1 Introducing our main character

The girl sleeping on the bed turned to her side and gave a cough. The coughing continued then intensified, fully waking the girl up. She blurrily looked around the darkened room and switched on the lamp by her side, reaching for the glass of tepid cold iced tea on top of the dresser. She downed the glass still half-asleep then suddenly her thin and frail body convulsed, her hands raking desperately down her throat.

The French door suddenly flew open and a tall and dark figure surged into the room, his sword aiming for the throat of a man standing beside the bed. The man was unprepared. He instinctively protected himself by lunging at the sword but he was too late. The tip of the sword buried itself into his neck, was twisted and pulled, till the head was severed from the body and dropped to the floor with a thud.

The tall man didn't even look at his victim. He hurried to the bed and caught the girl's flailing arms in his. He took something out of his pocket and put it between the girl's teeth, till she swallowed and that something settled on her stomach.

The girl's body again convulsed. The body began to perspire, emitting strange moisture from every pore. The girl sat up and heaved, emptying the contents of her stomach on the immaculate white linen, her thin figure continuing to make retching sounds.

The tall figure picked the girl up in his arms and opened the connecting bathroom. He laid the girl gently inside the tub, letting the water run as he went back to the room to clean up and change the sheets. When he returned, the girl still seemed to be sleeping so he washed her up, dried her clean then changed her clothes.

Her eyelids were still as he put her back to bed. He knew the moment she left when he felt the ragged breathing stopped. Still, he watched her. Watched as the girl's face slowly acquired a tinted blush, the lips became fuller and lush. The eyes fluttered in sleep and the girl's breathing resumed its soft hum.

The man turned down the light from the lamp until only a soft glow was left to hover over the sleeping girl. He spent the rest of the night cleaning up the blood. He took the body and the severed head and put them inside a black garbage bag. He didn't use the stairs to take it down. He leapt from the terrace and incinerated the bag with the flick of a hand. He then returned to the girl's bedroom and stood by the french door, watching and waiting for the girl to finally open her eyes.

Fan Bao was having the most delicious of dreams. Li Jun was feeding her grapes and trying to kiss her at the same time. She waved him away and laughed, watching his pout and the hurt look in his eyes. Li Jun really was an attractive piece of man meat. His tall and muscular body gave her the shivers each time he comes near her, and his smell... Ohlala. For a man of ancient times, where most of the men smelt like pigs and unwashed pussies, he was the prince amongst princes.

Fan Bao giggled and stretched lazily on the bed.

"Water," she said, without opening her eyes.

There was the sound of water being poured, the clink of ice cubes. After a while, the cold glass touched her lips. Fan Bao opened her lips and took a sip. Slowly, her eyes opened. The eyes were black, ringed with thick lashes and very sharp. They roamed around the spacious room, at the open french windows, and the face of the man looking at her a bit apprehensively.

Fan Bao pushed the glass away and sat up. She didn't say anything, merely pushed the covers away and stood up. She walked past the french windows, onto the terrace and looked outside. The lawn was covered with beautifully cut green grass. Tall trees lined up the driveway, the gravelled road stretched up several yards into the main gates, and the house was brick red and huge.

"So, it finally happened," she said.

"Yes, your majesty," said the man standing respectfully behind her.

Fan Bao turned her head.

"What's your name?"

"I am called Li Jun, your majesty," the man said, bowing his head.

Fan Bao stared at him with round eyes then gave a peal of hearty laughter.

"You're kidding, right?" she said, a dimple flashing on her right cheek.

Li Jun was confused.

"I am not, your majesty," he said. "Did I give offense, your majesty?"

Fan Bao waved her hand.

"It's alright. I was just thinking of something. Now, tell me, where am I?"

"In the residence of the prime minister, your majesty."

"What year?"

"2018, your majesty."

"That far into the future?" she frowned. "This girl who was also called Fan Bao, she was the third daughter?"

"The third daughter of the third son, your majesty."

"She was the only third daughter of my line?" Fan Bao was surprised.

"Most of them had sons, you see, your majesty. Some didn't live long enough to father children. And then somebody invented contraception pills and family planning..."

"Explain it to me later. I need to eat first. I'm famished."

Li Jun went out to get breakfast. While he was out, Fan Bao went inside and surveyed herself in the huge mirror by the dresser. She saw a tall, slender girl with very long hair streaming past her hips in a cloud of dark waves. The girl's face was pale and free of makeup. She was wearing a long nightgown that reached her toes. With her pale face and unbound long hair, the girl resembled a sad ghost awaiting Judgement.

Fan Bao draw her face nearer to the mirror. The face was as plain as rice pudding. The lips though was full and the eyes had thick lashes. She cupped the breasts on the thin chest and nearly cried. Her former beautiful C cup now reduced to this...this...this is not even the size of apples, k? At least the waist was flat and the hips gently rounded. But the body was weak, extremely fragile like the owner had never exercised before.

Fan Bao went to the bathroom and showered. She immediately became familiar with the use of modern shampoos and soaps by simply using her nose. She was extremely sensitive to odors and scents, and could smell blood and carnage half a mile away.

In her previous life as the first female emperor of Yuming, Fan Bao had been exposed to war since she ascended to the throne at the age of twelve. That part of her life had been a sordid tale by itself. The entire kingdom had been against her from the very start. A woman emperor to take over the splendorous jade that was Yuming? Not ever. But she had won. She stood her ground and defeated the enemy by her cunning and innate love of mayhem.

When she went back to the room after her bath, Li Jun was already inside, putting the breakfast tray on top of a round table. Fan Bao opened the closet and nearly screamed. She turned, horrified, to look at Li Jun.

"What is this?" she demanded.

"Clothes, your majesty?" Li Jun said, totally confused.

Fan Bao took out a shapeless dress and look at it in distaste.

"You call this a dress?" she said disdainfully.

"The little miss was sick most of the time, your majesty," Li Jun explained. "She didn't like going out because it was bad for her health."

"What's bad for her health was not getting any sun," Fan Bao snapped. She took a deep breath. No use getting angry about a child who was dead. She was her great-great-great-great something after all and deserved her care and respect.

Little Fan Bao was the third daughter of the third son born in the line of Fan Bao's ancient lineage. Little Fan Bao's father died in a vehicle accident when she was ten. A year later, her mother married a widower who entered the government and later became the prime minister. When Little Fan Bao was twelve, her mother died, leaving her to the care of the man who was seldom home even for his two children. The man wasn't even anywhere near the child when she got sick much more now that she had died of poison, Fan Bao thought sourly.

Fan Bao stripped off the towel she was wearing and walked naked to stand in front of the mirror. She didn't see Li Jun stare at her in shock, his eyes bulging and his face completely red. He hastily averted his head as his mistress stood before the mirror and slipped the frock on her head. The dress was so plain it was almost criminal to wear it. Fan Bao went back to the closet and looked for something. A red belt and sparkling red shoes that looked new. Fan Bao slipped the belt around her slim waist and the shoes on her feet and went back to the mirror to take another look.

Still plain but this will do, she thought. And better have this hair lathered or something.

She looked at Li Jun.

"I need to buy new things. I can't go around looking like a hen with very ruffled feathers."

"Of course, your majesty. Everything has been prepared for you."

"When is the reading of the will?"

"The day after tomorrow, your majesty."

Okay. Any idea who poisoned little Fan Bao yet?"

"I think it was the relation on her mother's side, your majesty. With the little miss gone, her grandfather's money will go to the next kin, which was her mother's family."

"But the money belonged to Little Fan Bao's grandfather on her father side. How the hell are they going to claim the money when they're not even related?"

"The leader of her mother's clan works for little miss' grandfather, your majesty. He is the president of the company her grandfather owned and I heard is very influential and powerful."

"Is he? We'll, let's worry about that later. I need to buy clothes and stuff. Take me wherever it is I can get them immediately."

"Yes, your majesty. If you'll follow me."

The two of them went downstairs. They were going out the door when someone called Fan Bao's name. She turned and saw a young girl staring at her, a frown marring her pretty face.

"Where are you going? Who told you to go out when you're sick?"