lin Yingyue at your side, you would be a strong contender for the throne. The emperor might even name you Crown Prince for this."

Prince Qui shook his head. He had no intentions of being emperor. A throne was not something that he wanted to sit on. He was not one for political matters. Besides, a revolution would be on its way soon if the crown ever touched his head.

But the other thing he thought about was: "Great, now my eldest brother (Crown Prince) has a reason to hate me."

Doctor Jung sighed. "Princess Yingyue was meant to be married to the Crown Prince. We were all just waiting for her to be of age then they would get married as soon as possible. But something arose that time we had a famine. The King from the south offered his farms and stock to Heping and in exchange, his elder daughter would be married to the eldest son. He wished for his daughter to be empress."

They all knew that story. Princess Yingyue was being groomed to be the next empress, so finally, the empires of Heping and Shanmai would be united in one front. But since the Crown Prince had gotten married out of need, she was passed to the second eldest son, second prince, Xiaodan.

The emperor had considered making her the second wife of the Crown Prince but that would be too much of a disgrace that he believed that it would only anger the people of Shanmai. So Prince Xiaodan it was.

But then yet again, because of an emergency Princess Yingyue was transferred to Prince Qui.

He shook his head. What a poor woman. He should be really kind to her. She was only a plot device in his father's grand scheme of things. Just as he was a plot device. Everyone was a plot device in the emperor's story. They were all just chess pieces that the emperor used depending on his wants and needs.

An emperor… Prince Qui almost laughed at the thought of Princess Yingyue as an Empress. "My father would grant the divorce," he said with finality but from the corner of his eyes the doctor's eyes were doubtful.