The Emperor's Concubine

Chapter Forty-Two

"Don't be dumb, we have to have pork buns for a snack." Eli scoffs.

Cethin rolls his eyes, his expression almost seeming insulted by Eli's comment.

Lounging upon the golden palace's roof, the assassins keep an eye on the land—their focus prioritizing Luna from afar. The view of the empire in the distance, a clear view of the vast forest surrounding the palace, and the royal garden in clear sight, they leisurely watch as Luna and Hayden speak.

"Hey, did'ya forget pork buns are only good in Xiao? We should have roasted pork loin. Oh! With that berry compote stuff the chef puts." Cethin drools, dreaming about food.
"Wow. Money really does change people." Petunia scoffs, listening to Cethin's gluttonous rambling.
"When our residence is on the palace grounds, it's only natural that I'm going to have a finer taste in life. So what if I get a bit snooty, we practically sold our souls to the emperor. Might as well enjoy it -" Cutting himself off, Cethin freezes as chills run down his spine.

Abruptly sitting up, Cethin's head snaps over to Luna's direction. In an instant, he jumps off the roof, catching a branch of a tree as he swings to the ground. Following close behind, Eli and Petunia follow his lead.

A dark fog swiftly moves through the forest—entering the garden as it destroys the ground beneath it. The fog speeds up as it flies through the gardens, cutting across the golden palace into the emperor's garden.

"What the hell is that thing?" Eli shouts.
"Damn it, just cut it off! Go to the roof of the palace and attack from above!" Cethin commands.

Giving a quick nod, Eli separates from the two. Jumping onto a table, he propels himself up to a balcony before swinging up to the palace roof.

The fog slows, the sky grows dark as it begins to take form. Slowing a few feet from Luna, a black dagger shoots out of the fog.

Watching Hayden quickly cut off the attack, the assassins watch as the mist reveals the a man. Emerging from the haze, Micheal steps out—his eyes set on Luna.


"Luna, duck!" Cethin shouts.

Petunia jumps, whipping throwing blades through the air. Noticing the tremble in her shoulders and hands, Hayden quickly pushes Luna down as she freezes—shielding her with his body.

Micheal swiftly dodges the attacks with ease, the throwing blades flying past him.


"Are you okay?" Hayden exclaims, shielding Luna from any other danger.

Pushing the table over, he lines the table up to hide her from sight. The two assassin's catch up, soon unleashing multiple attacks in a row—yet Micheal dodges all of them with ease.

"I-I'm sorry... I can't move for some reason..." Luna whispers, her body shaking uncontrollably with her eyes unfocused as she's lost in a traumatized daze.

Carefully taking her trembling hand in his, he tries to meet her lost gaze.

"Stay low, don't go anywhere until help can come."

Giving a faint—barely noticeable—nod, Luna's complexion grows pale as she's lost in her thoughts. Realizing she's in shock, Hayden's brows furrow with worry.

Gingerly cupping her cheeks with his hands, he forces her to look him in the eyes.

"Luna, I'd die before letting him hurt you." He earnestly whispers, "It's going to be okay."

Her eyes beginning to tear up as she looks back at his gaze, she gives a subtle nod as she takes a second to nuzzle into his hand.

"Stay here." He gently speaks, pulling away.

Quickly moving, Hayden jumps over the table. Sprinting to Micheal, he swiftly lunges his sword at his back. Dodging it instantly, Micheal grins before jumping around Hayden, beginning to run towards Luna's direction.


"You little shit! Stay the fuck still!" Cethin shouts.

Quickly jumping onto Micheal's back, Cethin wraps his legs around Micheal's torso before stabbing a dagger into his collarbone.

"Ack! How dare you get in my way!" Micheal shouts, taken aback by the surprise attack.

His blood splatters as the dagger's removed, just before he can take another jab, Micheal takes hold of his forearm—throwing him off his back. Holding his injury, blood drips from his wound—painting the grass with a strange shade of onyx black.

Furious at the sight of his hand covered with dark blood, Micheal summons the fog—a ball of darkness growing in his palm.

Throwing it at Cethin, the dark power instantly flies through the air—impossible to see. Hitting Cethin in his core, it throws him into the side of the palace wall the moment it hits.

Falling to the ground weakened, Cethin winces in pain. The wall crumbling from where his back impacted.

"Cethin!" Petunia shouts, her voice filled with worry and anger.

Attempting to stab Micheal with a spear, he quickly materializes a sword from the fog that follows his feet.

Blocking the combined attacks from Petunia and Hayden, Micheal quickly takes hold of Petunia's spear. Stumbling as she's pulled close towards him, she quickly looks up at Micheal.

Lifting his palm to her face, a giant surge of energy bursts from his hand, throwing Petunia back. Just as Micheal turns to swing his blade at Hayden, an arrow cuts through the air.

Slicing the arrow in half with his sword, Micheal quickly lays his eyes on Hayden who runs towards him. As more arrows rip through the air, an arrow slices his cheek and shoulder. Taking advantage of Micheal's disarray, Hayden swiftly lunges to stab Micheal in the chaos.

Their swords clash as Micheal spins, slicing the arrows that continue to come—quickly positioning himself to block Hayden's attack. Jumping off the palace roof, Eli quickly sprints towards Luna.

"Don't touch her!" Micheal shouts with disdain.

Stomping his foot, the black fog instantly separates—a small ball of fog flies through the garden as it destroys the grass and ground, hurling to Eli.

"Eli, watch out!" Luna screams, noticing the darkness catch up to him.

Turning too late, the fog bursts as it hits Eli—flinging his body through an upstairs window. The sound of shattering glass echoes in the garden as Luna sobs, covering her mouth as she stares at the blood upon the window ledge.

Striking his sword, Hayden blocks Micheal's attack. They stand face to face, their swords pushing into each other.

"Don't you get tired of chasing after her?" Hayden questions, his sharp eyes glowing with vibrant red.
"It's only befitting that a groom wants his bride back." Micheal scowls, pushing Hayden back as he slices and stabs in his direction.

Dodging the attacks, Hayden's slowly pushed back closer to where Luna hides. Micheal's sword grazing Hayden's arm, it cuts through his jacket and shirt. Taking a large stride back, Hayden creates distance between them.

"She's not your bride." Hayden grips his sword, scowling at the man.
"She's mine! She's always been mine." Micheal shouts until a manic laugh escapes his throat.

Rolling his neck, Micheal soon looks to meet Luna's stare as she peers from behind the table.

"Ah... My precious sister..." Micheal snickers, a wide eerie grin on his lips.

Her eyes widen, clutching the edge of the table as she maintains eye contact with him. The colour draining from her face as she watches Micheal hold out his hand.

"Celeste... Come here." Micheal orders, his words echoing like a spell as he softly speaks.

Quickly looking back to Luna, Hayden watches her tremble. Her tears flowing down her cheeks as she takes labored breaths.

"Celeste... I said come here." Micheal repeats, noticing her hesitation.

Her eyes meeting Hayden's, she tightly shuts her eyes—ducking as she covers her ears from Micheal's words that try to control her.

Watching her defy him, Micheal's brow begins to twitch. A soft laugh escapes his lips as he watches the scene, holding his stomach and forehead as he throws himself forward as his laugh grows into a crazed cackle.

"You... You ruined her. You put your hands on her, didn't you?" Micheal mumbles, his eyes glaring at Hayden.

Hayden clenches his jaw, keeping silent as he watches Micheal lose control.

"Disgusting... Repulsive... My only light... The only light I had, and you let another man defile you!" Micheal shouts, gripping the roots of his murky green hair, "Celeste, Celeste, Celeste... How dare you... You're mine—mine!"

His rage boiling, Micheal quickly lunges for Hayden. Narrowly escaping the sudden attack as their swords clash, his thigh gets nicked by Micheal's sword.

"You dare touch her?" Micheal shouts, continuing to slice his sword towards Hayden.

Avoiding each frantic attack, Hayden crosses Micheal's sword, locking it in place. His pupils sharply dilated on Micheal, he brings his face close.

"I never treated her like you did, I never laid my hands on her." Hayden speaks, his voice deep as it trembles from anger.
"Lies... All you say are lies." Micheal mumbles, the mist at his feet growing larger, "I'll just have to clean her... I'll have to teach her who her husband is."

The instant Micheal speaks, a murderous expression appears on Hayden's face. From the shadows of their feet, large spikes quickly erupt from the ground—piercing into Micheal's legs and shoulders.

Just as the spikes stabs into Micheal's flesh, dark-red blood splatters from Hayden's mouth—the roots of his light brown hair soon transitioning into a shade of black. His complexion instantly pale, the shadows that appeared quickly disappear as blood drips from Hayden's lips.

Taking advantage of his weakened state, Micheal lunges to stab Hayden in the gut.


"Motherfucker!" Eli shouts in pain, coughing uncontrollably as he tries to move.

Surrounded with broken glass and a pool of blood, he looks at the deep cuts along his limbs—a large shard of glass punctured into his calf. Sitting up, he holds his aching head as blood drips from his forehead in a steady stream.

Gritting his teeth through the pain, his bloodied hands take ahold of the bow and arrows. Crawling to the broken window, he watches as Hayden and Micheal duel. Readying an arrow, he waits as he takes three deep breaths. Shutting one eye as he freezes his movements to get a precise shot—Hayden spits up blood.

Watching as Micheal lunges to stab him, Eli releases his hold—the arrow cutting through the air.

Snapping his head up, Micheal catches sight of Eli with his bow. Instantly, the arrow slices his eye and cheekbone.

"Argh!" Micheal exclaims in pain, covering his bleeding eye with his hand.

Stomping on the side of Micheal's sword, Hayden takes the chance to plunge it into the ground. Using the momentum, he slices upwards with his sword—cutting into Micheal's stomach to his shoulder.

letting go of the sword, Micheal reaches into the fog—Hayden stumbling forwards from the sudden release of tension. Pulling out a dagger from the fog, Micheal suddenly stabs the dagger deep into Hayden's chest—slicing the blade from his chest, downwards to the left side of his ribs.

Vibrant blood paints the grass as Hayden jumps back from the attack. Holding the injury, Hayden breaks into a cold sweat—his hair slowly reverting to a black shade.

Grinning as he holds his injured eye, Micheal lunges towards Hayden once more—his eyes suddenly widening. Summoning a spike, it aims to Micheal's head—just as the tip jabs his forehead, Micheal quickly disappears in the fog—escaping just before the spike can fully shoot out.


"Bring everyone inside now! Get the healers here instantly!" Lance commands, running out of the palace with knights and butlers.

The garden left in a disastrous sight, the knights grows pale laying their eyes on the gruesome scene.

Lance runs to Hayden, frantic as he witnesses the amount of blood at his feet.

"Your majesty! -"
"Don't call me that." Hayden coldly commands, "She'll hear—Ack!" Coughing up blood, Hayden takes a sharp breath through his teeth as he stumbles.
"Now is not the time, your majesty." Lance scolds under his breath, helping Hayden stand.

Taking a closer look at the injuries across Hayden's chest, Lance looks back to notice his red eyes and the roots of his hair.

"Your majesty... You used your abilities while in this state? How could you do such a thing?" Lance questions, his eyes filled with concern.
"It's not important." Hayden responds, coughing up blood as he tries to steady his feet.
"Your majesty, you need to change back, now. Your mana's eating your soul."
"Everyone can see me—she can see me. I can't." Hayden stubbornly rejects.

Glancing back at Luna as knights help her stand, Lance shakes his head.

"We have to get everyone inside, your majesty. The healers will be here soon." Lance speaks, directing him to walk towards the garden doors.

Shaking his head, Hayden presses his arm to his chest to stop the bleeding. Escaping from Lance hold, he begins to walk in the opposite direction.

"Stay with Luna... Send the healer to my room." Hayden winces, stumbling to walk through the garden.


Helped to her feet by knights, Luna turns around. Her eyes widening as she lays her sight on Hayden's state. Her jaw dropping as she watches him struggle to walk through the garden with his back turned to her—a trail of blood follows behind him.

"H-Hayden!" She screams, trying to run to him.

The guards stop her, taking her arms.

"Lady Luna, we must get you inside, that's our priority." A royal guard exclaims, looking down at her.
"No, no, he'll die! Hayden!" She screams, sobbing as she tries to escape the guards hold.

Distraught by the sounds of her sobs, the guards begin to drag her towards the door as she struggles to free herself.


Turning the corner around the palace, Hayden's complexion more pale than before—he stumbles, holding his hand against the wall to hold himself up.
Quickly waving his hand over the glowing lapis necklace, the disguise falls—the emperor's features appearing as he returns to normal.

"Damn it!" He shouts, sucking a sharp breath through his teeth.

Gritting his teeth as he looks down at his injuries, the emperor collapses—his back hitting the wall as his breathing grows labored.

Thinking to himself for a moment as he bears with the pain, he clenches his fists.

"What was she going to say?" Emperor Cabel mutters, closing his eyes for a moment as he recalls the conversation that happened before the chaos.

The voices and steps of the guards investigating, suddenly grow close.

Taking a deep breath, the emperor furrows his brows as he pushes himself off the wall—beginning to slowly walk towards a side door of the palace. Just as he reaches the door, he grits his teeth as he waves his hand.

His appearance slowly transitioning to Hayden, a heavy pain courses through him—the lapis necklace glowing slightly, yet flickering ever so slightly.

Almost collapsing to his knees in his weakened state, he wearily drags himself into the side door.