The Emperor's Concubine

9: In The Heavens

THE EMPEROR'S POV

The kiss had been extraordinary. Something about the girl stirs up a crazy lust in him, her annoyed, scathing looks that she sends him, amusing him to no end. Her wit and stubborness a refreshing breath from the dull and complacent ladies so often thrown at him. Luckily, that kiss had made him ridiculously giddy and more than a little out of breath- though he would never admit it, or else he may have banished the guard that interrupted them. The next words the guards spoke, however........

"Requires!? Requires my presence?!" he storms through the room, maids and guards flinching. They part ways immediately creating a path for the object of his wrath. This woman, this devil of a woman, dared to summon him. She sits there, face devoid of emotion as she stares blankly at him, robes spread around her. His anger runs thick through his veins, a pulsing red fury that fuels his booming voice.

"I can not be summoned like some servant!" he spits at her. She stands up, curtsying softly- the gesture making him seethe further.

"My Lord," she mutters. He dismisses his servants with a flourish of his hand, his breathing still ragged. They scurry out quickly, wooden doors clicking softly behind them.

"What is it you want!" he roars.

How dare she. Has she not taken enough from him already?A pang of sadness aches in his chest everytime he sees her, the memory of his brother making him swallow loudly. She was supposed to marry him- his brother. It was a destiny that assured him his freedom, from obligations to this darned Palace. He remembers the night well, the claustrophobic glow of red wedding lamps strung everywhere within the palace. Celebratory trumpets echoing all through out the gardens. His brother's solemn expression as he faced his future wife. His brother's words ring softly in his mind.

"We shall never be able to marry for love, brother. It was not written in our fates"

That night, he had watched his brother marry a woman he could never love. How could he? His brother's heart already belonged to someone else. He watched in sympathy as the girl who truly held his brother's heart in her palms, cry invisible tears of grief as the other half of her heart took his wedding vows to a woman that he barely knew. But he knew- he would always hate the woman who stole his brother's happiness.

Who knew his brother would die so young.

Perhaps, his brother had died from a broken heart. Without the Emperor the kingdom became unsettled.How was a woman to lead an Empire? Not only that, this woman was the daughter of the enemy. As the only remaining heir, it only made sense that he would become The Emperor- the widowed woman, became his wife. He had fought against it, but the ministry and his closest advisors had assured him that The Empire needed it- without it, The Empire would be forced to go to war once again. The last war had left the Kingdom is ruins, the people barely surviving- he would not let that happen again.

He was being irrational.

"The hunting season is upon us, will you be accompanying your men to the hunt, Your Highness?" she asks. A moment of terse silence fills the room, waves of anger beggining to dissapate.

"This is all you wanted to ask me?"

"Yes"

He huffs, storming out of the room- not even bothering to answer her. The servants jump in surprise outside the door, looking abashedly away at being caught eavesdropping. He glares at them, stomping angrily away, his guards following closely behind. The Palace had not been kind to him. Growing up, it had only been his brother and himself against everyone else. But it was his brother, who was truly made for the throne. At a young age, his brother had excelled in all academic classes, his swordsmanship- unbeatable. He had never truly been acknowledged for his skills, his father and The Palace never batting an eyelid at "the little prince" until his brother's death. He stops abruptly as a eunuch hurries towards him, head bowed low.

"Your Highness" he greets. He grunts back an answer.

"Lady Yue said for this to be given to you." he says, presenting him with a sealed letter. He grabs it, before roughly opening it.

Your Highness,

Forgive me if I sound awfully daring, but my heart is aching to see your face once again. I shall be waiting for you tonight.

-Leng Yue

He scrunches his nose distastefully. He could use an outlet for his frustrations right now.

LI HUA'S POV

Li hua's body rocks back and forth violently as her maid shakes her, excited small feet bouncing off the floor.

"Tell me more, tell me more!" she squeals. She sighs, rolling her eyes.

"That's all! And then he was required by The Empress" she repeats for the hundreth time. Jingah sqeals, cupping her cheeks.

"Your so lucky" she sighs dreamily.

Li Hua scoffs indignantly.

"He stole my first kiss" she grumbles annoyed. Technically your second~ Her brain reminds her. Yao Mei sits silently beside her, lips pursed curtly, thoughtful expression on her face, before turning around to snap at Jingah.

"Don't you have chores to do? Servant!" she spits nastily. Jingah immediately looks sorry, the excitement now gone. She bows, apologising before running off to do her chores.

"That was mean" she says softly, chiding her friend. Yao Mei looks back at her frimly,

"She's a servant, not your friend. I'm your friend"

Li Hua looks at her friend shocked. Yao Mei's expression softens.

"No, you're right....I- I don't know what's wrong with me" she stutters. Li Hua clasps her hands upon her friend's.

"I shouldn't have told you" she says, shaking her head in regret.

"I think I love him...." she whispers softly, tears starting to gather.Li Hua feels awful. Of course, Yao Mei would fall for The Emperor, before even meeting him, she had basically already worshipped the ground he walked on. She had known the girl from the very start of when her life had began to change- she was most definitely someone Li Hua woud call a friend.

"Will you let me love him?" she asks, the silent "Will you leave him alone?" unspoken. She pauses. If she says yes, Li Hua would be condemning herself to a life like no more than a possesion kept hidden in dusty cupboards. Crickets chirp noisily outside, the end of summer already nearing.

"I'll try" she replies.

A/N: I'm sorry for not updating in a thousand years, I have been guiltily enjoying life :) I hope this chapter wasn't too confusing- if so, just comment with questions and I'll answer them promptly. The first part is obviously The Emperor's P.O.V and the second- Li Hua's. COMMENTS AND VOTES make me happy *wink wink

Thanks for taking your time to read!! xoxo