The Emperor's Obsession

Chapter Fourteen || Why?

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Emperor Hyeon's head hurt like hell.

He was sitting on his throne, listening to old men arguing like there was no tomorrow. Their quarreling voices weren't exactly helping. In fact, they were making his already awful headache even worse. With his mind wanting to rest and his heart filled with irritation and frustration, he let out a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Good God.." He muttered, closing his eyes for a moment. The main problem here wasn't the fighting ministers and officials, though.
It was the fact that he'd almost gotten assassinated.
That was the reason for all the yells and shouts in the throne room.
It started out peacefully at first, with each one of them saying their opinions and making suggestions about what he should do. But then two began arguing, then the others joined, each man wanting to prove that he's right and that the other is wrong. The growing argument turned to a fight. Not a physical one, but a fight nonetheless.
There was poison in the food that the assassin, who was disguised as a servant, had brought to the emperor. Fortunately, Emperor Hyeon had a strong immunity to poison. Ever since he was a mere child, he'd been given small amounts of different kinds of poison to build an immunity to them. He'd gone unconscious for about an hour, but when he woke up, he seemed perfectly fine.
After torturing the assassin, they finally managed to make him speak. He worked for an evil and large organization of rebels who called themselves 'The Red Turbans'. Apparently, they wanted to murder the emperor before he fathers a son so the empire would live in peace.
Emperor Hyeon knew he had to figure out a way to get rid of those rebels before they got rid of him. And he had to do it fast.
But right now, all he wanted was some peace and quiet.
Fed up, he suddenly shouted, "silence!!" His thunder-like voice shut everyone up almost immediately. He panted slightly and stood up, "I shall give it some thought and I will figure it out. The meeting is over. Leave." He said coldly. They all exchanged looks of hesitance, knowing they have no choice but to obey, before bowing respectfully and saying, "as you wish, your majesty."
He walked out of the throne room with a few guards and his most trusted advisor, Delun, following behind. He sighed and looked at them, "leave me." He wanted to be alone right now, with no one constantly watching him or breathing down his neck.
"But Your Majesty, your safety.." Delun protested softly.
Emperor Hyeon ignored him and continued walking. He passed by the courtyard and arrived at the royal gardens, and saw a flash of light blue from the corner of his eye. It sparked a tiny bit of his curiosity. He slowed down to a stop when he heard a small giggle. His gaze landed on a woman. She was sitting on the grass, gently holding a pretty dove in her pale hands. Several court ladies surrounded her, warm smiles on their usually expressionless faces. They watched her in admiration, like she was a beautiful swan.
It took him a few seconds to recognize her.
It was Lihua.
Her long, straight dark brown hair fell to her lower waist. Parts of it rested on her shoulders, while the rest cascaded down her back like a gentle waterfall. She wore a light blue, silk hanfu. As he scanned her clothing, he noticed she was barefoot. Her fancy shoes were tossed aside. Her doe eyes gazed at the dove in slight amazement and a tiny bit of happiness. And finally, her smile.

Oh, her smile.
Her pink lips were curled up in a joyous smile, revealing her dimples. This was the first time he'd seen her smile. It planted this fuzzy, warm feeling inside of him, releasing butterflies in his stomach. What is this? Why am I feeling this way? He wondered in confusion, slowly placing a hand on his chest. His heart was racing.
But why?
He didn't want to admit it. But to him, at that moment, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. The second he saw her smile, he forgot all the gorgeous woman he'd seen in his life. It took his breath away. All of their faces were replaced with hers, her smiling face forever carved into his memory.
She was an angel. His angel.
Emperor Hyeon's feet seemed to have a mind of their own. They began walking, heading towards her. His fingers twitched, wanting to touch her. He stopped in front of her. Lihua looked up, and the moment she did, her smile fell. Her grip on the dove loosened, and it immediately escaped and flew away.
"Leave us." He ordered the court ladies. They bowed and left.
"You.. What're you doing here?" She asked, quickly standing up. "This is my palace. Am I not allowed to be here?" Emperor Hyeon replied with a raised brow, placing his hands behind his back.
"No."
That made him chuckle. "Rude as always. Have you forgotten that I am not only your husband, but the ruler of this empire as well?" He stepped forward, and she stepped backwards.
"Have you forgotten that I am not only a lady, but your wife as well? I deserve respect too, you know." She snapped back.
"You will earn respect once you started giving respect." The emperor responded, smiling in amusement.
"You—"
He turned away from her and walked towards the bridge. "Yah! I wasn't done talking!" Lihua exclaimed, scowling. He ignored her, but soon heard quick footsteps running after him. She caught up immediately and was at his side in a second. Just as she was about to speak, his pace became faster and he began speed-walking.
Lihua's mouth fell open and she growled in annoyance, before following after him. "You can't just walk away like that!"
"I can do whatever I want, love. I'm the emperor."
Love. He called her love.
For some reason, it made her heart skip a beat. Her cheeks turned a light shade of red and she glared at him while trying not to blush. She rolled her eyes at his words and said, "ah yes, I forgot. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth."
"Actually, it was a gold spoon, but close enough."
"Th-that's not the point. Just because you're the emperor doesn't mean you can do whatever you want—"
Before she knew it, he'd grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, making her gasp. She stumbled and fell against his chest. She looked up at him with wide eyes. He looked down at her with a smirk.
"Wh-what're you—"
"Like I said, I can and I will do whatever I want. I hope that's clear." He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "or should I make it clearer for you? I know plenty of ways.."
Lihua's cheeks turned even redder and she shoved him away. "You..! God, you're so.. so.."
"Handsome? Wealthy? Powerful? Desirable?"
".. annoying! And arrogant too!"
Emperor Hyeon had never been insulted by a girl before. This was the first time a lady insulted him like that.  

of him was deeply offended, while the other was amused. He chuckled, "I'll see you later, wife." He walked away.
Lihua's cheeks were now a dark shade of red. Her chest went up and down as she tried to breathe calmly.
But how could she, when her heart was beating so fast? When there was this strange, tickling feeling in her stomach? What was happening to her?
Why was she feeling this way?
Why?