The Emperor's Rose

Chapter 31// Leap

Aiko woke up. Pale sunlight filtered through the closed screen doors, painting beautiful drawings on her face. Aiko was under the covers. She tried to slip out, wanting to feel some fresh air. But when she tried to move, she realized the Emperor was pressed against her, his hands loosely holding onto her waist. Aiko looked down. "What..." She thought aloud, her voice dusted with sleep.  

The Emperor stirred and then woke, his movements sluggish. He pushed back as he realized he had been touching her. Aiko's scooted to her side of the bed.
"Why did you touch me?" Aiko growled, covering her body with the crumpled sheets.  

The Emperor shrugged, his eyes heavy with sleep. "You hugged me," he said simply.

"I did not!" Aiko snapped, glaring at him.

After a minute of silence, the Emperor slowly got out of bed, passing a hand through his hair. "Well, I'd better get to the side of my garden before anyone has any suspicions," he mumbled, yawning.

Aiko nodded eagerly. "I want you out of my room." The Emperor heard but pretended not to, still too sleepy to argue. Aiko walked over to the screen doors and opened them, a gust of freezing air slicing inside the room. She shivered but inhaled, nonetheless.  

The Emperor walked behind her, inhaling the fresh air as well. The sudden desire to move her hair away and kiss her neck was strong, and he succumbed to it, before reminding himself she was nothing more than a maid. The Emperor shook his head and gritted his jaw. Aiko stepped outside; she put her hands on her hips, looking at the wall. "How do we get you on the other side?" She mumbled under her breath.  

Give me a stone." The Emperor ordered. Aiko tried looking for one. She whimpered as she turned her neck. The Emperor flinched, almost raising his hand to make her stop but she had already found a stone. A tall one too, and had already lugged it against the wall, sweat sliding down her nose. 

As soon as she stepped to the side, the Emperor started running. He stepped on the stone, using it to jump higher and grab the top of the wall. Without any difficulty, he lifted himself to sit on the wall. The Emperor winked at her, before he leapt down into his own garden, leaving Aiko alone. "I guess it's true that the Emperor is a great warrior." She said, staring at the blue morning sky.