67 Mom

Chang kept her head buried unwilling to show the disaster she knew her face was at the moment as it reflected the mess inside her now.

"Lady Dumont are you hurt?!" Hearing the anxiousness in the man's voice, Chang raised her head enough to give him a shake of her head tersely in answer. Angrily wiping away her tears, Chang started gathering herself together, not wanting to continue falling apart in front of an audience.

Grabbing the pictures, she angrily stuffed them under her belt as she did not have pockets to store them in. Running her hands up, Chang smoothed the mess of her hair underneath her hijab and pulled the fabric forward. After removing her hands from her head she checked her fingers, expecting to see blood. To her surprise, there was none, though she felt like there should have been with as much as it hurt. Ignoring the hands offered, Chang stood, keeping her head tilted downwards, to help hide it.

Next to her appointed guard stood another figure wearing a long white robe with a black vest. Peeking up, Chng realized it was the older man from earlier who had shared his wine. He spoke to the guard rapidly, gesturing with his hands as he did. The guard responded with a nod, it looked like thanking the man before handing him a handful of something. The old man bowed his head at the other man, cupping whatever he held, before shuffling away.

"Lady Dumont are you injured in any way?" Anxiously, the guard asked her again as she had not given him an audible reply. He kept a hand out to help her if she needed it, avoiding touching her without her express permission.

"No, I'm not, but please don't call me that." Feeling a prick on her conscience, Chang answered in a small voice, hoping the man would let the matter be.

"Why were you on the ground, are you not feeling well my lady?" When he tried to peer closer at her face, Chang pulled the material lower actively avoiding his gaze as she bit her lip. Holding a hand up, Chang tried to stop the man and his string of concerns. 

"I'm fine, please don't overly worry about it."

"Were you accosted in some way, Lady Dumont, why were you on the ground? No one will get away with laying a hand on you, you need merely say the word, my lady."

Every time the man addressed her by the title, it pricked at the fresh wound inside. It only seemed to remind her now of the lady she was, especially when compared to that other woman who eeked poise and class. Cracking, Chang snapped at the man, only to feel more bitter and hurt after.

"Let me be, my business is my own." Instantly, she regretted speaking that way when he had only shown concern, but could not bring herself to say anything after. The man was silent for the rest of their slow walk back to the tethered horses and back to the palace.

Slowly festering inside on the journey back, Chang held a hand clenched over her belly where she could feel the photos under her belt. Once they reached the stables, Chang quickly dismounted her horse and ran to the main palace grounds.

Reaching the room where her mother was staying, she knocked first to hear a pleasant "come in" before barging in. Like a homing beacon, she flew right to her mom, burying herself in her arms like she was a small child again.

Seated with Hao Jin Ying and Hakim al-Hasan, LiHua was astonished to see her daughter come flying in as she did. Reflexively, she enclosed her arms around her daughter as she started to break down sobbing.

"My Xiao Xi what's wrong honey? What has happened?" Unable to answer, Chang held onto her mom letting out all her hurt, bitterness, her anger, and just so many more emotions they were overwhelming. "Oh, Xiao Xi." Rubbing her back, her mother's soothing presence only made her cry harder.

"Mom!" Eventually, she choked out the one word into her mom's lap, barely intelligible due to her sobbing and the snot clogging up her nose.

Looking at the two who had been visiting her, LiHua gave them a pleading look asking them for a private moment with her daughter. They had been completely unnoticed when Chang came flying in, seated near her. The two got up and exited quietly, leaving LiHua to comfort her distraught daughter.