Chapter 63. Person who stole my home

Chapter 63: 63. Person who stole my home

AT THE SAME TIME

XAVIER

As she got closer, something inside my chest tightened.

"WARNING. MEMORY SIGNATURE DETECTED. MATCH: 97.8%. IDENTITY: UNKNOWN. CHILDHOOD MEMORY ACCESS ATTEMPT DETECTED."The system suddenly glitched.

My hands went cold. The woman looked directly at me. Her expression trembled.

"Wei?"She whispered.

I stopped breathing as nobody moved. Even Lang Li’s expression changed, Song Hue’s smile disappeared, Jan Win stared at the woman.

"HIDDEN STORYLINE UPDATED. THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE PRINCE HAS BEEN FOUND."The system flickered violently.

My blood ran cold.

"Taken?"I stared at the woman.

She covered her mouth and tears appeared in her eyes.

"I thought you were dead." She said.

The kitchen suddenly felt impossibly small.

"Who are you?" I took one step toward her.

She looked at me for several seconds, then she whispered the words that made my entire world stop.

"I was the one who took you away from prince Song Hue." She said.

"DING. HIDDEN MEMORY UNLOCKING... The system screen went black. Then one final sentence appeared. "WARNING: THE TRUTH MAY CHANGE WHO YOU BELIEVE YOUR FAMILY IS."

I stared at the woman, and for the first time I wasn’t sure whether I actually wanted to remember. She seemed to know more than she should, and that sort of thing was freaking me out.

"It seems you do not remember me after all."A woman said, smiling.

"Am I supposed too?"I asked.

The woman seemed to be enjoying of having this type of conversation, and I did not like it even a little bit.

"I am Rosalie, I worked in Song Hue empire for many years."She said calmly.

"You worked in the a Blood moon empire?" I repeated, trying to piece together the fragments of this conversation. "And you took me away?"

Her expression darkened slightly, and I caught a glimpse of the pain hidden behind her calm facade.

"Yes, Wei. You were meant to be saved. I had no choice."She said.

"Saved?" I pressed, anger rising. "From what? From whom?"

She hesitated, glancing at the others in the kitchen, as if weighing the gravity of her next words. Lang Li’s gaze was intense, his golden eyes flickering with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

"From the prince’s late mother." Rosalie finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What sort of plans?" I interrupted, taking another step closer.

"Plans that could have changed everything, your identity, your future. You were a pawn in a game much larger than you realized, and I had to remove you from danger."Rosalie said.

"Why didn’t anybody come for me?" I demanded, feeling the weight of betrayal of others.

"I was afraid. The power dynamics shifted after your disappearance. Your history became a closely guarded secret."Rosalie’s eyes softened.

"DING. MEMORIES UNLOCKED. REVEALING CONNECTION TO SONG HUE EMPIRE..."A system said.

Visuals of Wei’s childhood appeared yet again. A young boy with wide, innocent eyes, laughter echoing through palace halls, a soft voice calling my name, but then the images blurred and twisted, overtaken by darkness.

"I was a mere child." I muttered. "Why am I just learning this now?"

"Because." Rosalie said. "The truth was buried for protection. But it’s time you know your real heritage before it’s too late."

"You mean, I am not just Wei?" Each word left a bitter aftertaste on my tongue.

"No. You have blood ties to the Lycan Empire. In every way that counts, you’re both Wei and Xavier. The secrets of your past could shift loyalties and spark wars."She said.

"I need time." I stammered, instinctively retreating. "If I am who you say I am, then everything, everything I thought I knew is a lie."

"Wei, you don’t have to rush into anything. This is your decision."Lang Li stepped forward, his imposing presence anchoring me.

"But-"I began.

"WARNING: SYSTEM INTEGRITY COMPROMISED. UNAUTHORIZED MEMORY ACCESS DETECTED."The flickering system interrupted.

"Who is trying to access my memories?" I gasped. "Why are they so important?"

"We will protect you." Lang Li said, grounding me once more. "But you need to trust us. Whatever has happened in your past, we will face it together."

"Wei, the truth may change everything, but it’s yours to embrace. Or reject. Your choice."Rosalie took a step closer.

"Show me." I said, voice steady. "Let me see what I have been shielded from."

"DING. HIDDEN STORYLINE INITIATING: A JOURNEY INTO THE PAST."A system said.

The moment I finished speaking, the system reacted. The air in the kitchen became unnaturally still. Then a massive translucent screen appeared in front of me.

"HIDDEN STORYLINE: A JOURNEY INTO THE PAST. MEMORY FRAGMENT: BLOOD MOON EMPIRE. SUBJECT: YOUNG WEI. ACCESSING PROTECTED MEMORIES..."A system gliched.

"Show me."I swallowed.

The screen flickered and suddenly, the kitchen disappeared. Not physically, I was still standing there, but the memory unfolded around me like I had been dropped directly into it. I saw a garden. Red roses stretched across the palace grounds, glowing beneath the warm afternoon sunlight. A much younger Song Hue stood beneath an enormous rose tree, he couldn’t have been more than a child. Beside him stood his mother, the former Blood Moon empress. And in her arms was a child. Me.

"That’s me."My breath caught.

"That was before I lost him."Song Hue stepped closer, staring at the memory.

His voice was barely audible as the memory continued.

The former empress looked down at child Wei with an expression I couldn’t understand. There was affection there, but also fear.

"One day." She whispered. "You will be the person he chooses."

"Who?"Young Song Hue looked up at her.

"Your mate."She smiled sadly.

"What?"I stared.

Song Hue went completely still. The memory shifted, years passed in seconds. Young Wei and young Song Hue were together constantly, they played in the gardens, studied together, ran through palace corridors, and every time Song Hue’s mother watched them, her expression became increasingly worried. Then the memory changed again. The former Empress stood inside a private chamber with several advisers.

"The prophecy is becoming clearer." She said.

"Your Majesty, the prince’s bond with Wei is already developing."One adviser bowed.

"Exactly." She looked toward the window. "If they remain together, the Blood Moon court will eventually recognize Wei as Prince Song Hue’s chosen mate."

"Is that not what Your Majesty wants?"Another adviser hesitated.

"No."The Empress slowly closed her eyes. "Because if the court recognizes Wei too early, every kingdom will learn about him."

My chest tightened. Another memory appeared, a political map covered an enormous table. Blood moon empire, Lycan empire, Silver river empire, Red moon flower empire. Several territories were marked in red.

"His existence could become a political weapon." The Empress continued. "And Song Hue is too young to understand what that would mean."

"Someone is already searching for the child."She looked down at a document.

"Who?"My heart stopped.

The system offered no answer as the memory continued. The Empress walked into the rose garden where young Song Hue and Wei were playing. Young Song Hue was holding a tiny flower crown.

"I made this for Wei!"He said proudly.

"That’s beautiful."The Empress smiled.

Song Hue proudly placed the crown on his head. Young Wei giggled.

"He is going to stay with me forever."He said.

"No."The Empress’s smile slowly disappeared.

"Why?"Song Hue looked confused.

"Because sometimes..." She knelt beside him. "Protecting someone means letting them go."

"But I don’t want him to go."Young Song Hue frowned.

"I know."She said.

The memory shifted again.

"You will take Wei away."That night, the Empress summoned Rosalie.

"Your Majesty?"Rosalie looked horrified.

"You heard me."She said.

"But Prince Song Hue..."Rosalie began.

"He can not know."The empress said.

"You want me to separate them?"Rosalie’s eyes widened.

"I want my son alive." The Empress’s voice cracked. "If the court discovers Wei is his chosen mate, assassins will come. Foreign kingdoms will interfere. The nobles will use him."

"And the child?"Rosalie lowered her head.

"Hide him." The Empress looked toward the sleeping chamber. "Make everyone believe he disappeared."

"Will you ever bring him back?"Rosalie hesitated.

"When Song Hue is old enough to protect him."The Empress looked away.

My heart clenched, but then another memory appeared. The Empress stood alone beside Wei’s empty bed. She touched the blanket.

"I am sorry." Tears slipped down her face. "I only wanted you to survive."

Then she whispered something that made Song Hue’s face go pale.

"If my son ever finds you again." She smiled sadly. "Let him choose you himself."

The memory shattered as the kitchen returned. Song Hue stood frozen, tears silently running down his face.

"I thought she abandoned him."He began.

"She didn’t."Rosalie lowered her head. "She hid him. She believed separating you was the only way to keep Wei alive."

I stared at the fading memory. All this time, I had thought I had simply been stolen away, but the truth was worse. I had been deliberately hidden. Not because I was unwanted, because someone had been terrified of what would happen if the world discovered who I was.

"MEMORY RESTORATION: 34% ORIGINAL EVENT IDENTIFIED. WEI WAS HIDDEN TO PROTECT SONG HUE AND WEI. BUT A SECONDARY INTERFERENCE DETECTED."The system flickered one final time.

"Secondary interference?"I stared at the final line.

"THE PERSON WHO ACTUALLY REMOVED WEI FROM ROSALIE’S PROTECTION WAS NOT SONG HUE’S MOTHER."Then one final sentence appeared.

"Then who took him?"Song Hue slowly raised his head.

Nobody answered and somewhere deep inside my restored memories I heard a familiar voice whisper:

"Run, little prince."A voice said.

I froze, because I recognized that voice. It was someone Wei had trusted.