Nightmare

Chapter 65: Nightmare.

"Be good and don't humiliate us when you go there. And's whats with that sad face? Smile more and make sure you impress emperor Huang well." The queens cold and proud voice was directed at Min Hua who was getting dressed up by the maids so that she can meet the emperor now. Min Hua looked at her mother in the mirror. It was always like this. She was always expected to be the perfect princess which she wasn't.

"So this is how you bid me good bye, your highness?" Min Hua questioned. This woman didn't even come and ask if she was happy with this marriage. Min Hua was feeling suffocated because of all these heavy jewel put on her, coupled with her already troubled mental state, the queen's attitude was only making her more angry and scared.

"Oh. Then how exactly do you want me to say good bye to you? Kiss you and hug you. Never.. I always wanted a son, but no.. You have to be born as a daughter. WHY? I remained as a name sake queen because of you and your sisters. Might be I will have a son after you all bad lucks leave my home." The queen replied and Min Hua eyes turned red from anger. This was something she has been listening since she was a kid. But today it hurt her more. Was it her fault that she was born as a girl? She glared at the queen from the mirror before speaking.

"Oh.. So you want a son, right? Then listen to me. You will never have a son. You hate this name sake position of yours, right? Then you will live with this name sake position forever. Stay like this for eternity." The queen and the maids widened their eyes as they heard Min Hua's words. The queen was just cursed by her own daughter. This could be considered as a treason but they knew no one would target Min Hua since she was now declared the future queen of Huang dynasty.

The queen was stunned looking at the girl sitting facing the dressing table. Min Hua never really talked back to her. But today she looked different. Entirely different. Today Min Hua was wounded. Her heart was in chaos and she needed some hope. Some comfort. But there was none found in this palace. And the only person who came to her has to be sent away by her after hurting him.

The queen was about to slap Min Hua when the guards announced the arrival of emperor Huang. This made the queen hold back her words and left the room with the maids. Min Hua was left alone in large room. Dressed elegantly, with a light makeup on, Min Hua looked gorgeous. But only Li Wei could sense the gloom she was masking inside her.

Soon footsteps neared her room and opening the doors, a middle aged man entered the room. Emperor Huang was stunned looking at the beauty standing before him. His palace maintained a huge harem, but he never crossed paths with someone as beautiful as her. His eyes darkened and the desire to possess her became stronger.

"Good evening, Your Majesty." Min Hua greeted and Huang Meng chuckled hearing her stoic greeting. He walked closer and closer and clutched her jaw, forcing her to look at him. Li Wei clenched his fists but couldn't do anything but keep watching.

"You should smile at me Princess. Believe me, you wouldn't want to face my wrath at all." Huang Meng released her jaw and caressed her cheeks. Min Hua struggled to not cringe at his touch. It didn't stop there. The shameless emperor then held her wrist tightly and led her to the dining table arranged for them. He made her feed him, pour wine, and was even outrageous enough to touch her lips and waist.

The stifling dinner finally ended and the emperor left to his chamber. Min Hua calmly walked to the door and closed it. Li Wei, who was fuming at that middle aged emperor was now worried about Min Hua who didn't show any reaction through out that asphyxiating dinner. What exactly was she going through? And soon his question was answered. Min Hua collapsed to ground on her knees and started shivering. She kept mumbling Yuan's name and her voice was low and broken.

Min Hua thought she was prepared for everything, but no. She was not. Her heart was only and only filled with Jiang Yuan. There was simply no place anyone else. Huang Meng's lascivious touch disgusted her. What happened just now gave her a glimpse of what all she will be going through in future.

Min Hua didn't cry like before, but her shivering lone figure scared Li Wei more. The young princess stayed like that till the palace lights were turned off, till the noises of servants ceased, till the only sound she could hear was the owls hooting and the guards patrolling. Weakly standing up, she changed into casuals and sneaked out of the palace.

Li Wei followed her. She steps were slightly unsteady and hands were still shivering but she somehow made it to Jiang Yuan's doorstep. Min Hua released a slow breathe and opened the door. The lights of the little house were still on. As she walked in, she saw a heavily drunk Jiang Yuan laying on the floor.

"Y-Yuan.. Y-Yuan.. Get up." Min Hua put his head on her lap and tried to wake him up. The security in the palace was so heavy, but she still managed to sneak out to meet him one last time. She was totally shaken after the encounter with Huang Meng and all she wanted to do was to run and hide in Yuan's embrace. And she did, when she felt she might never stop shivering again.

"Brother Y-Yuan.. P-please wake up. sob.. " Jiang Yuan opened his heavy eyes and found his Hua'er slightly shivering as her eyes filled up with tears. He thought he was dreaming, but on a second thought he felt whatever happened in the morning was a dream and his Hua'er being in his house was reality.

Jiang Yuan groggily sat up and looked at Min Hua who didn't her eyes off him for even a second. She tightly clutched his arm. She wanted to hug him but feared being pushed away. She knew she couldn't take that blow right now.

"Hua'er. Dear. Why are you crying? Did someone bully you? Hmm? Tell me." Jiang frowned and wiped away her tears. Who dared to bully her? That someone must have a death wish.

"Tell me what happened." Yuan cupped her face and made her look at him. He was drunk and his face was flushed. Min Hua felt a lump in her throat and couldn't speak. She simply shook her head and hugged him. Min Hua didn't cry but still shivered. Few days from now, she would be married and she just got a trailer of what kind of man was going to be her husband. That man was not Jiang Yuan, who never misbehaved with her even when they were alone in the forest.

"Brother Y-Yuan. Hua'er is s-scared." Min Hua mumbled in his arms and Jiang Yuan lifted her chin to look at her. There were slight red marks on her jaw and he frowned. In his drunken haze he remembered those words she said to him. Were these marks because of that man? What did these both do? He touched those marks and before Min Hua can speak something more Yuan tightly held her jaw, making her flinch.

"B-brother Yuan?"

"Min Hua. Tell me honestly. Are you cheating on me? Are you trying to make a cuckold out of me? Huh?" Jiang Yuan didn't know what he was doing. His drunken state was bringing hazy memories of the morning and it created a whole new perception for him. Min Hua tried to escape from his grip but he held her wrist. The same wrist where Huang Meng left his red marks. Her delicate wrist was already bruised because for that king and now Jiang Yuan was doing the same. Making the bruise worse.

Min Hua struggled but didn't notice Jiang Yuan's darkened eyes. There was a reason why Jiang Yuan never drank around her. Because he knew he wouldn't be able to control himself. And that is exactly what happened tonight. It was never easy to control his primal needs around her, but he also didn't want to scare her. He wanted to properly marry and then satisfy his needs after taking care of hers. But today's incidents and his drunken haze just snapped that thread of self-control and he pushed her to ground before getting onto her top.

It was only then did Min Hua notice his gaze. It was dark and clouded with lust. It was what scared her away from Huang Meng. Though Min Hua always made naughty comments with Jiang Yuan, she really didn't know anything about this. This would have excited her if it was some other day but today it scared her. And before she knew, Jiang Yuan's hand was on her waist and started tugging her robes. Min Hua trembled looking at Jiang Yuan's behaviour.

"B-brother Y-Yuan. S-Stop. What are you doing? Leave me.. Hua'er is scared. Y-Yuan." Min Hua said. Her voice came out broken but her response angered Jiang Yuan.

"Why? Why should I stop? And why are you scared? Huh? Didn't you say you love me? Then what happened now? Huh?" Jiang Yuan didn't give her a chance to speak and harshly kissed her. His grip on her was so tight that she groaned and cried in pain but he didn't yield. Jiang Yuan was not in his right mind right now. He was driven by instincts and impulses and this hurt Min Hua that night.

-----

"Wei.. Wei.. Li Wei.. Wake up"

"Wei.."

"Li Wei ..."

Ling Yue's concerned voice reached Li Wei's ears and he finally opened his eyes. Ling Yue and Li Mei did a night out to study and Li Wei has already gone to bed by the time she came to sleep. Thirty minutes into her sleep, she heard Li Wei shouting in his sleep. He was saying to stop and kept calling her name.

Li Wei opened his eyes and saw Ling Yue's face first. The same face he just saw in his dream too. A dream where she came to him because she was scared and instead of comforting her shaken being, he hurt her more. Li Wei still couldn't that believe he, as Jiang Yuan, actually hurt Min Hua.

"Wei. Are you alright? Did you have a nightmare?" Ling Yue asked. She knew what it felt to be haunted by nightmares. She would never want Li Wei to have nightmares.

"Sweetheart.. I am sorry.. I am sorry.. Yueyue.. I hurt you.. I-I am sorry. Yueyue.." Li Wei kept apologizing to her as he hugged her. Ling Yue didn't understand why Li Wei was behaving so strangely but still patted his back. She was not very good at coaxing people.

"Wei. I am not hurt. Why are you apologizing? You just had a nightmare. It's not real." Ling Yue said and Li Wei calmed down. She was right. She was not Min Hua anymore.

"Yueyue. Yueyue. You are fine, right?" Li Wei questioned and Ling Yue simply nodded, though confused.

"Wei. What happened? Do you want to talk about your dream?" Ling Yue questioned and Li Wei shook his head. What was he supposed to say? That he was a jerk to her again? He was still feeling ashamed of what Jiang Yuan did even though he knew he was no more Jiang Yuan.

"Yueyue. Do you want to have a walk outside?" Li Wei asked expectantly and Ling Yue could reject his hopeful eyes. She nodded and Li Wei didn't waste time to bundle up like fur ball before taking her out.