Shadows of Pale Sunlight

Ch 5: Family photo

Alban watched as the other disappeared behind the sliding door, staring blankly at the Korean drawing on it. Prove, prove that? the emperor thought, confused. He might have to ask him about that.

In the following days, the emperor noticed that Xhael spent less time with him than usual. He no longer spent time in the library writing poems and reading books. Instead, he wandered around the Imperial palace or the mansion, and he would be easy to find if he didn't often get lost that the emperor once found him in a strange underground area of the mansion. It seemed as if Xhael was purposely avoiding conversation with him. Whenever the emperor asked about what the man had meant, Xhael either changed the subject and disappeared or made a disturbingly flirtatious joke.

The next day, the emperor woke up in his own bed, noticing the man's sandalwood musk scent rubbing off on his sheets, and he hated the fact that he disliked it. He had grown accustomed to the feeling of the man's pheromones rubbing against his own scent glands whenever they were alone.

Three weeks before his rut, the man had been distant towards him. Since the man hadn't spoken to him at all, the emperor decided to stay in his room and sleep until his rut. Maidens would bring him food, but he would just ignore them, pretending to be asleep, although sometimes he actually was asleep.

Meanwhile, the Enigma was irritated, having found himself once again in a dark, rusty place. It seemed to be a vacant room, dimly lit by the faint glow of the silver sky outside. The navy blue cushions, oak table, and master-sized bed were all covered in dust, and spider webs adorned the high ceilings and corners of the furniture. Xhael walked further into the room until he saw a dark green curtain that seemed to be covering a giant photo frame on the wall. Curious, Xhael silently reached out for the curtain, feeling the dust cling to his palms, and slowly slid it aside.

Xhael was stunned by what he saw. Inside the photo frame were three people, a male around his fifties with long, flowy white hair, pale light blue skin, and faint white iris and pupils, beside him was another man around his thirties with golden hair and emerald eyes. In between them was a young boy who resembled the older man.

Could this be...

Xhael wiped the dust off the boy’s part of the photo and looked closely.

It is!

It was a photo of a younger self of the white emperor, and Xhael guessed the other two people were his parents. Xhael had expected Alban to have a ‘mother’ instead, thinking the emperor got his looks from her due to his goddess-like beauty and slightly feminine features. Even in the photo of his younger self, the emperor looked like a girl. But maybe he got his feminine looks from his Dad, while the rest of his features came from his Father.

Xhael then turned away from the photo and looked around the room. How much memories were spent here? he thought. He walked around, imagining various scenarios of how the two lovers spent their time here over the years: having tea in the morning at the couch and table, doing paperwork at the old desk, holding each other close while dancing to a slow song playing on a vinyl player, and cuddling at night in the master-sized bed. Xhael envisioned every scenario based on the items left in the room, thinking he could create similar memories with the emperor. And he decided that he would.

In the following days, Xhael bumped into the same brunette maid he had asked about the emperor's whereabouts on the first day. He smiled at her, although she seemed slumped. Curious, Xhael asked,

"Whatt'sa matter"

And she looks like she was about to cry, "It seems we maidens have somehow offended Your Majesty. We are unsure how, but he appears to be giving us the cold shoulder and silent treatment. Although he often behaves this way, today it feels as though Your Majesty has had enough of us." She rant, sobbing.