Moving Forward

Lan Castle

A little calmer, Xichen moved away from the opposite and wiped the tears from his face somewhat ashamed for showing that weak side to Lan Zhao, after all, he was the crown prince of the fire kingdom, and he was supposed to have no weaknesses or not show them.

"Thank you very much ... Mom"

"I will always be here for you Xichen, in good and bad times"

Xichen nodded to the other's words, wiping his face to prevent any palace guard or a maiden from seeing him in that way.

"Do you want to walk for a while?"

"Sounds good" Xichen smiled at him, he really can read his mind.

Lan Zhao took him through the palace garden where nobody could enter except for him and the royal family, they walked until reached the pond of tears since the night view of that place was beautiful, in that pond were some fish that Xichen's biological mother used to take care of and now A-Zhao does, while they walked Lan Zhao wanted to make Xichen understand about his father's intentions by saying those crude words to him.

"Xichen ... Try to understand your father"

"Do I have to understand him? He should understand me "

"Xichen… do you think he seriously doesn't understand? Remember that he lost his wife, his best friend, his confidant… the person to whom he swore eternal love…"

"That's..."

"If there is someone who understands you better than anyone else, is him.

"Lan Zhao's soft voice sounded sad, although he was the current partner of the king it was not surprising that the king still loved his dead wife

"I didn't ..." He keep silent after saying that because he didn't know how to fix what he told him.

"It's ok Xichen, that's why I want you to understand why he doesn't want to see you suffer"

"..."

"Your father also experienced his lover's absence for many years, he lived in loneliness, secluded from everyone, showing a false facade of happiness and well-being"

"I didn't know..." Xichen looked confused at what the other was saying.

"No one knew ... I was the only one who realized on time"

"That was because before you already liked my dad a lot, didn't you?"

"X-Xichen"

Lan Zhao blushed upon hearing the minor's words, even though the entire royal family already knew that the two of them were dating he was embarrassed to discuss that matter with the children of his partner.

"When will you get married?" Xichen asks him with curiosity.

"Who are you talking about?" Zhao answered trying to get rid of the blush on his face.

“Both of you, you're not going to keep it hidden forever, are you?"

"Us?... Well... we can't get married Xichen"

"But you are..."

"Your father loved your mother so much and he never thought that he would lose her so when they married they promised eternal love ... your father was deeply in love with your mother"

"A-Zhao ... I ..."

"Don't worry, it's a decision that I accepted after all being with your father is the greatest gift of my life"

"I know it is a promise that should not be broken but ... you love each other"

"You know ... your father was just like you”

“What?”

“When your mother dies he refused to let her go, just like you and he had a little hope that she would wake up at any time... After his depression got deeper I was the one who said those crude words in the past to him, the same that he told you today ... That's why I want you to understand, love can come to your life again but if you refuse you could lose someone else in the future, I don't know why Lan Yue decided to make that decision and I still have doubts about that but he wouldn't want to see you sad or suffer for him"

"..."

"I don't know what the pain you're feeling is like, but I do know that you should talk to your father and listen to him"

Xichen only nodded at the words of the contrary, after that talk they separated and Xichen began to walk through the lotus pond that was in his palace, Lan Zhao had helped him to sow the lotuses there when he was a child and Lan Yue loves to take care of them.

His mind was in a mess, if his father had not been so stubborn to accept his feelings maybe now he could marry A-Zhao but by refusing love he was paying the consequences now.

Xichen observed his reflection on the pond but on it, he only could see his love Lan Yue smiling, perhaps if he gave ShuangHua an opportunity he could come to love him with time.

The young prince left the pond and went to his room looking for that ring that he could not put on the finger of his beloved Lan Yue, in the darkness of his room he asked for forgiveness for letting him go and not waiting for him any longer, for allowing himself to advance towards tomorrow.

ChaoMei Pavilion

Shuoyue stayed awake the rest of the morning without being able to fall asleep again, there was something inside him that told him that he had to leave that place and go somewhere else, that he had something to do but he didn't know what was it or where exactly he was supposed to go.

His gaze was lost at the horizon and without realizing it his sights focused on the imperial palace of the fire clan, he felt that he knew it, some landscapes came to his mind about that place, the mountains that he now saw from afar in his mind he remembered them very close with those phoenixes hovering at the top.

"When do I visit the palace?"

He wondered in a whisper to himself without remembering having gone dancing at some event in the imperial palace but he did not give more importance to what he could not remember clearly. Shuoyue continued his inspection on the view out of his window.

He didn't know when he fell asleep in the window frame last night because now the most important thing to him was that in his dreams someone was whispering desperately his name and asking him to remember something but remember what?

When he woke up it was the afternoon of the next day, he thought that maybe he was so tired from staying up late that his body kept sleeping late to gain energy, he blinked for a few seconds realizing that someone moved him from the window to the bed.

"Who could be?" he mumble to himself trying to remember something but he was so tired of t being able to remember anything.

The pale-skinned young man rubbed his eyes observing the room, next to his bed was a soup still hot, someone had brought it to his room not too long ago. He was going to eat it but when he moved the spoon on it Shuoyue could see a black liquid on it.

"Poison again?"

He knew it, without knowing why he was sure it was poison for that dark color it has, although the first time when he drank the poisoned tea he had not realized it, perhaps thanks to that experience his instincts had been raised.

He got up and took the soup to the bathroom to throw it in the sink, cleaned the bowl, and returned to the room ringing a bell for someone to collect the things, when the young servant entered Shuoyue pretended to wipe his lips to see the reactions of the boy who kept an eye on his actions.

If there was indeed poison in the soup, he wanted to unmask the young man, and to do so Shuoyue had to resort to his best acting skills, he began to cough frantically asking for a glass of water before falling on the bed pretending to faint, the boy did absolutely nothing for helping him or calling someone to help, the boy simply stood there in silence watching him "die" so effectively the boy had been sent by someone to assassinate him.

When the servant left the room after throwing a kind of signal through the window Shuoyue quickly got up from the bed and hid to see who would enter his room. It didn't take long for a man dressed in tight black clothes to appear looking everywhere for the supposed body of Shuoyue, but he who was more than fine took a vase and silently approached the man to knock him out.

Shuoyue did not know how he learned to tie people but he managed to do it with a curtain, with the unconscious man he left the room dragging the stranger to get to the office of the owner of the brothel, he explained what had happened to him but when he finished she seemed more furious than before at having "spies " in his house.

"Those bastards" the woman growled, slapping her hands on her desk.

"D-Don't get mad madam, at least I'm fine"

"But you could have died from those treacherous rats."

Madam Li pressed a button on a strange device on her desk, she was calling someone named Wen Mao who was completely trusted by her.

Someone knocked on the door and madam just shouted "go ahead", when the person entered Shuoyue could see a very beautiful young woman with intense black hair and amber eyes, despite her lack of expressions and her cold tone she was truly a very attractive woman.

"Did you call me madam?"

"That's right, take care of that garbage and from today you must check and bring Shuoyue's food every day"

"Another attempt?"

"That's right, that's why I ask you to keep him protected at all times, did you understand Wen Mao?"

"I obey the order, madam."

The girl put her hands in front of her and bowed respectfully to the madam, she only responded with a soft "get up" and with that, she also bowed in front of the boy as a show of respect since now she would serve him.

Shuoyue thought that all of that was somewhat exaggerated but he did not know who had poisoned him the first time or who wanted him dead so badly so he had to be careful, he answered that greeting immediately and let her take the unknown man out of the room.

"This is crazy ..." the older woman mentioned, dropping her body in her chair.

Shuoyue sat in front of her as they still had to talk to that guy to know more but he was worried about the woman in front of him.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Madam" Shuoyue mentioned a little embarrassed to see the woman so exhausted.

"Don't worry, it's better to be forewarned ... agh we still need a dancer for the event and now I have to deal with this"

"Event?"

"The emperor sent us an invitation to appear at the birthday party of the crown prince"

The woman showed him the newspaper, at the first page was the news about the most important party in the entire immortal world, but as soon as he heard the mention of the prince, Shuoyue's heart started to beat quickly and it also hurt a little, he didn't know why but he knows that was a big opportunity and that he should have to go there.

It was as if that voice inside him asked him to go to the place as if that hole in his memories and his heart had suddenly been filled upon hearing the mention of the crown prince.

"Madam ... I know it sounds crazy but I can do it"

"Shuoyue, the doctor ordered you complete rest for the next two weeks"

The woman scolded him and her concern showed in her eyes but Shuoyue only smiled to cheer her up.

"I feel perfectly fine, and it is safer to be with you than here alone ... when you leave something could happen here”

Madam Li observed the seriousness in Shuoyue's eyes and was surprised by the bright determination he had on them, since Shuoyue had arrived at the brothel he had lost his shine, he always looked more like a lifeless doll than a human being, even when he asks for something for the first time in his life and started working as a dancer he still looked without emotion or vivacity at all, it was as if he had surrendered to live in sadness.

The woman smiled when she saw that life returning into those eyes and she did not take long to get closer to hug him with some force.

"Okay, you're right but you must learn the choreography for tonight"

Shuoyue smiled at her as never have done to anyone with genuine emotion and gratitude as he hugged her back thanking her over and over again for that opportunity.

To be continue