Nisha of the Red

30 minutes prior....

Ta' Lai couldn't help feel the heart in his c.h.e.s.t start to pound the moment the fifth miss would make her entrance. Even though he didn't get the opportunity to fully see her face or even the rest of her beside her beautiful arms and hands, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He finally felt once in his pampered life it wasn't worth living the moment Tia' Lia saw her. He didn't know what she looked like, but he didn't care. But he felt he can easily identify by her strikingly beautiful hands. He was confident that he could find her again and get to know her. His face blushed shyly from the thought.

A fork was stabbed instantly where the young prince's hand was once was. Tai' Lia felt his blood freeze over in panic as he looked over to the eye-catching man that seemed to be on fire.

Temple didn't sit too far away from him, but that the young flame general could easily do a lot worst if he wanted to. Ta' Lai was afraid, yes, but he couldn't help himself to tag along to meet the woman of once of a lifetime.

"Young Prince, Ta' Lai, isn't below your status to visit such a lowly household?"

"I never knew to visit a friend was below me."

Temple played with the teacup in his hand as he traces the grooves of the porcelain cup. He nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"Even to go as far as to jeopardize my mission? Interesting."

Ta' Lai wanted to refute, but he couldn't. He knew his father personally tasked Temple with a mission to find evidence at the Westhaven estate, that's how he was able to find him in the first place. He was originally here to congratulate his childhood friend of curing himself of his condition and then leave afterward but didn't expect to meet such a goddess-like figure here. He did feel some shame from it all but now he felt deep down inside if he just left obediently after a few threats he would regret it.

"I don't recall, the young woman that you were with was apart of your mission." Ta' Lai finally said after a while as he drank his tea.

"She's not, she's my wife."

Tea sprayed out his mouth in shock, as it turned to steam the moment it got close to Temple's body that emitted high temptations that can evaporate liquids. The prince looked at him as if his eyes nearly popped out of his head. Temple was unfazed by his reaction and continues to pounder over the empty teacup.

"Impossible!" The prince shouted in anger. If his servants were here they would immediately be shocked be his unruly behavior. The prince would never shout in public as he did now, under no circ.u.mstances.

A dangerous glimmer came from Temple's eyes that startled him. Ta' Lai in the second time in his small life felt a bone-chilling sensation invade. It was like staring at the edge of a cliff with no end. The prince wanted to look straight into his emerald eyes and be unmoved from the killing intent he felt. But he couldn't, Temple left him shaken like a leaf.

"What about your family? What will your father say? and especially, what about the princess?" the prince questioned in a panic.

Temple finally put the teacup in his hands down onto the table as he once again looked at the prince.

"All is well, I will fulfill my duty to marry the princess, as a promise she will be my main wife and Nisha will be my second wife."

Ta' Lai was alarmed by Temple willing to give his second seat to a baron's concubine's daughter. Even if he were to steal the fifth miss away for himself, he still had an arranged marriage in place for his main wife, second wife, and afterward, he was free to choose women of lower status. Thus the best he can do was offer the fifth miss a seat of a lead concubine of his royal house. Even that was something overreaching for him, but if he tried hard he can get it done. However, he didn't know how to compare if his offer was better than the other. A lead concubine from the royal family was something many women aspired to be. It was a life of confinement within the palace walls, but he'll make sure to perfectly attend to her. But the seat of the second wife was something a lot of low borns dreamed about. Second wives can have a lot more freedom and not a slave to the main wife. Also, Temple's status was not too far away from him. More like, he had to catch up to meet Temple's standards.

Ta' Lai could only clutch his fist in frustration as he pondered his next moves. Temple didn't pay him any mind, but he made a mental note to ask his family for a charm to seal his wife's yin physique.

Soon the prince smirked after taking apart Temple's wish making. Temple's plan sounded nice to the ears, but it wasn't real. He lived with his grand sister all his life and knew how difficult of a person she was. The princess was extremely processive, spoiled, spiteful, crazy, and a great pretender. Ta' Lai knew his sister will never settle for being one of the main wives and will make the fifth miss's life a living hell. He saw her go so far to behead a whole family of lower-class nobility because the daughters wanted to wed Temple. There are much more cruel stories of the princess has done behind the scenes, that he didn't care to look into.

"You seem to forget my royal sister's temper. What makes you think she'll be 'okay' sharing the seat of the main wife?"

A slight tremble of Temple's fingers came to view and the prince knew he splashed him with cold water. The prince smiled but knew that this was for the best if he wanted to protect the fifth miss. He knew of the unspeakable things that the royal women of the palace have done, and he knew that his sister was one of the worst. This was his win.

"I'll make her behave, and if she doesn't she'll be punished on my right being her husband."

"What punishment can be done to a royal member of my family?" He smirked.

"She will not be allowed to bear my first child."

"My royal sister will be driven mad if another stole her right to first bear a child. You're crazy."

It was Temple's turn to smirk from Ta' Lai's remark.

"And what of it? She is my wife and must obey my wishes. Once she is married into my family, she'll no longer be apart of the royal family. No one is excused from the family laws within my estate."

Ta' Lai looked fl.u.s.tered from Temple's claims on the laws of the palace is meant for decoration. He huffed in frustration from thinking about his sister's unruly, overbearing character.

"It can't be helped that she's spoiled, her mother died young, and Empress Dowager pampered her like a child."

"...and like a child, she will learn the rules of my house. She'll obey if she wants to stay in favor." Temple said knowingly with confidence.

The prince sneered at the man and knew if he didn't act fast his prize will disappear from him.

"Even if you get my royal sister is restrained. I believe I can offer the fifth miss a better position."

"Oh?" Temple eyed him and was amused by what he had to say. What was better than being the second main wife and the first to bear his child.

"I can offer a title of honorary princess and her own land."

"People will laugh at her and you for honoring a royal title to a concubine."

"I can manage, at least I can promise that our children will have royal blood in their veins."

"No matter what you offer her, she's still mine," Temple claimed.

A sudden memory of the fifth miss and Temple filled the prince's mind. They were intimately close and knew his once lame friend tussled with the beauty. Even the act of an unwed woman being intimate with a man went against the social norms and should be viewed as a crime he stilled wanted her madly. Even if he has to, he'll make such to wash the fifth miss with himself 100 times over to remove traces of Temple.

The table was silent as they both continued to sit there idly waiting for the woman that they both wanted to marry.