His Highness the Duke (26 page)

only got madder. ―You‘ll pay for that.‖

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Jin looked once more at his grandfather. The

dead man appeared apologetic, but didn‘t take his eyes off the female. Jin turned back

to the show.

―What‘s the matter? Can‘t understand me? Well, see if you can‘t understand

this!‖ The woman kicked violently, jerking the guards back and forth with her weight.

―
Cào nî zûxiān shí bâ dai!
‖

Everyone in the hall gasped. Jin couldn‘t believe the audacity of the woman. To

insult a person‘s ancestors, let alone eighteen generations of them, was a striking

offense indeed. Either she was very brave or very foolish.

With great effort the guards thrust the woman down before the emperor,

shoving her to her hands and knees while forcing her head to bow low in submission. A

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gold feather dart stuck out from her side. Jin knew the men had tried to subdue her

with the tranquilizer dart, just acquired less than a decade ago for use in palace

security. From the looks of it, the dart wasn‘t having much of an affect.

The prisoner squirmed, fighting to get free. The guards twisted her arms back,

pulling until she cried out in pain. Jin didn‘t move, though he stared with interest. His

grandfather‘s hand tightened on his shoulder until it felt as if his ghostly fingers were

dipping beneath his skin, burning into his flesh. He tried to lower his shoulder to stop

the feeling, but his grandfather held tight.

―What is the meaning of this?‖ the emperor asked calmly, eyeing the prisoner.

No one made a move to help her and she did not look around as if she wanted to be

helped. Jin suppressed a smile. This one was stubborn, maybe foolishly so. He wished

he could see her face. He‘d like to look at the woman behind the mask.

―It is time, Jin,‖ his grandfather said.

―Time?‖ Jin asked confused, prying his eyes from the woman to study the

departed man once more.

Everything moved as if in a blur. His grandfather‘s fingers dug deeper, holding

him in place, even as his fingers slid over Jin‘s heart to his throat. Jin froze, unable to

move or speak. He opened his mouth to protest but all that came out was a long hiss of

air. A chill worked over his entire body, growing like a frost over his throat and

shoulder, down his lungs and into his hips and legs. Gasping for breath, he was

helpless as his grandfather‘s spirit entered into his eyes, crowding his soul as the

ancestor took residence inside him. Before he knew what was happening, his body was

taken over, jerkily moving with a will outside its own.

―Cease!‖ His voice commanded harshly, but the words did not come from him.

His body moved forward on the platform, out of his control. He tried to pull back to his

spot by his brothers, desperately wanting to reach to them, but he no longer had power

over his body.

Grandfather!
he thought.
Tiānna! What are you doing?

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I told you, Jin. It is time,
his grandfather‘s voice answered in his head. The man

sounded sad, if not a little apologetic.

No,
Jin began to protest, but his brother‘s harsh voice interrupted the thought.

―Jin?‖ Haun said quietly from between his teeth. ―What are you doing? Come

back here!‖

Jin desperately wanted to obey. He‘d never felt so helpless in his life. Every part

of him tried to resist the possession, but his grandfather‘s spirit was too powerful for

him to defy. The will inside him was strong, but his grandfather‘s hold over him was

stronger.

A murmur of sound flowed over the hall, rising and falling like a crescendo of

music. His body was forced down from the platform and he was moved before his

parents. Jin was only a mere mortal and did not possess the knowledge of the spiritual

plane. There was no way to fight off the attack, no way to tell the others what was

happening to him. The emperor and empress watched him approach, their expressions

blank.

Grandfather! Cease at once! I order you!

The faint sound of laughter in his grandfather‘s tone was the only answer he

received.

―I have chosen,‖ Jin announced out loud, bowing respectfully to his parents. He

looked down at the woman completely covered in black, as his hand lifted to motion to

her. Despite his best effort to keep his mouth pressed tightly shut, his lips moved,

forming words that filled him with dread and anger. ―I have found my bride.‖

His parents didn‘t move. The hall was still at the declaration. Out of all the

children, he was the first to declare marriage. Princess Mei was married, but she‘d

defied tradition when she took the foreign prince as her husband. They had been joined

in space, away from Líntiān in some foreign Var ceremony of joining.

Jin struggled to regain control, but it was no use. It was too late. To take it back

now would be to dishonor himself and his family. He looked down at the woman,

unable to see her face. It was hard to tell anything beyond the fact that she‘d been

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arrested and had what appeared to be a tight little body beneath the black clothing she

wore. Jin felt his body stir with passion. The mocking sound of his grandfather‘s

laughter filled his head once more. Jin wondered if the desire was his own, or that of his

possessor. Even as he wondered, he knew. He desired the woman before him. Her mere

presence rocked the foundation of his safe, protected world. The danger in her excited

him.

The prisoner‘s eyes darted up to stare at him. It was possible the declaration had

just saved her from death, and she didn‘t look at all grateful for the gesture. Her gaze

pierced inside him, jolting him with the anger that her eyes held. They were the color of

jade, the precious green jade their ancestors had brought with them from Earth. The

only pieces that survived were in the Sacred Chamber, protected by Zhang An, his long

dead great-grandmother. To even look upon it was an honor.

Is this a sign?
Jin asked his grandfather.
What does this mean? Her eyes, they—

It is done,
his grandfather‘s voice interrupted, reminding Jin that he stood in the

middle of the palace hall. Jin held tense, ready to reclaim his body. To his annoyance,

his grandfather didn‘t act like he had any intention of getting out right away.

This goes too far, lâotou. Make yourself known to my family and take it back. I will not be

married to this woman. She is unworthy of my family. She is a thief!

It is too late, my grandson. What had to be done is now done.

Jin wanted to scream, but couldn‘t, as the old man held him in silence.

* * * *

I have found my bride.

The words echoed through Francesca La Rosa‘s head over and over. She was

sure that‘s what the prince had said, but her Líntiānese was faulty due to an imperfect

upload and she couldn‘t be positive. At least, she really didn‘t want to be positive.

I have found my bride.

Couldn‘t the man just fight her instead? Or shoot her with some more of those

fun darts?

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Francesca glanced at her side. The thing was as sharp and annoying as a giant

thorn, but she didn‘t give them the pleasure of watching her remove it. Let them think it

didn‘t bother her. By sheer mental will alone did she keep from passing out as the

drugs flowed through her body.

If the rumors of the royal family held true, he would be a skilled warrior

proficient in many martial arts. Francesca glanced up to the prince. She knew what he

was. It was clear with just one look. He was handsome, like his brothers, dressed in the

royal color of red. The dragon tunic looked to be made of silk brocade. It was absolutely

gorgeous with perfect details. Golden flames were embroidered around the oriental

dragons. The long tunic fell to mid thigh, the material so light it caressed his muscled

chest and trim waist perfectly.

She tried to tell herself she was unaffected by his physical form, but even so, she

looked him over from head to toe. His silk pants were red, trimmed in gold. They were

loose, as was the style of the Muntong court, and he wore black ground shoes.

Francesca stared at his hips in disbelief. His weight shifted slightly. Was he

aroused? Is that what this was about? He wanted to sleep with her? The prince was

handsome and strong, she‘d give him that much, and he appeared just arrogant enough

to be fun between the sheets. No untried virgin, she could see the merit in his plan, but

this dramatic display was hardly warranted.

Though, now wasn‘t the time for such thoughts. Her life hung in the balance and

she needed to stay focused if she were to escape. Francesca had no doubt she would

succeed in getting away. She always did.

Slowly, she drew her gaze back up to meet his. His eyes were dark, piercing,

almost burning with an inner fire as he stared at her through the strands of his chin

length hair. A strange look passed over his face, but he did not turn away. That‘s when

she noticed the hall had gone deadly still.

―So shall it be,‖ the emperor announced, breaking the silence.

Francesca gasped, knowing her mask hid her expression as her eyes turned

upward to the throne. Someone roughly pushed her head back down. She gritted her

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teeth. If she got a hold of those ponytailed guards, she would pull their hair out strand

by strand. Staring at the emperor was considered an offense. However, since she‘d just

gotten caught not only stealing the royal jewels, but using an outlawed form of Wushu

to do it, impoliteness was the least of her worries.

Besides, they can do nothing worse than what has already been done to me.

―My son, Zhang Jin, has chosen a bride,‖ the emperor continued in Líntiānese.

―Hang the banner of good fortune at the palace gate, so that all may know of our happy

day. Inform the matchmaker and summon the astrologers to the palace at once. Guards,

take her to my son‘s chambers.‖

―Father,‖ one of the princes asserted from the platform. Francesca gritted her

teeth as the egotistical prince motioned toward her. The emperor shook his head once.

The gesture was all that was needed to silence the man. With fist to palm, the prince

bowed, saying no more.

―There will be time for you to offer your blessings after the astrologers read their

futures, Prince Haun,‖ the emperor said to the man who had spoken. It didn‘t take a

genius to know that was not what prince Haun had tried to do. He‘d been protesting

his brother‘s actions.

Ah, come on, Emperor. Let the man speak.
Francesca gave a short laugh.
I for one

happen to agree with him.

The hands on her body loosened and Francesca wiggled free. She‘d fight every

man in the hall if she had to. ―I—‖

The words never left her as fingers clamped down on the back of her neck.

Shivering, she looked up to find that Prince Jin touched her. His lips pressed into a

harsh line, but other than that his face was expressionless. Very sternly, he said in her

language, ―It is done, do you understand? Cause no more trouble.‖

Who in the hell does this fuck-nut think he is talking to?

Francesca opened her mouth to retort. Jin let go of her, only to grab the front of

her neck. He pushed at the soft spot in her throat and she instantly felt lightheaded. Her

vision blurred. Speech became impossible. Though she still saw colors and heard

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voices, she was too numbed to move. The prince jerked the dart from her side, holding

it up so she could see him pass it to a guard.

―Take her,‖ Prince Jin ordered. Her body was lifted up and she felt herself being

carried from the silent hall. Hands pressed into her, digging into her flesh, and she

couldn‘t even find the will to scream at them, let alone fight.

* * * *

Jin turned to the emperor. When his grandfather moved his hand to touch the

woman, he‘d sent a shock of energy over her, making her helpless and compliant.

However, it also left his grandfather‘s spirit weakened and Jin was able to cast the man

out. The departure left him feeling dizzy.

He opened his mouth as he gasped for breath, but it was too late to stop what

had been done. His father had acknowledged his supposed choice in bride. The

astrologers were called, the banner hung to show that one of the princes had chosen a

new princess. News would spread over the countryside. To take it back now wasn‘t an

option.

Glancing around the hall, Jin saw that Manchu‘s spirit had gone completely. He

took a deep breath. How dare his grandfather possess his mortal coil, declare a bride for

him and then leave without so much as an explanation as to why he chose
this

particular woman? The hall was filled with eligible Líntiānese bachelorettes, so why

pick a stranger? Why a foul-mouthed, disrespectful foreigner?

―Leave me with my family,‖ the emperor ordered the quiet hall. The women