The Emperor's Concubine

Chapter Thirty-Two

"His majesty sent these?" I ask, dumbfounded.

Sitting in bed, I stare dumbfounded at the large amounts of flowers in my room. Rows of bright colored flowers stand against the wall, windows, and tables, taking up a majority of my room.

"Yes, my lady. He sent them in hopes of your quick recovery." Lance eloquently speaks.
"He visits me every night though, there was no need for him to send these." I stare with my jaw dropped as Lance hands me a large bouquet of white roses with pastel pink flowers.
"To be transparent, when I heard from the florist of how much he was ordering, I tried to dissuade him. But, I wouldn't be able to stop him if I tried."
"Well, it's so sweet of him to do so." I whisper bashfully, admiring the gentle scent the bouquet has.

Fondly gazing at the light pink flowers, accented with snow white baby's breath—my cheeks grow hot as I question if I can accept such grand gifts.

"Cabel?" I call out, knocking.

After getting ready, I take it upon myself to thank the emperor for his gift. Standing in front of his office, I listen as footsteps grow closer to the other side of the door.

The door creaks open and Cabel looks towards me with a soft gaze.

"What are you doing? You shouldn't be walking around." He speaks, holding his hand out to me.

Placing my hand on his, he cautiously escorts me inside.

"It's okay, I feel better today." I respond with a reassuring voice.

Noticing the emperor glance out into the hallway, he closes the door behind me.

"Where are the knights I assigned to you?" Tilting his head, he suspiciously questions.
"Er... I left them behind." I honestly admit, feeling guilty by pleading to the knights to stay behind.
"Why's that? If another incident happens -"
"I-I know... To be honest, I didn't feel too comfortable with them." I stammer, looking at my feet.
"Did they do anything to you?" His words sounding cold, I jump as his tone appears deeper than normal.
"Pardon?" I quickly respond.

Looking up to meet his eyes, my eyes widen as I realize the red hue glows vibrantly. His expression composed—yet the tension in his jaw making me realize he's enraged.

"I'll make sure they can't lay a hand on anyone else if they dared to harm you."
"N-No! They didn't do anything!" Quickly grabbing his arm, I attempt to stop him from walking to the door, "It's just..."

Trailing my words off, I hesitate as I worry if he'll view me differently upon hearing my explanation.
His expression confused yet patient as he waits for me to speak, I force a collected smile.

'Just be honest.' I tell myself, taking a deep breath.

"They didn't do anything to me... Rather, I'm afraid they will." I mutter feeling a sense of shame.

The memories coming back to me, my body tenses as I recall the knights of Avris that hurt me—the knights that tried to force themselves upon me as I grew closer to adulthood.

"Have they done something to make you afraid?" He asks with a gentle tone full of concern as his hand cautiously lifts to cup my cheek.

Tilting my head to meet his eyes, I shake my head—unconsciously leaning my head into his warm palm.

"Not at all... I just have bad memories from my kingdom."
"I see." Cabel mutters, seeming to sense my apprehension.
"Please don't punish them, I promise they didn't do anything. I'm sorry, it's foolish of me to reflect my fears onto the present, but I can't help being reminded of it."
"You have nothing to apologize for." Bending his torso lower as he stares back into my eyes closer, Cabel's long fingers gingerly tuck my hair behind my ear, "Fear is something people don't have control over. If you're uncomfortable, I'll have it arranged so they don't crowd you."
"Thank you for understanding." I whisper relieved from his understanding—my worries subsiding as I notice his kind gaze still remains the same.
"Your friend is a guard too, do you fear him?" The emperor hesitantly asks.
"Hayden?"