30. The End?

"Is it enough?"

After the question echoed in the room, five figures emerged behind the paper folding screen.

"Elders?" the king could not believe what he saw. The elders of the East were there, witnessing everything! As those four men were the only ones equal to the king, the old man shuddered with a sudden fear.

One of the old men snorted, not happy with the happenings. When the king of the North claimed their king was doing illicit as well as indecent things, and invited them to the North to see, they didn't believe him, yet they accepted to come for courtesy. Who knew that their king was far worse than what the East claimed?!

Hearing no reply, the king spoke again, "this is-"

The oldest man raised his hand and shushed him with a cold expression. "What you did is inexcusable, we, the elders of the East banish you from your position, and will retrieve the old king whom you cunningly got rid of," he said authoritatively.

"No way!" the king cried out with frustration, but no one paid any attention to him.

The oldest one spared half a glance towards the banished old man, then he turned his face to the king of the North.

"How do you want him to be punished? We will go according to your wish in order to show our good will."

The king of the North exchanged a glance with his son and said "how about he drinks the wine he brought?"

"I won't!" the king yelled as if his opinion mattered.

"Either this or we will execute you publicly," the king of the North said threateningly and one of the elders filled the despicable man's cup.

"Don't bring us more disgrace! Just accept it already!"

As the death was unavoidable, the fallen king decided it was better to die with the poison. With his feeble hand, he raised the cup and emptied the cup. Then Han Xin filled the cup five more times until the killer king was dead.

"Although it isn't enough to express our apology, we hope your highness will not end our friendship and the peace between our kingdoms," the eldest said very politely with a slight bow.

"We believe in your sincerity and wish to keep the peace as well," the king replied equally politely.

"Then we will take our leave," the second oldest announced and turned to Meng Huo who was very unresponsive to the happenings, "you, stand up, you are coming with us."

Without a fuss, Meng Huo rose to his tired legs, but Han Xin pulled him behind him, "you can't take him with you! He is my husband-to-be."

"He is a slave!" the same old man said with shock, "he is not suitable for the prince, also he needs to be punished for treason!"

"No, I am not allowing it!" Han Xin raised his voice, "you are indebted to us, so let him go!"

The king wanted to interrupt, but Meng Huo was faster. He saved his arm from Han Xin and took a step forward, "I will come with you to the East," he said with a ninety-degree bow.

"Good," the elders nodded.

"No way," Han Xin shook his head and grabbed Meng Huo's arm again. "We will talk later," he said and before the others could say something, he dragged Meng Huo out of the hall.

When they reached Han Xin's room, the prince locked the door behind them and stood face-to-face with the slave.

"You belong here now, why do you want to go?" he asked very softly, disappointment apparent in his tone.

"Belong here?" Meng Huo asked sardonically, "I am a slave! Wake up!"

"I don't care!" Han Xin shouted as well.

"You don't? Okay, how about what I did? You also don't care about it?"

Han Xin grabbed Meng Huo's hands, "you didn't do it on purpose, I know it... you know it... then why keep repeating it?"

"Because you will never trust me!" the agitated man yelled as he pulled his hands off from the prince's.

"I trust you!"

"Really?" Meng Huo challenged him, "then why didn't you tell me about your plan? I almost died out of fear there!"

Han Xin sighed, "I didn't want to involve you because I knew you would be worried. You shouldn't have been in that hall from the start."

"So you knew the wine was poisonous, but you would drink it anyway?"

The prince nodded, "I knew he would use the same poison, so our healer created the antidote and I got immunity to it just like that bastard. All I had to do was to pretend as if I was dying, then he would spil all the beans."

Meng Huo's expression was cold, "if I didn't snatch the cup from your hand, you would drink it, is that so?"

"I had to..." Han Xin said with an apologetic expression, but it had no effect on the other.

"I thought you didn't trust me, but I was wrong," Meng Huo said with tears in his eyes, "you just didn't care about me."

"What?! No! Why do you say that?!" Han Xin refused fervently and earned a painful glare.

"If you cared about me, you wouldn't even think to accept that cup!" the agitated man shouted, "I was the one who filled that cup! Just like I did for your brother! Did you consider how I would feel, seeing you 'dying' on the table?! Don't you know how I feel because of that incident?! Then how could you be okay with making me go through it for the second time?!"

Han Xin was tongue-tied, meanwhile Meng Huo slumped on the floor, crying pathetically. He was right, how could Han Xin claim he loved the other? He was so thoughtless and acted like a total bastard!

While the prince was facing his mistakes, a cold object was given to his hand.

"Take it back, I am returning back to the East," Meng Huo said and left the room pell-mell.

Behind him, Han Xin looked at the object and saw it was the jade which he gave to Meng Huo as the marriage heirloom.