Tale of the Lotus Heart

First Prince's letter came only days later. My plan had worked and the demons were effectively sealed off. Most of them died, but those who survived couldn't cross over to the Heavenly Realm even if they wanted to. First Prince was back in the Heavenly Palace, awaiting the debrief to the Emperor that I would also have to attend. It was soon. I got dressed in my armor before sighing. Yong watched me wordlessly for a while.

"You're going with First Prince?" He asked. I nodded.

"He should be here to fetch me soon," I replied. Yong stood before placing his protective hairpin at the base of my ponytail.

"I shouldn't need that," I tried to stop him. He sucked his teeth at me before finishing.

"Just in case. I'll be able to see what's going on with this. How are your symptoms today?" He asked. Lately, I'd been nauseous and tired all the time.

"I'm still tired, but I can suck it up for one meeting," I tried to brush it off. A fairy maid came and announced First Prince's arrival. I said goodbye to Yong before going out to meet the First Prince. He smiled gently at me.

"Princess, are you prepared?" He asked. I nodded as I took a deep breath. We set out and arrived at the main hall shortly after. The Emperor and Empress were both seated on their thrones as we bowed to greet them.

"Good. Good. Good job out there with the demons. First Prince, I know I can always count on you when it comes to war, but great-goddaughter... you were a welcomed surprise. Who knew you would also have the brains to back up the talent. You've made me proud today," the Emperor smiled in excitement.

"Thank you great-godfather," I bowed.

"Royal Husband, Princess Aivi has almost cultivated to a Goddess status. I think it's time to start thinking about her marriage. What do you think?" The Empress said cordially. I knew she was just trying to get rid of me as soon as possible. In the Heavenly Realm culture, the women followed their fathers until marriage, then they followed their husbands. If I married, I would be part of the royal family in name alone. My husband's clan would be the family I would serve daily.

"The Princess is such a renowned figure in our realm, we can't just chose randomly when it comes to her marriage," the Emperor said. I felt nervous. This was exactly the kind of discussion we didn't want to have. I bowed quickly.

"With all due respect Heavenly Emperor, I'd like to contribute more the the Heavenly Realm and my godfather before my marriage discussions start. I'm not even 20,000 years old yet. I wanted to learn from the physician faction next and help immortals before then moving on to help the Floral Goddess with plants and herbs for medicines and remedies," I gave the excuse.

"The physician faction doesn't do much unless there's a war ongoing. Being that you were just in the Northern Territory, you probably already did more there than physicians ever do here. How about going straight to the Floral Goddess? You'll be able to learn more about medicines there under her guidance," the Emperor agreed, quickly forgetting about my marriage talks.

"Yes, great-godfather," I agreed quickly. He dismissed us after that. I sighed in relief as we stood outside of the main hall. I put a hand to my stomach and stopped as it turned uncomfortably. I was nauseous again. First Prince stopped before coming back to my side.

"Are you alright, Princess?" He asked, worried.

"Just nausea," I tried to breath through it.

"Maybe the Floral Goddess will have a remedy for it. She's know for being sweet-natured and caring but stern and independent. If you told her, I'm sure she would keep your secret. She's a high goddess that all immortals hold a high respect for. Even the Empress wouldn't question her," First Prince informed me quietly. I nodded and gained control over myself before Atlas took me back to Eternity Palace. Tase was waiting for me at the doors. He smiled gently when he saw me before taking my hand in his.

"You're finally back. Zinnia has been waiting for you. Why don't you head inside and change into something more comfortable," he said happily. I nodded with a light smile before saying goodbye to First Prince Atlas. Back in my room, Ixia was waiting for me. She looked at me in relief.

"Princess, I've been worried. Did everything go okay?" She asked. I sighed as she began taking my armor off for me.

"I'm pregnant with Yong's child," I admitted outright. She hesitated before taking the rest of my clothing off. I got in the bath she'd prepared and closed my eyes as she undid my hair.

"Do you have a plan?" She asked anxiously. I chuckled humorlessly as she began washing my hair.

"I'm going to hide on Floral Island and wait," I answered.

"The Crown Prince..." she started. I knew what her worry was. Floral Island was run strictly. Me going was only at the instructions of the Emperor. Men weren't allowed to stay on the island. From the fruit fairies to the High Goddess, everyone was a woman. Men of a high status could stay during the day, but staying for a few days was prohibited. It would already be an exception for me to train there. I was also considered an outsider.

"It was the only thing I could think of to keep the Empress from arranging my marriage today," I explained. Ixia sighed and began scrubbing my body gently.

"He's going to think you're trying to run away from him again. Every time you two finally get some quality time, you run off to do something else. Are you really running from him, or are you trying to avoid the problems you know will come?" She asked. She had a point. It did seem like I was running.

"It's just... I'm not ready to face the consequences of the Empress finding out. I want to try and prolong it as long as possible. I want our child to be safe," I admitted. After I finished bathing, I couldn't help staring down at my stomach through the silk robe. I had the strong urge to protect this child, but the problems kept adding up without even thinking about my Lotus Heart.