Reunion of a second chance

Chapter 22

The Emperor was feeling weaker and weaker by the hour. This whole week, he had spent it in bed, refusing to eat anything. He could now fully understand how the Blind Concubine must have been feeling when he had discovered the Emperor's identity for the first time.

The Emperor's heart was broken and he was not sure he could go on living any longer. He had hurt his beloved Blind Concubine in the worst way possible and he did not know anymore how to fix this. In any other way but by disappearing from the world that was.

The only thing which was keeping him going was the imperial physician who took it upon himself to care of both the Emperor and the Blind Concubine. He was splitting his time between the both of them and always told the Emperor how the Blind Concubine was doing. Luckily, the imperial physician managed to convince at least him to eat a little from time to time.

However, the Emperor was refusing any and all food that was brought to him. He did not feel like eating at all. He had a high fever which took away his appetite and moreover, he was feeling sick most of the time. Too sick in his stomach that he in fact threw up everything the imperial physician managed to force him to eat.

The Emperor had hallucinations too. Whether he was sleeping or being awake, he could see the Blind Concubine coming to see him and then turning away with either a hurt expression or one of anger. All the Emperor ever got to see was the Blind Concubine's back which was slowly disappearing in the distance.

The Emperor thought that he was perhaps going insane. He could no longer discern his dreams and hallucinations from reality. It did not matter anyway, not when he had lost his reason for living.

Even when he knew that the Blind Concubine would never actually come to see him, he would still try to cling to the images his delirious mind supplied. He would often beg the Blind Concubine for forgiveness.

Too late little too late, he knew. But he could not keep it inside anymore. The Emperor felt too guilty about everything.

Sometimes, his imagination would even supply a calm moment for a while. The Emperor would use it to both apologize to the Blind Concubine from the bottom of his heart and to confess his love. He had tried to use everything he could think of to keep the Blind Concubine by his side.

He was so desperate that he even went as far as to offer giving up the throne and setting the Blind Concubine truly free. And if the other would actually ever forgive him, he swore that he would leave the palace with him and take care of the Blind Concubine and love him till the end of their days.

***

The Blind Concubine was laying in his bed with his unseeing eyes open. It has been more than a week from the moment he had shared the bed with the Emperor now. The Blind Concubine was still trying to get over the initial storm of feelings.

In the beginning, he had felt empty but it had not taken long for him to start being swept by emotions. Of course, the most prominent ones were betrayal and hurt. There was however also sadness and regret.

Surprisingly, there was not too much anger anymore. The Blind Concubine had spoken to the imperial doctor who had come to take care of him once the Emperor left. At that time, the Blind Concubine had been still in a great distress but after taking some medicine, he had calmed down considerably.

At first, the imperial physician had not spoken a word to him aside for asking if he could touch him to apply some ointment. However, when this was done, the man still remained by the Blind Concubine's side. Perhaps to keep an eye on him.

After an eternity, several days probably, the Blind Concubine finally asked the doctor the question which had been haunting him from the moment he had realized that 'Chime' was in fact the Emperor himself.

"Why?" he whispered and was not even sure if he was asking the physician, the not present Emperor or if he was simply pondering too much by himself and had to say something aloud before he would go mad.

There was a long silence but then, the imperial physician replied in a sad and tired voice: "Why? Do you want to know why the Emperor kept deceiving you when he had promised to let you out of the palace?

Should that not be evident? Of course, I may be speaking out now of line but I am taking care of the Emperor's health as well. I have been for a long time. He had been so worried about you whenever you have fallen sick. He would come to ask me about ways to take care of a sick person, he never allowed anyone else to come close to you.

I have seen his desperation and his will to take care of you. I have also seen his eyes whenever he looked at you or even only spoke about you. I am an old man now and I have seen my fair share of this world. I have also seen what people in love are ready to do and sacrifice in order to get closer to their loved ones."

The Blind Concubine was not even breathing right now. He was listening intently. Although he could still not forgive the Emperor for deceiving him, what if there had indeed been a reason behind all his actions? That notion felt foreign but...

The Blind Concubine had spent seven years with 'Chime' by his side and he could perhaps somehow understand. He could relay. He also had done many things which he would usually not do, just to make 'Chime' happy.

But the Emperor was the one who had blinded the Blind Concubine in the first place. Something like this was not so easily forgotten. Why would the Emperor still insist on torturing the Blind Concubine even now? Almost two decades later? Or was the Blind Concubine missing something?

Before the Blind Concubine could fall into his reflections anymore, the imperial physician continued, more urgently this time: "I know you probably never want to see the Emperor again. I heard all that from him. However, he had fallen greatly sick these days. He has a high fever and will not eat anything. He is the ruler of the country; it cannot go on like this.

So, I ask you to please come see him, just for a short moment. He has been calling for you all this time. He is withering away and I, his physician, cannot even do anything for him. I am afraid that if this will go on for much longer, the Emperor will die. Please, if you can find it in yourself to come see him, I think he could still regain his strength and get better.

I am not saying this for you to help him personally, I know what he had done to you was terrible. However, he is still the Emperor. If he is to die without appointing an heir, havoc would wreck the country when everyone would want to seize the throne for themselves. The victims would be the common people. So, please, if not for the man himself, do it for the country. Go see him once."