To Forever Love Him (Original Edition)

2.4

*unedited*

Zhu Xiuying stood on the terrace that overhung her private villa. Below her, there were a group of three tiny children playing around.

"I want to be the Emperor!" one of them shouted, thrusting upward a wooden crafted sword with a blunt edge.

"You were the Emperor last time! Let me be him!" a second argued, tugging at the first child's clothes in a tiny scuffle.

The sword dropped, the two too busy arguing on who should be the Emperor. The last child sneakily snatched the sword and ran, "I AM THE EMPEROR!"

The two stopped their mini fighting and tagged teamed, running after the third.

Zhu Xiuying, who heard everything, crushed the fan she was holding in her hands. She was sick of hearing children look up to the Emperor as some kind of hero or God.

She knew the Emperor was, if anything, the devil himself. He deceived people with his looks and mind power. Zhu Xiuying was smart enough to not fall for the Emperor's bizarre tricks and witchcraft wizardry.

When she was but just a little girl, her father, the head of Zhu, had told her she was destined for great things. Zhu Xiuying took that to heart and believed that this was what she was destined for. She was meant to bring down the Emperor's cruel reign and make the country thrive once again.

She knew that her father, may his soul rest in peace, was smiling at her in pride.

Zhu Xiuying turned away from the three scrambling children and walked inside the villa, her green traditional robes flowing behind her. Her whole wardrobe consisted of vibrant colors, but her bright jade ones were her favorite.

For weeks she had planned on finding a way to get close to the Emperor. But unlike Sun Hui, she wanted to get close to find an opportunity to strike.

It's a shame how a once good family of successful rebels forgot what they were aiming for, Zhu Xiuying thought. She had agreed with them before, but it was as if one day her value switch turned in the other direction. She now despised the government that everyone favored. Perhaps this change was really due to her inner desire for power, or perhaps it was an excuse to sleep with the handsome Emperor to boast her vain ego.

Either way, she wanted to be "the hero."

Her aunt's daughter sat at the table, talking to a man that didn't look of Chinese race. His Mandarin held a slight accent to it.

"Au revoir, mon amie," the man said flirtatiously, kissing the woman's hand. He then kissed Zhu Xiuying's cheek, "I enjoyed our endeavors, my love. But I must get back to the country."

He grabbed his coat and walked out the door.

Her cousin spoke, "Why couldn't you keep him? He was French!" she fanned herself.

Zhu Xiuying gracefully shrugged her shoulders, "I'm not the type to stay committed. I have too much on my mind."

"You mean the Emperor?" she wriggled her eyebrows playfully. "Didn't you say you were going to bed him, convincing him to make you take charge with your seductive looks? You sure you just don't want him?"

She rolled her eyes, "The devil was once an angel."

"But he wasn't human. The Emperor is," she said. Ironically, that wasn't really true. They didn't know that, though.

"A horrible human at that, then," Zhu Xiuying said shaking her sleeve harshly as she thought of him.

"I just don't think that this is what your father meant," she shrugged. "Live life, not...plan the leader of our country's ultimate demise, huh?"

Zhu Xiuying rolled her eyes, "Don't you see, dear cousin? This is my opportunity to become the hero I was destined to be."

"I say in this I'm the politest way I can, my dear cousin," she said, getting ahold of Zhu Xiuying's shoulders. "You're so full of yourself that if it weren't for your looks you'd probably be lying in the streets."

"You're saying that...I'm basically only good for some kind of concubine?" Zhu Xiuying wrinkled her nose.

"I mean, if you want to put it that way," she shrugged her shoulders. "You're even planning on being the hero through sex. I bet if you were ugly, you wouldn't be here. And not because you were ugly."

"Is my personality really that bad?" Zhu Xiuying pouted. "Well, they just have to love me. I'll be their savior, their saving grace. I'm the daughter of an once wealthy nobleman."

"Be careful," her cousin grasped her hands.

Zhu Xiuying rolled her eyes, "I will not fail. I'm going to succeed. You'll see. You will all see."

Now she just needed to figure out how to get there, and when.

Wanted to try something different, so here's a whole chapter based on the female lead's point of view! It was slightly difficult to write, so that's why it's a bit short.
I'm also thinking of maybe doing title covers for each new arc? Maybe? Seems cool. Maybe I'll do a short synopsis, too, before each arc. I don't know, trying new things.
I'm also planning on writing another story~
~Outcast