Voyage With The Pirate King

A failure is defined as an unsuccessful person or thing. An incompetent, non-achiever or in layman's terms, a loser. All of this partially described how Qilin Hao was feeling right now. She was a victim of her circumstances and in other words, she didn't have any other choice. The decision she made was justified under such a difficult situation.

But she didn't see it that way. She felt her lifespan cut in half when she heard what her son was up to. If anything happened to him it was equivalent to killing her and what made matters worse was that it was her fault for taking Ji Wen away.

If she hadn't done that Ji Yao wouldn't have had to resort to such means to get his father back. Clutching her chest she held back the tears threatening to fall. Qilin Luse was saying something to her but she could barely hear him.

He knew how much pain she was in, he had seen it all.. Her temper wasn't a result of bad character but a product of the pain she had been through. One of the most difficult things for a Qilin is being apart from their spouse and cub.

Though it's doable it's still painful. On top of that, her aether was under constant torment on the surface of the earth because he whose name shouldn't be mentioned had been attacking her through her dreams.

The damage on her aether from those constant attacks had made her health plummet significantly and each time she got angry her condition worsened.

"I failed..... I shouldn't have left, I," she muttered while Qilin Luse pushed Hei Ying out of the room.

Having been granted amnesty, Hei Ying didn't hesitate. He tiptoed out of there at a speed so fast you would think he was a ghost. As he exited through the door, he bumped into someone's rock hard chest. Because he was fleeing for his life he didn't bother taking a closer look. All Ji Wen saw was the disappearing figure of a very familiar bird.

He had been an extreme antagonist earlier when he had a meal together with Qilin Hao. She had stormed out of the dining hall in anger but her face didn't seem right.

Worried that he might have taken things a little too far he came over to check on her. He planned on waiting outside for one of the servants to come out so he can inquire about her but the only person who came out was this guy and he was high tailing out of there like he was running for his life.

He was about to push the door open when he heard something he shouldn't have. It was unmistakably Qilin Luse's voice. His voice was extremely gentle as he tried to pacify her.

"Your Highness can't blame herself for this. You had no choice. If you didn't leave you would have been dead by now. He whose name shouldn't be mentioned would have finished you off in anger so please...," he said kowtowing, "do not blame yourself. Please be slow to anger your highness otherwise your health will take a turn for worse."

Qilin Hao was silent this entire listening to him. From the gap through the door, Ji Wen could partially see her back as the lace curtain flattered slightly. She was sitting in a dejected posture like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

It was only then Ji Wen noticed how sickly she looked. Her once glowing skin was ashen pale and she appeared frail having lost a lot of weight. Whenever she came to the table to eat with him she would have on heavy makeup and thick clothes which was unlike her. 

At that time he hadn't thought anything of it but seeing her now with all that makeup and heavy garments gone he knew something was seriously wrong. This wasn't the Qilin Hao he knew.

His Qilin Hao from years back was a carefree joyous person who always put on a gorgeous smile when he was around. As the image of the woman he fell in love with, after literally falling on top of her from the foremast of his ship, his heart twisted painfully.

Now hearing the word 'dead' and 'worse' Ji Wen was suddenly enlightened. Qilin Hao was hiding something from him, something much more serious than having an affair.

Qilin Hao who had no idea she was being watched suddenly said, "Let him go..... I can't have Ji Yao putting himself in danger." As she said this she got up from the floor in sluggish footsteps.

Qilin Luse expected this but he still didn't forget the main objective. In the lowest possible voice, he asked, "What of the keystones?... If her highness can't get them she won't be able to give back to Niuq and cure her aether."

"Let him go," she repeated before disappearing deep into her chambers. She looked like a dog walking away into the woods preparing to die alone. From the look on her face, one could tell she had given up entirely.

Qilin Luse hated seeing her like this but he knew it was pointless to get through to her right now. Thinking he could find another way to convince her, he left closing the door behind him. The corridor was empty and dead silent but he sensed something was up.

The scent lingering in the air was ever so familiar. It was none other than Ji Wen. He paused his steps and with a slight tilt of his head he looked where Ji Wen was hiding. He couldn't see him but he knew he was there. With a slight smile on his face, he turned his head and left.

This was the smile of triumph. Qilin Hao didn't want Ji Wen and Ji Yao to know about her dark history following her from Niuq and she had strictly forbidden them from saying anything. Qilin Luse kept his word and if Ji Wen happened to overhear their conversation then that isn't his fault.

Surely, Ji Wen wouldn't let Qilin Hao die once he had learnt the truth. Feeling hopeful he strode away in hurried footsteps.

As soon as he was gone Ji Wen emerged from the shadows with his gaze transfixed on the closed door. He was just standing there burning holes into that door while contemplating his next move.

After almost two hours of standing there just staring blankly, he walked over to the door in slow steps. He raised his hand to touch the doorknob but withdrew in hesitation. Biting his lower lip he finally made a choice silently opening the door.

The room was dim-lit with a slight breeze blowing by causing the candlelight to flicker. He quietly slipped his hand through the parting of the lace curtain and slowly opened it to see. On the floor, there were brushes, paint, papers and books scattered everywhere.