How To Hide The Tyrant's Child In The Apocalypse

AT THE SAME TIME

EMPEROR LIANWEI POINT OF VIEW:

The boy eyed me like I was some curious creature, small hands gripping his mother's sleeve. I tried to smile, but the weight of the moment made it awkward and forced.

"So, uh… Huan, right?" I said, voice rough but sincere. "You like tracking animals?"

He nodded, eyes bright. 

"Tao says I'm getting better. I caught a rabbit last week."He said.

A pang hit my chest. I wanted to ask if he remembered me, if he knew who I was, but the words stuck. Instead, I nodded, trying to meet his hopeful gaze without faltering. Mei Shen watched us closely, protective and quiet. Her eyes flicked to mine, searching. I could tell she was measuring me, weighing whether I belonged here. I wanted to reach out, to promise her I was here to stay not as a king or an emperor, but as a man willing to rebuild the broken pieces. Zeyrith's voice snaked into my thoughts with a sly grin.

"Look at you Mr. father of the year in training. Bet you don't even know how to change a diaper."He laughed.

I rolled my eyes. 

"Very funny."I said.

"ust saying, your royal dignity might take a hit dealing with a toddler."He said.

I bit back a grin. The god was irritating, but right. This was new territory for me.

"Tell me." I said to Huan, trying to sound casual. "What's your favorite thing to do with your mom?"

Huan grinned wide, the kind of grin that lights up the whole room. 

"We find herbs and make potions! She says they can fix almost anything."He said.

I glanced at Mei Shen, admiration blooming in my chest. Even here, far from the palace, she was a healer, a protector.

"Sounds like she's amazing." I said softly.

Mei Shen's cheeks flushed faintly. I nodded, not surprised. I had changed too, or maybe just learned who I really was beneath the emperor's crown. Zeyrith snorted.

"You're softening. The mighty emperor reduced to herb gathering and toddler chasing."He said.

I grinned, feeling something light and real for the first time in years.

"Maybe that's exactly what I need."I said.

I glanced down at the small bundle of herbs Mei Shen had gathered, fingers itching to do something useful.

"Let me help." I offered, voice steady but hopeful.

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. 

"Alright, but be careful. Some of these are fragile."She said.

I reached out, trying to imitate her careful touch, but my unfamiliarity betrayed me. A sprig slipped through my fingers and fell to the floor. Huan giggled from nearby, eyes sparkling with mischief. 

"You're clumsy, mister!"Huan said.

I forced a chuckle, feeling a flush creep up my neck. 

"It's been a while since I worked with herbs."I said.

Mei Shen watched me with a faint smile, but then suddenly I lost my footing on the uneven floor. My legs gave way beneath me, and I stumbled, barely catching myself on the rough wooden table.

"Careful!" Mei Shen's voice was sharp, rushing to steady me.

My heart pounded, not just from the near fall, but from the sudden proximity to her. Her hands steadied me, warm and steady. Zeyrith's teasing voice buzzed in my mind.

"Smooth, Your Majesty. One moment you're the emperor, the next you're a flailing herb amateur. Hope you don't sprain that royal dignity."He said.

I shot back a glare only he could see. 

"Shut up."I said.

Mei Shen's eyes met mine, and for a heartbeat, the world narrowed to just us, two flawed souls, bound by silence and unspoken truths.

'I think you'll need more practice." She said softly, a smile tugging at her lips.

I nodded, grateful for her patience and the chance to be near her, even if only as Lian Wei.

AT THE SAME TIME

MEI SHEN'S POINT OF VIEW:

I watched him fumble with the herbs, the way his hands trembled just slightly as he tried to be careful. For someone who claimed to be a stranger, he was… different. There was something in his eyes, a flicker of something familiar, even if my mind refused to name it.

I found myself smiling before I could stop it, a strange warmth blooming in my chest.

Why did I feel this pull? Why did his awkwardness, his clumsy attempts to help, make my heart skip? I told myself it was pity. Sympathy for a sick man who had wandered into my quiet world. But deep down, a whisper of something more tangled itself through my thoughts. Could it be hope? Or was I simply losing myself again to a ghost I thought I had buried?

I shook my head, blinking back the sudden heat in my cheeks as he stumbled and I caught him, my hands steadying his faltering steps. Maybe it was just the herbs playing tricks on me. Or maybe… maybe there was still a chance for something new, or something very old to grow between us. I needed make sure that I making right choice and I can protect my son no matter what. He was sitting up now, finally gaining strength, though his movements were still careful, like a man recovering from far more than fever. I poured the tea, letting the scent of mountain herbs fill the small room, and handed him a cup.

"Careful. It's hot." I warned gently.

He smiled, one of those real ones that crept into the corners of his eyes. Not charming or rehearsed like court officials I once knew… just warm. Real. Safe, in a way I didn't know how to explain.

"You're very kind." He said. "Most would've left a stranger like me where he fell."

"I've lost enough people already." I said quietly, not meeting his gaze. "Leaving someone to die isn't something I could bear."

He was silent for a moment, turning the cup slowly in his hands. His fingers brushed the rim like he was grounding himself in its warmth. Then he looked up, and something in his eyes had changed, deepened, dimmed. His voice, when he spoke, was softer. More worn.

"Have you ever lost someone so deeply." He asked. "That even after years, their absence walks beside you more loudly than anyone still living?"

The question hit harder than it should have. I swallowed.

"Yes." I whispered. "I have."

He nodded slowly, like he wasn't surprised.

"I had her." He said, staring into the steam. "She was… stubborn. Brilliant. Beautiful. She made me feel human even when the world tried to turn me into something else. And I lost her." He paused. "Because of my own failure. And I've spent four years trying to find her again."

My fingers tightened around my own teacup. My heart beat a little louder, a little faster, but I kept my face composed, even as his words unravelled something in me.

"That's… a long time to chase a ghost." I said softly.

"She was never a ghost." He said, and for the first time, his voice trembled. "She was the most alive thing in my world. I never stopped hearing her voice, even in silence."

I didn't know what to say. Because suddenly the air was too heavy. My chest hurt. His grief was like mine. Carved into the bones, not just the heart. And though I didn't know who he had lost, this woman he spoke of with such reverence, I envied her. Envied that someone had remembered her like this. Had searched for her like this. I cleared my throat. 

"It's getting late. You should rest again."I said.

He nodded, eyes still clouded by whatever storm lived behind them. But as I stood, his voice caught me one more time.

"Thank you… Mei Shen."He said.

My heart seized. I turned sharply.

"How do you know my name?"I asked.

His expression faltered just slightly. 

'The villagers… I heard them speak of you."He said.

I wanted to believe him as in others told him about me. I needed to believe him. But something in his voice didn't match the lie. And still… I couldn't force myself to push him away. Not yet.

I stayed by the door longer than I needed to. Watching him sip his tea, eyes lowered, expression lost in some half-shattered memory. Something about the way he carried his grief wrapped itself around mine, and I hated it. I should have felt nothing. He was just a stranger. But it was dangerous, the way his voice lingered in my mind. The way he said my name, like it belonged to him. Like he'd held it in silence for far too long.

"You're brooding." The voice came, smug and lazy as ever.

 Zeyrith. Of course. That damn god was never far when things got complicated.

"You're staring at him like a poem that rhymes too closely with your regrets. Should I prepare a love confession or a tragic guy? Maybe both?"He asked.

I groaned under my breath. 

"Not now."I said.

"Why not? You've already let him into your home. Shared your precious herbs. Let him fumble with tea. That's practically foreplay for you."He said.

I shot a glare at the ceiling as if he were hanging upside down on a beam. 

"I'm being kind."I said.

"Oh yes, deeply charitable. Nursing a handsome mystery man who just so happens to speak like a wounded emperor from a sad old ballad. I'm sure this is all coincidence and not fate playing puppetmaster again."He said.

"Go away, Zeyrith." I hissed.

"Make me."I said.

I turned back toward the stranger, Lian Wei, he said. If that even was his name. I had no idea if I was supposed to let him stay here, but I knew that I had no other choice only let him live near us.