Chapter 35: Choice

Crown Prince Lail watched the setting sunset in the Eastern Palace of the Amayan Empire with nostalgia. During his younger days, he used to accompany his parents as they sat under the shade of the peach blossoms and admired the setting sun that lit their little world in flames of reds and oranges.

Now, he was still here admiring the sunset, yet there was no one to accompany him.

As Crown Prince Lail recalled the old days, he thought about the old oracle's words. Before getting married, he had never thought about going far from the Imperial Capital let alone leaving the Amayan Empire. Before getting married, he had never felt so detached and indifferent about the affairs of the empire or the happenings in the royal court.

Before getting married, he had also never seen the selfish side of the ministers of the empire. He was aware that they only strived for their own benefits, but he did not know that they could also sacrifice anyone for their own interests.

Now, however, leaving the Imperial Capital, the Amayan Empire, or even the entire Amaya realm did not seem impossible nor was there any reluctance. He could leave anytime without hesitation because he saw a glimpse of the true nature of those who declared themselves as his loyal subjects.

And he could leave because he realized who was the most significant person to him. Yes, there was no doubt that the princess he considered the most important person in his life might not even think the same about him. However, he could not forget Princess Qamari because she was his wife.

And between the empire and his wife, he would always choose his wife.

As the sun sunk into the depths of the aquiline horizon, Crown Prince Lail stood and turned his back to its familiar beauty. He entered his inner chambers and stayed inside alone without the presence of any servants for a long while.

When he departed, it was in the dead of the night. Rivers of stars decorated the silent black heavens as his figure flashed and disappeared into the embrace of the beckoning darkness without looking back.

The next morning, the maids in the Eastern Palace bustled about as they carried bathwater and warm breakfast into the Crown Prince's chambers.

The soft morning breeze blew the blossoming peach petals in the courtyard filling the air with the enticing fresh fragrance of peach flowers. The bright golden sun bathed the aquiline walls and aqua light spouted by the pillars in iridescent hues of blue, aqua, and turquoise.

Inside the Crown Prince's chambers, the servants carried basins of warm fresh water and clean towels as they waited by the sliding doors of the inner chambers. Without being called upon, they did not have the permission to enter the Crown Prince's bed chambers to assist him in freshening up.

After waiting for half of the day, the maids started to get nervous. It was completely unusual for the Crown Prince to sleep in so late. Fearing an accident and worrying for themselves with the prospect of being punished, one of the servants guarding the door stepped out.

"We have been waiting here for a while now, but there has been no call from inside. Normally, the Crown Prince would be having his morning meal around this time, but the sun is already up and Crown Prince Lail has not called anyone in yet. I think that one of us should go in to check the situation. What do you think?" The maid inquisitively looked at her partner as she asked for her opinion.

"I also think that we should check as well. But if everything is alright and we end up offending the Crown Prince with our actions, who would take responsibility?" The other maid fearfully replied in a whisper.

The two fell silent as they gazed at one another. Even though they were worried about the Crown Prince and wanted to ensure his safety, they were more daunted by the possibility of indirectly offending him if everything turned out to be alright.

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Just as the two were indecisively walking back and forth at the entrance, an eunuch from the Regent Prince's mansion came with a summon order for the Crown Prince. Obtaining the perfect excuse to enter the inner chambers and confirm the Crown Prince's condition, the little servant hurriedly nodded her, turning to lead the eunuch inside.

The moment the two entered the room, the sight that greeted their eyes was of an empty hall. Soon, after searching the whole inner chambers carefully and getting only a letter addressed to the Regent Prince, the whole Eastern Palace was alerted of the Crown Prince's disappearance.

In the private study room of the Regent Prince, a maid stood trembling in the middle of the hall with a lowered head. This was the same maid that worked in the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.

"Speak, when did the Crown Prince leave the palace?" The Regent Prince asked the maid in an indifferent voice as his gaze remained fixed on his parchments.

He was not that worried about the Crown Prince's disappearance. In fact, compared to a few days ago when the Crown Prince had returned without Princess Qamari, the Regent Prince was more ecstatic about his departure now. Because his departure meant that he was searching for the princess, which was exactly what he wanted.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince was in his study room the night before. But when we checked this morning, we were only able to find the letter he addressed to you." The little maid tried to stay calm as she replied to the Regent Prince.

Although she was frightened, she did not dare to show it for fear of attracting the Regent Prince's rage.

"Letter? What letter?" On hearing about a letter, Regent Prince Kreme Amhei raised his head from his documents with interest.

Feeling his gaze suddenly trained on her, the maid hurriedly took out the parchment in her sleeves and handed it over to the eunuch before lowering her head again.

The Regent Prince set his quail aside and took the parchment from the eunuch. He impatiently unfolded the letter and started reading the content with a serious expression. By the time he was done and set the parchment down, his face was as dark as the Black Southern Seas.

"He will not be back? What does he mean by he will not be back? Is he planning on not bringing Princess Qamari back to the Amayan Empire?" The Regent Prince darkly asked his questions out loud as he fixed his gaze back on the servant again.

The maid trembled even further, her teeth chattering as she felt the rage rolling off in waves from the Regent Prince's figure. She did not dare to delay in answering back.

"Your majesty, the Crown Prince must mean that he would not be coming back without finding the princess. After all, as the Crown Prince, how could he hold his head high when his own wife is missing and he is unable to locate her whereabouts." She stated in a matter-of-fact tone, her palms digging deep into her knees as she tried to keep her calm under the oppressive atmosphere.

The Regent Prince's towering rage cooled, feeling that the maids' words made sense. No man would be able to hold their head high if their own wife went missing and this, was the wife of the Crown Prince of the Amayan Empire.

And besides, he had already gotten an answer from the Mirror of Reflection that had not yet been fulfilled.

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