The Emperor's Obsession

Chapter Six || Fate is Cruel

The Great Palace, Xiang Empire, 1479
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Lihua's jaws were dropped, her mouth hanging open in pure shock. No way. This was him, the man from the village! Her eyes were as wide as the moon as she stared at him, her words along with her melodic voice lost completely. She then remembered all the rude things she'd said to him. Her blood ran cold, and her face became a sickly pale. If her aunt saw her right now, she'd say that she looked like a lost soul on their way to the afterlife. A ghost. Perhaps, she would be on her way to the afterlife very soon. There was absolutely no way the emperor would show her mercy. He would never forgive her for her ill-mannered self who never thinks before opening her mouth.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" There it was. That devilish smirk, reappearing on his flawless face.
"I-I.. You.. I.." Was all she could say. Her sentence, if you could even call it that, was a stuttering mess. Her chest tightened and she gulped, that familiar feeling of fear washing over her again. The emperor rolled his eyes and asked, "well? Aren't you going to apologize? Beg for mercy? I'm waiting, Miss Wu."
Her fear faded, replaced by a sense of unmatchable pride and burning anger.
Her hands balled into tight fists, and she gritted her teeth as she looked away from him, her furious gaze preferring the floor instead. She wanted to yell, Absolutely not! Her pride was too much. Why should she be the one apologizing? He was the one who tricked her about his identity. Of course she would be reacting that way. Lihua would rather have her head cut off than beg him for anything.
"Well?" Emperor Hyeon pressed, his eyes narrowing.
Lihua swallowed her raging pride and slowly got on her knees. Her lips trembled, wanting-no, needing to shout and curse at him. Her finger twitched as she imagined the satisfaction of slapping the lights out of that evil man. She bowed until her forehead almost touched the floor. "My apologies, your majesty." It didn't sound sincere. It sounded like she was mocking him. When she stood back up, he was smirking in amusement.
Bastard.
The emperor knew her so-called apology wasn't genuine, but he ignored that. He was determined to teach her a lesson she won't ever forget, as he knew he was going to have her very soon.
Very, very soon.
"Do you know why I wanted to meet with your grandfather, Miss Wu?"
Lihua shook her head, mumbling a no.
"It's because there is evidence he's cooperating with the enemy." She gasped softly at his words, her eyes widening. Her beloved grandfather? Working with the enemies? "That's not true!" She immediately jumped to his defense. "My grandfather would never do that, Your Majesty. He's loyal to this empire. I've lived with him all my life, as he's the one who raised me, and I know him. He's a good, honest man!"
The emperor merely shook his head, as though none of her words mattered to him. Not even in the slightest.
"These things do not matter to me, Miss Wu. The evidence proves that Sir Zhao Lin is with the enemy."
"What is the evidence then? Explain."
"That does not concern you. Sir Zhao Lin will be imprisoned, tortured if he does not willingly confess, and hung for treason."
A look of pure horror flashed across Lihua's face.
"No!" She fell to her knees, her pride breaking. Now, all she wanted was her grandfather to be safe and sound. She looked up at the emperor with a pleading gaze, and it took everything in him not to grin.
"Please, please don't do this. P-Please, I swear that my grandfather would never do such a thing. Please don't hurt him, I beg you." She begged. Emperor Hyeon turned away from her, walking to the throne, and said, "I don't care what you say. The decision has been made."
With one last desperate attempt, she cried out, "I'll do anything!"
He stopped. Silence fell.
Then, he softly said, his voice as soft as a panther's hiss: "Anything?"
"Y-Yes, anything! Just as long as my grandfather is not harmed. He has not done anything wrong, Your Majesty, please have mercy and think about this.."
He did think indeed. He thought for a long, long time. It felt like hours had passed.
"Very well."

Pure relief washed over her as she managed a weak smile. "Thank you, thank you, Your Majesty. I will be eternally grateful-"
"But I have a condition."
Her smile faded. Of course it wasn't out of the good of his heart, if he even had one. Everything had to come with a price. She slowly stood up and hesitantly asked, "what.. what is your condition?"
"Marry me."
*
The sun was setting. The yellow ball of fire changed to hues of orange, and then almost tangerine. It merged with the sky, creating beauty itself. The clouds were like cotton-candy, as though they blushed at the warm touch of the sun. Silhouettes of birds flew home across a sky that was now magenta; and the sun was half behind the tall green mountains, but imagination made it look complete. The mauve of the dusky sky intensified, and in just a while, the biggest star had set, giving way to a thousand others. People were returning to their homes after a long day of work, and the first cold breeze blew, signaling the arrival of night.
A lonely, dark-haired girl walked in the street. She looked pale and shabby, almost ill, as if she'd seen a ghost. Her steps were slow and heavy, and her body swayed a little with each movement, feeling numb and empty. She wasn't even sure she was going the right way.

"Marry me."
"What?" She questioned, not sure if she heard him right.
"Are you deaf? Marry me."
Was he serious? Surely, he was joking! The emperor was asking a lowborn girl, only sixteen years of age, to marry him. "Wh-Wha.. I.." She stammered, still not believing what she was hearing. Her ears must not be working properly, neither was her brain. She stared at him like he was a lunatic. He probably was. "No! Absolutely not! I-I can't just marry you."
He was surprised, to say the least. Any other woman would've jumped to the opportunity to wed the emperor. But this is Lihua we're talking about.
But he was also angry. Very angry. How dare she reject him? Emperor Hyeon glowered at her murderously and grabbed her arm, yanking her closer to him, earning a gasp from her. "Let go of me!" She hissed. "L-Let go-"
"You will marry me, you disobedient girl. You think you have a choice? You will be my whore, and I will do as I please with you," his grip around her arm tightened to emphasize his point. To make sure he was clear. Lihua was disgusted. Her chest went up and down as she breathed fast, her heart racing in fear. "Or else your grandfather dies. And any other member of your family will be sold as a slave. But I'm sure you wouldn't want that, now do you?"
She didn't respond.
"Do you?"
She shook her head.
"Good. The marriage will take place in three days. I expect you to be here at dawn on the third day. Am I making myself clear, Miss Wu?"
Lihua didn't answer him.
"Speak!"
"Yes." She whispered, flinching. The emperor nodded in satisfaction and let her go, before sitting back in his throne. "Good," he said simply as though nothing happened. "You may leave now. The guards will see to it that you're out of the palace safely."
As if on cue, few guards walked inside the throne room and led her out..

Her life was ruined. She was getting married by force.
She was getting married to a bloodthirsty, sadistic, evil emperor.

~Stay tuned to find out what happens next~