The Emperor's Concubine

16: Revelations

Her footsteps thunder through the corridor as she stalks towards his quarters. Her mind is filled with dark and traitorous thoughts, thoughts that could leave her in prison, or worse: cold and lifeless in a coffin. She's never felt so betrayed before, so disappointed, so........conflicted.

The Emperor she had thought was an honourable man. He had (despite having the power to do as he wished) never pushed her into succumbing to his (many) advances. He may have stolen her first kiss, her second, her third....... but he had always recognised the slight fear and uncertainty she held in her eyes when they had become too intimate for comfort and would pull away before things got out of hand. He was a fair and just ruler, who would never stray from the path of honour and nobility. To poison his own wife was simply unthinkable. Unwillingly, her mind wanders back to the scene that had unfolded before she had left to her hometown.

Flashback

The horses whinny impatiently before her, their eager hooves stamping softly into the dust covered ground. Her maid, Jingah had refused to see her out, exclaiming loudly with tears gathering in her eyes about all the things she could get done without her pesky master in the way. Li Hua had laughed, patting her friend's shoulder in understanding. Though she knew Jingah would not come, she had at least hoped to see Yao Mei once before she left. The girl had seemed distant lately, entirely consumed with some issue she refused to tell. Her carriage waits in front of her, the last of her luggage being packed into the extravagant conveyance by The Palace guards. She rolls her eyes now at the bulky vehicle,

Must he really be this wasteful.....

Suddenly, her vision is shrouded in darkness, the feel of two familiar calloused hands covering her eyes from behind her. She doesn't have to look to know who it is, the heat of his body, and the soft puffs of warm air on her neck are all too familiar.

"Guess who," he murmurs, deep voice murmuring beside her ear. She shivers, a small smile playing on her lips.

"You wouldn't be that handsome palace guard would you?" she teases. He huffs childishly, hands falling away as he spins her around by her shoulders.

"Who is this palace guard you speak of?" his eyes are dead serious, and she struggles to maintain her composure.

"No one of importance,"

His glance trails to the carriage. "You....I'll.....miss you," he says softly, eyeing her reaction. She almost chokes. Coughing twice, she distracts herself with the hem of her sleeve as a furious blush blossoms onto her face. She can feel him staring at her, waiting for her reply.

"I'm only leaving for a few weeks," The Emperor's face falls slightly. He nods distractedly, hands placed behind his back, a nervous habit, she had observed.

"Liánhuā (Lotus)," he says softly, hands cupping her cheek. The guards stand a few feet away, smirking and giggling like young children at the scene. His face reddens slightly, his voice faltering as he clears his throat, glaring at the audience. They look away immediately, busying themselves with mediocre tasks.

"What are you doing?" she panics. This was no place for such actions. He leans forward, his custom boyish smirk gracing his face as her breath hitches. His lips press tenderly against her own, moving in a fluid, familiar motion. As always, she can't help but surrender to his touch. She had tried; she really had tried her best to stay away from him, to avoid his attention for her friend's sake, but somehow, unknowingly, along the way, they must have begun to rely on each other. The Palace, in all its glory was truly a lonely place, the only solace being found in each other's company.

Let me be selfish, just this once.

The guilt eats her up, but the touch of his fingers as they grasp onto her shoulders, kneading softly into her flesh is distracting, hypnotic. The caress is scorching and it stirs up a heat in the pit of her stomach. Her heart is pounding, threatening to burst out of her body and she feels like she's drowning. A small sound escapes her lips and he pulls back quickly, opting to rest his forehead against her own. He sighs, laughing softly,