The Mask Of A Siren

Concubine Mei looked frantically at the General. She couldn't even move her shaking feet. Sweat was starting to form on the forehead. The General carefully led the Crown Prince toward his chamber. He glanced back at his mistress. Sighing, he turned away.

Lan'er could feel her mother's hands trembling.Lan'er glazed at Hongyue. Did her eldest sister tell the truth?

"Mother. Mother. Hongyue wants to play." Hongyue whined deliberately grabbing on to Concubine Mei's hand.

Concubine Mei could feel her head throbbing. She glared at the dumb looking girl in front of her. There was no sign of any magic practice yet this stupid girl wasn't dying. Yes, it was all because of this brat all of this happened. She slapped Hongyue's hand off.

"Leave, you stupid brat. I'm not your mother!"

Hongyue stumbled to the ground. Lan'er ached to help her sister up. Suddenly Hongyue looked up at Concubine Mei dazed.

"This daughter wants to play a game!"

Lan'er advanced closer and curiously asked. "What game do you want to play?"

Hongyue giggled, "Telling Secrets."

"What secrets can you tell? You're just a stupid person. Leave." Concubine Mei reported.

Hongyue stubbornly insisted."Mother, I heard a secret from that dead maid. She said she's not a spy, she said you sent her to kill me."

Concubine Mei froze. "What?"

Lan'er looked pale. She knew that the two were harming her sister but she had no clue it was like this.

Concubine Mei seized Hongyue by the shoulders. "What did you say?!"

Hongyue leaned in pretending to be very wary. "That maid said not to tell anyone but I only have this one secret to tell so I'm going to tell you." She whispered into Concubine Mei's ears. Hongyue watched as the Concubine's eyes widened.

"Lan'er go back. A corpse of a dead servant will ruin your eyes. I'm going to see which servant has the guts to lie to your Eldest sister", Concubine Mei examined Hongyue, "And have your sister tell such lies."

Turning to Hongyue, Concubine Mei clutched Hongyue's hands tightly and spoke a single word," Where?"

The pair left Lan'er who was standing there, suddenly she snapped her fingers before chanting a spell. A nearby bird abruptly grew entranced and followed the two as they persisted on their way. Lan'er turned and proceeded in the direction of Hongyue's residence.

Hongyue led the way stopping every once in a while to fool about. This allowed Concubine Mei to notice attractive white jade hair stick.

"Where did you get that hair stick?" Concubine Mei's voice sounded sweet.

Hongyue glared and pouted. "I found it. It's mine."

"Nonsense, you stole it." With that Concubine Mei quickly grabbed the hair stick and tucked it into her own hair, "It was mine, you stole it from me. How could an idiot like you have it? It belongs to me."

Hongyue turned around pretending to be offended, but she couldn't help laughing inwardly. Her plan worked amazingly. They continued on where they located the dead body laying on the ground enveloped with a white mourning cloth. Hongyue went closer to the body and pretended to talk with the body.

Concubine Mei crinkled her nose in revulsion and retreated away. She questioned why she would follow a stupid child. Even if the information remained true, this was a dead body: what could even happen?

"Why isn't she talking?" She asked.

Hongyue didn't respond. Using her forefinger, she undrew a circle. Softly murmuring, "Release."

The ice hair stick glowed and suddenly the body of the dead maid shook. Concubine Mei screeched. The hair stick started to slowly melt and disrupting with the Concubine's mind. Hongyue shifted her finger and forced the blood inside the dead maid to go up. This prompted the dead body to stand. Concubine Mei wheezed for air desperately. What was happening? Illusions suddenly interfere with her vision. She stumbled about confused but frightened out of her mind.

"You did it." Hongyue nonchalantly stated.

"No, no, no...I didn't" Concubine Mei frantically denied. Suddenly the dead body lunched forward. Concubine Mei's hand made contact with the dead flesh causing the hair stick glowed even brighter. Concubine Mei wailed in fear. Hongyue lowered her hand. The dead body fell back. But the mind of the Concubine was shattered. Her eyes were rolled back and she was chattering nonstop.

"..You.. deserved to die, so does your daughter. Who told you to provoke the General. I'll send your daughter to you too..hahahaHAHAha.."

Hongyue narrowed her eyes. "Who deserved to die?"

Concubine Mei looked up mindlessly mumbling, "I hate your face. Why haven't you die yet?!!! Go follow your mother!"

The crazed woman lunged for Hongyue who dodged her attack. Concubine Mei's landing on the dirt ground, her eyes rolled back, fainting next to the dead body. Hongyue clenched her left hand and turned back. The hair stick melted completely only leaving a wet spot on the Concubine's hair.

Some things were still unclear but one thing was: Concubine Mei was talking how the General had something to do with her mother's death.