Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

309 She made me hate her

Li Hua bit her bottom lip and, after hesitating, she held Lóng Wei’s hand. She turned to face the horse when Lóng Wei came to her side and brought her hand close to the horse’s face. “You are not supposed to act weirdly, else it may scare this horse,” he told her and put her hand on its face. She jolted and wanted to move her hand away, but Lóng Wei wouldn’t let her get back.

Instead, he slowly moved her hand over the horse’s face, who neighed at her in the beginning, but then calmed down and liked that gentle touch. She was also relieved to find that the horse didn’t do anything to her.

“See, how lovely this horse is!” Lóng Wei whispered near her ear. “Then, shall we hop on this horse?” He asked.

“Yes,” Li Hua replied and he let go of her hand gradually. He then hopped on the horse and then held out his hand. Li Hua grabbed his hand and he pulled her up. She rested her legs on the horse’s left side while she rested her hands on his arms. She still had a worried expression on her face.

Lóng Wei put her hands behind his neck and asked her to hold him tightly. He pulled on the reins of the horse when Li Hua asked him to keep the speed slow.

“I will,” Lóng Wei said, and the horse moved ahead slowly. She kept her gaze fixed on his face when he asked her why she lied to him.

“I did not want Prince Lóng Wei to leave me behind and go out alone,” Li Hua answered truthfully. Lóng Wei’s one hand was secured around her waist.

“Hmm.” Lóng Wei usually talked for a long time, but he wasn’t in the mood to talk much right now, even with her. He just wanted to calm himself. Since Li Hua would have been worried for him, he had to take her out with him.

At the imperial gates, the horse stopped, and he asked the soldiers to open it.

.....

“Forgive us, Your Highness. No one can go out of the Palace after the curfew hours,” one soldier among them stated while keeping his head low.

“No one will find out if you don’t want it to happen. Let us leave. We will be back in an hour,” Lóng Wei told the soldier. He glanced at the other ones, and after a small discussion, the soldier ordered the four soldiers at the top to open the gates for Prince Lóng Wei.

He rode the horse, and soon they got out of the imperial gates.

“His Highness looks sad,” Li Hua said.

Lóng Wei didn’t reply to her. He had deep frowns on his forehead. She decided to stay quiet and let him focus on horse riding. Lóng Wei kept the speed neither too high nor too slow and after fifteen minutes of riding, he put a halt to it. The horse neighed, and Lóng Wei let go of the reins.

He carefully put Li Hua down, and then Lóng Wei hopped down. Li Hua looked around while Lóng Wei tied the horse with a pole. She found out that they were in an open field. Far from the field was a small body of water. The water was not visible. It seemed the tiny pond was dry in the summer season.

Li Hua turned to look at Lóng Wei and asked him if it was safe for them.

“Yes. This region belongs to the palace. There is high security around this area,” Lóng Wei informed her. He held her hand and continued, “Let’s roam around. Luckily, the moonlight is present.”

She found him smiling, and it delighted her heart too.

“Li Hua, I was not a good son. None of my maternal side likes me. They always curse me if they see me,” Lóng Wei stated. She tilted her head to peer at her.

“Do they live in Qinping?” Li Hua inquired.

“Yes. Her brothers are ranked five officials. One is a rank four official,” Lóng Wei said.

“I met Monk Yuze in the morning a day ago,” Li Hua stated. Lóng Wei was stunned to hear about it. She didn’t tell him about it or why she went alone to the hill. Before he could ask her, he heard her say, “I wanted a few answers from Monk Yuze about me. About the prophecy.”

“What did he say?” Lóng Wei inquired.

“My father was a disciple of Monk Yuze,” Li Hua stated.

Lóng Wei was astonished to find this out. She then told him everything that Monk Yuze had revealed to her. “Monk Yuze told me that Prince Lóng Wei’s mother wasn’t willing to marry the King. She was brought to the palace against her permission,” Li Hua affirmed.

“What should I do with that?” Lóng Wei was not interested in thinking about that part.

“Prince Lóng Wei’s mother’s odd behavior toward him might be for that reason,” Li Hua affirmed.

“So? She should have died the day she was sent to the palace. Why did she vent her anger at me? I don’t remember if she ever smiled at me. She smiled at other princes and princesses while she always had that strange expression on her face,” Lóng Wei proclaimed. His voice was clearly showing how much anger, and hatred he carried for her even today.

“For her, I could never become or act like a royal. For her, I was a mistake. How could she say this to me every single day? She made me hate her. Was it my fault that my father forced the decree upon her to be his concubine? I wasn’t even born. I wanted to survive, so I killed her. If she had stayed alive, she would have gotten me killed,” Lóng Wei proclaimed.

Li Hua found the pain in his voice. She hugged him tightly and apologized to him. “Forgive me for forcing you to tell the truth,” she said. “It wasn’t the Prince’s fault. It was never the prince’s fault,” she stated, and lightly patted his back.

“It hurts me whenever I think about it. I went to her chamber to show how wrong she was about me. Even if she is no more, her words have imprinted on my mind and heart,” he said and clenched his fists.