Emperor's Wife

Chapter Twenty-four

Delun held onto Han's wrist. "I'm sorry, Han." Han's wrist snapped. He fell to his knees, screaming in pain. "You see, you hurt what was mine. Now I will hurt you." Delun chuckled darkly. Ai looked horrified. Chao ran into the room, to take Ai out. Delun knew that.

Han spit in his face, Delun kicked Han in the face. "You're a bastard."

"No, I am not the bastard." Delun picked him up by his hair. Han's wrist dangled in a weird way. "I don't molest another man's women."

"She is a whore." Han spat.

"She is not whore, she won't even let me touch her!" Delun shouted. "Now tell me why the hell did you come here." Delun hissed, tossing him.

"Your empire will fall and we will rise again." Han hissed. "Then she will-"

Delun thrusted a dagger in Han's chest. "I will be damned if your people touch her." Han's life was fading from his eyes. Delun dropped him, with a kick he went to find Ai.

Ai sat on her bed, she was naked from her waist up. She held her arms over her chest as the maid cleaned her wound. There was a loud noise outside of her door. Delun came in with a haste. "Ai." He closed the door. She stood up, forgetting she wasn't covered. She was glad that he was alright. He turned around, blushing a little.

When she realized that she exposed her self, she grabbed a sheet and wrapped herself in it. "I am sorry, my lord." Ai got an angry look from the maid. Who left, giving them privacy.

Delun bit his bottom lip. Her body was almost to much for him. "It is alright, darling." He scratched his chin, his throat was still sore. "Are you covered?"

"Yes.." Her voice trailed off. He walked over, he hurt, but not as bad as he figured Ai did. She was still standing.

"Ai, my love. I wish not to sleep alone, so I will rest with you." Delun was hiding something, he wanted to make sure that no one would hurt her. He kicked off his shoes. She stopped him, she placed a kiss, one that he could barely feel on his cheek.

"Thank you, Delun." She had one hand holding the sheets and the other one held onto his sleeve.

"May I see it?" He asked, his heart was beating so fast from her soft kiss, even though it was on the cheek. It was as if a butterfly had brushed it's wings against his skin. Her blushed deepen as she parted slightly the sheet for him to look. Seeing it made him more angry. "I am sorry, Ai." He sat on the edge of the bed, resting his head in his hands. She rested her hand on his shoulder.

"It is alright." She gave him a smile. He couldn't return it, it wasn't alright. How could she say that it was? He hated himself, more than anything. Ai got hurt, it wouldn't have happened if he had watched her better. She got hurt on the same day her father did. He couldn't protect Ai. And he promised Hong and Mei that he would protect her, and she still got hurt. He sighed in frustration. "It didn't hurt that bad, more like a bee sting." She lied, it hurt like hell. But the slave the maid put on numbed it.

"Don't lie, it is not alright." Delun buried his face back in his hands. "I failed you."

"You didn't fail me." Ai frowned az she kneeled in front of him. Resting her elbows on his knees.

"I did Ai. You got hurt." Delun looked up at her, his heart raced by her nearness.

"I am not dead." Ai sighed. "Thank you, Delun. Thank you for protecting me. I truely mean it."

"If I had protected you, you wouldn't be hurt." Ai stood up and slaped him. He looked confused.

"Your acting like a child." She tilted his chin to where he was looking at her. "Stop blaming yourself, it was not your fault." She crawled on the bed, out the window was a beautiful sunset. "Isn't it beautiful, Delun?" She asked him.

"Ai, let me patch you up." He held up some cloth that the maid had sitting on the bed. She nodded. It was the best he could do for her since he was the one who got her hurt.