"What!" I sat at the edge of the bed while Yohan slid on his boots. "You're going where?"
"I'm just going to patrol the nearby forest. Don't worry." he turned to me.
"But...you haven't done that since the spring..." I muttered. "Unless you did it when I wasn't here..." it's been a few days since I came back to the palace. Yohan hasn't left my side and we've mostly been stuck to each other.
"You are correct." he leaned back to kiss my cheek. "But I haven't been as vigilant as I was in the past. A certain someone has been distracting me from my duties." he chuckled.
"Don't blame me for your lack of self-control!"
"I wouldn't call it a lack of self-control." he stood up and turned to me. "But..." he placed his hands on either side of me. "I would be lying if I am weak to my empress' seduction."
I huffed and looked away.
"Don't worry. I will be back before sunrise. I promise." he walked to a wooden stand next to his wardrobe and picked up his sword. He tied it to his side after securing it on his belt.
I watched him walk to our bedroom door.
"Be sure to get a lot of rest." he closed the door behind him.
"...Yeah, yeah..." looking down, I saw his robe lying next to me on the bed. "W-Wait! Yohan, you forgot your robe!" snatching his robe off the bed, I ran through the door. "Yohan!" I stood on the porch to see he was nowhere in sight. I looked down at his robe before heaving a sigh. I should have realized it sooner. He never leaves without his robe. Walking back inside, I closed the door behind me and climbed into bed. I held his robe to my nose and inhaled his scent. It smells just like him. It's like he never left. Maybe he left it so that I wouldn't feel so alone when I went to sleep. I smiled to myself before climbing under the blanket. I hugged his robe to my chest.
He said he would be back before sunrise. I wonder if I can stay up that long.
___
The emperor walked through the forest under the darkness of night. Two days ago, he received a letter from Xulian asking for him to meet her and Ho-seok in the forest near the abandoned temple one mile east of Jincheon.
Emperor Kang walked up a path made of dirt and stone before he saw Ho-seok standing beside Xulian. Next to them, was a man he had never seen before. As he approached them, a familiar scent met his nose. A scent he remembered from the summer months. The emperor narrowed his eyes as he drew nearer.
"Hello, Emperor Kang." Xulian smiled. "I would like for you to meet-."
"What are you doing here?" Emperor Kang growled.
Xulian looked at Viper who simply looked back at her.
"I remember your scent. You were in the temple that Zurine was occupying when she ran away from the palace. What is the meaning of this?" the emperor glared at Xulian.
"What are you talking about?" Xulian looked at the emperor. "I don't know anything about that." she looked at Viper. "Do you know what he's talking about?"
Viper nodded his head. "Yes, I do. Please, allow me to explain."
"Please do." the emperor bared his teeth.
"I was ordered by Lord Ayad to locate Zurine. It is true, that I went to the temple that she called home. But I never told Lord Ayad where she was."
The emperor pursed his lips. "I don't trust you."
"Emperor Kang, please! He's the only person I know that can help us!" Xulian pleaded. "He is the only person other than me who has ever looked out for Zurine."
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Thief of Twilight
रोमांसAfter a job is compromised, Zurine flees to the western country of Sincheon. In an attempt to pay off her debt, she finds herself engaged to Emperor Kang Yohan. With her feelings growing for the Emperor, she is left to make a decision. Will she stay...
