We Were Once Friends - Part 2

Emika took a deep breathe and contained her annoyance. She was a proud noble woman who should not have to eat this contaminated food!

But she was oh, so absolutely ravenous! She sprawled out on her tummy and closed her eyes to emphasize her mock spells of dizziness.

One second passed. Two seconds passed...

She opened one eye—a sharp slit pupil emerged and assessed the situation.

His almond-shaped eyes, dark with some unfathomable emotion, were clearly and most surprisingly unmoved by her outburst. In fact, he usually treated her as if she was his treasure.

Next, with a series of purposeful yelps accentuating her displeasure; Emika shifted her fiery and vibrant green stare from the food tipped over on the floor, to the unresponsive man and back to the plate.

Her stomach grumbled and rumbled. Fine, I will let it slide! she exclaimed, feeling unsatisfied and shedding invisible tears.

As she was about to reluctantly eat mackerel off the floor she glared at him from her peripheral vision. His mood seemed to be one of concern and puzzlement. Hence, she followed his line of sight across the room and through the open shoji door leading into the courtyard.

Kiyomi looked fixedly. His hawkish eyes probing and studying the two figures speaking in hushed tones.

Moments ago Jian had pulled Li Ji into the courtyard, and Jian's normally calm demeanour seemed agitated while speaking with her. Kiyomi could not see Li Ji's reactions because her back faced him.

"I was on my way to the magistrate when the orb glowed, so I rushed back here as fast as I could—only to make a fool of myself… Did you notice anyone suspicious around the house?"

She took in Jian's grim expression. "Yes, I think I did…"

His eyes were wide.

"Hmm… Grey hair and a black mole on the cheek, beady eyes, a pointy nose and a disgusting tail—"

He cut in, snapping his fingers. "Focus!"

She rolled her eyes. "Few minutes after you left, Yamaguchi delivered His Highness's new robes, and Aimi came by with honey cakes. Being her usual ill-mannered self, she snorted at me: 'I made them ONLY for Kiyomi. But Jian can have one, only one though! But you, none.'"

Li ji shrugged, grimacing a snarl of irritability. "Anyway, I don't like HER honey cakes."

Although they never really had a chance to get to know each other, for some unspecified reason this little girl deeply disliked her.

Jian stamped his foot in frustration. "Li Ji!" He grasped her upper arm, "Did you notice anything out of place? Think."

"Mhmm… Yes, one of the shoji door next to the veranda was opened!"

Li Ji's room was located across the courtyard, opposite Kiyomi's and Jian's lodgings. She would rise to tend to her daily chores before the morning sun, starting by boiling water for the prince's bath. It was then, she had noticed the open Shoji door. However she thought nothing of it.

Jian knitted his eyebrows unhappily. "You know how I meticulously lock all doors and windows before going to sleep. Always." He tightened his grip around her arm, "You should have reported it to me immediately!"

"Jian, what is the meaning of this? Why is the orb now glowing after being inactive for four years? But each time the orb glowed there was no one else but us… Aren't we safe anymore?"

A tremor of fear jangled her nerves. Jian could feel her shiver. He gently let go of his grip. If she wanted comfort she just had to turn in his arms.

Because they found themselves cornered by the imperial soldiers, and had no other paths left to walk on, they were precipitated into leaving their world for which they were quite unprepared. The alchemist who endangered his life to save them wasn't able to fully explain the tanzanite orb's properties.

At best, they knew that the orb was somehow linked to the Mind-Seal and was activated if someone travelled through the portal.

But they were still completely at a loss by the whole situation, and sensing something was clearly wrong they needed to find any small detail of information to add to what they already knew about the tanzanite orb.

"Could it mean that the Mind-Seal is weakening? But His Highness has shown no signs of regaining his memories." Li Ji's heartbeat accelerated. "Jian, he mustn't find out…"

He sensed her anxiety.

"But, Li Ji, he will eventually. He has to."

Jian saw the stricken expression on her face and realised that she was living in a perpetual state of anguish because of the decision she had to make. At this moment, he wondered if she'd allow him to hug her.

Unbeknownst to Li Ji, the choice she made more than four years ago destined her to suffer for the rest of her life…

"We have no way of knowing for sure what is the meaning of this glowing orb until we find the alchemist." Jian stated as he shifted a strand of her hair aside. "But you haven't given me the chance to try yet."

"It is too dangerous to travel between worlds so soon. Your vital essence is not replenished yet."

"How long—" On hearing the approaching footsteps of the prince, Jian quickly coughed into his hand.

Li Ji slightly turning her head to the side peeked through an eye, and upon seeing Kiyomi stepping over the threshold between the veranda and the courtyard, she grabbed Jian's arm and rapidly steered him toward the gate leading to the street.

She knew Jian would be a dead giveaway—his pure and honest heart had no aptitude for deception.

A low and poised but commanding voice rang in their ears. "Both of you, stop."

They slowly spun round to face the prince. He was standing tall, his shoulders straight, hands clasps behind his back. A sharp thick brow was slightly raised up before saying: "The both of you have been acting secretively recently."

Li Ji feigned calmness and replied: "Really?" She tensed her grip on Jian's arm.

"Your soft voices sounded like lovers'whispers."

And the moment Kiyomi said that, Li Ji already made a sound of baffled surprise and Jian's face immediately burst into a shade of scarlet, even the tip of his ears had reddened.

Emika had followed Kiyomi into the courtyard. Keeping her distance, she sat by the clay pots filled with scented irises and was eavesdropping, her watchful gaze cast upon them.

A glimmer of interest twitched at the corner of Kiyomi's lips. "The two of you look very good together." Then he moved his feet closer to them. "Are you engaged in a secret love affair?"

Her eyes misted with protest, Li Ji shook her head quite energetically—her dangle earrings swinging from side to side slapped both her cheeks.

"Of course not!" also rebutted Jian.

Shuddering at the thought of Jian being her lover—he was like a brother!—Li Ji kept on shaking her head.

She felt an inexplicable worry surging in her heart when the prince stared so openly at her thinking that she was in a relationship with Jian.

"That isn't funny. Definitely not! Why would you say such a thing? We are like oil and water!" she blurted out from the top of her voice.

She was determined to not allow His Highness to believe her heart was betrothed to Jian. Unconsciously she fingered the cord that hung around her neck, hidden by her light blue robe. At the moment, the royal jade ring that hung close to her heart carried the gift of protection, but she secretly hoped that in the future it could become a token of love.

Thus, in a sudden, abrupt and awkward laugh she furthermore dismissed the likelihood of being in a relationship with Jian.

Hearing her unbecoming tone of voice, as well as the intensity of her protest, Jian flinched back. A strange sadness clenched around his heart.

"Rest assured, we will never be entangled in a love affair. Never! Jian is like a brother…" It came his way like a punch in the guts.

She had succeeded in making him want to shrink to the ground and disappear.

When Jian thought about it, from the very beginning, he never had the right to love her.

Kiyomi lowered his head to look directly into Li Ji's eyes. "Is that so?" Then his sharp eyes swept over Jian before he glanced down at their arms still entwined with one another.

She humphed and jerked her hand away, and instantly put some distance between her and Jian.

"There seem to be a misunderstanding—"

Kiyomi interrupted Li Ji with an eyebrow raised in amusement: "If what you are worrying about is the palace's law, do not fret about it. I can guarantee that at no moment in time will I ever make you my concubine and punish Jian for stealing this prince's property." He sighed, looking at them. "Besides we do not have to abide by those distasteful laws anymore. I give you my blessing."

He chuckled shallowly. "In fact I shall look forward to your marriage."

They stood rooted to the spot like ice statues, blinking hazily at his words. But without realising it, Jian felt his heart racing with new found hope.

He finally had the right to love her.

Emika glanced at this scene with glee. Kiyomi wasn't jealous, so his heart didn't belong to Li Ji. Years have passed and loneliness settled in, and yet the prince still wasn't interested in cozying up to his court lady.

She smiled gratefully.

A sense of nostalgia washed over Emika. Recalling her days at the Palace of Celestial Tranquility and Li Ji who helped her to meet with the prince in secret.

A court lady could not be in an intimate relationship with any other man than the prince as she belonged solely to him as a potential concubine.

But Li Ji had a more mature perspective about her relationship with the prince.

Though he was a childhood friend, she had not developed romantic or carnal inclinations towards him, and she had told him so. First and foremost he was the Second Prince and she was his loyal subject. She only wanted to carry her duties diligently, live simply and without worries.

In fact, the prince felt the same and he had promised her that he would never force her into his bed.

In those days, Li Ji was indeed no threat to Emika if she had wished for a romantic relationship with the Second Prince. And now Emika regretted that she wasn't aware of her heart true desire, which had caused many misunderstandings and quarrels between herself and Li Ji.

Still, Emika recalled the joyful days when they were once friends; when she, Li Ji, Jian, and the prince would all go fishing at the Chunyan River or exploring the market place.