chapter 2*

(A/n - this story is a rebirth bl. And the 'side story describes the incidents of past life. )

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Zemin stirs on the bed with great discomfort. He feels someone touching his stab wound. He groans in pain.

"Prince, please bear with me a little."

Zemin frowns. This voice is unknown. He tries to open his eyes but no avail. He is too tired to know what is happening.

"I have bandaged prince's wound." Zemin hears the unfamiliar voice again. "But the wound needs to be cleaned at least once a day."

"Why are you telling me this ?"

This time Zemin recognises the voice. It's his brother's minister. He didn't expect that minister would bring him help. Another groan escapes from his lips. He controls his groan to listen more. Someone is moving out of the room. Maybe that minister is leaving. It's the perfect time for his to escape.

He needs to wake up and find his f... He slowly opens his eyes only to find a serious blue eyes looking at him.

Xingchen who realised the sudden movement of the body, looked directly at the person on the bed. As he expected, this person has a life of cat, wouldn't go down with a little stab. "Your lover is caught. He stabbed himself. Pretended to be dead. He will be judged in court tomorrow."

Zemin can't help but giving out a light chuckle "my .. lover ? Or ... Your lover ?"

"He is your lover who schemed me." Xingchen replies through gritted teeth.

"I ..never ...loved him." Zemin whispers tiredly.

Xingchen bites his inner cheeks remembering the lover they are talking about - Yang Xi. How easily Zemin could say that he never loved Yang Xi . Yet Yang Xi risked his life , fooled Xingchen and murdered two concubines for Zemin. Now, Yang Xi is in prison.

Had Yang Xi loved Xingchen, their life would be different now. He would do anything to make Yang Xi happy.

"I... want to meet my father."

Xingchen comes out of his thoughts hearing Ze-min's words.

Xingchen was about to reply when he heard a shout from the door.

"What happened ?"

Xingchen turned around. The said father is here."Yang Xi stabbed in the back. Nothing serious. He is out of danger." He replies with a flat expression. 'Zemin deserved that stab.'

"Why did you do this ?"

Xingchen hears the question father Tao asked. Before he wanted to know this answer too. Now, after knowing Zemin personally, he already knows.

Zemin stirs on the bed. "Fa..father ..

Don't ... di ..die for me .."

Xingchen's eyes burn as he looks away. Zemin doesn't even care Yang Xi is dying for him. How could someone be so ruthless towards their companion? Even if Zemin never loved him, isn't he the one who is responsible for all of this ? A low sigh escapes from his mouth.

Zemin hears it. Maybe because he is injured, his hearing sense has improved. But he actually could hear the crack on Xingchen's voice when he talked about Yang Xi's arrest.

He  looks at his side with great discomfort. His gaze falls on Xingchen's figure standing beside him. He doesn't regret using the concubine in his scheme. Neither does he regret using Yang Xi. Because none of them were saints. He knows their history.

But he regrets using Xingchen in his game. Xingchen is indeed like a loyal dog. And he didn't deserve the pain of unrequired love. Zemin knows the pain of unrequired love very well. He wants to say sorry. But sorry doesn't fix the broken glass. What's done is done. He can't undo it.

Zemin closes his eyes with a sense of Deja Vu. He feels like all of this has happened before !

***

! Side story 1 !

"Why did you hurt his highness ?" Xingchen holds the sword on his lover's neck in disbelief.

His lover Yang Xi laughs out loud "his highness ? He is not your his highness. He is a fraud. Your his highness is dead."

Xingchen grips his sword tightly. He looks at the blood in panic "GUARDS !"

"Arresting me , aren't you ?" Yang Xi scoffs "before you arrest me, investigate the truth.. you fool. His highness Zixuan is dead. That person here is twin brother of Zixuan - Zemin. Ask him."

Xingchen frowns at looks at the man on the ground. He shakes his head "What nonsense..."

"It's not. He schemed to disguise as his brother. He used Me to do that and guess what , he used me to fool you. I pretended to love you because he asked me to do that." Yang Xi shouts.

"I pretended to love you and gained information from you. Then I passed those information to him. That's how he fooled all of you and replaced the original emperor."

Xingchen lowers his sword a little. Since last year, he has realised the change in his highness. His highness felt more like a human , a friend rather than an emperor. He thought it was because of the years they worked together. This can't be ..

"Do you know why I helped him ? Because I loved him not you." Yang Xi spats.

Xingchen freezes. His brain stops working for a fraction of second.

Yang Xi sheeths in anger "and what did he give me in return ? Betrayal. He made Jia-li a fucking empress. He deserves to die."

Two guards enter as soon as Yang Xi finishes his sentence.

Xingchen grips his sword tight again "TAKE HIM AND LOCK HIM IN PRISON."

Yang Xi laughs out loud one last time before the guards takes him away.

Xingchen turns around the see the bloodified person on the floor. He hurriedly kneels down to pick the man up. He holds the groaning man tightly "wait a little..I am calling the healer."

The man groans "wo... Wouldn't you ask me ... Who am I ?"

"That's not important now. You need ..."

"I .. am .. Zemin. Twin brother ... I am not ... Your his highness.. he is dead."

Xingchen looks at the man for a while. He has so many questions but .. .

"I was .... so jealous of ... my brother. I tried to ..be him .. I kind of succeded."

Xingchen gives out a chocked breath "you need treatment."

"No .... I .. need to pay.. the price ... Of my game.." zemin smiles tiredly " remember ... our chess ... I never own ...from you. You always said ... "Pay the price.."

Xingchen blinks fast to control his tears. "Why ...."

"You used to say .. that I have to .. be your bestman ... in your wedding .. with Yang Xi. Everytime ... You mentioned this price ... I payed another ... price ... I died .. everyday with ... these words .."

Xingchen presses the bleeding wound hard to stop the blood.

Zemin groans "I wished to die ...  Everyday before ... you come to know the truth ...but ... I have to ... Pay the price."

This time tears roll down from Xingchen's eyes "you could have said the truth.. you could have said sorry."

Zemin wipes the tears from Xingchen's eyes and cheeks "Sorry doesn't fix.... anything, Xingchen. I can't undo what .... I did to my... brother, to his consort, to you."

Xingchen takes a deep breath "let's talk later. Let me bring the healer."

Zemin holds Xingchen's hand to stop him from leaving. "Stay ...with me ... nobody has ever.. stayed with ... me .. after knowing .. I am ... Zemin ... the abandoned prince. You ... Stayed ... Now ... don't leave .."

"I am not leaving. Just healer .."

"No ... need ..  just stay." Zemin gives out a painful groan.. "at least I can ... brag about .. one person .. whom I snatched... From my brother."

"Think about Zhan. Don't give up." Xingchen tries to leave.

"Zhan ... Deserves a ...better guardian ... Like you. Take care.. of him."

Xingchen shakes his head like a child. "I have so many questions. You can't escape like that. Don't escape like a coward. Face ...me..."

Zemin smiles "Do you ...believe in ..  next ..life , Xingchen? I do.

I .. promise you ... Xingchen, I will ..meet you again. I will answer ... Your questions ....; I will ..  face you ..; I will play .. our game again."

Xingchen gives out a low sigh like he is out of breath.

Zemin hears it. Maybe, because he is dying , his hearing sense has improved. He can hear Xingchen's silent cry loud. He closes his eyes. .

His utters his last wish in his mind. If Xingchen forgives him in this life, if Xingchen ever misses him- the abandoned prince Zemin,  in this life , even for once .... then it would not be their last time. They will meet again."

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