Chapter 16: Parents

Mrs Kun came to, to see her son and a young girl standing over her. She tried to collect her thoughts and then she remembered that the young girl was a princess and that she was Lei's fiancèe. She struggled to stand up but Lei gently pushed her down. "Don't move, mother. Dad has gone to find a doctor. She lay back down and then said to Xiang, "Young lady, are you really a princess." She smiled soothingly at the woman. "Yes, I am. I am Princess Xiang of the Ye kingdom. I am also Lei's fiancèe." Mrs Kun nodded and said, "I remember." Suddenly muffled exclamations came from outside. Lei and Xiang walked outside to find a round portly man, in a white coat, being searched by captain Kun and a few other guards. "Be careful! That equipment is expensive!" The guards finished their search and Captain Kun said, "Sorry, doctor. We need to ensure the safety of Princess Xiang and her betrothed." The doctor nodded, "I understand that; but this equipment is very delicate. You need to handle it carefully." Captain Kun bowed and said, "You have my apologies doctor." The doctor turned to Lei and Xiang bowed in greeting and asked, "Where is the patient?" Before they could answer, Mr Kun walked from where he had been waiting while the search was ongoing and escorted the doctor inside. 

Xiang turned to Captain Kun and said, "Captain Kun, thank you for your thoroughness." The captain bowed and said, "It was my pleasure, your majesty." The couple walked into the house. Finally the doctor finished his examination and said, "Mrs Kun, I believe you fainted out of shock. Rest for a few hours and then you should be good to go." Mr Kun thanked the doctor and said, "What will be the cost?" The doctor thought for a moment before saying, "Eight silver coins." Mr Kun reached for his wallet but was beaten to it by Xiang who pulled a small purse from her bag and handed the doctor a gold coin. A little recompense for the guards as she put it. 

Finally the doctor left and the Kuns and Xiang were left in the living room for a while. They sat in awkward silence when Mrs Kun stood up and hugged Lei. "I've missed you, Lei. How has your time at the Ye kingdom been?" Before Lei could answer she pulled Xiang into a rough hug. "So you're my son's fiancèe." She turned to Lei and said, "You've done well for yourself. She's way out of your league. Beautiful and princess. You're a lucky man, Lei." Mr and Mrs Kun laughed as the two youngsters turned a deep shade of red. Mrs Kun suddenly got excited and asked, "So when's the wedding? And are we Invited?" "King Shu said it will happen in about a year and a half and of course you're invited." Mrs Kun let out a girlish giggle and said, 'I'm so excited. You know we're visiting in a few months. We got an official correspondence from the Ye kingdom the other day, saying they'll pick us up two months from now to visit you. I can't wait to travel!" Mr Kun smiled, sharing his wife's excitement at the chance to travel. "Lei, what have you been doing in your time at the Ye kingdom? " he asked in his gruff voice. 

Lei gave both his parents a recount of his journey to the Ye kingdom, training and his time spent in the royal court. A lot of the details were focused on Xiang. Finally, when he was finished recounting his story, he was struck by a sudden idea. "Mom, Is that little restaurant on Blossom Avenue still there? I would like to take Xiang and you there." "Yes, it is." She responded. Lei led his family and Xiang to the carriage and they climbed in. His parents were flabbergasted at the opulence of the carriage and the fact that it had two rooms and a toilet. Lei, looking at his parent's expressions, realised he had become used to this kind of opulence during his time at the court. Lei opened the small sliding door to the driver and gave him directions to the restaurant. 

When the carriages arrived at the small restaurant the proprietor was shocked to suddenly find a procession of royal carriages at his doorstep. He hurried to neaten the small but busy restaurant. As he was doing this a group of royal guards swept through the restaurant for threats. A guard was left in the kitchen to make sure nothing was poisoned. It was only at that point that the couple entered. The proprietor realised that he recognised three of the -arty. They were the Kun family. They had often visited the restaurant and were regulars. He didn't recognise the young lady standing next to Lei, however. The group had climbed out of the royal carriages so they must be attached to the royal couple that the guards had told him about. He waited for the couple to join the Kuns and the strange woman. Then he looked down and saw Lei holding the woman;s hand. It was at that moment that he realised that the royal couple was Lei and the strange woman, who must be a princess. The man was shocked. He had heard that Lei was an arcane cultivator and had been sent to the ye kingdom for training but now he was attached to a royal. The young man was truly moving up in the world.

Lei and Xiang enjoyed their dinner at the restaurant with Lei's parents and pretended not to see the shocked faces the other patrons were sending their way after seeing Lei hold hands with a princess. By the next morning nearly the whole city would know that Lei was engaged to a royal. 

When the dinner was over, Xiang and Lei dropped his parents at their home before travelling to the inn where they would spend the night.