Chapter 3

Emperor Chen Yi was busy wiping his bow and arrow that he would use later for his practice when Baihe, his personal eunuch aide, approached him.

"Your Majesty, Minister Ding would like to inform you that he has found a new person to be your bodyguard," he informed him. He paused for a moment and looked at him for a few seconds before turning his attention back to what he was doing.

"And who will he take now to spy on my actions?" as he says those words he clenched his grip on the clean rag. Minister Ding will do anything just to monitor his actions. They had just got rid of his last bodyguard who was also his spy and now he already got another one. So annoying.

"I heard it was his daughter, Your Majesty."

"His daughter?" he stopped what he was doing again and frowned as he thought for a moment. All he knew is that Lady Suli was his only child. Does he have a child hiding from the people?

Minister Ding used to be the leader of the eunuch when his father was still the emperor. He was the only eunuch who did not cut off his manhood so he got married and had a child before his wife died due to a serious illness. After that, he proclaimed himself as the prime minister and all eunuch who enter the palace needs to cut off their manhood so that they cannot marry and will only serves in the palace. Minister Ding was his father’s right-hand and trusted man before. Being close to the emperor, his connection increased so his horn suddenly grows longer.

He endured of twelve years under his control and up to this day he still endures him. Minister Ding has the token of his father's royal army so they only follows his command. But one day he will also be free from his control even without the help of the person that the priestess said before she loses her breath.

Twelve years have passed since his father died in front of him together with the priestess who was his advisor. Minister Ding forced his father to drink poison otherwise he would be killed as well as his Grandmother Yesha who was the former queen. His father did nothing but follow the minister's wishes just to protect him and his grandmother. Even the priestess was forced to drink poison too. But before she died, she left him a words. According to her, someone will come and help him to break free from Minister Ding's control over him. But until now, the person referred to by the priestess has not come. Is there really someone that will come to help him?

At the age of twelve, he became the emperor and because he was young and ignorant in running the kingdom, Minister Ding became his advisor. As a result, his connection increased rapidly and he even built his army of warriors. He does not stand as his advisor because he decides everything in the palace. He is more than emeperor than him. Being an emperor is just a title because the truth is, he is Minister Ding's puppet emperor. A useless emperor who controlled by a mere eunuch who self-proclaim as the prime minister of his kingdom. And all of his ministers knew about this but could do nothing to help him, especially his loyal ministers.

"That's what I heard, Your Majesty. His daughter grew up in a distant province but is said to be accustomed to fighting," his servant informed him.

Chen Yi was shocked. Even the minister's daughter will be made to be his tool just to monitor his actions. But whoever else this spy that he will send against him she will not get any information from him because he is careful. And all the men that the minister sent to spy on him was already secretly took away by his secret guard. And even if he will use his daughter to spy on him, he would not hesitate to kill her if necessary.

***

Amayah couldn't help but be amazed as they entered the emperor's palace. Its palace is very huge. Even if she tour for a whole day she would not be able to tour the entire palace in such a large size. She also lived in a large palace when she was young but she never got around. The eunuch allows her to take a walk  up to the royal garden only. She never had a chance to tour inside their palace.

"Remember what I've told you, Amayah," said her father who stopped walking for a moment to look back at her.

"Yes, Father. I will remember your instructions," she replied quickly. His instructions that she should always remember is that she always checks the people who talk to the emperor because many people are trying to take his life, she always follows him wherever he goes to make sure of his safety, and above all, the emperor should not be able to see her face. She was able to do his commands and about the last one she will surely not let the emperor to see her face because she had no intention of showing the emperor her unpleasant face.

"It's good that we understand each other," he nods before continuing to walk until they reached the garden where the emperor was practicing the use of bows and arrows.

Somehow Amayah felt a mixture of nervousness and longing to meet the emperor of the Chen Dynasty. She wonders what his temperament and his appearance are because she knows their emperor was still young. It is said that he was young when he sat on the throne after the former emperor died of an illness. And his adopted became his advisor because he was young and still naive in running a kingdom.

When they arrived at the garden she saw a man practicing the use of a bow and arrow. When he released the holding arrow it hit the apple which was its target.  She was impressed to see his skill in using that weapon. And she will admit he has a better shooting than her. She is also good at shooting but she thinks the emperor is better than her.  She can see base on his posture and form that he was skilled using that weapon.

"Impressive! You are very good at using a bow and arrow, Your Majesty," praised her adopted father as his both hands clapped. The emperor immediately turns to them when he heard his father's voice.

"You are better than me, Minister Ding. My ability is nothing compared to your ability," the emperor immediately replied with a serious face. She didn't know if he was angry that his father praised him or if it was just the natural expression of his face. He handed the bow and arrow to his eunuch then approached them. She bowed slightly for respect to him while her father remained standing as if the emperor was not in front of him.

Amayah could not help but admire the young emperor's handsomeness. A great painter seems to have drawn the two lines above his eyes which are slightly narrowed. His nose seems to have been deliberately carved by a great sculptor and his red lips are kissable. In short, Emperor Chen Yi is very handsome. Even though his appearance is serious it does not detract from his elegance. The seriousness of his face adds to his charisma. She thought that many women in the palace must have dreamed of being caught at least by the emperor attention.  But in her mind, only a very beautiful princess would suit their handsome emperor.

Aren't you also a princess? said a small voice inside her mind. She quickly shook her head to get rid of that little voice. Yes, she was a princess but that was before.  And another thing, her face is not pleasant in the eyes of other people. The emperor  might frightened when he saw her ugly appearance.

"We're both great, My Emperor," her adopeted father laughed. She couldn't help but frown slightly. Didn't her father feels awkward that he was laughing while the person he was talking wears a serious face? Or maybe he was already accustomed to the emperor's behavior that's why he is no longer felt awkward? "By the way, this is my youngest daughter Amayah. From now on, she will be the replacement for your bodyguard who suddenly disappeared," he introduced her to the Chen Yi. She bowed slightly when the emperor glanced at her.

"What if she suddenly disappeared again just like the other bodyguards that you assigned to me?" the emperor's seemingly mysterious question was just laughed by her father.

"Don't worry because I'm sure Amayah won't disappear like a bubble," her father replied him with a smile on his face. She couldn't understand what the two were talking about but it seemed like every word they uttered had a heavy content.

"Ow? We'll see," the emperor replied slightly raising an eyebrow. He walked closer to her and stopped only a few inches away between the two of them.  Her breathing seemed to stop when one of her hands suddenly rose to her face to remove the veil that covered her face. But before he could touch even the end of her veil her father quickly grabbed the emperor's arm to stop of what he is planning to do.

“You wouldn’t want to see my daughter's scary face, Your Majesty,” her adopted father said.

"What do you mean?" the emperor asked her father but his eyes were focused on her.

Her father put down of the emperor's arm first before answering his question. "When she was young, I accidentally hit her face with my whip. The whip marked her face and has not been removed. And anyone who sees Amayah's face is scarred and disgusted. So I put a veil on her face and did not allow her to remove it from her face," her father explained.

Amayah bowed her head again. She did not want to see how the emperor would disgust her face after hearing her father's words.  But it was also good so that he would not try to remove the red veil he was wearing on her face.

Her father didn't  didn't talk the emperor for so long. After informing Emperor Chen Yi that he could not remove the veil from her face, he finally said goodbye because he still had a lot of work to take care of.  After her father left, the emperor watched her for a while before prompting her to approach the place where the apple he had targeted earlier was placed. When she realized what he was planning to do she clenched her two fists tightly. He wants her to put the apple on her head so he could target it. This is what she was talking about that the foot of the emperor's guard has already inside a pit. Even though she had seen earlier that he was good at shooting the arrow he still couldn’t help but worry for her safety. What if he suddenly misses and instead of hitting the apple, her face will be the one to hit by it instead? Her face was surely have a hole. Will this be her end? Could she no longer avenge what happened to their kingdom and the death of her loved ones?