The Emperor's Rose

Chapter 68//Pavilion

Aiko and the Emperor broke apart. The hat was still placed in front of them, hiding the lost gazed both had.

They were both lost. This kiss was different. The anger they both felt for each other seemed to die slowly.

There were a few empty moments of silence and then the room exploded with cheers. The concubines clapped with empty smiles on their faces, knowing that they were second placed now.

Everyone bowed down, yelling, "Long live the royal couple," over and over again.
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The celebrations were in full swing. Aiko and the Emperor were sitting next to each other, in full silence as everyone else danced.

They were the only bubble of quietness in the continuous melodic cacophony of the room.

Aiko was messing around with her rice. Her golden chopsticks limply placed in her hand. Dances were performed, sake was poured and drunkards were everywhere. The music slowly lulled down to something softer, and the monk stood up. "It is time for the Royal Couple's departure!"

"No! That could have been me!" Shouted Chiho. The alcohol had taken over her body and had made her yell her deepest thoughts. She hiccuped as she stumbled around. Everyone laughed.

Aiko wasn't focusing on the room. Her eyes were wide and her hand was stuck in mid air. The departure. That meant that it was the time for her wedding night. She felt the shivers rub over her body as she the Emperor stood up next to her. She didn't want to loose her one thing she had kept so precious. She didn't want to fully belong to him. It just felt so cruel, she had already lost her freedom as a person, and now he wanted to make her loose her freedom as a woman.

Aiko looked up at him, her lips quivering. The Emperor glared at her, his eyes were two cold ponds that ordered her to get up. She immediately followed the order and stood up.

The music stopped and all the guests stopped chatting and dancing.

"May you have many male sons!" Everyone chanted.
Aiko scoffed quietly behind her fan. Why male? What was so bad about being a woman? The Emperor had heard the scoff and had peeked at her. He couldn't stop the small smirk that spread on his lips. He expected her to say it.

The doors were opened with a long groan. Priestesses were alined on both sides of the corridor leading to the pavilion in the Emperor's garden. They were dressed in candid robes while their hands shook bells to create the sound of purity. White flowers littered the way as the priestesses chanted a quiet prayer.

The couple slowly headed towards the pavilion. One step at the time. Their bare feet crunching on the petals. This reminded her of when she had squished the flower, in that blind moment of furry.

The smile from her face dropped for a second. The Emperor's hard arm squeeze made it return almost immediately. She hated it how much he could control her

They walked silently, the only sound that followed them was the tinkling of the bells. Aiko breathed in, her nostrils flaring. This was the last sound she'd hear before the start of this night.

"Don't look so terrified," he snapped at her. His lips were close to her ears so no one else could."Many girls would be dying to have this chance."

Aiko dug her nails in his sleeve, making sure they were firmly planted. "Well, I'm not one of them," She hissed back, her long kimono swishing behind her.
Maybe recalling to mind the flowing of time.

The Emperor stayed silent. His lips quivering with a quiet fury.

The entrance to the garden that led to the pavilion was approaching, maybe too quickly. The once distant future becoming the terrifying present.
A cold feeling of dread started filling her up, drowning her. She stiffened, her limbs rock hard. Aiko's lungs heaved, begging for air as her brain blanched out into nothingness. She moved mechanically.

The Empeeor noticed, his grey eyes peeking over at her. "I told you to calm down!" He ordered, his grip tightening  around her arm, surely creating a bruise.

"I hate you so much," she hissed back at him, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Don't worry, the feeling is reciprocal," he snapped back. His eyes clouding dangerously.

The two shoji screens leading to the garden were thrown open, the last two priestess bowed down as the royal couple passed, closing the shoji screens behind them.

The fresh air moved her hair gently, a refreshing wave of a short lived freedom. The garden was small, but extremely cured. Flowers were blooming in every corner, arranged by chromatic scale. The roses where the one that ruled the garden. A few drops of water glistened in between the petals. The grass was green and luscious as the couple stepped on it.
A few maids were waiting inside of the wonderful garden and quietly trailed behind the couple as they headed to the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

The lake covered most of the garden, the moon was reflecting on the clear surface. A simple whisper of the wind rippled the surface, distorting the image of the moon.

There was a wooden walkway that started from the bank of the pond that led to the pavilion. All the shoji screens were closed, not even a peek of moonlight filtered through the shoji screens and not even a glimpse of what lay inside was visible.

Aiko felt her inside churn, as soon as she stepped on the wooden walkway. Her hands were shaking. She slid her hands in her sleeves to hide them.
Her eyes trailed on the moonlight. Her soft lips parted in wonderful amazement.

The Emperor felt a smile creep on his face as he saw Aiko's smile. He felt his heart squeeze itself in his chest. The doors of the pavilion were pushed open.
Giving an official start to the wedding night.