The private ward of the city hospital became crowded as the news of Li Juan waking from her medical sedation got out.

"Xiao Li,'" the familiar voice fell on her ears as Li Juan slowly opened her eyes.

"Xiao Li, can you hear me?"

"Yangyang," Li Juan called him in a feeble voice as she was welcomed by the sight of the man who has been the light of her life.

"I'm here, I'm here," He gently grabbed her palm and repeated.

"Did..I..scare you?"

Lee Tae Yang pursed his lips to avoid breaking down as he avoided the question by tightly holding her hand.

He was scared to death.

He has already lost his parents and his child, he cannot bare to lose Li Juan too.

Even before Lee Tae Yang could say anything, the door to the private ward was pushed open by Lee Tae Min who returned with the duty doctor.

He was sitting in the private room along with his brother when he noticed the movements in Li Juan.

Fearing that she was in pain, Lee Tae Min rushed out to call the doctor. However, seeing Li Juan wide awake, he gasped for breath.

The doctor immediately checked Li Juan's vitals. Though she appeared extremely tired and worn out, there weren't any medical conditions that required further care.

Once the doctor left the room, the family members who were waiting, barged inside to meet Li Juan.

Though Lee Tae Yang tried to stop his family from travelling to Jing city, the entire Lee family came to visit their daughter-in-law, who was hospitalized.

As everyone took their turn to wish Li Juan a speedy recovery, she sat with an expressionless face.

Seeing the tear-filled eyes of her own family and in laws, Li Juan did not know how to comfort them as she came to know that they were silently grieving for someone who already left the world.

Though nobody told her, the moment Li Juan opened her eyes, she realized that she lost her child.

"Xiao Juan," Bai Qi tried to gather his granddaughter's attention who was about to break down into tears.

Hearing Bai Qi's voice, Li Juan raised her eyebrows with a hint of bewilderment.

During the time spent in Yu palace, she rarely heard her grandfather addressing her with any variations of her name.

For Bai Qi, she was the princess who was supposed to be loved by everyone and the Queen who is respected more than anyone.

Since Bai Qi called her by the pet name, Li Juan could figure out how worried he must be and tried to suppress her tears with a gentle smile.

"Grandpa, I'm fine now,"

"Hmmm, you should eat something and rest properly," Bai Qi said and looked at the rest of the people who gathered in the room. Understanding the intentions behind his words, all of them left the room quoting some random reasons.

In the end, it was just Li Juan and Lee Tae Yang left alone in the room.

Li Juan reached out to hold his hand and made him sit next to her.

While their family was present, he was standing silently in a corner.

As he sat on the bed, Lee Tae Yang gently wrapped his arms over Li Juan with utmost care.

For a moment, nobody said a word,

Leaning on to each other and sharing their bodily warmth, both of their minds were finally able to feel at ease.

Li Juan slowly closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder,

"I'm sorry," Lee Tae Yang's trembling voice fell on her as his big palm touched her abdomen. The baby bump present there has disappeared overnight, leaving an empty space in their lives.

It was the truth, the little happiness that filled their days, is no more.

"I am sorry, I failed to protect you both,"

"Yang yang, whatever happened, it's not your fault," Li Juan gently stroked the strong hand that circled her and comforted him.

As soon as she saw his haggard demeanour she could figure out that Lee Tae Yang has gone through intense pain and misery while she was lying unconscious.

She has never seen him so lifeless- he must have been the one who suffered the most by the loss of their child.

Li Juan couldn't help but sigh inwardly as she tightened the grip on his arm.

"If there is someone who is to blame, then it must be me... For my reckless life and decisions," She admitted with teary eyes.

Lee Tae Yang tilted his head to take a look at Li Juan's apologetic face as he listened to her guilt ridden words.

"Even after receiving a new life and everyone's love, all I ever did was breaking hearts and bringing pain to everyone. Because of my carelessness, I always put myself in harm and this time, our child had to pay the price....I was never been a good daughter for my parents nor a good mother to my child,"

She reluctantly removed her palm which rested on his arms,

"If you feel that I am not worthy of your love, I will get out of your life-"

"Xiao Li, what are you saying?" The lines on Lee Tae Yang's forehead creased into a frown as he interrupted her.

The emptiness in Li Juan's big black eyes was one of the things that scares Lee Tae Yang the most. It was a facade which hid the inner turmoils of Li Juan while she is decided to do something contrite.

While she was lying unconscious, he blamed himself for their child.

He barely lived on the belief that Li Juan will forgive him and how can she even dare to say something brutal like that?

Li Juan gazed at Lee Tae Yang without answering his question.

All these years, he unconditionally loved and took care of her, based on a promise that he made with Li Juan while she was an ignorant teenager.

Her existence has always been on the brink of death and life, yet he tried his best to save and help her.

He demanded nothing from a her, but a family.

Lee Tae Yang was practically living on clouds from the very first moment he heard about their child.

Will he still love her the same if he came to know the truth that she didn't even try to save her child?

Is it possible for her to live peacefully even after knowing that she is one who is responsible for the tragedy that befell them?

"If I ever told them I'm pregnant...if I agreed to marry you...only if I haven't been adamant and ignorant, our child would have been still alive,"

Her eyes remain on Lee Tae Yang's face and felt the pain and sorrow resonating in him.

"It was entirely my fault, I am the one who should be blamed for our child," She broke into low sobs,

"I do not blame you nor I'm angry with you,"

Lee Tae Yang caressed her chin and gazed directly into her teary eyes,

"Our child has never left us. He or she will always remain in our hearts as long as we live, as long as we love each other," Lee Tae Yang stroked her hair as Li Juan began to weep uncontrollably at his words.

"So please don't blame yourself,"

"Yang yang, I am cursed...everyone will get hurt-" Li Juan's words interrupted as he covered her mouth and tightly embraced her.

"If it is a curse, then let us get through it together," Lee Tae Yang gave Li Juan a word of assurance and poured both of their heart out.

Life has been indeed cruel to them.

They didn't even get enough time to spend with their parents and heavens have already taken their child from them,

Once her sobs subdued, Lee Tae Yang slowly released Li Juan from his embrace and carefully laid her on the bed along with him.

Even though, she stopped weeping, thin channels of tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Xiao Li, please don't cry, our child may not want to see you like this," He cooed as he wiped her tears away,

Li Juan abruptly raised her eyes at the man who was sharing consoling words when a wave of shock hit her.

"As long our child lived with us, he or she must have been happy to have you as a mother. So please don't over think and be sad,"

Li Juan stared at him in disbelief as vague memories of a little girl's smile flashed in her mind.

"Don't cry...I was happy with you...So please don't be sad," A cute mellow voice reminded her.

As she tried to recollect the softness and warmth of a little body lingered in her subconsciousness, her eyes widened in shock.

The little girl who resembled her,

The pair of dark obsidian eyes which gazed at her with immense love and affection, looked exactly like Lee Tae Yang,

That baby girl.... she was their child?

"Yang yang, I saw her," The corners of her lips trembled as she spoke,

Lee Tae Yang's brows slightly perched as he noticed the sudden change in Li Juan,

"Our child...I saw her. She said that she loves you,"

"She?" He stared at her in confusion.

"Hmmm, our baby was a girl.... I saw her.... She looked like me, but her smile, the way she talks and her mannerisms...everything was exactly like you,"

Li Juan gently traced his face with a faint smile,

"She even had your dimples,"

The corners of his mouth curl up as Lee Tae Yang answered her with a hum.

"She asked me to meet again and gave me plum blossoms...plum blossoms...plum blossoms means...," Li Juan searched in the whirlpool of her memories,

"Hope and perseverance," He completed her words and wrapped his arms over her.

"Next time, when you see her, tell her that I love her a lot and we will definitely wait for her," Lee Tae Yang rested his head on Li Juan's shoulders and gently patted her back as he tried to calm her.

It was unbearable for him to watch Li Juan as she went on describing their unborn child.

"The shock must have been huge that it pushed her mind into frenzy," Lee Tae Yang wished to cry, but he suppressed his tears as he held Li Juan tightly.

Moving her hands behind his neck, Li Juan nestles to him as she slowly closes her red eyes.

"Let's wait for her,"

She looks down at Lee Tae Yang as his quiet breathing enters her ears,

"Until we meet again, daddy and mommy will wait for you, baby," She chanted with honesty.

As the time passes by, Li Juan looked at the man who was peacefully sleeping in her arms.

She heard from others that Lee Tae Yang never left her side and was waiting for her to wake up without taking any rest.

Placing a tender kiss on the top of his head, Li Juan smiles warmly.

For a second, she regretted the choice of her words that she used earlier.

How can she even think about leaving him?

He came to her life as a blessing and gave her everything.

Even if it is happiness or sorrow that has been awaiting them in the future, or as she mentioned, a curse,

As long as they are together, she can endure anything.

----------------------------------

Once the fatigue left Li Juan's body, she has returned to her normal self. However, since she still needs some time to recuperate from the miscarriage, Lee Tae Yang himself requested Li Juan to stay with her family for a while.

Though he disliked the idea of separation, since the situation in the capital city was turning hostile as the destruction of the Tang corporation has begun, it was indeed necessary to move Li Juan to a safe abode.

And he was well aware of the fact that other than Yu palace, there wasn't any other place under the sun where Li Juan will remain safe.

However, little did he know that the pain and anger as well as the thirst for revenge that existed in the bloodline of the Yu clan remained same with in Li Juan who always appeared docile.

"Those who spill the sacred blood of Yu clan shall receive the wrath of the heavens,"

She might blame herself for not protecting her child, but that doesn't mean that she will let go of people who hurt her.

"Majesty," Huang Zi Tao, the leader of the alpha team knelled before Li Juan with a pair of guilty eyes, "We failed to protect you,"

Seeing a grown man who is elder than her, falling on his knees, Li Juan's jolted up and tried to stop him,

"Brother Huang, what are you doing? Please rise,"

However, Huang Zi Tao refused to stand up and continued to apologize.

"Punish me for my incompetency,"

As the bulky man continues to blame himself for his failure as a royal guard and the tragedy, Li Juan recounted that night when she was taken as a hostage by Ning Jing's henchmen.

"You are not the one who is supposed to get punished," Li Juan's words held an unusual coldness as she spoke.

If it is someone whose blood has to be spilt in the name of her lost child, then it must be the woman whose eyes remained blind with jealousy and hatred.

Huang Zi Tao raised his gaze with confusion.

"Where is Ning Jing?" A murderous glint flashed in her burning coal-like eyes.

"We tracked her location," Huang Zi Tao informed the details they have collected so far, "She is still in Jing city, under the protection of Tang Corporation,"

Li Juan folded her arms over the chest as she ponders in thoughts for a long minute.

"Who is in charge of protecting her?"

"It is someone named Ahn Lu Shan,"

"Send a word that, Bai Yue Ling of Yu clan wants to have a meeting with him,"

Huang Zi Tao gaped in disbelief as he heard her command. As he secretly watched and protected Li Juan, there were very few occasions when he witnessed her using the identity as the Queen of the Yu clan.

The woman who never boasted her family background, what would have made her change the stance, that she finally embraced her official title and decided to flaunt her power?

"The one who lost the life on that night wasn't just my child....it was me, the weak and vulnerable Li Juan,"

She looked at Huang Zi Tao as if she can read his thoughts and her eyes dimmed as a sinister grin hurls on her gorgeous face,

Li Juan may be powerless and an orphan, but not Bai Yue Ling.

She is the descendant of a legendary warrior who fought single handily against a brutal army that murdered her family and paved the downfall of the great Wei empire.

She burned in the endless pain and agony of her loss,

Now is the time to rise from the ashes!!!!