Betrothed To The Prince...

Progress

"What are you doing here?" the emperor questioned while narrowing his eyes on his elder son who has just sneaked into the chamber. "I should be the one asking that!! What are you doing here por?" Ae shot back.

"I'll answer your question when you will answer mine." The emperor cleared. "I came here for Pete." This was the shortest and the honest reply from the son. "And I came here 'because' of Pete." The emperor spoke.

"Por, stop with the riddles and speak clearly. What are you doing in Pete's chamber?" Ae inquired. "I should be the one snapping at you because I got kicked out of my own chamber because of 'YOU'." The emperor answered while pointing his finger at Ae.

"Me??? What did I even do?" Ae asked innocently. "Well, your mother found out that someone had been sneaking into Pete's chamber and for safety reason she made Pete sleep in our chamber while I was kicked out to sleep here. You are such a troublemaker. Didn't you give me enough of headache that you are now piling it up? I, the emperor, was kicked out of his own chamber by his wife. Think about how bad it is." The emperor said in a sad tone.

"I am really sorry por... I didn't knew that mae will find out." Ae apologized. "Find out?? She was so furious when she came to know about this. I was just like a fly showed out from the window. And you!! You climbing into the chamber like a burglar. What have you been upto?" the emperor asked.

"I want to reconcile with Pete. I just realized that it's merely impossible for me to continue living without having him around. I feel so lost right now. I just want to see his face, see him smile, hear him speak... even if he doesn't speak to me, it's fine. But I just want to see him." Ae confessed.

"It's a shame that you realized it too late Ae. Your mother is so furious that it's almost impossible to change her mind. She had made up her mind to annul this marriage and send Pete. She is not ready to listen to me." the emperor informed.

"What if I prove that I can be a better person?" Ae asked. "Still the chances are low. You need to speed up and along with it, have a big impact. As per your request, I will declare tomorrow to let the concubines return to their homes. If it might help. But are you sure that you want to do it? Because, tomorrow, I don't want to see you blaming Pete for it. You might decide it now but you regret later and think that this was all because Pete influenced your decision." The emperor spoke.

"I know and I agree that I have been stupid and naïve. But right now, I am aware about what I want. I no longer hold any interest in those women. I just want to hold Pete back from leaving. It means a lot to me. His absence will kill me." Ae replied. "And why do you feel so?" the emperor questioned.

"I don't know. I have been having this weird feeling right from the time when I heard that mae is going to dissolve this marriage and Pete will be gone forever. I don't know what it is but I am aware that if Pete leaves, I will surely crumble. I need him just like oxygen." Ae explained.

"Okay... I will help you in that case but remember, if I find out that you have been playing around just to win back your powers, I'll be the first one to punish you. And that time I won't even consider the fact that you are my son." The emperor warned.

"I don't care for anything other than Pete. You can take away all the powers and even strip me off the title in exchange of giving me Pete." Ae replied sincerely. By now, he was more than sure what he wanted. He knew that his life would be incomplete without Pete but he didn't know why he felt like that. And what these feelings were.

"Alright... Now go to sleep. I am feeling tired too." The father said. "Is Pete sleeping in your chamber?" Ae tried to confirm. "Yes.... Why did you ask?" the emperor questioned. "And mae?" Ae inquired. "She is in her chamber probably." The emperor stated.