The Emperor's Concubine

Chapter Forty

Undergoing training everyday, Luna's relationship develops with the assassins—growing more outgoing and honest with one another, a friendship appears between them all.

Training in a field, Eli strictly teaches Luna—attentive to correct every mistake, yet a pleased smile on his lips as he see's her progress. Lethargically lounging on the sidelines, Cethin and Jax watch the two as they lean on a fence.

"Hiya!" Luna exclaims, kicking the pads on Eli's hands.

Her skin glistening from sweat, Luna continues a combination of kicking and punching. Swiftly punching Eli's hand, she suddenly sweeps her leg against the ground to trip him.

"Oy!" Eli shouts, falling to the ground, "Don't go off script like that! You could have killed me!"
"I don't think you're as skilled of an assassin as you said you were, especially if that's all it takes to kill you." Giggling softly, she holds her hand out to him as he sits up.

"Seriously? She wouldn't even be able to kill a fly." Jax teases, rolling his eyes at Eli's tumble.
"I'm sure I could take on a bug." Luna scoffs with an amused smile from his remark.
"Not with those boney arms you can't"
"H-Hey, sorry if I can't grow large muscles like yours." Luna scowls, throwing her glove at Jax.
"See? Didn't even hurt." Watching the glove fall to the ground after gently hitting his shoulder, he shrugs in a laid-back manner.
"You know what? I wanna train with you then. You should get padded up!" Luna suggests with a smile as she grows excited.

Taking a moment to think of her proposal with an impassive look, Jax soon rolls his eyes.

"No." He bluntly replies.
"What? How come?" Luna questions, a small pout on her lips.
"I don't do this kind of thing. I trained to be a front line warrior in Xiao. I use weapons most of the time."
"Then you should teach me how to wield a weapon!"

"You aren't ready for that yet, calm down Chicky. You'll learn how to fight with Jax's style later." Cethin cuts in, snickering at Luna's disappointed look.
"Fine." Luna sighs, stretching her legs, "But I'm expecting to learn from you soon." She playfully glares at Jax.
"Yeah, yeah, master the basics first." Jax scoffs, crossing his arms as he leans back against a fence.


"Are you having fun?"

Turning around, a smile grows on Luna's face as she see's Emperor Cabel approach. Accompanied by government officials who trail behind him, Emperor Cabel gives a small nod to the assassins who rise in a proper stance and bow. Lance follows behind, along with a small group of servants.

"Cabel- Your majesty." Luna quickly corrects upon seeing the group of strangers behind him, "Yes. I'm having lots of fun!" Luna smiles, running up to him.
"That's good to hear. I'm only passing by, but continue with your training." Emperor Cabel pulls out his handkerchief, wiping the faint sweat on her cheek.
"Yes, your majesty. Oh, will I be joining you for dinner tonight?" She curiously asks in a hushed tone only for the emperor to hear.
"No, I'm afraid I'm busy again. I'll make time to see you soon though." Emperor Cabel smiles, brushing her hair back, "I'm leaving, take care of her." He addresses to the assassins.

"Well, of course, your majesty." Cethin salutes playfully, grinning.

Rolling his eyes at Cethin's dramatic display, the emperor meets Luna's eyes once more—flashing a gentle smile before he leaves.

An airy, pleasant sigh leaves Luna's lips as she watches the emperor leave. The emperor speaks with an official, his eyes glancing back again for a moment to meet her stare. The pink shade of her cheeks grows more as she blushes, attempting to suppress her smile that seems to grow larger.

"Oh me, oh my! Was that a sigh of love?" Cethin teases, lightly ruffling Luna's hair.
"What? You're speaking nonsense again, I was just catching my breath." Luna quickly replies, swatting Cethin's hand away.
"It's a rather passionate breath you took then, huh?" Cethin snickers, looking back at the emperor who disappears over the hill.

Rolling her eyes, she averts her face from Cethin. Glancing at the direction the emperor was going, she ponders to herself for a moment—longing to spend time with him.

"Enough fooling around, we have more to cover still." Eli scoffs, pulling Cethin by the back collar of his shirt.
"Ack! You're gonna choke me to death, wait! -" Dragged from behind by Eli, Cethin grabs the front of his shirt—trying to loosen the neck of it.
"Shut up, this doesn't even hurt." Eli rolls his eyes.

Softly giggling as she watches them, Luna follows behind them.


"Your majesty, are you feeling okay? Shall I bring more medicine?" Lance asks, placing a cup of tea in front of the Emperor.

The emperor sighs, sitting back in his seat as he leans on the arm rest. Sitting in his office, the clock filling the silence of the room with the ticking of the seconds, Emperor Cabel takes a sharp breath.

"That medicine's pointless, it barely stops the pain." The emperor scoffs, squirming in his seat as discomfort plagues him.
"Your majesty, a royal healer can help much more if you'll allow me to call for one."
"They'll irritate me more by asking questions about what happened. I feel the energy returning, so my body will begin to heal itself again. Don't waste time worrying incessantly."
"If you insist, your majesty."

Emperor Cabel sighs, loosening his collar as he slips off his jacket. Glancing to look out the window, he thinks to himself as he watches Luna and Eli train in the distance—watching as she bickers with Cethin who sits to the side.

Gazing fondly at the lively scene, the emperor softly smiles to himself.

"Your majesty, may I ask a question?" Lance asks.
"What is it?"
"How come you lied about being too busy?" Lance speaks, his eyes trailing to where Emperor Cabel stares, "You usually tell her to read while you work, plus you don't have meetings for the next few days."
"She makes a worried face... It's amusing when she makes that face but... It upsets me when she looks that distressed. If she spent time with me now, she'll worry about my health and make that funny face like she wants to cry." Emperor Cabel scoffs, snickering lightly, "It's funny to see how much she cares about me."
"Isn't that great though? This is a glimpse as to how she feels about you."
"I still can't be too sure... Has any guard reported anyone suspicious recently?" Emperor Cabel asks, turning to meet Lance's eyes.

Shaking his head with a sorrowed expression, Lance lowers his head.

"No, your majesty. It's been fairly quiet."
"How unsettling." Emperor Cabel mutters.

Thinking to himself as the anxious feeling grows, he furrows his brow as he glances back at Luna.