The Emperor's Concubine

Chapter Thirty-Five

Leaving Luna's bedroom, Hayden shuts the door behind him abruptly.
Walking down the halls, he loosens the collar of his uniform. His breathing heavy and steady as he quickly enters the emperor's office.

The moment he closes the office doors behind him, his body heavily falls back. Leaning against the door with an exhausted stance, he firmly presses a fist to his chest as if each heartbeat causes him excruciating pain.

His breathing labored, he clenches his jaw as he raises a hand to rip off a necklace—wincing in pain as he does.
The lapis gem that hangs from the necklace begins to glow; his light golden brown hair dissipates, revealing sleek black hair. His eyes fade from the orange-golden hue, transitioning to a dark wine shade.

The gem fading to it's original state once the disguise disappears—Emperor Cabel slumps over against the door, taking a breath of relief.
His fatigued eyes stare blankly at the ceiling, thoughts running through his mind as he takes an exhausted deep breath. 

"You lost your damn mind." Emperor Cabel mumbles to himself.

Raising his hand to his line of sight—his mind recalls the image of Luna's lips, and the softness of them beneath his thumb.

"What was I hoping for?" He scoffs, furrowing his brows in disappointment.

Stepping forward cautiously, he holds his hand to his chest as a burning sensation lingers within. Swaying with each step he takes towards the sofa, he scowls at the pain running through his weary limbs.

The door suddenly knocks.

"What is it?" The emperor coldly calls out, turning to face the door.

As the door opens, Lance carefully enters with a tray in hand. Quickly closing the door behind him, he gives the emperor a concerned look.

"Your majesty, was it worth it?" Lance asks—his tone suggesting he anticipated this outcome.
"Silence. We don't speak of this -" The emperor quickly hunches over as a sharp pain appears.

Holding his hand to his mouth, his shoulders tense as he begins to cough up blood.

Sighing in a despondent way, Lance approaches the emperor as he holds out the tray to him. On top of the tray sits a glass of water, a saucer of pills, and serviettes.

"Your majesty, I reminded you to not stay as Hayden for long." The butler sighs as he hands him a napkin.

Taking the napkin, the emperor sucks in a deep breath as he wipes away the blood from his hand and lips. Taking the pills, he forces them down as he exhaustedly moves towards the sofa.

"Why haven't you told her yet?" Lance questions, hiding the bloodied napkin in his pocket.
"I'm trying to, but I can't find the right time. I want to make sure she has no feelings for Hayden."

Collapsing onto the couch, the emperor takes a deep inhale as lays his head against the backrest.

"Your majesty, it's fatal the longer you stay transformed. This discussion could be time consuming, and if you do it as Hayden you'll risk over exhausting your mana to stay as him. It'd be best to speak with her without the disguise." Lance furrows his brows as he tries to persuade the emperor.
"No, she won't tell me as I am. If she does like him, the first person she'll tell her feelings to will be Hayden. I need to make sure incase I hurt her with the truth."
"Your majesty, what if she has feelings for Hayden? Are you going to continue this facade to protect her feelings?"
"No."
"Then why can't you tell her regardless of if she has feelings for Hayden?"
"Because I don't want to see disappointment in her eyes." The emperor sharply snaps, irritation cutting through his words.

Pressing his lips together tightly, Lance gives a resigned stare at the emperor as he realizes his true concern.

"It's evident she's more comfortable with Hayden, and I should have told her in the beginning but I was foolish." The emperor scoffs, ashamed of the truth.
"Why were you unable to?"
"Because... I saw how unsettled she was when she first met me. If I told her the truth then, she might have pulled away entirely regardless of if I was her friend. I acted selfishly and continued the lies just incase she was afraid of the emperor... Incase she was afraid and never wanted to meet me again, I held onto an option that would let me stay connected to her."
"Your majesty... It really was foolish and selfish of you."
"I know."
"She might feel betrayed."
"I know."
"So, wouldn't it be better to tell her the truth as soon as possible?"
"What?" Taken aback by Lance's comforting smile and suggestion, Emperor Cabel glares as he tries to understand.
"The longer you lie, the more difficult it'd be for her once she finds out. She'll have more difficulty processing it if you allow the friendship she has with Hayden to grow."

Hesitating for a moment, the emperor hangs his head low as he thinks to himself. Clicking his tongue, a brief huff slips out of him—amusement curdling into self-reproach.

"I can't." The emperor admits in a soft yet sharp tone.
"But why?" Lance sighs, his eyes narrowing as he tries to understand the emperor's decision.
"Not until I know she feels the same as I do about her... I don't want her to be uncomfortable if she doesn't share the feelings I have—even if it's a bit. If she doesn't, she'd be disturbed by my desperation to get to know her and be afraid... I won't force her to feel the same ways as I do, but if I tell her the truth as I am, I don't know how I'll handle seeing her aversion to me—seeing fear or disgust."
"I see... I understand." Lance quietly whispers, taken aback by the emperor's vulnerability.
"I want to find out if she has feelings for me—or if it's who I was pretending to be. It'll be easier to find a way to tell her if I just find this out first."

Laying down, the emperor rests his forearm over his eyes. Anxiously thinking to himself, he sharply swallows as the pain persists.

"I understand... Please be mindful of the time going forward." Lance calmly says, yielding to the emperor's words as he gives a concerned look, "Shall I call a healer?"
"No. My mana hasn't begun eating at my soul just yet. I just need silence." Emperor Cabel takes a labored breath, signalling for Lance to leave.
"Yes, your majesty. May glory of Helios rest upon you." Lance bows, quietly retreating from the royal office.

Closing his eyes as he struggles to calm his breathing, the emperor clenches his jaw as he dwells on his words.

"Cabel, are you feeling okay?" Luna worriedly asks, staring at Emperor Cabel's complexion—drained of color with heavy bags under his eyes.
"I'm fine, I've been busy with work and haven't had time to rest." He calmly speaks, attempting to not worry her further as he feigns a smile.
"I see... Could we sit for a moment?" Pointing to a garden bench as they walk side by side through the flower garden, Luna gives a smile to hide her concern for the emperor.

Nodding at her request, the emperor forces a composed expression.
Luna sits, mindful to not wrinkle the pastel pink dress she wears. Carrying a white and pink lace parasol, she angles it to provide shade for the emperor. Sitting beside her, the emperor slouches for a moment as he takes a sharp inhale.

"Are you sure you're alright? Should we go inside?" Luna worriedly looks at Cabel.

Placing her hand on his arm, she examines his face closer.
Suddenly flinching at her touch, the emperor pulls his arm back. A bewildered expression on his face, he looks down to where she touched and back at her again.

"I-I'm sorry. Have I made you uncomfortable?" A tone of worry in her voice, she pulls her hand back.
"No... Could you do me a favor?" The emperor asks as he briefly contemplates.
"Yes, of course."
"Could you stay still for a moment?"

Freezing at his request, Luna's taken aback as she watches the emperor cautiously move closer—laying his head on her lap.
A subtle shiver runs through his body as he rests his head. Taken aback only for a moment, his expression relaxes.

"C-Cabel?" Luna exclaims, flustered by his sudden actions.
"A bit longer... Can we stay like this for a bit longer?" He quietly asks, the tension in his brows relieving as he gently begins to doze off.

Looking down at the emperor's face, his eyes gently closed as he takes a deep inhale—Luna glances away as she gives a soft nod.

"Okay..." She whispers with a subtle smile growing on her lips.

Leaning against the back of the bench, she stares at the flowers that sway in the gentle breeze—her cheeks flushed into a shade resembling the red flowers growing in the garden, she sits as still as she can to not bother the emperor.



Time goes by as Luna sits on the bench with the emperor. His expression calmed, the colour seeming to return to his pale complexion.
Admiring the scene, a peaceful expression appears on Luna's face as her lips turn into a soft smile from the warm weather.


"Lady Luna?" Lance calls out.

Turning to the direction of the voice, Luna watches as Lance walks through the garden approaching her.

"Have you seen his majesty? He said he would return soon but it's been almost an hour." Lance questions, his brow furrowed with concern.

Pointing down to her lap, she gives a small nod.
Moving past the flower bushes, Lance's eyes widen as he see's Emperor Cabel sleeping on her lap. His brows relax as he notices the gentle sleeping expression of the emperor.

"He's been asleep for a while now. He seemed sick so I didn't want to wake him." Luna whispers.
"I see. Unfortunately, I need to wake him. Your majesty... Your majesty?" Lance cautiously calls out.

Stirring in his sleep, Emperor Cabel opens his eyes slowly.
Looking above him, his lips curl into a pleased smile as he focuses his gaze on Luna's gentle smile. His hand raising to gently touch Luna's cheek with the back of his fingers, his eyes narrow into an affectionate gaze.

Luna's cheeks growing pink, her lips curl into a gentle smile as her gaze is captivated by the warmth in the emperor's stare.


"Ahem, your majesty?" Lance speaks up, a guilty shadow flickering across his expression as he interrupts the mood.

Turning his head, the emperor notices Lance standing idly by.
Beginning to sit up, a scoff rolls off his tongue as he combs his fingers through his hair.

"You found me?" The emperor stretches, turning to stand.
"I apologize for interrupting your break, your majesty. However, the knights have returned with an assassin from Xiao." Lance bows.

An amused grin grows on the emperor's lips, his eyes glistening with a pleased look.

"I suppose I should greet them and see if they're worthy." Emperor Cabel begins walking, until stopping to turn back at Luna, "What are you doing?"
"I thought I should return to my bedroom while you work." Luna speaks, tilting her head.
"Nonsense, this was your plan. You should meet the assassin from Xiao too. Come." Emperor Cabel calmly speaks, beginning to walk away.

Hesitating from the emperor's words, Lance and Luna look at each other surprised. Flashing a kind smile, Lance gestures for her to follow the emperor.
The three walk through the palace towards the main entrance, Emperor Cabel striding through the halls with anticipation.