The Emperor's Obsession

Chapter Thirty-One || Abandoned

The Great Palace, Xiang Empire, 1479
_____________
The guards stared at Lihua as she walked past them, ignoring their confused looks, and headed outside into courtyard. The moment she stepped out, she was greeted with a strong gust of wind that made her shiver and wrap her arms around herself. The night whispered sweet nothings, luring heat from her already tired muscles until they could rest no more. It caressed her skin until it stole the pink blush and replaced it with blue. Above was the beauty of the stars, the clear night allowing the meagre heat of the day to leave unhindered. The only notion of brightness came from a full moon, and even its light was a chilled silver beam.

She looked up at the stars, letting out a shaky sigh. Long strands of hair were pushed on to her face by the wind, and they annoyingly stuck to her lips. She frowned and wiped the red lipstick off with her silk sleeve. Although she'd calmed down a little, she was still pretty pissed off. Her plan was a total failure. She wasn't even able to get him to take one sip of the wine. Everything went wrong. Luck definitely wasn't on her side today. It was never on her side. Her parents were dead, she doubted she was going to see her family ever again, and she was forced to marry someone she despises.

Her husband treats her like trash, everybody in the palace hates her and wants her dead—except for maybe Eun Soo and the prince, and finally, she has to endure the constant loneliness and sadness she feels.
How could everything go so wrong in her life in such a short amount of time? It was like she was born to be a walking misfortune. Was she being punished by the deities for doing something horrible in a past life? Did she deserve all this? Even though it was really cold and her clothing didn't provide any warmth, Lihua didn't want to go back to her chamber yet. She felt like she was slowly suffocating, and needed some air.

Making her way to the beautiful gardens, she felt a wave of dizziness suddenly wash over her. Dammit, she forgot to take her medicine. She whimpered slightly, feeling an uncomfortable tightness in her chest. She placed her hand on a pillar and took a deep breath, before sitting down on the slightly damp grass and leaning against a mossy rock. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, breathing deeply.
She didn't realize the prince was in the garden as well.

Prince Daeshim loved taking walks at night, and tonight, as usual, he went to his favorite place in the palace: the garden. He was surprised to find his childhood friend lying there, relaxing against a rock. He watched her curiously, his brown eyes scanning the features of her face. Long, dark hair fell over her shoulders, silk fabric pooling around her, smooth pale legs peeking out from under the dress with jade anklets glimmering in the moonlight. Lips a very faint but visible red, long lashes creating little shadows on her cheeks, and a peaceful expression.
He was mesmerized. He couldn't look away.
There were no words to describe how much he was in love with her. He'd been in love with her for years. He admired her strong personality, adored her bright smile, and was captivated by her looks every time he saw her. She was so precious to him, like a priceless jewel.
Although he wanted to talk to her, he didn't want to disturb her. He turned away from her and began walking in the other direction.
"Shim?"
Her voice made his heart flutter.
Swallowing, he turned to look at her. Heat rising to his cheeks, he smiled warmly at her and softly replied, "yes?"
"What're you doing here?" She asked curiously with a raised brow.
The prince shrugged and said, "I couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a walk. What about you?"
Lihua didn't reply. She pressed her lips together in a thin line and looked away, not wanting to make eye contact. Bringing her knees close to her chest, she pulled the hem of her hanfu down so even her feet wouldn't show, then let out a sigh. What was she going to tell him? She wasn't that great at lying, so he would see right through her. She had a feeling that if she told him that she went to see the emperor, he would react badly like last time. He would start asking questions, and would get mad at her. But then again, what right did he have to be angry at something she did? She was free to do whatever the hell she wanted.
"I met with His Majesty." She said casually.
The prince's face hardened a little. "Why did you meet with him?" He asked, his voice stern.
"Why is it any of your business?" She snapped.
"Because I care and I'm worried that he did som—"
"Well I never asked you to care!" Lihua knew she was being a brat right now, but she was irritated. She huffed and stood up, "look, I'm grateful that you're worried about me and all, but don't you think I have the right to know why you act like.. like this every time I mention the emperor?"
Is he jealous? She wondered.
He didn't meet her eye. He didn't respond.
She waited for him to say something. And when he didn't, she rolled her eyes and muttered, "whatever." The girl began walking away when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her from behind, her back pressed against his front.

Her eyes widened and she gasped a little. "Hey.. what're you..!" She whispered.
He stayed silent.
"Shim, what the hell are you doing? Let me go. This is beyond inappropriate." And she was beyond confused. Why was he acting like this?
He didn't do as she said.
"Yah! Are you crazy? What has gotten into you? Let. Me. Go!" She hissed, trying to move away. But that only made his arms tighten around her. "We're not children anymore, and we're both married. If someone sees us, they're going to get the wrong idea."
"I don't care.." He whispered.
"Huh?! What do you mean you don't care? Your wife will be heartbroken. Think about her feelings, Shim. You're like an older brother to me, but other people won't realize that. They'll start spreading indecent rumors. I really don't understand why you're acti—"
He suddenly turned her around and pushed her against the marble pillar, causing her to wince.
"Sh—" She started to say with a glare, but was cut off.
By his lips.
______________

Stay tuned for the latest update. I will do my best to write.
I feel like such an awful person