The Emperor's Rose

Chapter 12 // The Myth Room

The Emperor felt a cold bead of sweat slide down his back. Prime Minster Bunta sat down and the official Kazewara started speaking instead. The Emperor blocked out the drone of his voice, his finger tapping against his armrest. His sister was here. He could feel it. The heavy and stagnant air that had washed in the room so suddenly was a clear hint.

As he suspected, his sister walked into the room.

She smiled coyly, her fangs on display. A terrifying light twinkled in her half lidded-eyes. "Hello dear brother." She murmured delicately as she snapped open her fan.

Even though her voice had been a mere whisper, the general's words faltered. He glanced to the side and felt himself attracted to her cold beauty. She emanated authority and the general could do nothing but sit down, his throat dry. The captain sitting next to the general approached him and whispered in his ear, "Who is she?" The stunned general said nothing.

The Emperor's gaze hardened instantly, his jaw tightening. "Fumi, it's been a while." He exhaled sharply, straightening his back.

Fumi smiled darkly. "Your dear sister needs to speak with you—" she closed her fan and slid it in her long sleeve—"If you would do me the favor of postponing this useless meeting, we could go and talk." The Emperor gripped his arm rest. How dare she say state affairs were useless? He wanted nothing more than to kick her out of his palace, but instead, he nodded in defeat. The Emperor was ashamed to admit it, but he was terrified of his sister. She knew, of course, and used it to her full advantage, manipulating him with the best weapon known to man: fear.

"We will have this meeting tomorrow." He hissed, shame curling inside him. He hated his sister.
The Emperor stood up from his throne and strolled down the steps, blowing right past his forgotten concubine. All the room bowed again. 

As he arrived closer to his sister, a dark tremor ran down his spine. His thoughts wandered to Aiko. The Emperor shook his head, trying to forget her...although she still lingered in his mind.
His sister smiled coolly and gripped his arm tightly, her nails digging in his skin. The Emperor resisted the strong urge to push her off.

Her hands were freezing and the Emperor could imagine they were dripping wet with the blood of many innocent people. Fumi was known to be a killer to her servants and maids. She disgusted him, even her presence darkened his already sour mood. One of the many reasons for his strong hatred was that whenever the Emperor was next to her, he realized things he couldn't stand: his revolting sister and himself weren't so different. The Emperor felt his inside twist with fury.

Fumi glided forward, humming a little tune.
"Let's go to the Myth Room. I love it there." Fumi chirped.

"Well then, I'll personally destroy it when you leave." He thought.

The Myth Room was a room in the palace where all the traditional myths of the Empire had been painted, carefully, on every single wall.

Fumi smiled eagerly as she opened the screen doors, slipping inside the beautiful room. The Emperor stepped in as well, closing the doors behind him. Dragons and other mystic animals loitered on the walls, grinning mysteriously. A delicate table was positioned in the middle of the room. He sat down.

His sister sat down in front of him. She noticed his dazed expression and prodded his arm, worried he would doze off and not pay attention to her.
The Emperor came back to reality; he cleared his throat. "Yes?" He grumbled.

Fumi smiled and gently opened her fan. The Emperor raised his eyebrows. Fumi cocked her head to the side. "As you know, you are a young Emperor. You are a great ruler, of course," a small smile appeared briefly on her face. The Emperor wasn't sure if it was sarcasm or not. "And you need to find someone who is always by your side...someone....who loves you. Someone...like an Empress. The country is getting impatient! Even general Matsunami was muttering about it with some officers! And you know very well he despises talking about women. The people, the nobles, everyone wants an Imperial Mother for the country! But instead, they have lowly concubines, who are no better than prostitutes." She finished; her mouth twisted in disgust.
All the warmth she had shown in her eyes before left its place to cold and brutal desire for power. The Emperor's heart faltered in his chest. He felt his entire world shatter.

"An Empress?" He thought, confused. His memories wandered to a dark memory he hoped to forget. He shook his head. He wouldn't think of her death right now. Thinking about her in front of Fumi soiled her memory.
He had to find an excuse immediately. His sister surely had found a stupid woman she could control easily. He needed a lie and fast. His eyes widened as his mind fed him an idea. He cleared his throat and relaxed his face.

"I already have a woman I was thinking of marrying." He lied. He stretched, showing he was relaxed. 

Fumi leaned in closer. "And... who is this lucky woman?"

"Her name is Aiko." The Emperor said simply.