SCENT THROUGH BREEZE

"THE RED HALO"

"Don't go any of you alone in that village for the time being," Hei Bao said firmly.

Gou Feng and his two cousins bowed their heads, indicating that they had heard and understood.

"All of you can leave now," Hei Bao said, digging into his papers as the others prepared to leave. He began to scribble his signature in the space provided on the white paper. When they saw that their Lord was once again preoccupied, they bowed their heads with Cheung Qi and began to turn around to leave.

"Except you, A'Feng," Hei Bao said abruptly, causing Gou Feng, who was about to close the door, to turn around, and Cheung Qi, who became curious but still left the office.

Hei Bao continued to work despite Gou Feng's tense reaction. Gou Feng enters Hei Bao's office and shuts the door behind him. He walked silently in front of Hei Bao's office, without the thud of his shoes, as if he were walking on air. He came to a halt and again clasped his hands behind his back.

He waited, and waited, and waited. Until Hei Bao finishes signing his name in a layer of white long papers. Hei Bao set down his pen and set aside his completed paper works for an hour before looking up. That's an hour Gou Feng has been standing.

"Do you know what this is about?" Hei Bao asked, staring coldly into Gou Feng's eyes.

Gou Feng opened his mouth and answered, as if he understood Hei Bao's question;

"I do, My Lord," he replied.

Hei Bao made a hum.

"So you knew," Hei Bao said after a brief pause.

"..." Gou Feng remained silent, afraid to say anything else.

Hei Bao crossed his legs and leaned back in his swivel chair, his gaze fixed on Gou Feng.

"You know I don't like it when I get disturbed during my time," Hei Bao said coldly.

Gou Feng became aware of a sudden change in the atmosphere around the office, which caused him to perspire slightly. But he kept his mouth shut and his face stoic.

"Yet you just did, not long ago," Hei Bao continued, his gaze fixed on Gou Feng, whose face was calm but a slight sweat from his brows could be seen.

Gou Feng immediately bent his left knee and looked down at the ground after hearing those.

"I offended His Lord; please forgive my folly," Gou Feng begs.

Hei Bao stood up and faced the window, while Gou Feng remained seated.

"Stand up," Hei Bao said.

Gou Feng stood up and straightened up again, his hands behind his back and a stoic expression on his face. He remained silent as he waited for Hei Bao to speak.

"A'Feng, have I ever told you about my past?" Hei Bao inquired. Still staring out the big window at the city lights that looked like scattered stars, his palms were tucked into his pockets.

"Forgive me, My Lord, but you didn't," Gou Feng said.

"You're right. I didn't tell you anything about myself," Hei Bao admitted.

A thick blanket of silence engulfed them once more.

"I used to be someone who other people looked up to," he paused.

Hei Bao turned around to face Gou Feng once more.

"I used to be a prince," Hei Bao added, a small grin on his face.

Gou Feng let go of his stoic expression and widened his eyes in surprise as he returned his gaze to Hei Bao. Hei Bao turned around once more. This time, he fixed his gaze somewhere far into the night.

"As a prince, I can have what I want in an instant; as a prince, I am free to order people around; and, of course, as a prince, I live in a glorious palace," Hei Bao paused once more.

"But as a prince, I live a secluded life, where I have to watch my actions and the things I do; I could have a complete family, but that wouldn't make me happy; every day, I dreamed of having freedom, but that wouldn't last long because reality always hits me like a paddle," he added.

Gou Feng stared silently at his Lord's back. He decided to open his mouth after a brief moment of silence.

"Pardon me, My Lord, but could you enlighten this subordinate and tell me... what happened to His Lord's beloved parents?" Gou Feng inquired cautiously.

"I killed them," Hei Bao stated flatly and unequivocally.

Gou Feng's eyes widened once more. He couldn't see what expression his Lord was making, but he knew what he asked was inappropriate. For the first time, Gou Feng felt guilty for what he had asked, but he was also irritated with his Lord.

"P...pardon?" stuttered Gou Feng.

Hei Bao did not respond; instead, he asked another question.

"Do you remember the story I used to tell you when you were younger, A'Feng?" Hei Bao inquired.

Gou Feng, perplexed, did not ask any further questions and simply replied to Hei Bao.

"Yes, MiLord," said Gou Feng.

"Do you remember what it's about?" Hei Bao inquired once more.

"Yes, My Lord," Gou Feng replied,

"it's about a happy little prince who was loved by many."

"That's right. On my part, it was the opposite of that story. I was despised by many who were envious of my wealth and riches. Even my own parents despised me, not because of the wealth. When my mother, Her Highness, was pregnant, they all expected the baby inside her belly to be a girl, but to their surprise, I was born as a boy to be the next heir to sit on the throne,"

"That's too simple for an excuse to hate you that much," Gou Feng commented.

Hei Bao remained silent, staring out his window at the night sky. Gou Feng's gaze was drawn to Hei Bao's broad back. He was angry on the outside, but sad on the inside. After some deliberation, he summoned the courage to ask Hei Bao once more.

"Permission to inquire, MiLord," Gou Feng began.

"Go on," Hei Bao says.

"May I inquire as to why you murdered your own p...parents?" Gou Feng stuttered. His palms on his back were clenched into a rock fist.

Hei Bao burst out laughing. Gou Feng simply observes Hei Bao's back move as Hei Bao laughs and looks down. He finally turned around to face Gou Feng, his pink plump lips painted with a more serious but devilish smile.

"A'Feng, being a prince means you don't have to be overly kind-hearted all the time," Hei Bao mumbled, then began to make his way slowly towards Gou Feng, who was silent.

'I regret asking,' Gou Feng reflected.

"Sometimes you have to be cruel," Hei Bao murmured in Gou Feng's ears as he finally reached Gou Feng's back.

"Being a prince means you can have whatever you want, but not everything," Hei Bao explained, straightening his back.

"It's also forbidden to like someone who isn't on their level," Hei Bao added coldly.

Hei Bao then returned to his desk, walking behind Gou Feng. He stood beside his swivel chair and opened the top drawer. Gou Feng's eyes followed Hei Bao's hands as they took something from the drawer.

Gou Feng noticed a small golden box on Hei Bao's hand as he lifted his hand; however, because he was a little far away from Hei Bao, he couldn't see the actual design of the jewelry box. Gou Feng's gaze then traveled to Hei Bao's face, and what he saw shocked him. Hei Bao's eyes seemed soft as he stared at the box in his hand, and Gou Feng couldn't say anything.

'Did his Lord's parents do something horrifying and unforgivable that caused their son to be so cruel?'

'Did they do something to their son that caused them to be buried?'

Gou Feng could only ask his own questions. He has so many questions he wants to ask, but he always seems to know the answer.

Gou Feng stood there watching Hei Bao open the box with his thumb. And they revealed what's inside the box, but Gou Feng can't see what's carved inside, but he knows it's a green and white ring.

'White emerald and jade ring? An emerald engagement ring, on the other hand, indicates a desire for a happy and blessed marriage. What is he keeping that for? '

Gou Feng questioned himself once more.

According to Hei Bao, what was inside the box was an emerald jade white ring. It was carved on the inside with something only Hei Bao understands because it was written in a historical language. With a small but gentle smile, he lifted his lips. With a soft expression on his face, his thumb reaches for the ring and gently strokes it.

'Is it possible that they took something.. or someone from him? '

He fixed his gaze on Hei Bao's face. It was his first encounter with them. Finally, Gou Feng has found the answers to his questions. He doesn't need to hear them, but he does want to hear them from Hei Bao's lips.

"They stole something valuable from me, so I retaliated by taking away their useless lives," Hei Bao said as he closed the box and caressed the gold dragon wrapped inside.

"But taking their lives isn't enough," Hei Bao paused, then evilly smiled at Gou Feng.

'What?' Gou Feng got goosebumps all of a sudden.

"So I killed them all," Hei Bao went on to say.

To be continued.