Chapter 28: Aspirations

"You have said some very interesting words..." Prince Yi said turning to calmly look at Lei Xing.

Lei Xing blankly looked back at him and then turned to the bookshelf, fingering through the books.

{...I guess you're taking the scenic route...let me know when you arrive at your destination...Maybe I should just leave -...}

"What was it...Motivation over qualifications...hard work matching talent..." Prince Yi looking down at the book in his hand, smiled to himself.

{...If only they could appreciate that too...my foolish father...If he could, then...}

Still looking down at the book, he asked, "What is your motivation for?"

Lei Xing knit her brows and turned to him.

{...Huh?...That's the question?...}

Prince Yi looked at her and explained, "I was thinking that for someone to say such words, they must already have a goal in mind that they are motivated towards, so I was curious what that goal is?"

Lei Xing rolled her eyes in her mind.

{...Well, that or they are really lazy hahaha...but I guess I do have one...a lazy one, but it is a goal...}

"So what is it?" He asked again.

Lei Xing looked at him for a while and thought.

{...Why not?...}

She answered, "Freedom."

Prince Yi nodded his head in understanding, "Freedom? That's why you turned down the position of Empress, your aspirations are higher."

Lei Xing was confused and looked at him skeptically.

Prince Yi glanced at her, "It's control then."

Lei Xing cast him a questioning glance.

{...Here's why not?!... Ah, I think we're on the wrong page here...}

"To have freedom is to have absolute control over one's life, isn't it?"

Lei Xing remained silent.

{...I don't think I should answer that...}

Prince Yi sighed and looked down at the book in his hand, and quietly whispered, "It is also what I aspire for."

Lei Xing heard him say this and blinked.

{...We're definitely on the wrong page here! Why tell me that?! \(OoO)...}

"Freedom and absolute control don't mean the same thing." Lei Xing cooly said.

Prince Yi froze, frowned and turned to Lei Xing. She calmly looked at him and said, "The idea of absolute control over one's life is an illusion, an impossible dream."

Prince Yi's raised an eyebrow and sneered, "An impossible dream?"

{...What are you trying to say?...}

Lei Xing looked at his expression and sighed in her mind.

{...Look, I'm not trying to shit on your dreams or anything...I just don't want you getting the wrong idea here...}

"Our lives constantly intersect with that of others and are affected by them. Even though you have "absolute control" over your own actions, you cannot exercise that control over the actions of others, and that makes the idea of having absolute control impossible."

Prince Yi indignantly said, "And if you can gain control over the actions of others?"

Lei Xing narrowed her eyes, "Even then, absolute control is impossible. You can say you have absolute control over the life of the fish in your pond, you can control when and what they eat, whether or not they stay in the pond, and whether or not they are caught and killed today. But can you always control which way they swim in the pond?..."

"No, and therefore you do not have absolute control over them. If you can't gain absolute control over something as simple as fish in a closed environment you "control", how do you expect to gain absolute control over people?..."

"...Not to mention, nature makes it all the more impossible. You cannot predict nor control its course. If a massive wave crashes down here right now, you will be carried along with it, no matter how great a swimmer you are and no matter how much in control you are, you cannot will yourself to stand above the water, nor will the water part from you." Lei Xing calmly said.

Prince Yi narrowed his eyes and didn't say anything.

Lei Xing continued, "The freedom I aspire for is not absolute control. While you are right in saying that control is a key element of freedom, all I want is the freedom to live my life as I will within the confines of reality." Lei Xing finished.

She calmly looked at Prince Yi, who was frowning down at the book in his hand, then she turned and started walking away. After a few steps, Prince Yi suddenly said behind her, "I could help you."

Lei Xing froze and turned back to look at him, he was smiling at her. Lei Xing furrowed her brows and scrutinized him and felt like his eyes reminded her of a sneaky fox, they seemed to be holding some hidden intentions.

{...hahaha...I believe this can be considered an offer from a devil, right?...or am I just paranoid?...}

Lei Xing politely smiled, "Thank you for the offer, but no need."

Prince Yi nodded and then said with a smile still on his face, "If you change your mind, it still stands."

Lei Xing smiled and then turned and quickly left. Ah Jin, who was standing by the door, quickly followed her.

{...How, pray tell, does he plan to help me?... Either way, not interested...an "affair" with a prince is the last thing I need right now...It's hundred percent chop-head worthy!...}

Prince Yi watched Lei Xing's departing back and stood in place for a while and then walked to his office, sat down and stared fixedly at the book in his hand.

{...*I told you not to look towards what is not yours...You never listen!...}

Prince Yi blinked and then frowned.

{...If I were Emper -...}

{...*I have told you it's not in your fate!...}

{...If it's not in my fate, then why did you help me all these years?!...}

{...*To put you on equal footing, give you a fair chance as you wished...and you lost...Move on!...}

{...What bloody equal footing?! I am the son of a lowly maid whose name he didn't even remember!...while he is the son of a Princess-...}

{....*A Princess of a fallen country...}

{...It doesn't matter!...}

{...*You ignored my advice to leave...it's not too late to turn back...}

{...It's already too late...he'll have me killed...}

{...*He won't!...}

{...I'm not leaving...he should be the one to leave, he should've died!... Why did he come back and ruin everything?!...}

{...*You never listen!! So infuriating! I won't bother anymore...do as you wish...just remember I told you so!...}

Prince Yi's frown deepened, and he threw the book in his hand across the room and clenched his fist.

{...It doesn't matter, fate is something that I can carve with my own hands, and I will make it my own fate with these hands...with or without your help!...}

After a while, he regained control of his expression, calmly walked out of his office, and left the palace. When he arrived home, a guard approached him and whispered something to him. He frowned and walked off with the guard following behind him.

As soon as Prince Yi walked into the underground jail, he could hear someone screaming threats. Prince Yi sighed in annoyance and made his way towards the sound. Just as he rounded the corner, he heard, "Open the cell, otherwise he's dead! I mean it, I am giving you to the count of 3...1 - "

Prince Yi calmly walked forward and said, "Kill him."

The guards on the side bowed to him, and the two locked in the cell looked at him, one with fear and the other with anger. One of them, the prisoner had an arm around a guard and was holding a knife to guard's neck.

"What? Do you think I won't do it?! If you don't let me out, then he's dead!!" Molin shouted, pressing the knife and drawing a line of blood from his captive's neck.

"Kill him, I'm not letting you out." Prince Yi calmly said, "You seem to be very precious to Prince Rui, so I cannot afford to lose you."

Molin angrily glared at Prince Yi.

Prince Yi sighed, "Why are you proving to be so stubborn? Didn't your Prince Rui tell you that he will return for you? So sit tight and stop causing trouble." Prince Yi said with annoyance.

"You must be deluded to think you can use me as a hostage to control our Prince?" Molin shouted.

"Not deluded, just well informed. I heard your Prince could have escaped but he was concerned for a certain friend...I wonder what exactly yo -" Prince Yi said looking at Molin with a suspicious suggestive look.

"Don't you dare slander our Prince, he is someone with compassion for those under him, which I guess is something foreign to you Long scum." Molin said and spat on the ground.

Prince Yi scoffed and calmly said, "I guess. Make your choice, are you killing him or not?"

Molin glared at Prince Yi and looked at the guards outside the cell and remained unmoving.

Prince Yi looked at him, smirked and calmly walked to the side, and swiftly grabbed the short sword from a guard's waist and threw it into the cell and hit the guard right on the chest. Molin was shocked and instantly released the guard, who then collapsed to the ground, writhed a bit and became motionless.

Molin came out of his shock and roared, "How can you do that to your own man?!!"

Prince Yi scoffed again and simply said, "I have no need for incompetence." and started to walk off and then stopped and looked back at Molin, who was glaring daggers at him.

"You are free to kill yourself, but know this, your Prince Rui has no way of knowing of your death until he walks right up to this cell, and at that time I will just send him to join you. Since he cares so much, and you care so much, I'd advise you to wait here properly." Prince Yi then turned to the guards, "Anyone who opens this cell without my permission will die." and then walked off.

{...Why are there so many fools in this world?...}