Shock and Relief

GOOONNNNNG!

Kang Fengshu gave chase in a boat with some of his men. When the earth suddenly rose, they too were sent flying into the air. Yet when they woke, they found themselves in a small lake surrounded by grass, towards the edge of that grass to the far left seemed to be the edge of that world, while towards the far right the land continued.

As he and his men looked around he quickly spotted the glass boat and silenced his men who were panicking with two slaps in the back of the head and pointed. His men rowed in that direction.

Upon nearing the boat, Kang Fengshu hopped onto the glass one where he found the woman unconscious once more and sighed. He attempted to lift her only to recall her bindings and sighed again. He set her back down and shook her.

"Hey, Miss."

And so Cui Ruiling awoke upon being roughly shaken. However, as she opened her eyes in that moment became pale at the small mass rising behind Kang Fengshu in the water. Kang Fengshu traced her gaze to the rippling water.

A massive white serpent emerged. It towered over them like a human before ants.

"Little Tea Leaf." The serpent spoke. The creature lowered its head. "Happy Birthday!"

Humanoid serpent women and smaller white serpents erupted from the water playing instruments. Flower petals were thrown at her from all sides as the serpents approached their boat, Kang Fengshu unsheathed his sword.

The smiling serpents became fearful and halted, they began to play softly.

"There's no need to fear- ah, that's right you do not remember me! Then...." The giant serpent shrunk into a small little boy with white hair dressed in white robes.

Cui Ruiling, realizing that she had forgotten to breathe slowly let out a breath.

The child's eyebrows furrowed seeing this.

"My apologies, I did not mean to terrify you! Today is supposed to be a joyous occasion, Father has finally been reunited with Miss Tea Leaf." The little boy got on his knees, and lowered himself atop the surface of the water.

"Um, I believe there's been a mistake. M-my name is Cui Ruiling..." Cui Ruiling's squeaked.

"No, no it is my fault. I did things in the wrong order. A-hem." The little boy coughed. "My name is Cai Yue, I'm the son of the God Tua. Very very long ago, you- or I suppose your ancestor, was a retainer of my Father, also when Father was at war with the other gods, you rescued me when I was an infant and raised me in secrecy from the other gods as your familiar."

"E-eh..."This was all beyond Rui, she could only do her best to listen.

"Out of all of Little Tea Leaf's parallel lives, you are the only descendant who resembled her exactly in both behavior and appearance. That is why Father was convinced that you were her reincarnation... and summoned you back here, but it seems you're lacking her memories... Father was too hasty," The little boy's smile waned as he came to this realization. He bowed. "Allow me to apologize for my Father, his hasty decision must have greatly inconvenienced you."

Seeing that small little boy repeatedly bow made Cui Ruiling forget her reservations and feel guilty.

"Was... she a lucky person?" Cui Ruiling asked.

"E-eh?" The little boy lifted his head wide-eyed. "Lucky?... Hmm, she leads a simple and peaceful life but I wouldn't exactly say she was lucky, when she was young she suffered through many hardships. Though..." His smile sweetened at the memory. "She was very talented."

"Before I was born, a fortune-teller told my Mother that she would give birth to a talented child that would bring her and my Father fortune." Cui Ruiling closed her eyes and breathed before continuing. "So when I was born, my parents supported anything I ever wanted to try or learn. Even though, we couldn't afford it. They took out outrageous loans that there was no way they'd be ever to pay back on their own. They had the faith to trust their daughter like that but for me, I knew... that I had to carry the family. I knew I wasn't a talented person, but because of my parents, I had to try to be. Otherwise, in the end, my parents would be fools for believing in me." Cui Ruiling furrowed her brows. "In the end, I succeeded. However, it's mainly because my parents did their best to break down the main obstacles in front of me that I was even able to get so far. "

"O-oh..." Cai Yue listened on a bit confused as to why she was telling him all this. Still, he had been wishing to learn more about this incarnation. This was good too.

"Both that time, and this time too. I had no intention of fulfilling the prophecy of those fortune tellers but fulfilling my parent's expectations... and here I am." She placed a hand over her chest. "My life doesn't even feel like it's mine anymore at this point. Please tell me, what prophecy is it now that your Father expects me to fulfill?"

Cai Yue who had been listening on with a frozen smile raised his eyebrows. "Huh?! ...Father doesn't have any prophecy in mind due to my knowledge... Father...er, just missed you. We both did. That is why he summoned you here. So we could live together again." He smiled and nodded as if it was perfectly normal to uproot someone's life for such a simple reason.

"Are you saying, I am to marry him?"

"P-pardon?!" How did she jump to such an outrageous conclusion?!

"There was a fortune teller who told me my future husband awaited in this world."

" That... I don't think Father..." The boy became quiet as he held his chin in deep thought. He wasn't certain of his own Father's feelings for his retainer, but it was true she had raised him and always viewed her as a mother figure. Who's to say his father did not see her as a wife figure?

"Then how about this? Once I find my future husband, I will live alongside the both of you."

"W-wait! As I am not certain of Father's true intentions other than that he intended for me to celebrate your birthday with you... anything you say here to me won't be carried to him! There's also something else!"

"Something else?"

"Father, created this land, but recently refugees from a ruined nation came and settled in it. He intends to make you the Queen of this land."

"Q-queen?"

"This way, you won't need to wander and since you are very beautiful, you won't be obtained by a man through easy means. What do you think? Isn't Father's plan brilliant?" The child's obsidian eyes sparkled as he revealed this. Like a puppy that performed a great trick begging for a reward.

"That... I was afraid of becoming a concubine and my husband having another wife but if I'm Queen, I can control my husband!" A big smile stretched across her face. "That's a brilliant idea, your Father is a genius!" Cui Ruiling felt as though a big weight had been lifted off her chest.

Seeing how happy she was, Cai Yue smiled even wider.

"Then-

"Ahem!" Kang Fengshu coughed.

Both the little god and the new queen had nearly forgotten about the other witnesses.

"If you would allow me to go back home to my people, I'd be more than willing to tell them of this new turn of events so they can come to greet the new Queen." His expression seemed deeply bothered. It seemed he wasn't needed anymore.

"Before that, Father has bestowed a special power to the Queen. Should the Queen lose her life, this land will go back to the waters, and the people here will become an enemy of I and my Father."

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

"It's so the people do not get any weird ideas like usurping the throne." Cai Yue then turned to explain.

"O-oh." It bothered Cui Ruiling a bit, that plans like these were made without her knowledge but she also felt she was being protected by a shadow figure. Little by little, her main concerns had been addressed and resolved. She felt... grateful.

It was an emotion that was somewhat new to her since she was the one who was used to giving. It was rare that she had ever been on the receiving end of such thoughtful acts so she wasn't sure how to vocalize her feelings, so...

She stood alongside Kang Fengshu who had already been standing in with folded arms.

Kang Fengshu glanced at her.

Cai Yue raised his brows, he couldn't see her face as she lowered her head but the air she gave off felt serious.

In her other world, the role she had been preparing for was that of a snobby princess, within that time she had been learning etiquette classes from a teacher.

She kowtowed.