It took me by surprise

Gyokuen's hatred took Hakutoku by surprise

It took Hakutoku by surprise when he first met the hateful glare of his wife Gyokuen.
It wasn't the first time that his wife hated something or someone, but normally she still looked so calm and kind. She still had her soft features and her eyes did not only reflect hate. Gyokuen was, in general, a very clam, collected and level-headed person. She was kind and understanding, merciful and gentle. She was a perfect empress, a perfect wife and a perfect mother! Only a short while ago his wife had given birth to their second child. A healthy little boy named Hakuren. Hakutoku was sure that his first son, Hakuyuu, and his second son would turn into two great men that one day would lead the great Kou Empire into a bright future. A future he would build with them and a future they would maintain. But this were things that were not relevant at the time being, since both boys were still children. Way too young, innocent and unknowing.

Normally, in the rare occasion his wife expressed hate for someone or something her features were still soft. There was still a warmth inside her eyes, there was still the understanding and mercifulness, there still was her kindness. Hate never was the only emotion reflection in her eyes and posture. Most of the time her hate was not even real hate it was more like disappointment, disagreement and anger. So when he first saw nothing but sheer hate in her eyes and posture, he was surprised, shocked and confused. At first he thought it was his fault. Lately, he had not spend much time with her. He either was in meetings with the rulers of Go and Gai or had to attend meetings in regards to his own country. How to develop it further? What had to be done to ensure the safety of his people in their daily lives? How to spend the money they got from the taxes? Basically, how to rule the country.

But soon he realized that his absents were not the reason, because even when he spend time with her, she sometime had those hateful eyes. When he met with ambassadors of other countries with her at his side he sometimes felt a shiver ran down his back. At such a time he would take a hidden look at his wife. Sometimes she would look at him from the corner of her eyes, just like he did. Sometimes she had a creepy smile on her face, which she either hide behind the sleeves of her clothes or showed openly disguising it as a friendly, warm smile for the ambassador. Her glance would burn itself into his flesh and mind. Her smile made him feel uncomfortable and reminded him of the demons of the tales he was told when he was still a small child. At moments like this he felt like the person next to him, the person in front of him, the person that was supposed to be his wife was not his beloved wife Ren Gyokuen. She was someone else imitate her appearance. He had no prove and the thought itself seemed so ridiculous that he did not believed it himself. It was just a sudden feeling when he looked at her the very second her glace fell upon him. It felt like acid burning into his skin, something he could not fight off.

The second he realized that his ridiculous assumption, his ridiculous feeling was not ridiculous at all, but the bitter truth, was also the moment he, for the very first time in his life, was so afraid of another person that he was not even able to move anymore. It was the moment his was murdered.

It took him by surprise when he entered his and his wife's bedroom one night, expecting her to wait for him, expecting to spend a relaxing night with her, but what he got was his wife glaring at him with that hateful eyes and that misguiding smile which looked so sweet, but was a way to express the disgusted she felt and expressed how much she looked down on Hakutoku.

Sweet words, so sweet it one could vomit, because it was too much, a mild lascivious pose, under normal circumstances he would probably have felt aroused, and a pleasant scent, which smelled like the perfume she always used.
At any other day, at any other point in time he would have interpreted things differently and sweet words, a mild lascivious pose and the pleasant scent were a clear indication of what pleasurable action laid ahead.
But at this point in time he was sure that his time had come.

Hakutoku had fought enough battles to know when death was near. Hakutoku had fought enough fights to know when it was better to run. Hakutoku had fought enough battles to know when he had lost.

He wondered when he started to take the wrong path. He wondered when he lost sight of his wife. Was it when the conflict between Go, Gai and Kou turned into war? Was it when his two oldest sons were called onto the battlefield? Or when one of his younger children were born?
Or was it when he let his wife interact with those suspicious priests? He had realized that those priest were up to no good. He saw that his wife was interacting with them at it even seemed like she was getting along with them well. He felt like those priest were dragging her into something. He wanted to get rid of them. But he obviously failed to do so.

Never, never in his whole life had he thought that his wife would be the head of those evil cult.
Never had he thought that his wife would wish death upon him and destruction upon the world.

If he could turn back in time, he would never let those priest into his country, he would pay more attention to his wife, he would spend more time with his children, especially with the two younger ones Hakuei and Hakuryuu – he barely interacted him them, especially with Hakuryuu, who he mostly knew only from seeing –, he wouldn't let it come down to this.
But he had made his choices and now he had to pay the price.

Her smile would turn into a pleased, amused and happy one as soon as Hakutoku was dead on the ground laying in his own blood. She would enjoy the moment and laugh about that stupid human in front of her, who thought he could oppose her and her cult. And after that she would act as the grief-stricken widow of the great emperor Ren Hakutoku, who was murdered by an assassin of another country.