Just In Case

Prince Qui had looked at the small screen on his Linker and saw the princess' message. He quickly read it and pushed it out of his mind. But it remained anyway.

He was getting bored with this meeting, he was actually about to doze off when his Linker vibrated. His father was on an endless talk about the economy—something that Prince Qui had not really cared about.

He didn't even know why he had been invited in this thing. He was an expert in warfare, not about the society as a whole. The Crown Prince was the one mainly talking with their father, he had to learn all of these by heart to be able to be a great leader. 

Prince Qui was suddenly thankful that he didn't have to care so much about the people living safely inside these walls, just the same way that they do not really care that he was outside the walls the majority of his time, risking his life to protect theirs.

Prince Qui sighed and stared at the hardwood table. Prince Xiaodan turned his chair slightly to his direction and Prince Qui quickly lifted his eyebrows to his older brother.

He was trying to make sure that he was paying attention.

Prince Xiaodan's face held no emotion as he turned back to the front where their father was holding a bunch of papers with complicated graphs and whatsoever.

Prince Qui felt something ugly in his stomach. He really hated Xiaodan. He could not really determine at which point of his life he had started to hate his older brother. It seemed like he just did. Maybe they were just born this way.

He didn't want to rub salt on his brother's wounds. After all, Prince Xiaodan was the one who had lost his bride. It also seemed like he and Princess Yingyue had not have the chance to talk yet.

Prince Qui then turned on his Linker and decreased the size of the hologram, but kept it large enough that if Prince Xiaodan would glance his way he would see that he was chatting with the princess.

That should get on his nerves for a short while.

He wrote: Are you bored? Got nothing better to do?

It seemed like the princess really did not have anything occupying her as her reply came in a few seconds later.

She wrote: I'm too pissed with the military strap. Way to go, huh? 

He wrote: It's not that bad. Really durable.

Princess: Whatever.

Prince: How about this? I'll make it up to you.

Princess: I'm listening.

The prince could not help but smile at that. Just look at her feeling like he had really owed her anything.

Prince: Why don't I set up a time and place for you and Xiaodan to talk?

Three dots appeared on his screen, signalling that the princess was typing. 

But then it disappeared.

He typed a new reply.

Prince: That's interesting. Don't you want to see him? Talk? You know…

Princess: Know what?

Prince: Settle things.

Princess: We're getting divorced, right? You told me you're going to talk with the emperor about it.

Prince Qui sighed. Right, he told her that. Why did it keep on slipping his mind?

Prince: I know. But just in case.

Princess: JUST IN CASE?!?!?!

Prince Qui decided to annoy her more by not replying. Just as he lifted his head from his Linker, he saw that Prince Xiaodan whipped his head forward.

Prince Qui's grin grew wider.

He had been watching.

**

Two hours later, the meeting was over. They were finally getting up from their seats with stiff legs.

This is what you're going to be bound to when you decided to really be a royal, he told himself. Sitting around in meetings and listen to the people's problems.

Prince Qui would take a year in the battlefield over a week of this.

"May I have a word with Father?" he asked The Crown Prince who was lingering around, probably will talk more with the emperor.

"Of course," The Crown Prince bowed out of the room with an understanding smile.

Prince Qui had just turned when the Emperor said, "No."

"I haven't even said anything yet," Prince Qui defended.

"I know what you're going to say," the Emperor said gruffly. Now that they were alone, he slouched against the seat, his back bent with age and fatigue. "You're going to ask me something about the princess. The answer is no."

"You haven't heard what I have to say."

The Emperor lifted his tired eyes to his son. "You're going to ask me to grant a divorce. As I said, the answer is no."

"Why not?"

To this, the Emperor surprisingly cracked a smile. Prince Qui had always been a tough child, set and determined with everything. But in rare times, he acted like most children do, unreasonable and spoiled. "When you were seven I locked you in a cage with a wolf and you never batted an eyelid. And yet, I marry you to a small frail princess and you come marching up to me demanding that I divorce you." The Emperor shrugged. "Have I somehow found a weakness?"

Prince Qui's head tilted to the side. "She will be a weakness if you will keep her by my side. She's annoying. Divorce us and marry her to Xiaodan. That way everybody's happy."

The Emperor let out a laughter as he stood up and face his son. "Well, that's not how it works. I'm the Emperor. I'm the one that makes the decisions. You're a prince. A general. Come back to me when you're emperor." He tapped his sons shoulders as he passed. "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of marriage."

Come back to me when you're emperor? 

Prince Qui was never going to be emperor.

If he would be, that would mean his father was dead.