On My Way: The Demon King Made Me His

Chapter 72: Trick up the sleeves

"Carry him," King Aenon ordered the guards and asked them to take him back to his room. Empress created a show over reacting which made Rivera quickly understand the intentions and played along. 

"That's nice if you to worry about your husband,  I was not expecting this," Rivera whispered while the men were busy helping The Emperor drink some water waking his conscious. He coughed badly. 

"It is just that he caught cold from drinking the plum wine," The Empress told her old friend in her ear. 

"And is it the elixir that takes the heat in your body away?" Rivera asked. Empress could not help but smile when she mentioned about the elixir. "Nothing seems changed," Rivera said and sat straight putting on the worried expression. 

Rivera and Lihua had finished their training for the day. Shifu had taken in a demon to train but kept as a secret  for the heaven to not find out about it. Months passed, nobody found out about his origin in the school but in a glance,  Lihua caught him. Playful Lihua threatened the demon lying she would expose him. Lihua was always accompanied by her only best friend Rivera, a small young girl, the bethroded girl of Water Prince Aenon since her birth. 

Dritan begged Lihua alot to keep her mouth shut and even quarrel often about it with her sometimes. But they did not realise how they were falling for each other madly.  They started training together and spend more time together. Dritan once took her on a trip under their Shifu's instructions. That must have been the time they confessed. 

The day they returned, Lihua came with the news. Lihua explained about a trick she played on Dritan using the chill pill, an elixir that takes the hear away from the body, which led one to another trying to help her and ended up together in bed. She was excited. Her love blossoming and flourishing with a handsome demon. But she at the time didn't know about the consequences of falling for a demon. But Lihua hid the secrets about him so well. Months passed again and Rivera caught Dritan and her best friend fooling around many times. Rivera also saw Prince Tai following Lihua at times but didn't want to disturb her saying about this.

Months passed and Dritan and Lihua grew closer and closer disappearing together often. Everyone came to know about their relationship and the star kingdom warned her. But the rendezvous they spent the intimate times together led to the pregnancy of the Star Princess that shook the heaven and hell equally. Everyone blamed her. Star Kingdom almost disowned her. But Lihua gave birth to a baby boy, healthy and happy. And all through her difficult pregnancy times, only Rivera helped her staying close and giving her a chamber in her own palace. Rivera's the then fiance Prince Aenon was so proud of her to have taken care of her best friend. 

Dritan was forcefully taken back to Demon Realm by his father, the Demon King Fan. He was never sent out of the palace again. Forced to take power and help his father rule the Hell. Lihua never got to see him again nor show their son to him. But after few months, one day, Dritan did come to visit his woman and son in the water realm while he was on his business.  He looked different and not as she expected him to be. 

Dritan took his son and kissed his forehead. "One day, you will rule this entire universe, and I will watch you proudly then, never be a coward like your father is going to be now," he whispered to baby's ears with tears in his eyes. "Huo'er,  name him Huo," That was all Dritan said. 

"Yes, Huo'er, he will be our little Huo," she said crying taking the baby back to her hands. Baby Huo looked chubby and cute, the tiny silver hair glistening. 

"Am glad that he looks like you," Dritan said and looked at Lihua for sometime. 

"Say it," Lihua said. She could sense that Dritan is in trouble. 

"Listen, about everything," he hesitated. He was not sure about how to say it out loud. Lihua stood with mountain high expectations. "I came here on  a plan's business purpose, I have to go back before they come find me here with you, " he said. 

"I know, Lihua said expecting him to open up about what he is going to do with her and the baby, whether he will take the two to his home. Little did she know that she and baby was never liked by the Demon King for the grudges they hold with Heaven. Rivera was just outside the chamber, sitting near the pond but she could hear everything and she wanted to, to know what kind of man Dritan is.

"We should not become a reason for the war between heaven and hell. Demon Realm has people too and depend highly on heaven's water resources, if I choose you, I will be leaving million of people behind me who trust me, "

"Enough," Lihua said when she understood about the point Dritan was trying to reach. She cried for few minutes and looked at him strong. "Never come and see us again, consider us as dead, we will no longer have a connection of any sort," she declared and asked him to leave immediately feeling disgusted to look at him. Tears streamed down her have and on Huo'er's cheek. She wiped the baby's face and put him back in the cradle. Then she walked away and did not show up home for a whole day. 

By that time, the rumours about the prophecy came out. The birth of half blooded moonchild who will ruin the heaven. The Emperor ordered to find the child and execute him. Rivera felt si wronged and Lihua was shocked. There was none who supported her and the father did not even want the child. Lihua was broken beyond repair having no idea how to save Huo'er. 

It was then Prince Tai showed up and asked for her hands with a promise to protect the child and help Dritan sit in his throne without wars. He was proud and wanted to buy Lihua at any cost and she said yes falling for his words. She expected for Dritan to show up and protect them but he did not. But Rivera stood against her this time.

Rivera warned about how fake Prince Tai is and how he followed her secretly everywhere. But that did not change anything since she had already given herself away for Tai, raped by him hard, for long hours until he made sure he gave her a child in her womb. Rivera felt disgusted and left. She attended the wedding but didn't give her blessings warning Lihua about how Tai would break his promises and use her supporting him on throne. And everything happened just like that. He hunt down Huo'er and almost murdered the child. And used Lihua's powers while he kept filling his harem. And years later Aaron, son of Tai grew up just like his father. To Lihua whole life was disappointing. Losing both her children, she had nothing else to live for.

"What did he have wrongly enough for collapsing?" King Aenon asked the Empress. 

"He drank our plum wine and caught cold. Phoenix core needs warmth, we served chilled wines and he travelled a long distance, surely he is not growing a day younger as time passes," Rivera told her husband. Who indeed was worried to have had such a thing which also has the chance that Emperor might have to stay longer, delaying their journey. Empress got up from her seat and entered Tai's chambers. He was lying down silently. 

"How are you?" She asked him.

"What did you do to me?" He asked her first thing.

"What? Why would I do anything to you?" Empress pretended well. 

"Then what is wrong with me?" 

"Didn't you finish almost a barrel of chilled plum wine, can't you have sense that it will affect your fire core ?" She asked him back. 

"How can a simple wine hurt me?" He asked her about the ridiculous explanation given.

"You are growing old everyday, immortals or not, this fact cannot change Tai," she said strongly and shut his mouth. 

"Leave, I wish to rest for sometime," he said. By that time, King Aenon made the maids deliver all the sumptuous dishes to the guest palace since the dinner has been cancelled. Everything arranged in banquet hall was transferred. 

Empress was happy and hungry, she settled down in her room and had a lavish meal. Rivera knocked on the door. 

"Come in," Lihua ordered. "Join me," she said as she saw Rivera. 

Rivera settled down opposite her old friend and maids served her. Rivera asked the maid to serve her only the soup and rejected else. "I dine with Aenon every time," she said.

"Happy to see you living a great life," Empress said. 

"You could have to, with me, here" Rivera reminded her. 

"It is all over, let us not discuss about that chapter again," she said showing her unwillingness to speak about the past.

"What are you going to do tomorrow?" Rivera asked Lihua. 

"I.." Empress Lihua began.