Chapter 19

Yang Sun took a few steps back in case he got too close to her to recognize her. She in a shaky breath quickly, feeling constricted from air. Her palms were clammy and sweaty while the panic sunk like rolling stacks of bile in her stomach. She suddenly didn't know how to speak.

"... Did you know a girl named Taiyang?" He asked and drifted her mind back to his presence.

"H-Huh?"

He saw how confused she became after he asked that one question. But he wasn't sure if it was a confused look from a yes, she knew who Taiyang was, or a no she didn't know her at all-- and stretches his hands behind his back.

"It's a simple question... Did you know her?" He asked again with daring cold eyes.

She didn't reply. Instead her feet froze on the spot and wouldn't budge.

"... You couldn't have, right?"

"I'm not sure who that is." She looked right into his eyes after a few seconds of hesitation.

'I have to be strong. Don't mess up... He doesn't know...' She told herself so she could keep her posture clear.

He brushed his question out of the way and takes a breath in, "... Never mind then," He finished and turns to leave the Dong Manor.

Yang Sun stops him from walking away, "Wait!"

He turns to face her yet again as she walks over and reaches out to him the handkerchief he had borrowed her the other day to wrap her bleeding finger.

"I tried to wash the blood stain off, but this is the best I can do. Sorry if I have ruined it."

Weiting grabs it slowly and places in between his fingers, "It's okay." He stares at the somewhat washed-out blood stained in the middle of the handkerchief.

"… Was it hers?"

He stares at her with a blank stare. "... Who?"

"Taiyang."

Although she already knew that it belonged to her. She wanted to see how he would react to her question.

He blinks softly a few times and drops the handkerchief to his side, "How did you know it was a girl?"

Her name was a neutral gender name.

"Didn't you just ask me if I knew a girl named Taiyang?"

He snickers at his own word for a moment, "Even so... Why would you ask if it belonged to her?"

For some odd reason, Yang Sun felt like he was trying to trap her with words. Her gut feeling was telling her to be careful of his wording riddles.

"There's a pink lotus sewed in the middle of this handkerchief... Don't tell me you carry around a woman's item and call it yours?" She as he stood in silence. "Don’t tell me You are..." She brings her fingers towards her lips gently and scans him up and down.

She begins teasing him of liking men.

He softly smirked to the side sharply. He found her amusing, "Maybe it belongs to my mother." He tucked away the handkerchief carefully.

"You’re mother? That makes it even weirder! How weird... A son carrying his mother's handkerchief around at this age?” Her eyes made the greatest fun out of him with a slight smile. “Did you not know that a lotus represents a single girl who isn’t married yet? I mean, that’s what it means in your country… Your mother is married and has given birth to a big boy like you already, why would she allow herself to have this handkerchief?"

Weiting sighs softly and at that moment, he understood why Boran found liking in her so much.

“You seem to know a lot about my country customs despite living in the bamboo forest all your life… You don’t perhaps know the other meaning of a lotus?”

She paused with a blank stare. Of course, she knows, she was the one who gave a lotus another meaning.

“Please enlighten me…” She bowed her gaze a little.

He smirked a cold glare at her forehead and didn't say another word for a moment. “See to it as your homework, the next time we meet, you will tell me and if you give me a wrong answer you will pay for it… But, if you shall give me a correct answer, I will reward you humbly....” He said and turns to exit out the Dong Manor for good.

She knew that he was testing her. He wanted to know more about her because he doesn’t trust the fact that she had just lied about not knowing who Taiyang was. Yang Sun watches as he exits and then continues to proceed back to the guest chambers for the rest of the evening.

A few days later,

Tiankong Palace;

Luyang was seen walking towards her palace chambers with her personal maid walking right behind her.

"4th Princess." 2 maid servants greeted her as soon as she walks up to the steps with a rush.

"… Who's here?" She asked and stops her pace just outside her chambers.

"General Chan is waiting for you in your study chambers."

Weiting? Why was he there waiting for her? She was a bit confused but relaxed.

"I understand… You're all excused. If I don't call for you, don't enter." Luyang told her servants.

"Yes Princess," They all bow and leaves the area in sync.

Luyang walks pass the main hall and towards her study chambers and noticed him standing in the middle of the room, staring at a large painting on her wall to the left.

“Weiting?” She called him as she walks in alone with the doors wide open.

He heard her voice but didn’t turn around to greet her. She noticed his strong posture and calmly approaches him.

“This painting,” He said and Luyang stops right next to him, “Was painted by Taiyang, right?”

“Yes.” Luyang nods and rolls her eyes onto the painting as well. “This is my favorite painting… She used her small hands to paint this for me. This was the first painting she had ever done.” She turns to look at him, “Actually, this painting was supposed to be given to the crown prince for his coronation years ago, but I had asked for it because I encouraged her to paint this... After a while she loved painting…”

The painting was a large beautiful painting of a dozen pink and white louts created by using her hand prints. He closed his eyes for a moment to picture her well-natured fingers sliding on the paper with the colored ink in slow motion, replaying in his mind. Carefully mixing pigments using the tips of her fingers and applying the ink to the pure white paper below her nose. She painted in a form of self-expression, creative inspiration and visual determination.

The branches were cautiously drawn with her finger pressed down with black ink first, and then dipped her clean fingers into the color ink, spreading it across the paper letting the colors form into palm louts prints. He was amaze at how perfect the lines were, considering it was painted by a blind person. She then signs the painting using her thumb print at the bottom right hand corner to finish it off.

His eyes slowly opened and there he saw the happiness in the painting that hung in front of him. A light quickly dashed through the picture and carved what it seems like a real smile across his face.

“Do you think I was selfish asking to keep it?” Luyang had no idea he was in his own world as she interrupted his thoughts.

“No,” He replies and turns to look at her. “You’re not selfish for asking to keep it. You encouraged her to paint this picture, and showed her strength to never give up on what she could do… It’s only right if you keep it here to remind you of her first happiness.” He smiled softly and created a happy expression on Luyang’s face. “If I was you, I would of have asked to keep it as well.”

“You know about it?”

“Um, she told me that painting this picture was her very first accomplishment of happiness. I’ve always wanted to see this painting, but never got the chance to see it... Now seeing it, I understand why it was her first form of happiness.”

“Yes, I wasn’t going to put it up… I was only going to keep it for myself, but after Taiyang’s death, I had to hang it up to remind me that she is still here. It’s the only thing I have of hers.”

Luyang chuckles to the side and turns to head over to her desk to sit. “You’re the second to say that I’m not selfish for keeping this painting.” She said and takes a seat in her wooden chair.

Weiting follows to sit nearby.

“Taiyang was the first to tell me that I wasn’t selfish… She said that I was the one who deserved this painting more than anyone since I was the one who pushed her to over come her fears of not being able to see. She said painting this picture, she was able to see for the first time.”

He nods quietly.

“But… You didn’t come here to just talk about this painting. Why are you really here?”

Weiting was taken back a bit by her sudden rush to get to the point.

“You are sure straightforward.”

“Of course.”

He shuffles his right hand into her chest pocket and pulls out a white folded piece of paper. “I need your help in locating these two names.” He reached it over to her.

“Names? Who?” She takes a hold of it and reads the two names. “Ling-Er? Cui Ning?” She thought for a moment. “Who are they?”

Weiting’s expression changed into a dark one, “They were two maids who served Taiyang before her death. I believe if we find them, we can get one step closer to whoever killed her. I tired searching for them, but came up empty every corner I turn. I was only able to find out where Taiyang’s personal maid, Cui Feng, was kept… It’s like these two girls just disappeared into thin air…”

Luyang stares at the two names on the paper in front of her.

“You already know that I’ am only limited to some ways, especially because the Emperor is keeping a close watch on me… Honestly, I think they’re serving in the royal harem… And since I can’t search the royal harem I was thinking if you could?” He added in.

Luyang bit her lips for a second and places the paper onto her desk, “You won’t give up, would you?”

“Why would I? And why would you want to give up? You of all people who taught her not to give up even at the last minute….”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what do you mean?!”

A pause of silence walks between them for a brief few seconds.

“I didn’t mean any harm in saying that… Knowing you, I just know that you will cause trouble considering your temper. I’m just worried about you, can I not?”

Weiting didn’t say a word.

“You were the love of Taiyang’s life, I promised her to look after you like a younger brother….” She said, and he blushed a little. “I don’t want to lose anyone else… Hao, I’ll help you find these girls, in return, you must wait for my report. Do not do anything stupid.”

“I know.”

Dong Manor;

Later that evening Boran was seen walking through the garden, returning home from the army base camp and noticed Yang Sun sitting at the marble table near the pound.

“Miss Yang Sun?”

She peeks over her right shoulders and smiles, “Boran,” She stands to greet him.

“It’s getting late, why are you sitting here?... And, Autumn is just right around the corner, you should dress warmer.” He said noticing the little clothes she had on.

He quickly took off his dark colored fur cloak and ties it around her neck.

“Y-You…” She blushed. “You don’t have to…” She watched as he ties the strings around her neck.

“It’s fine, I insist… It’s okay, I just got done working out with the soldiers so I’m a bit hot.”

She noticed how kind his smile was and felt a little guilty for what she is about to do. They stare at each other for the next min as a brief of cold wind gusted through their hair.

Yang Sun brushed her loose hair behind her ears and smiles, “… Did you know that a full moon is going to happen tonight?” She broke the awkward silence.

“A full moon? Tonight? I didn’t know…” He shakes his head side to side. “Is that why you’re out here this late at night?”

“Yes,” She nods and turns around to face the dark sky. “My mentor loved the full moon, every time I know that a full moon is coming up, I usually stay up to see it. It reminds me of my mentor.”

“I see,” Boran walks to her side, staring at the dark sky as well. “Can I accompany you then?”

The moon was half eaten by the sliver color already.

“This is your manor, you can do whatever you want.”

“Hao,” He takes a seat on the marble stool by the pond, “How long do we have until the full moon?”

Yang Sun takes a seat next to him, “My guess, an hour.” She reached over to pour him some hot tea. “Do you want some tea?”

“Sure!” He nods cutely.

She served him hot tea and watched as he drunk it in one gulp.

“Then I will watch the full moon with you.” He said as he wiped his lips with his sleeves.

She nods gently and turns to face the dark sky and half eaten moon.

“Eh… You just said that you were able to know when a full moon is going to happen? How--” He asked and then felt a sudden pins and needles sharp pain that gushed over his body.

“Ugh!” He clinched his fist onto the marble table. “What’s going on?” He shook his head as his vision begin to blur up.

Yang Sun sat there sipping on her tea calmly as if nothing was going on and watched him collapsing into a deep sleep as his head fell onto the table.

She placed her cup down and looks at him, “Sorry, but I need to do this.” She whispered and digs out the silver copper dagger that was hidden in her chest pocket.

She cuts in the middle of his right-hand palm and begins to collect his blood in a small white porcelain jar.