The Emperor's Obsession

Chapter Nineteen || In Which She Captivated Them All

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The Great Palace, Xiang Empire, 1479
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The banquet was held in honor of Prince Daeshim and his wife, Lady Hei-Ran. Soft music played, concubines danced, wine and other kinds of alcohol along with licious, freshly cooked foods were served. All of this reminded Lihua of her wedding banquet, and shivered when she remembered how the emperor got into bed with her and kissed her neck. She wanted to leave so badly, but all she could do was sit there quietly, and do nothing. The prince still hadn't noticed her, and if he did notice her, she didn't think he recognized her. Or maybe he just ignored her. Of course he would. He was a prince, and what was she? They were different people with different lives and from different worlds. That was probably the reason why he left without telling her, feeling like he didn't have the need to say goodbye to a middle class girl like her.
But still, the nervousness she felt was eating her alive. Seeing him after all these years.. she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Stop it, she thought, when will you understand? You two are not children anymore. And you're married. You're not even supposed to look at another man and yet.. you keep acting like this.. she sighed and looked down at the plate of steaming food in front of her. She was hungry, but for some reason, she didn't want to eat. Her stomach growled, but thankfully, no one heard. Fine, I'll feed you. Just as she was about to grab the chopsticks, she heard the emperor call her name, "Lihua."
She swallowed and looked up at him, immediately noticing that his brother was sitting right next to him.
And he was looking at her.
She looked away, feeling her heart race. Thousands of butterflies started flying around in her stomach, and her cheeks began to heat up. Her hand started shaking, and she quickly put it on her lap so no one would notice. What is wrong with me?! She thought, biting her lower lip anxiously. He's not going to recognize me, is he? Gosh, why am I so nervous? He's your childhood friend, Lihua! Get a hold of yourself! She looked back up and focused on the emperor, staring directly into his eyes. She didn't want to make eye contact with Daeshim.
"Y-Yes?" She stuttered unintentionally.
"This is the second prince and my younger brother, Prince Daeshim." Emperor Hyeon said. "Daeshim, this is my wife, Wu Lihua." The prince tilted his head slightly, then sent her a smile that made her heart skip a beat. There was a strange gleam in his eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Wu." She gave him a nod of acknowledgement and mumbled, "it's a pleasure to meet you as well, your highness." She bowed her head, still not meeting his eyes.
She leaned in and whispered in the emperor's ear, surprising him, "may I leave please?" She asked, trying to be as polite as possible. She looked at him with pleading eyes. Lihua didn't want to stay here, not with the prince's strange gaze burning through her. The emperor scanned her soft features for a moment and felt a smirk creeping to his lips as an idea formed in his head. He grabbed his goblet and finished the remaining wine, then clapped his hands to get everybody's attention.
"My wife wishes to sing and dance tonight."
Lihua's jaws dropped in shock and she stared at him with wide eyes. W-What?  "Yah.. w-what are you doing?" She hissed. She asked for his permission to leave, not sing and dance! What on earth was wrong with him? Was he trying to humiliate and embarrass her? She gulped when she saw that the concubines had sat down and everyone was watching her with curious eyes. "What are you talking about, dear? That is what you requested." He replied, smiling mischievously at her. "Come on now, everybody is waiting." He gestured for her to get up.
She let out a shaky breath and slowly stood up, her legs trembling underneath that hanfu. Hell, her entire body was trembling. She never really liked being the center of attention. But now, not only was she simply the center of attention, she was also going to sing and dance. How humiliating.. I'm so embarrassed.. She thought with her head down and her eyes wide open.
She walked to the center of the large room.
The musician began playing the harp, producing a soft, beautiful melody.
She looked up and bit her lip, searching for a decent song. When she thought of a good one, she opened her mouth and began singing.

The more she sang, the more confident she got. She didn't see anybody trying not to laugh or cringing, so the anxiety she felt started to fade. And soon, she began dancing. Her dance was slow and mesmerizing. She held the attention of every single person in that room. She gracefully moved her legs, her steps as light and agile, and it looked as though she was floating on the marble floor. She whirled slowly, the silk hem of her hanfu caressing her feet. Soon, it ended.
Silence.
Run.
Her legs were frozen.
Run! Get out of here!
Lihua, as calmly as she could, bowed and walked out of the room. The moment she stepped out, she started running. Away from the emperor. Away from the concubine's jealous glares. Away from the empress' cold stare and everybody else's stares. Away from Daeshim.
She just wanted to be alone.
She found herself in the royal gardens, panting softly. She made her way over to a willow tree and sat down, a cold night breeze whispering sweetly into her ear and caressing her warm cheeks, cooling them. It made her relax and she felt comfortable now. She could finally breathe.
"I didn't know you could sing."
Lihua gasped and almost jumped, wildly looking around.
It was the prince.

He smiled kindly, "you've grown so much, Lihua. You're practically a woman now."
She didn't answer. Her words were caught in her throat, and she couldn't get them out. Her mouth had gone dry and her heart was beating so fast, she was afraid he would hear it.
"What is the matter? Have you forgotten me?" He asked, "I apologize for addressing you so informally, Lady Wu."
"Shim.." Lihua whispered. He remembered her. He recognized her. She couldn't believe it. "Shim.. no, your highness.. I.." She didn't know what to say. Well, she did, but she didn't know where to start. She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but at that moment, she felt like she'd forgotten them all. "Why did you leave?"
Guilt flashed in his eyes.
"You never even said goodbye.. you just.. disappeared."
"Lihua, I.." He hesitantly reached out for her, but she stepped backwards, "no! I deserve an explanation." She said stubbornly.
Daeshim sighed and spoke, "I'm sorry, Lihua. I'm so, so sorry.. but I had no choice. I had to leave. Because if I hadn't, you would've been killed."
".. What?"
"When the late king, my father, found out about me sneaking out of the palace and having a commoner for a friend, he ordered me to stop seeing you and to never leave the palace. When I refused to obey him, he threatened to kill you." He bit his lip.
"But.. why did you.. your highness, I was a mere peasant girl. We didn't even play together that often, and we didn't know each other that well. We were children. Why didn't you just let me die?"
He didn't answer.
Silence fell. It wasn't a comfortable one.
"That doesn't matter," he said, "what matters is that I'm back."
"And married. I'd love to meet your wife, by the way. She seems like a kind woman." Lihua smiled. "You've changed. I didn't recognize you at first."
God, how he missed her smile. He bit his lip and slowly reached out to caress her cheek. "And you're still the same.."
Lihua inhaled sharply when she felt him touch her cheek. She froze for a moment. "Yah! W-What're you doing?!" She snapped, immediately backing away, her cheeks heating up. Prince Daeshim blinked and shook his head, "my apologies. I'm sorry for behaving so inappropriately.. I.."
"Honestly, what has gotten into you?" She huffed, crossing her arms.
You. "I don't know." He responded softly.
"I should go. If somebody sees us, they're going to get the wrong idea." Lihua said, "it was nice seeing you again, Shim. Goodnight, your highness." She gave him a small smile, bowed, and left.
The prince watched her walk away, the cold breeze appearing once again and carrying tiny leaves with it as it blew into the night.
"Goodnight.. Lihua." He murmured.
Hae Won turned away and quickly hid behind a marble pillar as Lihua walked by, oblivious of the concubine's presence. Her eyes were wide in shock. She couldn't believe what she just saw. The prince and Lihua? Are they having an affair?! She hadn't been able to hear what they were saying, but she definitely saw the prince caress Lihua's cheek, so that must have meant something, right?
Oh, Prince Daeshim's poor wife is going to be so happy with these news.. She thought with the smirk of a witch.
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