Volume 10: Chapter 11 – Ke Lun Duo’s Love
I couldn’t stop the curiosity and asked, “Since you didn’t like Mu Zi, why would you accept the Demon Emperor’s arranged marriage?”
Ke Lun Duo looked at me as though I was an idiot. “Aren’t you normally quick-witted? Whenever something involves Mu Zi, you become very simple minded. I can’t go against the king’s order. I agreed for power. Moreover, my father had placed a lot of pressure on me. Do you know who I love? It’s one of the servant girls from my manor. You’re the first person that I have disclosed this secret to. Don’t you ever tell anyone else. Actually, I really hope that you and Mu Zi can get together so that I’ll have a legitimate reason to withdraw from the marriage.”
His words aroused my interest. I questioned closely, “Can you tell me your experiences?”
Ke Lun Duo seemed to recover his attitude when he impersonated the second prince as he teasingly replied, “You’re such a gossiper; even the princess hasn’t asked me this before. Alright, I’ll tell you since you want to know, but you must swear to keep it a secret.”
I had completely recovered from the pain discovering that I couldn’t recover my looks. I patted my chest as I promised him, “Don’t worry. Every word from me carries weight.”
Ke Lun Duo surveyed his surroundings before an intense longingness appeared in his eyes. His tone became softer. “Ah Shui is an extremely good girl. It was unknown why she wandered the streets when she was still a child. I’m 29 years old this year. I was 15 years old when I met with the 5 year old in the streets. She looked extremely filthy at that time as she begged at the road side. The elder children that were begging bullied her as well. They beat her to the point that blood flowed from her mouth and nose. I decided to get involved due to righteous indignation. Currently, I’m really happy that I decided to help her out. Otherwise, I would have lost my greatest happiness.”
I teased, “Look at you now, you’re like a child experiencing his first love.”
Ke Lun Duo pretended to be angry as he rebuked, “It is my first love. Got a problem with that? Do you still want to hear my story? If you interrupt me again, I won’t continue my story.”
I hastily said, “Alright! Alright! Just say your story. I won’t interrupt again.”
Ke Lun Duo replied with satisfaction. “That’s more like it. At that time, I beat all of the children that bullied her before tossing some money at her and preparing to head home. I didn’t expect that she would persistently refuse to part from me. She just wouldn’t leave me no matter what I did. I tried being fierce towards her, scolding her and scaring her. But she just wanted to follow me no matter what. I originally planned to toss her at the entrance of my house, but I didn’t have the heart to do it, so I decided to bring her into the manor. After my father discovered this, he didn’t chide me, but rather praised my kindhearted heart and arranged for the servant in the manor to take care of her. When I asked her if she has any other kin, she just kept on crying, giving me an impression of a crybaby. When I was about to leave her, she told me that I was a really good person and asked if she could marry me after she grows up.”
I exclaimed, “Can this be counted as you having abducted a young lady that hadn’t mature yet?”
Ke Lun knocked on my head before continuing, “What do you mean abducted? It was meant to be a joke when I said that I’ll wait for her to grow up before deciding. I had busied myself with my own matters from then on. Everyday, I trained, studied and lead the troops. It was four years after I met up with her again in the manor. Even though she was only 15 at that time, she looked exceptionally beautiful. She had gained my mother’s appreciation with her pretty looks, her cleverness and abilities, making her serve by her side. When I saw her, she was wearing a white cloth with her lengthy black hair scattered on her back. The shock she gave me was deeply engraved in my memory. I initially wondered whose family’s young lady had come to visit the manor so I asked my mother about it. She told me that she was the filthy little girl that I had rescued. She suddenly came to find me one day and said, ‘Brother, I’ve already grown up. Can I marry you? I know my status is low, but I just want to serve you by your side, no matter if it’s to be your slave or wife, I’m willing.’ Zhang Gong, think about it, when a beauty says this to you, how will you feel?”
His words made me reminisce Hai Shui. “It’s hard to say. If she’s the first one that entered your heart, you must be worried.”
Ke Lun Dup nodded. “That’s right, even though I didn’t really reply to her at the time, her position in my heart was already very heavy. Thus, I went to my mother and asked her to serve me. My mother wordlessly agreed. Those were my happiest moments from then on. She was smart and gentle, giving off a manner of an unmarried daughter of a noble house. I taught her how to write and strum a lute. She quickly adapted and gradually, I found that I was already unable to part from her. Finally, on a rainy night, I drank too much wine and couldn’t control myself, so…….” When he said that part, Ke Lun Duo’s face flushed.
As a man, I naturally understood what he had done before angrily rebuking him, “You, lecher, to take advantage of her difficulties.”
Ke Lun Duo glared at me and said, “What do you mean I took advantage of her difficulties? We’re truly in love. After that, I swore that I’ll only love her in my life. However, Ah Shui didn’t express too much excitement and just said that she’s satisfied with just staying by my side. It was at that moment that the Demon Emperor announced my and Mu Zi’s marriage. I still remember this vividly: once Ah Shui got the news, her face paled for a month, making her fall severely ill. I had used everyday after that swearing and promising her, with the addition of my Eighteen Softening skills, I successfully brought her back to my side.”
I asked, stunned, “What are the Eighteen Softening skills?”
Ke Lun Duo smiled mysteriously. “You don’t know? There’s also things that you, the God’s inheritor, didn’t know? When chance presents itself, big brother will teach you. I promise that you will be able to coax Mu Zi to be docile.”
I understood what he meant after his explanation before I snappily said, “You! Are you and Ah Shui gonna go on like this forever? Your parents also don’t know about your matters. When are you going to give her a status? If you don’t cherish such a good girl, you’ll regret it for life.”
Ke Lun Duo replied, “I don’t need you to teach me that. When I came here with Mu Zi, protecting her is my highest priority, but secondly, it’s also to facilitate in getting you two back together. The best will be for you to elope with her. Hehe! I’ll then be able to justly and honorably withdraw from the marriage to marry my beloved Ah Shui. Haha!”