Conquering the Emperor

Chapter 188: Straightening Things Out

“Stay in this tent. If you leave without my permission, I’ll cut your head off,” Ren commanded before he headed for the exit.

I could feel Ren’s menacing glare on me, and my body felt cold with fear. Things have taken a turn for the worst. As Ren left the tent followed by Shin, I was left alone in the large tent. Probably unbeknownst to Ren and Shin, I was far from admitting defeat. If I give up now, then everything will be for naught. Somehow, I’m going to convince Ren to let me work to earn my keep.

My legs gave way from the tension, and I flopped down onto one of the chairs. I felt like I needed to cry from all the bottled-up emotions and frustration. However, my brain was too busy planning my next move that no tears came to my eyes. This is not the time for me to shed any useless tears.

...

Knowing that Ren wanted to have a private talk with him, Shin led the way to his own tent which was located nearby. Shin knew that Ren was extremely mad right now, but he had already decided on how he was going to persuade his dear friend. He just had to hope that he would survive long enough in Ren’s presence to complete his talk.

Shin entered the tent and Ren followed. The moment that they were inside, Ren pulled his fist back and punched Shin squarely in the face. Shin staggered at the impact of the blow, grabbing a nearby chair to break his fall just in time. After touching his lips, Shin could see blood on his fingers, and he sighed before getting back up onto his feet again.

“Ok...I deserve that. My lips will be swollen tomorrow but I can live with it,” Shin said quite calmly.

“And so, you should!” Ren said loudly, although he did not attempt to hit Shin again.

“Despite what you just said. You know that it’ll be more dangerous if you send her back now, right?” Shin said knowingly.

Sending Rin back without proper escort across many towns before she would reach the capital is going to be a very risky move. The army couldn’t spare soldiers or guides to escort her back properly and the risk of her being attacked enroute was high, especially if information leaked out concerning who she was. A hostage situation would become very likely and that would put Ren’s army at a huge disadvantage. Both Shin and Ren knew this very well.

“Why did you have to bring her here? I wasn’t planning to lose my life out here. Why can’t you and father see that this is all unnecessary,” Ren asked in exasperation.

“Well, at first, I really wanted to use her to keep you sitting idly around in your tent while you babysit her, but the truth is...I really want to see it. I want to see if a woman can really be valuable on the battlefield. She’s Lady White Lotus and she’s your woman but at the same time she’s Rin and she’s a very talented doctor...” Shin said honestly as he tried to appeal to Ren.

“It’s not safe for her here...” Ren stated flatly.

“I know you’re concerned for her safety, and I am too. However, I know best that you won’t allow her to get hurt or die here so...” Shin said before he trailed off and smiled at his friend.

“I will punish you for causing complications on the battlefield during war,” Ren said sternly.

“I’ll willingly admit to that. You said a lot of cruel things to her. Why don’t you go see her now? She’s probably crying her eyes out...” Shin advised.

“She’s not that weak...” Ren said curtly before he turned and left.

Shin watched Ren’s back as he quickly strode out of his tent. His hands returned to the wound on his lip, and he grimaced a little at the stinging pain. He smiled a little as he thought of how light his punishment was this time around. He’d willingly take on a thousand punches if that meant keeping his prince safe.

...

I paced around in the tent once my legs have regained some strength. Ren is probably having a chat with Shin right now. His mood will depend on how well the chat goes. Shin, I hope you have this figured out for our sakes!

With nothing better to do, I continued pacing around the tent in circles as I thought about how to best convince Ren to let me work in the medical tent along with the other doctors. I could be straight forward with him and have a battle of words or I can try a gentler approach by doing some favor to please him. What about I give him a shoulder massage? freēwēbnovel.com

If only it was that easy to get his approval...

I haven’t finalized my next move when the tent flap opened, and Ren walked in. Judging from the cold expression on his face, his talks with Shin did not contain sunshine and rainbows. However, Ren seemed to have calmed down a bit and that was more than enough for me. Thank you...Shin...

“Ren...can we talk?” I asked softly as I turned to face him.

Ren sighed loudly before he motioned with his hand for me to come closer. I nodded my head slightly and made my way to him. Without saying a word, Ren wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. My eyes widened in surprise and at first, I couldn’t quite understand what was going on. Why is Ren hugging me right now?

Slightly confused, I slowly lifted my arms and hugged him in return. The feel of his warmth enveloping my body felt comfortable and I relaxed in his arms. The way my heart seemed to soar in delight at his touch reminded me that it has been a couple of days since I last saw him.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were planning to come along?” Ren asked once he had let go of me.

He held me by the shoulders at arm’s length as he began to question me. I could tell that he was still angry but at least he was willing to listen and talk to me about it. That was a great start.

--To be continued...