CHAPTER 17

ONE MONTH LATER
Everything was still a shock to him. He still had not told anyone what exactly happened back then in the inn the night of the fire. The Saintess left him with his family, it had been her plan all along and yet he had no idea.
He just thought he would avenge what happened to him and then he would go back with her but that wasn’t the case. The Empress was deposed to the cold palace and since she was the crown prince’s mother the Emperor was lenient with her and didn’t punish the crown prince.
The Prime Minister was sent to exile and all of his wealth was taken by the government. Many officials were removed from their posts and new blood was brought in.
His mother was promoted to become the Imperial Noble Consort and she was now the head of the harem. His mother was now very powerful for a woman who didn’t have a lot of officials to rely on when she came.
Ever since he came into the palace, he tried getting to know his mother, father and siblings better but he just could connect with them at all. They all felt like strangers especially his mother.
Something felt wrong about her but he just didn’t know what. Maybe he spent a lot of time with Valery and he missed her like crazy but he was going crazy being here.
He had his title returned to him and he was granted the title of the grand prince and he was given a manor of his own. He didn’t want to rule so he didn’t attend the court officials.
“Your highness, you are wanted at the palace,” his personal attendant said.
What would his father want with him now? He had been asking him weird questions concerning the Saintess and he avoided answering them most of the time and when he answered them, he lied a lot. He wasn’t going to let anyone use him to get to her.
He was going to protect her with his own life, if needed be. He left his manor in a carriage and headed for the palace. When he arrived, his father and mother were both waiting for him. He greeted them both before he took a seat.
“I’m glad that you came,” his mother said.
“What was so urgent?” he asked them.
“Your father and I have found a perfect match for you,” his mother said.
“What do you mean by that?” he asked her.
“The youngest daughter of the Minister of Finance is a nice girl and we know that you will like her too. We want you to marry her,” his father said and he laughed.
“What’s funny?” his mother asked.
“I thought after all these years you would have changed but you are still the same. Have you ever considered my feelings?” he asked, seeing how selfish those two were still are.
“Mika!” his mother yelled at him.
“I have been quiet for so long and it seems none of you cares. You believed an impostor and thought that I was dead. You lived your life as if nothing happened and now you want me to pretend as if everything is okay. Nothing is okay.
If you have cared for me even once, you would have asked me. After living my life this way, you want to trap me in a marriage with some girl I don’t even know and one I will never love. How could you be so heartless?” he asked fuming with so much anger, he didn’t care that he was raising his voice to the most powerful people in the empire.
“Love can grow with time son. Give her a chance,” his mother said, pleading with him but he wasn’t going to fall for that.
“Not for me mother. I have someone in my heart. I will love her and her alone. I would rather be dead than for me to be another pawn in your political agenda,” he said and left the hall.
“Mika!” his mother called him and he stopped.
“I’m no longer Mika mother, I am Xavier and I won’t be staying in the capital anymore. It’s good that you know that I am alive but I will go back to the Lotus palace. That is my home now. This place that is full of schemes and tricks is a place that I wouldn’t want to be.
You can live here and protect the nation from harm; I will live a carefree life I have always wanted to live ever since I was young. The life of being afraid all the time is not a life I want,” he told her.
“You can’t possibly love her son. She has no heart and you will be the only one to get hurt,” his mother said.
“I know exactly what she is. She watched me day and night to nurse my wounds. She taught me everything I know now. When I did something wrong, she punished me and I hated her for that but I know she did it for my own good. Because of her I became strong, so strong that I came to the city and looked deep into the eyes of the people that wanted me dead.
I won’t leave her and I hope you won’t stop me either. I would rather die than marry a stranger and live in a city that is full of sad memories,” he said and he meant every word of everything he said.
“Am I a sad memory too?” she asked him tears streaming down her cheeks.
“You aren’t mother but every time I see you, I get reminded of everything of the past again. Please give me time, I will visit you. I promise,” he said and left the hall.
Because of greed the deposed empress tried to kill him and now that his mother held that position so many terrible things would happen again. He didn’t have much strength to go through it again, even when it means abandoning his family.
He took his carriage back to his manor. He couldn’t wait to leave all this behind and go to where his home was.
“Pack my belongings, I am leaving,” he told the maids.
“But…”
“Who do you serve?” he asked them.
“The….”
He always suspected that all these people in his manor were there to spy on him and now he knew. They were like guards stationed there to monitor every move he makes.
He took a pouch of money for the road and a fine horse. He wasn’t going to take anything at all. He gets onto his horse and rode as fast as he could.
He was going to the woman he loves, the woman who did something extraordinary in order to save everyone’s lives, and the woman who had captured his heart ever since he set his eyes on her.