The Empress Wears Gucci

13

        Jaxon poured the tea into the vessel while I rested my chin on the palm of my hands. My eyes, unintentionally, scanned all the features on his face in pure silence. We were back in my chamber, like good old times. 

       My maids were dismissed, and I usually dismissed my maids. I know they were supposed to be with me most of the time, but I felt stuffed. I needed my space. And besides, Jaxon was not supposed to be here with me. It was completely dangerous. Every time Jaxon sneaks in here, he knows that he is entering dangerous territory. 

        "What do you want to talk about?" My enthusiasm shot up the roof. 

        "Your tactics."

        "My what?"

        "Your tactics... to coo the Emperor."

        "That's all you care about?" I scrunched my eyebrows together. 

        I stood up. Our eyes linked, the room was silenced. He showed no emotions. He parted his lips to speak, but as a blank canvas, there was nothing. Heat rushed into my body and my head as tears began to build up. All he cared about was to go home, and he had to pressure me about it. I couldn't take it anymore. I felt pressured into seducing the Emperor. Yes, the Emperor was attractive and had a few qualities I liked, but I don't even like him. It's been a couple of weeks, it was best to be slow and steady. Did he not tell me that we had to take it slow? We both want to go home, but he was acting irrationally. Showing any signs that we were outsiders is incredibly risky. It wasn't like the modern world where there were some people that believed in time travelers. These were ancient times where everyone had crazy superstitions and beliefs that couldn't be backed by science! 

         Actually, we still have that...

        Jaxon closed the lid of the vessel and raised his head up to look at me. "We both want to go home. Would you rather stall, or leave this place as soon as possible?"

        "You can't just pressure me like this! It takes time for me to coax him in," I whispered aggressively with my fists clenched. "I can't make him fall in love with me in just a few weeks, and you know that! Stop pressuring me and let's just take it slow. Do you understand that I want to leave as well? You're not the only person who stresses. Think rationally! Do you really believe that getting out of here takes a bit of seduction and boom, we're out? No. It doesn't work like that. Our ingredient list is hard to get—we need the Empress's hair for Heaven's sake."

        I paused. "I'm sorry. I just—" 

        "No, I'm sorry," Jaxon had his hands pressed on my cheeks. His face was too close to mine. "I deserved that."

        He looked at me with a solemn expression while I was on the verge of tears. The weeks passing by us get so emotional and I can never be at least joyful for once. I've been going through an emotional hurricane and I'm starting to be emotionally drained. As my eyes bore into Jaxon's, I couldn't help but analyze our situation again. This is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. To get the Empress off my ass, to seduce the Emperor, to get his saliva and his wife's hair, I couldn't handle it anymore. If I was watching myself on a TV screen, I'd be laughing. I'd rather laugh than cry. Right now, I have to hold myself back from crying. I'm not going to cry in front of Jaxon again. As much as I felt like a ball and chain was holding my ankle, I wasn't going to fuss. I was so frustrated with myself that I couldn't even think straight. Every day I've been thinking the same thoughts over and over again; I shouldn't have taken that Uber. 

       And it hurts to think that if I don't get out of here alive, I will never—

        I can't think like this.