Drakkon

Drakkon 2 (Black Jade) - nine

I stood outside Meilin's office room and hesitated for a moment; the guards beside the door stared straight ahead, likely wondering why I was taking so long to enter the room. I wasn't sure either. There wasn't any awkwardness between Meilin and I—none that I was aware of—but after Yanlin's sneaky "attack" at the gardens, I was scared of what Meilin would decide to do. Would he actually marry her? My stomach twisted at the thought of it.

Pushing those thoughts away, I knocked on the door and waited until I heard Meilin say, "Come in."

The guard to my left grabbed the ornamental doorknob and pulled it open. I wasted no time entering the room. Unlike the lavish hallway with pretty paintings and intricate vases lining the walls beside the doors, this room was plain. The only furniture was a couch and Meilin's table, and the only décor was an embroidered rug that sat on the floor and a large map of Huo that hung on the wall. Meilin's taste was always rather plain, so unlike what royals were supposed to be like.

Meilin sat behind his desk with a stack of papers in front of him. He glanced up at me and lowered the letter in his hand. "Daiyu," he said, a hint of surprise coloring his voice.

"I hope I'm not intruding," I said as I sat on the couch. It had been a while since I last entered his office; nothing about it had changed. Except maybe the fact that he kept the window open, and cool air breezed throughout the room. Birds chirped in the distance.

"You're not intruding on anything important." He leaned back in his chair and watched me with midnight eyes. "And even if it was important, there's nothing more important than you."

I chuckled, leaning back into the cushions of the couch. "You're too sweet."

"Is there anything you wanted?"

"Is it bad for me to visit you?" I arched an eyebrow. "I don't always need a reason, now, do I?"

"Of course not." Meilin's hair was pulled tightly behind his head with a gold headpiece. He didn't normally dress fancily like the emperor, but lately he had been putting in effort, I noticed. Maybe it was because of the threat of the rebels? Or maybe he felt like he needed to appear more like an emperor?

Meilin rose from his seat, his gaze not straying from mine as he crossed the distance between us and sat on the couch. "You don't look as tired as usual," he said as he positioned himself on the couch until his head was on my lap. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not really, but maybe my body's getting used to it," I said with a soft laugh as I wove my fingers through his silken hair. I loosened the headpiece and placed it beside me on the couch, and continued to stroke his hair. "You look well rested."

"Really?" He chuckled and closed his eyes. "I haven't slept well for weeks. But I suppose that's good to hear."

My brows came together at that piece of information. I had no idea he had trouble sleeping; I was well aware that Meilin didn't sleep much, but I hadn't realized that fact. "Since when?"

"I'm not sure." He sighed and opened his eyes; I could see the deep darkness within them. "There's just so much work to do. So much to catch up on and so much to keep track of. This empire isn't going to run by itself, you know. I have Atreus and Minos running missions for me, and then there's pockets of resistance from the rebels. And not to mention the pressure the nobles are putting on me to do certain things. Open certain trade routes, free certain people." He rubbed the side of his face tiredly. "It gets exhausting. Even for me. This is why I wanted Hai to take the throne, and not me." He said the last part with a soft laugh, but I could hear the tension breaking through.