Ling tried to prepare himself for the announcement.
He couldn't let go of Lan Fan completely; he needed to find a way to hold Lan Fan close, even after the announcement, but there was no way that he could annouce that he was the father of the child in Lan Fan's womb without starting a civil war.
He was on thin ice.
"I have something to tell you." Ling announced, "I have decided to take a wife from the Yao clan; her name is Lan Fan." He heard gasps, shouting, and cheers from the group in front of them.
He looked at Lan Fan. She was surprised, and had relunctantly removed her mask. Lan Fan had tears in her eyes, and her face was a pleasant shade of glowing pink.
Lan Fan's head spun; what was she supposed to say?
Ling walked confidently towards her, and took her hand in his, and gently led her forward.
She found herself looking over the crowds, and wondered if this was what it was like to be empress. Some people looked happy, perhaps even excited for her, but the others looked really angry. She was worried that she would make an awful empress, because she wasn't raised to be one.
She was also worried that whoever became Ling's bodyguard would not protect Master Ling with their life, and that's when she realised that as empress, she would have her own bodyguards that she didn't really need.
She was trained to fight and protect; she really did not need someone to do that for her.
