Forgive me if the end of the chapter is just "LOL END." If I didn't break this into two chapters, it would have been more than 50 pages.
Some things are going to happen in these next two chapters that will make you say, "Really? Jezzy, you never mentioned any of this." Well, no, I didn't. I wrote the first 60 chapters when I was 18. I was young, naïve, and quite stupid about a ton of things, including how abuse affects people. Love can be magical, but it isn't the miracle cure for life's scars. –bongos-
Notes: This chapter contains quotes from Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.
To be on the safe side, I'll warn that there is an instance of a character being triggered, so if other people being triggered triggers you, you might want to skip the italic portion of the text near the end of the chapter.
This chapter is named after the Hurts song "Devotion."
A Gift of Love – Chapter Ninety-Nine: Devotion Part I
"Go on, child," Suo coaxed. "Tell him. Hasn't he a right to know?"
Pin-Mei's head had by this time drooped. She said nothing.
Ren glanced at her, then locked eyes with Suo. "Tell me what? I know her, and she's so beyond transparent that it's next to impossible for her to hide anything from me. What could you possibly know about her that I don't?"
The witch fanned herself. "This façade she's kept up all these years is impressive I will admit, but it doesn't change the truth."
"Spit it out."
"Why hear it from me?" She tilted her head so she could look beyond the patriarch in front of her and at her granddaughter. "Go on, Pin-Mei." She snapped her fan shut. "Tell your dear husband how you've been under my control from the very beginning."
Ren's eyes widened for a split second, then narrowed again as he turned back to look at his wife. She was still tense, her hands now in fists by her side. Her position made it impossible for him to see her face.
Behind them, Rong gave Suo a toxic glare while HoroHoro looked on in disbelief, trying to make sense of what he had just heard. He put on a nervous grin. "You're joking…What do you mean 'under your control?' You can't possibly…"
Rong's entire body felt hot. She took a few hurried steps forward. "Pin-Mei! Say something! Can't you see that staying quiet is like saying she's right?!"
She waited a few moments, hoping she would respond. But nothing came. Her fists clenched tighter and tighter as she tried to keep herself together. Still, she knew pressing Pin-Mei when she was already upset would yield nothing.
HoroHoro, however, wasn't as understanding. He yelled out to her, his fists shaking.
"Were all those years a lie? HUH?! Is that what you're trying to say?! All the things he's done for you? That you've done for each other? And you're, what, some kind of mole? I trusted you to take care of him and make him happy, and this is what you do?! You've just used Ren, pretending to love him, having his children…Was all of that a lie?!"
"NO! THAT'S NOT IT AT ALL!" Pin-Mei finally screamed. "That's not…What she's talking about…"
Her grandmother cackled. "I wish that were the case, Ainu, truly. The look on her husband's face in such an instance would undoubtedly be delicious. However, my grip on your wife's master is much simpler." She turned back to the couple. "I know what sort of tale Pin-Mei has woven for you. She tells you how miserable and depressed she was before she met you, and how after that short amount of time she spent with you as a child, she was an entirely new person. Touching, is it not? That one little boy had the power to change someone's life. If only it were true…"
Ren folded his arms, annoyed that this was going nowhere. "You seem to be insinuating that she's lying."
Suo looked shocked. "Oh, nothing of the sort! I simply believe some information has been…left out."
"Such as?"
"She has given you the impression that she has always been so kind and gentle and meek. She must take you for a fool. Did she ever tell you about how she mistreated the servants? Biting the hands that fed her, as it were…" She opened the fan and covered her face with it, allowing her eyes to peek over. "There was an incident in which she ordered a servant's hand to be mutilated as punishment for not shutting off her light before putting her to bed. What of the time she threw a rock at the one child who tried to befriend her at school?"
Pin-Mei's arms had withdrawn, her hands now positioned on her sternum. "S…Stop it…" she whispered. "It…It doesn't matter now…It's all in the past…"
Of course, her pleas only served to encourage the witch. "What a little miscreant she was. Throwing tantrums over dinner, wasting food and breaking flatware…Such a violent child…I also seem to remember an incident in which she had a servant severely beaten and burned for losing her during a trip to the market…" She paused, pretending to be pensive. "Oh…Was that not you, Rong?"
HoroHoro quickly turned to look at her. "Rong…"
The guard closed her eyes and turned her head, placing her right hand in her pocket as she did so.
"Rong, what happened? What did she do to you?"
She still wouldn't look at him. "It happened thirty years ago. It doesn't matter."
"It matters to me!" he cried, clearly agitated. "If something happened to you, I want to know about it!"
She turned away from him more. "You're doing just what she wants, Aokun. She's trying to rile all of us up and you're falling for it. Believe me, it's not as bad as she's making it sound."
He spied her hand turning into a fist in her pocket. "Is that where it happened?" He walked over and grabbed her forearm, trying to pull it out so he could inspect it.
She resisted. "Horokeu, I told you that it doesn't matter! We don't have time for bullcrap like this! There are more important things we should be worrying about!"
"Screw everything else! You're the only thing I care about right now!"
He again tried to pull her hand from her pocket. Rong, by this time seething, placed her palm on his forehead and pushed against it with all her might.
"I'M TELLING YOU TO BACK OFF!"
"NO! THIS IS IMPORTANT!"
With a grunt, she gave his head a harsh push, then gave him the hardest head butt she could muster, hitting him square on the forehead. He stumbled backward, his eyes wide. After a few moments, he fell to his knees, holding his head. Rong stared at him, breathing heavily before grasping her own and shutting her eyes.
Suo tsk'd them, shaking her head, then looked to Pin-Mei. "Did you see that? Your unwillingness to come clean has already caused a loving couple to fight amongst themselves. If you had just spoken up, maybe you could have had a civil discussion with that Ainu over there, and explained to him why Rong needed to suffer your wrath so much and so often when you were a young brat." She used her fan to point to Ren. "Though really, isn't your spouse the one you should be confessing to and begging forgiveness from?"
Pin-Mei's lip was quivering. "R-Ren…I…"
"PIN-MEI, DON'T!" Rong called, still holding her head. "If…If you're going to tell him everything, then at least wait until you're back home, away from this hag. It has to be on your own terms, or it's not going to help either of you! DON'T SAY A WORD - YOU HEAR ME?!"
Pin-Mei nodded slightly, trying to regain her composure. But staring at her husband's back only mae her more upset. Ren's silence bothered her immensely. Shouldn't he be the one yelling at her to save it, to not give in?
"I…I promise we'll talk about this later…I promise…" she whispered.
"It doesn't matter," he said finally.
D-Doesn't matter? It doesn't matter if I tell him later? Is he already disgusted with me?
"I chose to be with you knowing next to nothing about what you had been like during the ten years we were apart," he continued, his voice calm. "It would take something really horrible to make me look at you any differently than I do now."
She wished he would turn to her, to give her semi-soft eyes to show he meant what he said. But this wasn't the time for her to be selfish. When was the last time he had lied to her? She simply had to take him at his word.
"No. That simply will not do."
She stared past him at her grandmother. Suo was pulling slips of paper from her sleeve.
"I say you should lay it all out on the table right now. Get it over with." She attached tags to her fan. Looking up, she could see the look of utter horror on her granddaughter's face, simply thinking about what her husband would be seeing. With a smirk, she waved it.
Ren brandished Houraiken and pulled back to let out a blast of furyoku, but the tags were much too fast for him to counter. He could faintly hear Pin-Mei calling out for him to look away before bright light blanketed the area. He tried to cover his eyes, but found that it was no use. When he sensed that the brightness had faded, he slowly lowered his hands and opened his eyes.
He was in Xu-Fan Castle.
What is this?
"I told you, I DON'T LIKE NIÚRÒU MIÀN!"
Ren looked down the hall as he heard glass shatter.
"I'm sorry, Lady Pin-Mei!" Ling pleaded. "It was a mistake! I'll remember next time!"
He saw a sixteen year-old Rong drag Ling from the dining room. She slammed her against the wall.
"Heed my warning," she said in a low voice. "You must have the cooks amend the menu they have for Lady Pin-Mei. We can't have her throwing fits over her meals every single night."
"B-But she enjoyed that very same meal the week before! I don't know what's going on!" the servant protested.
Rong looked to the ground, knowing this had been true. For over a month now, Pin-Mei had been randomly deciding that she no longer liked certain foods. It incited tantrums on the part of the girl, and confusion among the servants.
Finally, she simply patted the girl. "I'll get to the bottom of this. You just clean up."
Ling nodded and went to the hall closet to get some custodial supplies. Rong took a deep breath, then re-entered the room to face her mistress. Ren followed behind her.
Pin-Mei was sitting at the head of the otherwise empty dining room table, pouting with a nasty expression on her face. She looked to be about eight years old.
Rong dropped to one knee, her right arm crossing her chest, her head bowed. "Lady Pin-Mei, please accept my deepest apologies that your dinner did not meet your expectations. Please tell me what you would like instead, and I will have the cooks prepare it for you. I will personally make sure it is to your liking."
"I don't want them to make me anything! I want you to make it, Rong! You're the only one who knows what I like! Why can't you do it?!"
Rong didn't look up. "I am flattered that My Lady holds my cooking in such high regard, but I have far less experience than our kitchen staff. It would be wise to leave the meal preparations to them."
A cup shattered against her boot, soaking her with lukewarm tea. She stared at the floor for a few moments before calmly looking up at her mistress. Pin-Mei's hand was still outstretched from throwing the teacup at her. "Cross" couldn't even begin to describe the expression on her face. Her eyes were dark and piercing, full of rage. Her teeth were half bore, as if her were about to start hissing.
"I thought that out of all the people here, at least you would want me to be happy, Rong!" she screamed. "I'm only asking for one. simple. thing. And you can't even give me that! Aren't you supposed to be utterly devoted to me? Willing to do anything for me? Even die for me? And you won't even do this? So much for dedication!"
She leaned back against her chair and folded her arms for another despicable pout. After a few moments of silence, Rong rose.
"You're absolutely right, My Lady," she said calmly. "You are my entire world and my reason for being, and there is nothing I won't do for you. Occasionally preparing your meals will be no trouble at all."
"Now that's more like it!" There wasn't even a hint of a smirk on her ace.
Rong tried to ignore her attitude. "If My Lady would like, we could sit down and create a menu for you, just the two of us." She reached out for her. "I won't quit until your meals are to your complete satisfaction."
"Fine." The heiress hopped off her chair and marched past her. Just before they faded, Ren saw her place her hand on her sternum and cast her eyes to the ceiling, then exhale.
"Now, what do you think of that?" Suo said, seemingly proud of herself. "That wasn't at all like the darling wife you know and love, was it? Throwing flatware at servants, throwing tantrums over what she will eat and who she will allow to make it for her. You would be mortified if your children acted like that, correct? So why accept it from the person who is helping you raise them?"
Ren remained steadfast. One occurrence meant nothing. "All I saw was one occurrence of a small child acting like an insufferable brat. True, it was completely and utterly unacceptable, but it doesn't change anything between us."
The witch sighed. "Very well. If one instance is not enough for you, I have plenty of other examples."
Ren folded his arms and glared around the dark plane he had been transported to, searching for some sign of an exit.
"Oh yes, of course. Please, continue to waste my time during an important battle. Don't worry about it. I have all the time in the world."
Nothing. Not a single thing. He paused for another moment. He couldn't sense Pin-Mei. She must have been able to escape the curse.
Good. At least she's not trapped here too.
"Is our precious Warrior of Thunder ready?"
He had no choice but to go along with it for now, as much as he hated to. "Yes," he grumbled.
The surrounding area materialized into what he recognized as Pin-Mei's room. Pin-Mei herself, again eight, stomped in and tried to slam the door behind her, but Rong caught it and followed her in. He watched as the little girl kept stalking away, finally belly flopping onto her bed.
"My Lady," she said finally. "May I speak to you about the incident which occurred at school today?"
"What about it?" the girl snapped back.
"You may remember your teacher wanted to speak with me when I came to escort you home. She said that you pulled another girl's hair so hard that quite a few strands came out – nearly a lock."
"Yeah, so? She made fun of my shamanninity, and she's been making fun of me since the beginning of school! She deserved it!" Her voice was muffled by her face being down against the mattress.
"Yes, but in addition to that, you threatened to 'hurt her even worse,' if she spoke to you again. Lady Pin-Mei, this isn't the sort of thing you can go around saying whenever you feel like. This may be a small village, but there are still laws that must be obeyed. I guarantee you the elders will not tolerate such violent words, especially from a shaman."
She took out the letter the teacher had given her and gave it a small wave. "Then there's the problem with this note as well." She looked at it again. "'Please return to principal with parent or guardian's signature tomorrow.' I see that your teacher neglected to inform me that you also threw a rock at another girl," she said as she skimmed the rest of the note. "It would seem that this happened on a different day and My Lady disposed of the teacher's note associated with it."
"Yeah, so? What are you gonna do – tell Grandmother?"
Rong's expression hardened even more. "Considering that your teacher requires a guardian's signature to avoid giving you additional detention, yes, I will need to involve Mistress Suo."
At this, Pin-Mei jerked up, whipping her head around to meet the eyes of her servant. Her demeanor completely changed, now giving a nervous smile.
"Hey, Rong…" She slipped off the bed and took small steps toward her, hands innocently behind her back. "Technically, you're my guardian, right? I mean, you guard me and take care of me and everything, so you can sign it can't you? Grandmother doesn't have to know about this. I mean…" She put on her best sad puppy eyes. "You don't want her to hurt me, do you?"
Rong was unfazed. She had been subjected to this act many times before. She wasn't about to fall for it a second time.
"I'm sorry, My Lady, but my seal will not suffice." Pin-Mei's smile instantly vanished. "In this context, 'guardian' means-"
"I know what it means!" her mistress screamed. She swatted at her arm. "I'm not as dumb as you and Grandmother and everyone else think I am!"
Her maidservant didn't react. "I'm sorry to have given you that impression, My Lady," she replied calmly. "I don't think that at all. It's possible to struggle in school but still be very smart, which I believe is the case with you, My Lady. You are very intelligent. It simply is more visible in non-academic areas."
Pin-Mei looked surprised, but quickly tried to regain control. "Who asked you?! G-Get out!"
Ren cocked an eyebrow, his mouth slightly lopsided. This is so goddamn forced. She really doesn't know how to be a bratty heir. He stopped. Wait… He paused again, closing his eyes. What? She's here?! But why couldn't I sense her before? He looked around. She was nowhere to be seen, only in the dreamy image Suo had concocted.
He narrowed his eyes. But where…? Without any definite signs that she was nearby, all he could do was continue watching this farce.
Ling, who had come in during Rong's lecture, sheepishly bent down and took a stuffed toy from her mistress's gargantuan pile. "I'm sorry that you had a bad day, Lady Pin-Mei. Here, maybe a hug from Lián will make things a little better?"
Pin-Mei stiffened. She rigidly turned to see her servant holding the plush version of Ren out to her, a hopeful expression on her face. She smiled brightly.
"Thank you, Ling. You're right."
The smile vanished. She snatched the plushie and thrust it to the ground, then began stomping on it with all her might. Her stomps became so hateful that they elicited frantic grunts from her. Ling, eyes wide with shock, subconsciously reached out for the doll. She had worked hard to make Lián for her mistress as a way of quelling the loneliness she had felt upon returning from Tao Castle back when she was four, and to see that hard work being literally trampled on in front of her was devastating.
"I hate you!" Pin-Mei suddenly screamed. "I hate you! I hate you! Stupid! Abandoning me! Not writing to me! Making me think you cared! Just go die!"
Ren was taken aback, to say the least. Pin-Mei had never acted as though their time apart had bothered her so much that she hated him for it. When she gave Lián a particularly hard stomp, he winced. Even in her thirties, Pin-Mei cared for her stuffed toy as if it were a dear friend. It really was a side of her he wasn't used to seeing.
Rong had taken to closing her eyes, waiting for the tantrum to ebb. She didn't even flinch when her mistress grabbed the stuffed toy by its tongari and pitched it full-force into the nearest wall. It whizzed past her head and landed against the wall with a muffled splat, and then fell to the floor. Pin-Mei panted as she stared after it for a few moments. Then she straightened and let out a loud sigh.
"Whattaya know. I really do feel better."
Rong bowed. "I'm happy for you, My Lady."
Pin-Mei turned back to glare at her two servants. Ling had the misfortune of making eye contact with her. Her mistress smiled.
"Oh yeah, you made that for me, didn't you, Ling? I guess it probably made you sad to see that…Next time I'll wait until you leave before I beat the stuffing out of him."
The servant's lip quivered. Obviously she wanted to plead with her not to destroy her work again, but it would be futile. Despite being four years her junior, the little girl's wishes were not to be challenged for any reason – unless it was a direct order from Suo. Rong finally spoke for her.
"Ling is speechless at your kindness, Milady. If she could speak, she would no doubt be thanking you for your consideration of her feelings." She looked to Ling again. The girl was not regaining her composure in the slightest. "If you would excuse her, My Lady, Ling must report to the kitchen to assist with the dinner preparations."
Ling whipped her head around, suddenly alert. She shook her head a couple times, trying not to let Pin-Mei see, mouthing her protests to Rong with teary eyes.
Ren sighed. I can't say I blame her.
"It's either that or you can stay here and help her with her homework," Rong said in a low voice. Ling looked a bit more disturbed, covering her mouth and shaking her head once more. Rong straightened. "As I said before, Ling is needed in the kitchen. May she leave?"
"Fine."
Ling uncovered her mouth for half a second to whisper, "Thank you," before quickly walking out of the room.
Without missing a beat, Rong continued. "If it is alright with you, My Lady, I will join her for the moment. Then I will return and assist you with your school work for tomorrow."
Pin-Mei's eyes narrowed. "Fine."
"Thank you, My Lady." She bowed and exited the room.
To Ren's surprise, instead of continuing to focus on Pin-Mei, the scene followed Rong out into the hall. She turned a corner, then stopped short.
Ling was slumped, practically huddled, against the wall, her head buried in her arms, sobbing loudly.
"Keep your volume down," Rong warned apathetically. "Only the Great Spirit knows what will happen to you if Lady Pin-Mei or Mistress Suo find you like this."
Ling gave a slight nod, but made no significant effort to stop her tears. A mere twelve years old, she found it hard to simply ignore the abuse Lián had just been subjected to. Her mother had taught her to sew, so she had been making dolls and stuffed animals, as well as clothes for them, since she was six. Due to the contract she had signed, she was rarely awarded time off to see her family, so sewing was one of the ways she would combat her homesickness. She had made Pin-Mei dozens of plush toys in the four years she had been serving her, and the two had often had pleasant conversations about stuffed animals and how they were made. It was only within the last year or so that Pin-Mei had become so enraged and violent every waking moment of nearly every day.
Now, she was shaking. This most recent outburst had sent her over the edge.
"Rong…I can't do this anymore," she said in a pained whisper. "It was fine in the beginning, but these past months, she's just been getting worse and worse! I thought to myself, 'At least she's not as bad as Mistress Suo,' but she's becoming just like her!"
Rong knelt down, looking her in the eye, but offered no physical display of comfort. "Now Ling –"
"Don't tell me you don't see it! She's just as cruel, uncaring, manipulative, and abusive as Mistress Suo!" She grasped Rong's arm. "Please! Help get me released so I can go home to my parents! I can't do this anymore!"
The Wei guard shook her head. "When you signed that contract, you were vowing to devote your entire life to serving Lady Pin-Mei. No matter how miserable you are, the only way you can be released is either by Her word, or your own death."
Ling shook her head. "You're one of the most influential people in this castle – there must be something you can do!"
Rong brushed the hand from her arm and slapped her across the face. "Get ahold of yourself. Even if I could somehow have you released, I wouldn't. I don't believe in allowing people to run from their responsibilities just because their job is not as fun as it used to be."
Ling stared at her with wide eyes. "But you agree with me, don't you? She's growing up to be just like Mistress Suo!"
Rong's gaze didn't waver. "I can see why you would feel that way. I must admit that I see it too. Lady Pin-Mei does seem to be going down that path."
The scene abruptly ended, the two women fading into the darkness.
"Do you see now, Tao Ren?" Suo's disembodied voice chimed. "All along, your precious wife has been following in my footsteps. Even Rong, the servant most loyal and undyingly devoted to her, has admitted as much.
"You only knew her as the sweet, quiet fourteen year-old she was when you reunited. You have no idea of how, by the tender age of eight, just four years after meeting you, she had turned into a rotten apple. Throwing selfish tantrums and mistreating servants must certainly be things you thought were beyond her, yes?"
Ren was trying his best not to react. Yes, Pin-Mei had never showed any signs of this kind of behavior in the years they had been together. True, she would seldom cry as an attempt to sway his position on some things, but that didn't really compare to the outburst he had just witnessed. Mistreating servants? Of course he would never expect that from her.
In his mind's eye, he saw the two of them strolling down one of Tao Castle's many corridors.
Whenever they passed a servant, he or she would stop what they were doing and give their masters a deep bow of respect. Once the couple had passed them, they would resume their work.
As they went on, Ren noticed that Pin-Mei had begun to reciprocate the gesture to each one they passed. The next time she tried, he put his hand on her head, exerting just enough pressure to keep it in place.
"There's no need for you to submit to them. You're of a higher class than they are."
She looked up at him, almost confused. "But they do so much for us. If even one of them left, I think we would all feel the effects. Imagine if Bai wasn't here to clean the windows day after day. Wouldn't they become cloudy and unsightly? If Xiao-Dan left, we might have to wash our own clothing. Should Chang-Pu and Zhu leave, we wouldn't have the delicious meals we enjoy every night. Each one of them is an important part of this home. I want to make sure they know that they're appreciated."
She looked up to see Rong coming toward them. As they passed each other, Rong gave a deep bow.
"Mistress Pin-Mei, Master Ren."
Pin-Mei silently returned the bow, a grateful smile on her face. When the guard was out of earshot, she sighed softly.
"If Rong had ever left me when I was a child, I know for a fact that I wouldn't be here today."
This wasn't the Pin-Mei he knew. It had to be some sort of trick.
"Why should I believe any of this?" he demanded. "I've been with her for more than twenty years, actually paying attention to her and seeing to her needs. You were with her for fourteen and didn't even care enough to find out what her triggers were. How are you going to prove that any of this is true?"
"You do not have much choice, do you? Yes, by now you have been with her longer than I was, but the fact remains that you know nothing of what Pin-Mei was like during the ten years you were apart. Again, with neither Pin-Mei nor Rong here to tell you otherwise, all you have is my word." She fanned herself and batted her eyelashes. "When have I ever lied to you?"
Piercing yellow eyes glared at her. "I'm going to assume that was a rhetorical question."
She gave a shrug of faux innocence. "Such an obsession with details…"
He took a hostile step forward. "The point is that I know her. She would never do any of this."
"And I say that you are naïve and a wishful thinker. I have had a hold on her for her entire life," Suo said, her voice reeking of sick satisfaction. "She has hated me the entire time, as she should, but that didn't stop her from becoming like me. She never fully shook off my influence." She vanished and reappeared behind him. With a chuckle, she began thoughtfully pacing in a circle around him, her eyes never leaving him.
"Tell me, when your children were born, and as they grew up, did she seem especially anxious? Mumbling to herself about how she would never be like me? That she would never touch her children with anything other than a loving hand?"
Ren looked away from her.
"Or when Huan appeared and she decided to take her in, did she tell herself that she was doing it to prove that despite the horrors that come with the Qiao family name, and the pain it has caused both your families, she could be kind? That she would not be like me?
"Even if you simply think back to how she was behaving a few minutes ago…I know you sensed her desperation to fight. She said it was Hao she wanted to do battle with, but you and I both know it was supposed to serve as a warning to me. 'I'll get you next,' no? She no doubt wants to tear me apart, limb from limb. How dreadfully violent…"
"She's not the only one," he said in a dark voice. "You made her life hell just as my father did mine. I don't blame her for wanting to skin you alive."
"Oh my…" She laughed behind the fan, then alternated between opening and closing it as she continued circling him. "You may have overcome the hatred you had for your father enough so that you could co-exist with him, but Pin-Mei never had such healing. In her eyes, because you had to help her, it was little more than you exacting revenge on me instead of just her. She has suffered due to your assistance that night."
"And you're so sure because…?"
"Come now, boy, you must know. The mere utterance of my name is enough to make her body so tense that her spine hurts. Anything that could trigger the vaguest memory of my abuse was quickly erased from Tao Castle, was it not? And yet, you must know by now that she still keeps a photo of me with the pages of an old, forgotten book in your study. Oh, the hours she has spent over the years just sitting in her chair staring down at that photo with those dull fish eyes of hers."
Now she turned to face him, a distinct smile on her lips. "I know you haven't forgotten those unfortunate post-traumatic stress episodes she had after you rescued her. Poor boy…those must have been so hard to take…"
Ren tried not to let his face show the horror he felt on the inside as he remembered those brutal nights. Of course he hadn't forgotten, though the GS knows he had tried.
"How admirable for you to stay with her even after finding out how imperfect she really is. But let's be honest: had you known she had these problems, would you have pursued the engagement once I had it annulled? Would you have come to save her? Or would you have simply allowed her to die and become the master ingredient for my revival ritual without putting up any sort of fight?"
Before he could answer –
"Mother, what you showed him was only half the story, and you know it!"
Ren looked up to see Hua stomping out of the darkness. She came to stand before them, her blue eyes narrowed with rage. Suo froze, then used her fan to block her daughter from her sight.
"H-Hua…What a pleasant surprise…I was just showing your precious son-in-law—"
"I know full well what you were doing," the spirit snapped. "Once again, you're showing him a censored version of, 'The Truth,' in an attempt to turn him against Pin-Mei. You even added in this oppressive atmosphere to cloud his mind. It's just like the last time you tried this." She smirked, putting her hands on her hips. "Ren's right, Mother; you need to come up with some new tricks."
Suo rather timidly looked at her. After a few moments, her anxious eyes calmed, and she gave a few fluttering waves of her fan. "Well then, we will have it your way." She snapped her fan shut, but not before affixing a tag to the inside. Still standing about eight feet from Ren, she made a slicing motion with the closed fan as if it were a sword.
Ren's eyes shot open for a mere moment, then closed in pain as he grabbed his head. He staggered, then collapsed to the side. Hua tried her best to catch him, but his weight was too much for her fourteen year-old body to handle. All she could do was slow his fall to the floor. She snapped her head up and glared at her mother.
"What did you do?!" Her voice was sharp.
The witch gave a shaky laugh. "I simply gave you what you asked for. Both of you told me that I should try something new, and now I have. Are you trying to say that you were joking?"
Hua laid Ren on the ground, listening for his breathing. It was normal. She stood and took a step toward Suo. "I asked you what you just did! Answer me!"
Another laugh. "You and I both know one reason why Ren forgives Pin-Mei's faults and foolish – at times selfish – actions is because he compares them to his own past. Of course, they would seem small and insignificant in comparison. What if we took that scale of sorts away, leaving with nothing to compare her deeds to other than his sense of morality? You must admit that the scenes I am about to show him may be a bit too much, yes?"
Hua clenched her fists, her glare becoming more intense. "That's because you distilled that in her! If I…" She bowed her head, almost in shame. "If I had raised her, she never would've done those cruel things. She wouldn't have been so traumatized. She wouldn't have tested Ren so harshly so soon into their relationship." She lifted her head. "Why do you insist on testing him again and again? Do you honestly believe that a day will come when he scoffs at Pin-Mei and finds her no good?"
Suo smiled. "If you are so sure of his love for her, then you should not be at all fazed by the extra precaution I have put in place."
Hua fumed. "You…You…" She charged, a DaDao having materialized in her right hand. When she was close enough, she swung at her.
Suo vanished. Hua stumbled, glaring at the ground where she had been.
"Intimidate me all you like, my darling daughter," her voice echoed over the area. "No one leaves until Ren makes his choice."
She narrowed her eyes in thought. "No one…? Wait, you mean...Pin-Mei's trapped here as well?!"
There was a crude cackle. Hua straightened.
"So let's suppose this farce of yours succeeds and Ren were to reject her, what would happen to her?"
Suo appeared behind her to her left. "Ren is her only way out. If he decides that he is better off without a violent, spoiled brat like her, she will be forever lost in this realm, doomed to wander this plane until she succumbs to the darkness depleting her furyoku."
"You mean she'll die," Hua said in a firm voice.
Suo's eyes lit up, and Hua could tell that behind the fan her smile had widened. Simply hearing Pin-Mei's fate was enough to leave her practically squealing with glee. Her daughter grit her teeth. If Ren didn't choose to ignore his wife's past faults, which admittedly were worse than most people who hadn't lived a life of pain and chaos such as Ren's, he would awake from his trance to find his wife lost forever. The chances of him being able to fight Hao with a clear mind and win would be very small.
Darn it…If Ren doesn't snap out of it, we're all screwed! I have to make sure Pin-Mei's past doesn't affect his love for her! She was just a child! It's not fair to judge her for what she did! She clenched her fists and stared at the ground. If only I hadn't died. If only I could have raised her myself…None of this would be an issue!
Ren let out a groggy moan, and she turned her attention back to him. I won't let Mother tear them apart. I refuse to let that happen after all they've been through. She ran toward him, getting ready to guide him through the labyrinth of lies Suo no doubt had in store for him.
But before she could reach him, she smacked into a hard surface, and fell backward. After taking a moment to get over the initial shock, she stood. She furtively reached out, her hand hitting an invisible wall. As she realized what was going on, she clenched the hand into a fist, then began pounding on the glass.
"MOTHER! DISSOLVE THIS WALL AT ONCE!"
Suo coyly looked over her shoulder at her. "Why would I do something like that? You might bewitch him like you did last time." She snapped her fan shut, revealing a devilish grin. "Please, Hua, sit back and enjoy the show. Witness the life you doomed your daughter to when you left this world."
Hua glowered at her. She knew her mother's ways – she was honestly trying to blame her for dying during childbirth - a birth which Suo had insisted on.
"I don't regret bringing Pin-Mei into this world, not for an instant," she whispered to herself. "She and Ren have been so happy together. That alone has made my sacrifice worth it." She studied the barrier before her. "I'll find a way around this. I won't let Mother have her way. I did once. Never again."
Meanwhile, Ren sat up, slightly dazed. Once he had finally found his footing, he peered around the area. Still dark. He grabbed his forehead and grit his teeth as a sharp pain shot through his head. It was all he could do to try to ignore it.
Dammit…What the hell happened? Hua was here and then… He looked around, obviously finding she had vanished. He shook it off. It doesn't matter. The only person I should be worrying about is…
"Ah, Ren. How nice of you to wake up."
Her voice was as grating as nails on a chalkboard. He glared at her.
"I honestly think you're disappointed I woke up at all." As she advanced toward him, he began slowly sidestepping away from her. No way was he going to be trapped so easily.
She chuckled. "There is really no need to be so cautious. I am not going to attack you – only educate you."
"Well, why don't you 'educate' me a way out? This has been a wonderful waste of time so far."
Suo gave him a Cheshire grin. "Do not worry. I promise that what I am about to show you will pique your interest."
Ren's eyes narrowed even further. "And if I refuse?" Without waiting for an answer, he produced Houraiken and ran at her and gave a tremendous swing.
Suo nonchalantly closed her fan and used it to block the strike. The force he exerted on her made his agitation quite clear. She tried to push back, but she had not anticipated the brute strength the patriarch possessed. Hers being limited, she could barely keep her fan up.
"I would advise against harming me," she said finally, trying to keep a mocking grin on her lips. "This is my realm, after all. Should I lose consciousness –"
"Or die,"
"Yes…or die…You would be trapped in here with no escape. Do you not agree that would be a most undesirable outcome?"
"And yet I find it extremely hard to believe that you're going to release me out of the kindness of your heart."
She sneered. "You do not have a choice. All I ask is that you pay attention to what I wish to show you."
Ren finally relented with an annoyed growl. "I suppose I should let Pin-Mei be the one to send you back to the hell you crawled out of anyway," he said, almost as an afterthought.
She scowled, shooting him a glare before quickly hiding it. I only have to put up with this lout for a little while longer. Then I can be rid of him and that ragdoll granddaughter of mine for good. "Shall we?"
Renfolded his arms, reluctant to go along with her plan for obvious reasons. There has to be something else I can do to force my way out of here.
But the more he tried to think, the more intense the aching became. It was a stabbing, throbbing pain that only subsided once he had completely abandoned the very thought of escape. For now, he would have to endure whatever convoluted scheme the she-demon had concocted.
He looked up as Suo waved her fan. The area around them took the form of the audience hall of Xu-Fan castle.
SLAP
A fourteen year-old Rong fell to the floor in front of him. She quickly motioned to get up, as if the beating hadn't hurt in the slightest. The male guard before her gave her a swift kick, sending her to ground again. Once more, she got up only to be sent back down again.
When her recoveries weren't half as swift, she was allowed to finally rise. She brushed back her long red hair to reveal red marks on her cheeks. Bruises were already visible on her arms.
Rong…Who did this?
"Is this to your satisfaction, Pin-Mei?"
Ren blinked. Before him stood Pin-Mei, no older than eight. Again, she didn't have the warm features he was used to. Her eyes were cold, and there was a perpetual scowl on her face. At the same time, however, she seemed very blank. Empty. As if, despite her expression, she felt nothing toward her servant, nor their current situation.
"No. Do something else. Don't let her get off so easily for losing me," the little girl said darkly.
Ren narrowed his eyes. "Losing her? Rong took much better care of Pin-Mei than that. If she really 'lost' her, then…"
"It is as you fear," Suo said calmly, coming up behind him. She held out her fan, and a ball of light appeared above it. It began playing a scene like a small TV. "Your lovely wife really is a wretch."
Ren squinted at the ball. Inside, Rong and Pin-Mei walked together through the town's crowded marketplace. The little girl was scowling about, pouting and yawning dramatically.
"She seems rather bored, does she not?" Suo said. "You may ask, 'Then why go?' After all, this was just a simple shopping trip." She gave a prideful smirk. "Anything to get away from me. Any sort of brief respite would do, even one as dull as this. However…"
Pin-Mei suddenly darted to the left and into the crowd. Rong snapped her arm out and caught the girl's wrist. Her mistress struggled. Rong wouldn't let go, instead trying to steer her back to the path.
Pin-Mei glared back at her, eyes full of malice.
She bit her.
Rong didn't flinch, but Pin-Mei gave her a kick to the shin and scratched and bit at the hand. Eventually, it was too much for even Rong, and her grip weakened just enough so that the girl could run away.
Ren looked on as Rong cursed, then bolted after her. He looked to the ground and shook his head. "Pin-Mei…wanted Rong to be punished? Why would she do something like that?"
"I concur," Suo cooed. "Why harm the admittedly only person in the castle at all concerned for her well-being? Should she not be thanking Rong profusely for taking such good care of her?"
Ren looked back to the young image of his wife. She hadn't so much as twitched.
"Make sure she won't forget me again," she said dully.
Suo's mirage grinned, and gave her some harsh pats on the head with her fan, causing the girl to visibly flinch. "Do not worry, my dear. I know just the thing." She momentarily put her fan in her sleeve and clapped her hands.
A servant rolled out a large iron griddle. Coals were positioned under it, a large fire already burning brightly. There was no ignoring the shade of orange in the center of the griddle itself, either.
Ren eyed it. Inside, he had a hunch as to what this punishment might be. But he didn't want to entertain the idea that Pin-Mei – sweet, loving, hopelessly devoted, overly protective Pin-Mei – would allow this to happen, especially to Rong.
Rong stared at it, emotionless. Suo smirked. "Now, Rong, I have noticed that the days have been getting quite chilly. With such cold temperatures, would it be safe to assume that you would know when the warmth of a child's hand, namely Pin-Mei's, left yours?"
The guard gave a shallow bow. "Yes, Mistress Suo."
The crone put on a face of faux concern. "Is that so? My, my…with this unfortunate occurrence, Rong, I really must question that. You see…" She motion to the frying surface. "I want to make sure that you never forget what warmth against your palm feels like."
Rong's eyes narrowed. It was just like Suo to concoct such a punishment. She locked eyes with Pin-Mei. The little girl seemed hesitant, and Rong knew that her fear of her grandmother would prevent her from speaking out against this crude turn of events.
"Now, Rong, if you would just—"
Without a word, the maid servant approached the griddle and slammed her right palm down on it. Everyone around her looked on with wide eyes. Pin-Mei shuddered. Even Suo seemed mildly taken aback by the bold display. She smiled and turned to her.
"Pay close attention to your grandmother, my dear."
She closed her fan and walked up to the griddle. Without warning, she held it vertically so the blades were pointing at the ground, and slammed it down into the back of the guard's hand.
Rong whipped her head away, eyes closed, trying not to so much as allow her eyebrows to twitch. It was her duty as the Captain of the Guards to uphold the values of the Wei family – the second most important being to never show agony or emotion, no matter how much pain she was in.
Pin-Mei's eyes widened slightly, but otherwise she had no visible reaction. The smell of burnt flesh and blood soon wafted throughout the room, and her nose crinkled at the stench.
Suo grinned down at the sizzling hand. She twisted the blades deeper into the teen's hand before yanking them out with a harsh, jerking motion. Blood splattered, causing the griddle to hiss as it burned up and disintegrated.
"Alright Rong, that will do," she said.
Rong withdrew her hand. It went right back to her side.
"Now, I think if you were apologize we could give your words a bit more credence." The two locked eyes. "Go on, Rong. Beg for forgiveness from your master."
The guard glared at her for a few more moments before dropping to a kowtow in front of the small girl.
"Lady Pin-Mei, I am eternally sorry that I let go of your hand in the market today. I promise that I will never allow the warmth of your hand to leave mine, especially in such a crowded place, ever again." She raised her head just enough to make eye contact with the small child. "I give you my word."
Pin-Mei paused, then scowled again. "GOOD." She looked up at her grandmother with a hopeful smile. The woman returned her gaze for the briefest of moments before using her fan to give her a quick, hard whack on the back.
"Next time, carry out your own punishments instead of making me waste my time doing it for you!" she snapped.
With that, she stalked out. No one, not even Rong or Ling, made a move to comfort the heiress.
"See that?" Suo's voice came as the room faded. "How horrible for such a young child…She came to me asking that I administer Rong's punishment, who, it turns out, was completely innocent. Did you see how no one wanted to nurse that wound I gave her? They hated her back then. All of them. And rightfully so."
Ren was trying to find the words to say to defend his spouse. Harming Rong of all people?
"She was trying to impress you," he said finally. "She just hoped if she imitated you enough that you would accept her." That had to be it. It made enough sense, didn't it?
She appeared before him, shaking her head in pity. "I can see how you would try to take comfort in the fact that maybe this was only a one time occurrence. Sadly, it was not."
"What…?"
Suo snapped her fan shut and placed it over her forehead like a fainting diva. "I was hoping perhaps you would believe me, and I could avoid bringing up this unfortunate event. It causes even me to cringe just a bit."
Ren desperately tried to hide his exasperation. At the moment he felt like his trust in Pin-Mei was like a long, thick rope. He was trying to cling to what he knew about her, but his fogged mind was making it increasingly difficult. Now the rope had been drenched in kerosene. It was getting tougher to hold on.
Suo was ready to that rope aflame.
"Just one more, I promise," she said.
Ren reluctantly turned back to the darkness. Pin-Mei's room was materializing. The little girl was in her bed, and Ling sat on a stool at her bedside, a familiar book in her hands.
"'Far up the street, I looked back. The little old lady was sitting down, rocking with laughter," Ling read. "I couldn't understand these town people. If they weren't staring at a fellow, they were laughing at him.'
"And that's the end of chapter four, My Lady," she finished quietly. She looked up, then gave a small smile. Pin-Mei was fast asleep in her bed, just as she had hoped she would be.
The servant stuck a bookmark in the place where she had left off and set the book on the nightstand beside her. She let out a heavy sigh, then rubbed her eyes. They closed momentarily, but she snapped awake. She used both hands to hit her cheeks, then pinched one in an effort to keep herself awake. Ren watched her tuck the sleeping girl in, and then go to the windows and close the curtains. With another yawn, she trudged over to the doorway.
Her hand ran down the wall to the left of the doorframe. It grazed the light switch, but wasn't forceful enough to bring it down. Ling stumbled out of the room, the light remaining on
The night quickly turned to morning. Pin-Mei was now sitting up, bedhead apparent, and a sour look on her face. She looked up as Rong entered, dragging Ling with her. She tossed her in front of her mistress. The servant stumbled, but avoided falling to the ground completely. She looked up at Pin-Mei with an ashen face.
"G-Good morning, My Lady…What can I do for you?"
Pin-Mei scowled. "You didn't shut my light off last night!" she cried, her voice piercing. "It kept waking me up during the night! Now I'm all sleepy still and I won't be able to concentrate at school!" She smacked her comforter. "I'll bet you did this on purpose! You're still mad that I beat the stuffing out of that stupid doll you gave me!"
Ling was trembling. "N-No! Of course not, My Lady! I would never think of doing something to intentionally harm you! It was an accident! I swear to the gods above and below that I thought I had turned out the light before I left!" She collapsed to her knees, then went even lower for a kowtow. "Please believe me, Lady Pin-Mei! I promise I will never foolishly forget something so important ever again! I beg your forgiveness!"
The heiress stared at her, eyes wide, her mouth slightly agape. But after a few moments, she regained her cold stare.
"That's not good enough! You're going to forget again, I just know it!"
"No, My Lady! I promise I wo-!"
"BE QUIET!" She gave a small huff of agitation. "In order for me to believe you, I need to make sure that you take pric…preco…prem…do things so it won't happen again!"
Ling's eyes were wide as she looked up at her master. "L-Lady Pin-Mei, I-!"
A guard yanked her up by her right wrist while another set a stone table down in front of her.
"W-What?"
Her wrist was slammed onto the stone. A metal latch, not unlike those used in dungeons, was flipped. With a small, 'clank,' her palm was pressed against the cold surface. She tried to struggle free, but found that she could only move her fingers – just barely. Her palm was firmly locked down.
"One of the girls in my class constantly writes notes on her hands," Pin-Mei said listlessly. "She says that it helps her remember things."
Ling began slowly shaking her head, the realization of what her punishment would be dawning her.
Sure enough, one of the guards produced a fountain pen. But the nib did not look at all capable of holding ink. It was simply a long, thin, yet sharp blade. She flailed, desperate to escape this outlandish punishment. It was no use. The lone restraint was enough to prevent her from fleeing.
Ling's eyes shot wide open as she felt the point pierce her. She looked to her hand to see a single stroke carved into it. The pain took a few seconds to register, but she surely felt it. She let out a bloodcurdling scream. Her knees buckled slightly, and she grasped the podium with her left hand for support. Tears peeked from the corners of her eyes and she shut them and grit her teeth to calm herself down. She opened them in time to see the blade moving against her skin once more.
It dug in deep, and she let out another horrible wail. Her body tensed. The pain was mutating into pure shock. She could feel the blood oozing out of her, spilling over the stone. Her head was beginning to feel light. It only got worse as another stroke was sliced into her. The first character wasn't even completed yet.
I can't do this…I can't…
Her eyes wandered to Pin-Mei. "Please, My Lady! I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you! I promise I won't ever upset you again! Please just stop this! Have mercy on me! I'm begging you!"
The little girl was watching the procedure with wide eyes. She said nothing, not even to deny the underling's request.
When Ling realized there was no escaping this torture, she leaned over the stone, trying to stay up as she screamed. Her face grew pale. Finally, she fell to her knees behind the stand, her screams silenced. The carving continued as if nothing had happened.
Ren noticed that the view had shifted so he could no longer see Pin-Mei's face, but thought little of it. He had already seen how uncaring she had been.
Rong stood to the right of the foot of the bed, her eyes closed as if she were using this opportunity to take a snap. Her own right hand was still bandaged from the retribution she had suffered the week before.
When the phrase had been completed, the guards released the cuff which had held Ling's hand in place. Her body slumped to the floor.
The scene cut to Ling studying the phrase that had been forcibly cut into her.
"I will always remember to turn off My Beloved Lady's light."
Ren frowned. "Why would she do something like that? It's disproportionate retribution to say the very least." His eyes narrowed in thought. "With Rong I could understand if she thought it didn't hurt because the Wei family's guards are conditioned to ignore pain. But Ling was screaming and pleading with her to stop. And she wouldn't. How could she do something that inhumane? That's not the Pin-Mei I know at all."
Suo made a small sound of sympathy. "I understand that this must be so shocking to you, Ren. After all, she has presented herself as a model partner and wife all these years… But who is to say that these violent tendencies do not still show up every now and then? Has your family really been safe? Especially when left alone with her?"
He turned away from her, trying to rationalize what he had witnessed. "But she hasn't been violent at all since we've been together," he said, just as much to himself as to her. "You're grasping at straws."
She came up beside him, her fan fluttering. "Am I? Surely you remember those nights…"
Ren grabbed his head as the sounds of her screaming at him, the breaking of porcelain, the slamming of her bedroom door possessed his senses. He could see it all, clear as day, as if it had happened mere moments before. It had been nearly twenty-five years.
She shoved him. "Just stay away from me! You have no idea what I've been through! How could you even begin to understand what I'm feeling?!"
All he could do was look away from her. He wanted little more than to tell her off, to tell her that he had been through just as much, if not more, than she had, but letting his anger out while she was already hysterical was a landmine, and he knew stepping on it would accomplish nothing. He only looked up once she had run into her room, slamming the door as hard as she possibly could.
"I know you remember how awful they were."
"Stop it! JUST STOP IT! You don't know anything! You don't care at all!"
She picked up a porcelain tiger on the night stand and launched it at him. Ren inched to his left in time to avoid it. The figure smashed against the wall. Pin-Mei collapsed to the ground, huddled, and sobbed.
"It was all just so unfair, what she put you through…"
"I'm really excited for this banquet! We finally get a do-over!" she exclaimed.
"Well, you pleaded, and my father felt guilty for his stupidity in breaking the engagement in the first place, so he figured he owed it to us."
"Hehe, yay!" She tilted her head and tried to touch his hair, which had once again been tamed for the sake of looking formal. "You even let them do your hair again! Aww, it really is nice to see you like this every once in a wh-"
SHRAP
She froze. Her eyes filled with horror and her smile instantly vanished. She whirled around to see that a servant was absent mindedly playing with one of the decorative fans which were being hung on the walls. With small flicks of the wrist, he opened and closed it.
SHRAP
She began shaking her head.
SHRAP
SHRAP
Ren looked down at her, then at the servant.
SHRAP
SHRAP
SHRAP
Her body trembled and small whimpers left her, getting progressively louder. He shoved past her, stomping over to the servant and snatching the fan from him. The servant stared at him, surprised and confused.
"Who told you to put these up?" Ren asked, trying to mask his anger.
"Master En simply told us to decorate the halls, and these are traditionally what we have used to garnish the castle, so we…"
"We won't be using them. Find something else."
"With all due respect, Lord Ren, these have been in the Tao Family for years and—"
"I DON'T CARE. TAKE THEM DOWN! Throw them out! Burn them! Whatever you need to do in order to make sure Pin-Mei never has to look at them!"
"Y-Yes, My Lord!"
Pin-Mei let out a shriek and he quickly turned back to her. She had fallen to her knees where he had left her. Her eyes were wild, and she had covered her ears. It looked like she was pushing them against her skull as hard as she could. Almost like she was hoping they would melt back into her head.
Ren ran back to her, quickly kneeling down. "It's okay, they're going to put them away. You won't hear that sound again."
SHRAP
Her eyes filled with even more terror, her face completely pale. He whipped around to the servants again. They froze, one standing on a ladder and handing one of the large golden fans to the other below.
"I-I can't do this…" Pin-Mei got to her feet and began running for the stairs. She stumbled a number of times, and it was only Ren quickly grasping her arm that prevented her from falling up them.
In their room, he sat her down on their bed. She refused to calm down. He grabbed her by her shoulders, shaking her.
"Pin-Mei, she's not here. She's gone. Dead," he said, trying to soften his normally harsh voice in an attempt to soothe her. "We dismembered her body, remember? Buried the pieces in different areas, tossed some into the sea for the fish. She's not coming back."
Pin-Mei shook her head furiously. She clutched her head, her teeth chattering. "I heard her fan…She's here somewhere…She's…going to get me…" Her eyes widened even more, telling him that she was already seeing the dastard's face in her mind. "She's going to get me! I didn't kill her! She's going to get me!"
He shook her again. "Pin-Mei, you got her. I saw it with my own two eyes. Right up the middle of her torso, then cut her in half. There's no way she could come back from that. You fucking killed her. You never need to worry about her again."
"B-But…The f-fan…"
"It was just the servants-"
"NO! THAT'S THE SAME SOUND HER FAN MADE RIGHT BEFORE SHE'D BEAT ME WITH IT! I KNOW WHAT I HEARD! WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME?!"
Ren tried to stay calm. "Pin-Mei, if I thought there was anything to be afraid of, I would be doing everything in my power to protect you. But you're overreacting. There's no reason for you to be this upset." He lifted his arm slightly, signaling for her to come closer to him.
She latched onto him, her nails digging deep into his arms.
"OW! Hey!"
She jerked away, trembling. His booming voice was echoing in her ears, driving her insane. She looked up at him as if he were a stranger, someone she couldn't trust. Ren sighed and pulled her back against him. He could feel her heart racing.
"Clam down," he said firmly. His left hand rested on her back, perhaps too roughly. She flailed and pushed him away.
Her eyes darted about the room, searching for a way out. She scampered to the edge of the bed on her hands and knees. As she started to fall face first onto the ground, he grabbed her by the sash holding her hanfu together.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Stitches ripped as she continued to fight him. The dress unraveled, and Ren fisted the back of the robe to try to pull her back up. Again, she looked back at him like a frightened child, tears streaming down her face.
"R…Rong…RONG!"
The guard burst in. After quickly surveying the situation, she ran to Pin-Mei.
"Ren. Let go of her." Her voice was cold.
He did, more out of perplexity than anything else. The scion watched his fiancée crawl into her friend's lap and collapse on top of her.
"Rong...I heard her fan…That noise it makes…She's coming back…She's going to get me…" She wrapped her arms around Rong's waist, her wails unrelenting.
Rong's eyes softened. She embraced her, careful not to touch her back.
"It's all right, Pin-Mei," she said in a soft voice. "You're safe now. Ren and I won't let anything happen to you. We'll protect you from Suo until our bodies turn to dust." Her scarlet eyes trailed up to meet his gold, confused ones. "We promise."
"And after Rong ran off with your Ainu friend, you had to deal with her little outbursts on your own, did you not? Poor boy…It was like a bait and switch, yes? Presenting herself as the perfect wife, only to turn out to be damaged goods inside."
"SHUT UP! They eventually stopped! By Christmas, she was fine! She wasn't as bad…"
"Such trying times," the witch whispered. "After all you had done for her, she touched you with such anger, screamed at you, even broke your property…Surely you must have asked yourself, 'Was any of that necessary? Was this really worth it?'"
"It wasn't her fault!" he yelled. His head was throbbing again. It was difficult to sort his thoughts enough to rebuke everything she was saying.
She smiled knowingly. "Her violent tendencies still exist, do they not? You mentioned she killed Huan…Tell me, how did she do it? Quick and painless so she could get it over with, or was it calculated, slow and agonizing?"
Ren tried not to let her see his eyes widen.
"And that was mere hours ago. It would seem that my influence lives on even today." She made a weak attempt to bury a chuckle. "Now…in light of all this new information, I would understand if your perception of her had changed. Though it may seem drastic, I am going to offer you a choice."
A fourteen year-old Pin-Mei appeared before him. Her head was down, her face a mere shadow. Just seeing her after all these things he had learned about her made Ren feel rather uncomfortable. Suo sneered.
"You can choose to carry on this duplicitous relationship, or you can simply walk away. You can start over from when she left you - young and free to choose a new path in life."
His head pulsed again.
There's something missing…This shouldn't be all there is to it. This can't be all a surprise to me. But…
Every time he tried to break things down and piece them back together rationally, there was a huge wall that prevented him from connecting the dots. The only thoughts he was allowed to have were pure poison.
Why did she do that? How could she be so cold-hearted to the only people who were looking out for her? Has she been that cruel to our servants? Our children? How could I let someone like that into my home?
Should I…really have banished her this morning?
Should I have bothered rescuing her at all after Suo took her away?
There was a crash, like glass shattering, then an angry grunt.
"For someone who graduated at the top of his class, you sure are a fucking idiot!"