The Emperor's Obsession

Chapter Fifteen || Jealousy

_________________

The Great Palace, Xiang Empire, 1479
_______________
Hae Won watched as the man she deeply loved and lusted after walked away from his new wife, who was blushing and frowning at the same time.
She was furious.
Jealousy was eating every last bit of her heart, consuming her mind entirely and whispering wicked things into her ear. She'd seen how he'd pulled the girl closer to him until she was pressed against his strong body. She'd noticed how red Lihua's face had gotten. But not only that. She also definitely noticed that hint of a smile on the emperor's usually cold face as he gazed at his flustered wife. How dare she! The concubine thought angrily, her jaw clenched. His smile was only meant for her, and only her. Only she had the right to see that hidden side of her beloved Hyeon. Only she had the right to be close to him that way and have him stare at her with that certain, special look in his dark eyes.
Distract the emperor. Distract him and make him think only about you. Make sure he forgets about me completely.
I hate him.
I don't want to be anywhere near him.
Lihua's words and request rang in Hae Won's mind. It made her grit her teeth and tighten her fists until it hurt. Did she lie? No, why would she lie about that? Why would she lie not only to her, but to the empress dowager herself about hating the emperor and wanting him to stay away from her? If she wasn't telling the truth, then she wouldn't have asked the concubine to do something like that. She wouldn't have asked Empress Jingfei to lie to her son. So that meant Lihua really did hate Hyeon, and it also meant that Hyeon was only fooling around with her. He didn't actually fall in love with that rude girl, did he?
The foolish thought made the gorgeous concubine roll her eyes.
How stupid of me to think that way. Why would he fall for a nasty, ill-mannered, peasant whore like her? He's just playing around with her.
"Wipe that scowl off your face, dear. It doesn't suit you."
Empress Jingfei's cool voice snatched her out of her negative, hate-filled thoughts. She stepped away from the window and walked over to Her Majesty, before sitting down. "What is the matter? What could possibly be so terrible that that hideous scowl won't disappear from your face?" She asked with a slightly raised brow. She gently grabbed her teacup and brought it to her lips.
"Your Majesty, you have to do something, for Gods' sakes!" Hae Won exclaimed.
"Do something about what?"
"About that bitch Lihua and His Majesty as well. What if they fall in love? What on earth will I do then?" She said quickly in a panicked tone. "You must find a way to get rid of her..!"
"That, Hae Won, is the goal." The empress said with a slight smirk.
Confusion flashed in the concubine's eyes. ".. What? What do you mean?"
"The goal is to make them fall in love." She replied simply.
"What?! But why? I don't understand.."
"If you think it's bad now, then you're mistaken. If they fall in love, my son will turn Lihua's life into real hell. He will constantly torment her, and make her wish she was dead a thousand times and more. She will be in an endless cycle of suffering. In the end, she will be the one who gets rid of herself."
To say Hae Won was confused would be an understatement. "I.. I don't understand. If they truly fall in love, then.. why would the emperor cause her so much pain after that when he loves her?"
"That is a story for another time, dear."

Night had fallen already. The concubine was getting ready with the help of maids. The emperor had called for her, summoning her to his private chambers. The maids bathed her and did her hair, sticking a beautiful hair ornament in it. They dressed her in loose, deep red silk robes and put perfume on her skin, then did her makeup. When she was finally ready, they led her to his private chambers. The guard announced her arrival and opened the door for her, trying not to stare at her for too long or else she would notice and his head would most likely be cut off.
She stepped inside the large, sumptuous room.
Emperor Hyeon was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. His top clothing was undone, leaving his impressive physique on display. He tilted his head to look at her and smirked a little, but didn't say anything. The beautiful woman put on her best seductive smile and walked towards him, slowly. "Hello, Your Majesty." She purred, crawling onto the bed and gently placing a hand on his broad chest.
He sat up, caressing her cheek.
He remembered when he stroked his wife's cheek this morning, only for her to slap his hand away.

It didn't feel as soft as Lihua's.
Emperor Hyeon frowned. Where the hell did that thought suddenly come from?
The concubine saw him frown and looked at him in slight concern, "what's wrong? Do I not look beautiful enough?"
He looked at her and shook his head, "no no, you look stunning." He pressed his lips against hers, kissing her slowly. His eyes closed on their own. The moment they did, he wished he didn't close them.
Lihua's face flashed in his mind.
Her smile. The smile that wouldn't leave his mind no matter how much he tried to remove it. Her pretty eyes. The doe eyes with the fire he enjoyed seeing. Her long hair, which he'd wanted to run his fingers through. Her pink, soft-looking lips. The lips he'd dreamed of kissing..
Emperor Hyeon pulled away quickly, his eyes wide.
Good God, what was wrong with him?
Hae Won looked a little hurt. "Your Majesty.. What's the matter?"
"It's.. It's nothing. I just don't really feel.." He trailed off, not continuing his sentence. He didn't need to. She understood.
"Alright then.." She said, clearly disappointed.
"You may leave now." He muttered, grabbing his fourth goblet of wine and drinking it.
His cold voice and words made her angry. Why did he summon her to his bed if he didn't feel like doing anything with her? What was wrong with him? He rarely, very rarely, rejected her like that. It only happened when he was simply not in the mood. But she could've sworn she saw the desire in his eyes. So why? Was it because of the alcohol? Or because she didn't look good enough? She spent half an hour getting ready. All for nothing.
Don't you see? It's because of the peasant whore.
She shook that thought off almost immediately. No. No, it's not.
Oh, but what if it is?
The tiny voice at the back of her mind was right. What if  it was because of Lihua?
An evil idea popped into her head, and she tried to hide her smirk as she looked at His Majesty, who poured himself more wine, and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to tell you.. It's about Lihua."
He froze.
She had his attention. Good.
"This morning, she visited your mother and I. She made a really strange request.."
"What was it?"
"She asked me to make you forget about her. She said that she hated you and wanted me to distract you from her as much as I can. She also mentioned something about not wanting to be near you—"
Emperor Hyeon threw the goblet to the floor and stood up, before storming out of the chamber.
Hae Won smirked.
Prepare yourself Lihua. You're about to feel real pain.
____________________
I'm evil, aren't I?.