10 Years Later
Lady Joo lifted the skirts of her elegant dress and greeted the noisy crowd from the balcony.
"What a beautiful woman she is!" said a group of men in suits.
"Incredible! Dazzling!" The women pointed at her with admiration.
"Just look at that dress! God must have crafted her with special care," said an elderly woman whose beauty had long faded with the years.
"Long live our queen!" shouted the soldiers, raising their fists into the air.
"The beautiful Lady Joo." One of the government officers murmured this under his breath, hiding it from his wife.
Upon hearing these words, Lady Joo momentarily forgot she had covered the few wrinkles under her eyes with foundation."Thank you..."
Her delicate and graceful words excited the crowd even more.
"Thank you, my friends. Today, on the 110th anniversary of our Kingdom, we will celebrate the coronation of our son—our son Lui, who has devoted himself to this cause."Pride gleamed in her eyes.
Each and every person felt their oath of loyalty to the queen strengthen.
All eyes turned to the soldiers waiting at the door beneath the balcony.
There stood a giant silvery door. Soldiers, fully dressed in ceremonial armor, stood on either side of it.The crowd held their breath.
As the queen took one more step to the side and rested her fingers on the railing, the soldiers stepped forward, gripped the handles, and pulled the double doors apart.
In the opening of the now parted doors, a young man with curly blond hair and honey-colored eyes appeared.It was Lui Ran.The one and only son of his beloved stepfather. The strikingly handsome son of the king—Lui.
Lui wore ceremonial armor covering his lower body, with chains of freedom wrapped around his wrists.
The moment the crowd saw him, they erupted into cheers, waving their arms in excitement.
"Lui Ran!"
"Our precious prince!"
"Look how much he's grown!" exclaimed one woman as if gazing at her own child.
"What a graceful figure!" said the young daughter of one of the Kingdom's Upper Guild soldiers.
Lui kept walking with straight, dignified steps, briefly glancing toward the crowd.
He was the shining star of the night. Wings of fire shimmered in his eyes.Everyone began clapping for him.
Just then, the side doors opened. The clergymen tasked with praying stepped out in pairs and began walking toward Lui Ran.Their purpose was to bless this young man—a symbolic act to mark the intersection of their paths.
Lui's steps slowed in a calculated rhythm, and four pairs of shoes appeared beside his leather boots.
"O son! Jewel of the kingdom! In these final years that your father has seen you, I stand here as a vessel of your lineage, carrying a crown so noble, so blessed, to complete your coronation. Now kneel before me and pray to God."
Two of the clergymen stepped forward, stopped standing, and sat down upon a spread pallet at the edge of the platform, facing the crowd.
Lui slowly knelt before the two clergymen.There was the triumph of a brave soul within his humble gesture.
"Today, on the 110th anniversary of our Kingdom, I..."Lui's words hesitated."...wish to place a kiss upon the blessed hands of my father, Fuzulin, who raised me to this day. I know he is watching over me."He lifted his head upward, as if he could see his father."However, he is too ill for me to witness him watching me. Today, I send the other half of my gratitude to my dear mother."
As tradition required, Lady Joo, who remained on the balcony, was moved the moment she heard her son's voice and saw his image reflected on the screen opposite her.
Lui's eyes sparkled like droplets of honey.
Before bowing his head before the clergy, he parted his lips to say one more thing.
"And to my dear... dear Tian Yan, who raised me until I was seven years old."
Lady Joo's brows furrowed. She whispered to one of the guards beside her:"What is this now?"
The guard looked at her with an uncertain expression."We didn't know he was going to say that."
Lady Joo lowered her eyes in curiosity. People had already begun murmuring among themselves.
The sparkle in Lui Ran's eyes began to fade as he watched the crowd's angry—and perhaps confused—gestures.A stillness fell over the movement of the people.
Just then, a disturbance broke out behind the crowd.
The lieutenants were rushing back and forth to restore order.
"Get the hell out of here, man!" echoed voices through the crowd.
Lui turned his gaze toward the back of the group formed by people, and instead of kneeling before the clergymen, he stood up.
"No! How can he rise after bowing to the clergy?"
"Impossible," said one of the elders.
"What is that boy trying to do?" Lady Joo asked angrily.
"We're on it right away," said one of the guards and headed toward the steps.
Lady Joo's nerves were on edge. She simply wanted the ceremony to end without incident.
Lui walked a few steps across the platform, even at the cost of outsmarting the guards closing in on him.The clergymen had begun reciting prayers to cast out the curse. They were muttering incomprehensible sentences aloud.
Lui began pushing his way into the crowd. Soldiers and guards exchanged glances. People looked at the prince strangely as he passed by. The noise at the door seemed to momentarily fade.
At the edge of the entrance steps, Lui Ran spotted an old man forced to kneel on the ground.
A word escaped his lips:"Father."
It was Wia Huya. With devastation in his gaze, he stared at the beloved son from many years ago.
A tear fell from both of their eyes at the same time. The ceremonial drums beating in the background seemed to stop with the wetness in Lui's eyes. Seeing no one else around, Lui felt a numbness spread through his legs. His armor had begun to weigh down on him.
He looked into Wia Huya's eyes and shut his own tightly.
What appeared before him was the image of a devoted father, who used to carry him every day beside a garbage cart. Lui slowly bowed to the ground in front of the crowd.
"What is he doing?" they murmured.
"Oh God, protect us from misfortune!" cried someone, shielding their head with their hands.
The drums stopped the moment Lui fell to his knees.A vast emptiness was left behind as Wia Huya was dragged out the door.
And kneeling in that emptiness was Lui Ran.