My Sin

I Loved Him

As the heavy wooden door creaked open, a shroud of darkness enveloped the narrow corridor beyond. The air was thick with an oppressive humidity, suffocating and damp. Torches flickered dimly along the walls, casting long, dancing shadows that seemed to writhe and twist in the faint light.

Stepping cautiously into the chamber, a cold chill ran down the eunuchs' spines, the sense of foreboding palpable in the air. The sound of their footsteps echoed eerily against the stone walls, the only noise to break the silence that hung heavy like a shroud. The eunuchs couldn't help but shiver as they walked in.

At the heart of the chamber loomed a grotesque contraption, its twisted metal frame bathed in a sickly glow. Chains hung ominously from the ceiling, their rusty links clinking softly with each passing breath of air. Torture tools lined the walls, their cruel edges gleaming in the dim light, seeming to promise pain and suffering to any unfortunate soul who found themselves at their mercy.

The chamber exuded a malevolent energy, imbued with an eerie atmosphere that sent shivers down the spine. It was a place where nightmares took form and despair reigned supreme. The air hung heavy with the echoes of tortured screams, swallowed by the darkness that enveloped the space. This was a room of unspeakable horrors, where hope withered and died amidst the relentless agony.

No wonder this room had been closed for so many years and the emperors who used it were called tyrants. Seeing the blood specks on the walls and chains, they knew they were standing on the threshold of hell itself, and there was no turning back, for the offender.

As they waited, a bone-chilling scream shattered the silence, tearing through the air with such high intensity that it made their blood run cold.  It was a sound unlike any they had heard before, shrill and piercing, filled with unbridled terror.

When they turned their torches toward the scream, it was Noble Lady Shu. But they were shocked by how she looked. Her appearance was disheveled, her once immaculate attire now tattered and torn. Her hair hung in wild, unkempt tangles around her face, framing eyes that were bloodshot and wide with terror as the guards dragged her forth. Each step forward was a struggle as she was unwilling but she was dragged mercilessly across the cold stone floor.

"How dare you do this to me! How dare you! Wait till his majesty hears about this!" Noble Lady Shu screamed shrilly as she pointed at the guards' faces, yet her eyes betrayed her as they showed terror.

"Till I hear about what?" The emperor asked coldly as he slowly approached Noble Lady Shu. As she stood before him, Noble Lady Shu felt a surge of unease wash over her. The emperor's cold demeanor sent shivers down her spine, his eyes devoid of any warmth or compassion. 

Seeing those eyes she knew that he found out, as those were the same eyes he looked at her before he brutally murdered her in their first lives.

"So you remember?" Noble Lady Shu said before calmly dusting her knees and getting up. Her quivering voice gone as if it was a mere illusion. But before she could fully stand up the guards quickly pressed her down so she could kneel.

"It seems like you remember too? Then did you remember what happened when you touched my wife in the first life?" The emperor asked, his voice eerie.

"You wouldn't dare!" Noble Lady Shu said arrogantly.

"Oh, but I do dare though?" The emperor answered and chucked darkly, causing Noble Lady Shu's arrogance to fade.

"My mom-" Before she could finish she felt an unbearable pain in her back, the sensation was akin to a searing fire, blazing through her nerves and igniting every inch of her being with an unbearable intensity. 

"Your mom?" The emperor chuckled darkly as he stared intently into her eyes. "Your mom is currently facing punishment for interfering with the lives of the mortals for selfish gain," The emperor finished explaining.

Bearing the pain of being hit, Noble Lady Shu looked up, her eyes crazed, "Impossible! How could you a mere mortal know about it?" She questioned with a screech.

"It doesn't matter how I know, you just need to know that you will pay for what you did to my wife," The emperor said coldly, his eyes overflowing with hatred.

Noble Lady Shu's entire being trembled as an icy chill crept down her spine, sending shivers coursing through her body. In that moment, her heart plummeted like a stone sinking into the depths of an abyss. Those eyes—those piercing, unforgiving eyes—struck her like a bolt of lightning, leaving her paralyzed with fear and dread.

They were the same eyes she had seen countless times before, eyes that held no trace of warmth or affection. In them, she saw only cold indifference, a stark reminder of the emperor's true nature. There was no infatuation, no tenderness—only a chilling emptiness that seemed to devour everything in its path.

No warmth in his eyes was gone, he no longer looked at her with infatuation, no he never did actually. The emperor was merely an empty shell under her mother's curse, so the infatuation she saw was only what her mother wanted her to see.

Noble Lady Shu's heart brimmed with bitter irony as she reflected on her past. The very reason she had fallen for the emperor was because of the overwhelming love she witnessed him shower upon the empress. His adoration was palpable, his devotion unwavering. He spared no expense in pampering him, fulfilling his every whim with boundless affection. It was as if the empress held the entire universe within his grasp, and the emperor was willing to move mountains to please him.

But for Noble Lady Shu, the empress's radiance only served to fuel the flames of jealousy that burned within her. She longed for that same love and attention to be directed towards her, to be the sole focus of the emperor's affection. So, driven by her desires, she beseeched her mother to intervene, hoping to capture the emperor's heart for herself. Yet, despite her beauty and status, her efforts were in vain. The emperor remained indifferent, his gaze never lingering on her for more than a passing moment.

As days turned into months, and months into years, Noble Lady Shu found herself consumed by resentment and bitterness. She watched as the empress basked in the glow of the emperor's love, while she languished in the shadows of the harem, forgotten and overlooked. The more she witnessed the empress's happiness, the more she despised him, wishing with every fiber of her being that she could steal away the affection that she believed rightfully belonged to her.

Motivated by her unyielding yearning for the emperor's love, Noble Lady Shu eagerly seized the moment when he was away from the palace. Convinced that this was her golden opportunity to secure the affection she felt entitled to, she meticulously devised a plan to rid herself of the empress and establish her supremacy. However, blinded by her desires, she failed to foresee the devastating consequences that would follow her actions, ultimately ensnaring herself in a tangled web of despair and heartbreak.

As she pondered her circumstances, a bitter laugh escaped her lips. She understood now why her mother had chosen to erase her memories, despite the potential advantage they could have provided. She loved the emperor. If she didn't why would she feel this type of pain?  It was a sensation as if a relentless force pierced deep into the core of her being, tearing apart the fragile threads of hope and leaving nothing but despair in its wake.