Chapter 36: Chapter 36

The next morning Yubiri excitedly walked out of room. He held up a small ornate box up to the sunlight and smirked. “She will like this for sure.” Chuckling softy he rushed out, but on the way out of his room he tripped on something.

Kijin softly groaned and rolled over to the other side and continued sleeping.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Kijin? Why is he sleeping here?” he squatted down and gently patted his shoulders. “Hey get up and sleep in your room. You might catch a cold, silly.” he shook him awake.

The little servant dazedly looked at him. “Master? Master!! Bad news master. The little girl you told me to watch over got hurt yesterday!!” he shouted.

“What!! How did Feng get hurt? What happened?!” Yubiri anxiously held his shoulders and peered into his eyes.

Gulping, Kijin continued, “She was.... pushed into the ocean,”

“What!!” Yubiri immediately ran out of their room, directly to Feng’s room. “Feng? Feng?” he knocked anxiously but there was no answer. “She must be at that lady’s place.”

.....

Gritting his teeth, he rushed to that place. He stood in front of the door and composed himself a little and knocked.

“yes, sire,” a maid opened the door.

“I would like to know if Miss Feng is here,”

“Yes she is sire, she is currently resting.” The maid kindly invited him to the parlor room and provided him some refreshments. “Please wait sire, lady Hiliana would be here with you in a minute.”

Soon the old lady walked in with a frown. Her usual cordial smile was no were in sight as she blatantly glared at him. “What might you want with us, sire Yu,” she said, sitting across from him.

“I heard that Feng was hurt, so I came here as soon as I could. I have some healing elixirs with me, if I could meet her...”

“You are not meeting my daughter, sire Yu,” she crossed her legs over and picked up her cup of tea, “or should I call you the great mage Yubiri?” the lady said with her brows raised.

Yubiri paused for a second. “I am surprised that I got found, my lady Hiliana. But as I was saying, I have some elixirs with me that could heal Feng out a lot. If you could let us meet,”

“I already said that I am not allowing you anywhere near my kids.” The lady suddenly frowned hard. She leaned closer and peered intently at him. “Sire great mage Yubiri. Do you know who was the reason for my daughter’s accident?”

Yubiri looked back at her. “I was told it was a young lady from a noble family,”

Lady Hiliana chuckled and leaned back casually. “No, not at all. It was your fault entire. You are the reason my daughters is bedridden,”

Yubiri’s heart stopped for a second. “W-what do you mean? I.... I do not mean her any harm, rather I adore her very much so.”

“Exactly, you adore her, that’s the reason why she is hurt. Do you understand the implied meaning or should I explain that to you as well, great mage Yubiri?” lady Hiliana placed her cup down slowly and looked up at him, “anyone who is close to you would either get fame or die. Do you know why that is?”

Yubiri just blankly starred at her.

“It’s because anyone you love will become your weakness and others, especially your enemies can easily exploit that weakness.”

“Grandma...” Alvin stepped forward, but lady Hiliana waved him to stop.

She looked directly into Yubiri’s eyes and whispered, “I don’t want my child to be your weakness. And I don’t want to see another one of my child in deathbed. As a parent, I beg of you, please leave my daughter alone.”

Yubiri’s head dropped down low and he looked at his clenched fist. Even in this birth he was not able to get close to Feng... ‘Why is that? Why do I have to suffer again? I just want to love her. But....’

In her previous life he adored her so much, even as a young boy he would follow her around. One day he saw her eating food late at night and watched it with interest. But his mother sneaked in behind him and gripped his shoulders. “Let me teach you a life lesson today, my darling son. Whatever happens now is her fault. Say that for mommy would you.” she subtly pushed the nearby vase down.

When his grandfather asked about it, his mother tightly clutched his shoulders. He had no other way but to lie.

With tears streaming down his face, He looked at his sister, hoping she would understand that it was not his intent, but Feng’s eye turned blank in that instant. That’s when he knew that their relationship became irreversible.

From then on he swore to himself to become strong. Strong enough to overpower his mother’s control, Strong enough to protect Feng from those vultures in their company. He worked hard lady and night.

Everything was for her.

But she never knew.

Never understood.

All he got was cold look of contempt and rejection.

For years, he silently endured.

Kept his love locked up.

‘I can’t hold back anymore.’ he glanced up again at the old lady who was glaring at him. “She is not my weakness but my strength.”

Lady Hiliana looked surprised a bit. “Strength you say? How did she become your strength?”

Yubiri closed his eyes and thought back to his past.

When he was reborn into this world as a baby, he had no one to rely on. His father was cold and callus. His mother was vain.

Being in this environment, he just wanted to escape to the world he came from. From day one he worked hard, harder than any two-year-old could. He mastered spells, magic ruins, mastered elixirs. Every technique he could find, hoping that one day he would miraculously find a way back to save Feng from that accident.

“She is the reason that I am a great mage. She is the reason why I am here. Feng Mei is my strength. She will never be used as my weakness.”

His speech slightly stunned lady Hiliana. Still, her motherly heart would not relent so easily. “Good words, but see what happened? This time it was just a little jealous girl who wanted your attention. What about next time? What will happen then?”

Yubiri sat up. “There will be no next time!! Feng is my treasure and I shall protect her so!”