I can protect you,Lihua,but remember no one can protect you... from me
With an unsmiling grandfather and an uptight aunt, Wu Lihua was perfectly content with her peaceful, quiet life. She wouldn't trade it for the life of a queen, and loved her fami...
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The Great Palace, Xiang Empire, 1479 _______________ The doors were yanked open, and it was too late to stop her. The grand, sumptuous bedchamber was dimly lit. Candles were dying out, the light of their wavering flames creating golden reflections against the smooth, marble walls. Crimson red, slightly see-through curtains hung from the ornate ceiling and surrounded the large, round bed. There was a bowl of unfinished grapes and a couple goblets of wine resting on the small table. Lihua could see figures of two people lying on the bed. One had a masculine form, and the other a smaller and more dainty one. She could only assume that it was the emperor and his oh-so-precious, favorite concubine. Seductive whispers and submissive giggles echoed in the chamber. But then their voices stopped when they heard the door slam open. It was silent for a few seconds, then she heard the deep, familiar voice say, "who is it? I never gave you permission to enter." I never gave you permission either when you entered my room and forced yourself on me! Lihua thought angrily, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists. She opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it. She decided to hold her words back for now, fearing that if she spoke suddenly without preparing herself, she would stutter. She didn't want to stutter or stammer. She didn't want to sound weak or scared. Breathe, Lihua. An irritated sound, somewhere between a huff and a sigh, rang against the walls, followed by the soft hiss of a blade being pulled out. The girl swallowed and licked her dry lips, managing to stand straight and gathering all her courage. She pushed the loose strands of her hair away from her face and held her head high, mentally repeating the same thing to herself, that she won't let him. She was going to make that clear to him. The only thing she wanted was for she and the emperor to stay away from each other. Be nothing but strangers. Married, but only by name. Nothing deeper than that. If he did have feelings for her, she wanted to make him understand that she was never going to love him back. Even if she did forgive him for what he did one day, she would only see him as a friend. Nothing more. Nothing less. She was sure of that. But him? In love with her? Lihua almost laughed out loud at that. That man wasn't capable of love. She'd once heard the saying, "If you aren't capable of loving others, no one will love you." Before, she wasn't sure whether it was true or not, as it was just something she would occasionally hear her aunt and some of the village elders mumble. But now, she was a hundred percent sure that the saying was real, as she was experiencing it right now. The emperor didn't love, so how was he going to get love in return? "Lie to me. Tell me that you love me. Say it a thousand times." His words echoed in her mind. But if he truly didn't love others, and didn't have a heart, then why? The things he said to her that night, the way he hugged her, the way he begged her not to leave him like 'everyone else'. Lihua stiffened. Everyone else? Did he suffer in the past or something? Was he lonely and neglected? Did he need someone to be there for him, but received coldness and harshness instead? Could it be that the emperor was misunderstood, and the only reason he acted in such a barbaric way was because he didn't want to be hurt again? There were so many questions starting to run through her mind. She was so busy wondering about him that she didn't even notice that he stood there in all his handsome glory, frozen, staring at her in awe and disbelief. He wore a silk, untied black robe, leaving his impressive physique and scarred, sun-kissed skin on display, and dark pants. Thin strands fell over his face and stopped at his high cheekbones, the rest of his long black hair loosely tied. How can someone so evil look like a God? The dagger fell from his hand. "Li.. hua?" He whispered, his eyes still wide in pure shock as he stared at her. She could've sworn she saw his foot slightly move forward, but then stopped, as though he was holding himself back from running over to her and pulling her into his arms. Emperor Hyeon couldn't believe it. His wife was awake. She was here, right here. In the same chamber as him. The more he stared at her, the faster his heart beat. The warm, fuzzy feeling that he despised returned to settle in his stomach, along with all the butterflies flying in there. His fingers twitched with the desire to touch her, to embrace her, to— And that's when he realized that he was head over heels in love with Lihua. He'd been in love with her this entire time. But he kept denying it, and making excuses as to why he felt certain things when he was with her. He'd refused to believe that what he felt for her, other than hate, was something more than lust. He'd refused to acknowledge that the reason he hadn't killed her for disrespecting him and speaking to him in a way that no other person has, was because he had these uncontrollable feelings for her. But she hated him. He knew very well that she hated him more than anything in this world.
