White Empress, Ashes of Love Sequel

Chapter 13

She entered the Palace, her brush in hand, her clothing now dry, but her self esteem sorely lacking.

How many times she had been stopped and inquired after by servants rushing along the main walkway earlier.

"You're soaking wet!"

"What happened to you!?"

"How did you get wet?"

And a multitude of other questions as she attempted to make her way back to Qiwu Palace.

"I tripped," was her response to all. The walk never felt near as long as it did earlier. If his goal was to humiliate her, she would say he succeeded quite well.

Now, her eyes scanned the immense carpet to find her small bin where she left it earlier. She walked toward it, lowering to her knees as soon as she reached the area.

She would have plenty of time to think about the events earlier. The whispers, the precise vision, the natural feel of a sword in her hand and the sudden knowledge of what to do with it.

The biggest mystery was the blue breath that seemed to stream from her mouth. The cool feel of it and the resulting clarity were beyond comprehension.

She knew for certain she had never experienced it before.

She brushed the carpet in small strokes, her mind only vaguely aware of the task she was performing.

Had anyone ever trained her to use a sword? Her entire life was dedicated to working the land, there was never time for anything else. Nothing made any sense.

Her eyes closed as she hung her head, the brush in her hand forgotten as she traced back through her memories, trying to find something to explain her sudden skill and found nothing.

A long sigh escaped her mouth before her eyes opened and her hand tightened around the brush handle, her arm sweeping with more vigor as she shook the thoughts from her mind.

At this rate, she would be here all day, all night and probably all day tomorrow. Her eyes looked up to view the massive expanse still left before widening.

He was there. Seated on the dais, his head bent toward what looked like a scroll beneath him.

She quietly grabbed the bin and the brush, attempting to stand slowly and back away toward the side of the massive room and exit through one of the doors.

"What are you doing?"

His voice filled the room and she looked around quickly before her eyes snapped to his in the distance.

It was obvious he was speaking to her.

"I...didn't know you were in here. I'll go find something else -" she started.

"Stay."

"I can find something. I don't want to...distract you," she offered, her feet still backing away.

"You can't distract me. How can I be distracted by anyone? According to you, I look through people. I should hardly even notice you then," Runyu stated flippantly and it made her mouth drop into a pronounced frown.

Her mouth opened, then closed, a response clearly not possible as she walked back to the spot she vacated and reluctantly knelt down.

Every once in a while, her eyes would creep up to see him reading, a few times she caught him looking at her before both sets of eyes would lower quickly.

It was so awkward, and it was lasting for hours. The closer she came to the dais, the more awkward it felt. People came in and out, speaking with the Emperor in hushed tones, some making requests, some offering assistance and some bringing complaints.