for you to listen to when the maid is playing her instrument
Thank you to @madabusa on ig or seoulize on Quotev for this amazing fan art of Takahiro!
"We are to be married tomorrow, dear [Name]. I am simply overjoyed. Finally, you will be bound to me; forever, and by the gods themselves. This is the last evening I will see you before you walk down the aisle. I will miss you terribly each minute we are apart, but my emotional pain will be worth it if it means I get to marry you the next day." The Emperor susurrated into your ear. He approached your frame from behind and wrapped his strong arms around your own, trapping you into his embrace.
"Indeed.. yet I must admit to you Takahiro, I feel like I don't know you at all sometimes. I feel like we are close yet distant at the same time. My feelings have been in a fix due to these uncertainties." You spoke cautiously in a soft tone, hoping not to pierce the Emperor's heart with your words.
He looked down upon the top of your head. It was illuminated by the orange light of the sunset flooding into the bedroom you now shared with the Emperor. Deep in thought, he finally spoke up.
"Are you sure you want to learn more about my past?" The Emperor purrs into your ear. You could hear uncertainty in his voice for the first time in forever. It felt like Takahiro was finally about to open up to you. So, you took in a deep breath and prepared yourself.
"I do want to learn more about your past. I will also let you know about my own if you'd like." You offered to Takahiro, wanting him to be as comfortable as possible when sharing the new information with you.
"I already know about your past. I had an investigation done on you when you first joined the palace. Either way, I'll still tell you. My past is long and winding, yet I'll try and put it in short for you to understand. After all, there is just so much you can learn about me in our limited amount of time. After the sun sets, you will have to go and sleep in the bridal chambers. Is it alright for you to hear the shortened part of my life?" The Emperor was surprisingly not visibly upset at all from your words and instead held you closer to him.
Your eyes wandered outside to meet with the glowing sun, which was just beginning to set in the faraway distance. As the sky was becoming a warmer colour, you nodded your head and looked up at the Emperor.
"Yes, please," You urged him on. You knew for a fact that his past would be exciting and perhaps finally, you could learn how to understand the Emperor's dynamic personality.
"If I am to tell the story of my life, I shall start from the very beginning then, yes? Well. My father was the Emperor of Intuuin not too long ago. He ruled with generosity and kindness, but his downfall was the fact he was not brave enough to resort to violence. He needed a strong ally at this difficult time for Intuuin when we were one of the smallest nations in the world and shrinking each day. So, he married my mother, who was from the foreign land of Ceruth. Unlike my father, my mother was deeply invested in war tactics and the military, but she was also a large fan of music. She is the one who prevented Intuuin from being completely crushed by foreign powers. However, she sometimes spent more of her free time with her instruments than with me. As you have seen, she has made a few hit records in her time." He began his explanation by revealing his parents' background, wanting to give you some understanding and context before he got to the part of his own life.
"Intuuin was still a small nation, but with my mother there, she made sure that our country did not fall. Things were too good to be true, of course. My father had a younger sibling on the other hand, who was desperate to rule Intuuin. He wanted to make Intuuin grow and reach its full potential. Long story short, he pulled off many acts to try and dethrone his older brother only to fail. Thus he was banished. Some years later, he sent an assassin to murder my parents as his last resort - thinking that he would automatically become the next Emperor. However, he was not aware that I was born. It is often tradition to keep the heir to the throne a secret from the public, excepting the royal family's close members. Much to his surprise, I was to become Emperor instead." While speaking about his parents, you noticed the humdrum tone in his voice. He was trying to conceal the hurt he felt once again but to no use. You could tell just how troubled he was from the way he began to clutch onto you.
"I'm so sorry for your loss, Takahiro." You consoled him, running your hand on the pale skin of his lower arm. At this point, you were deeply invested with the story of Takahiro's past so made short sentences to urge him to continue.
"It is quite alright; it was a long time ago anyway. My grandmother had told me it was an accident for most of my life rather than revealing the truth about their death. To put it simply, my grandmother informally ruled the kingdom as she was my primary caretaker with the help of royal advisors. She raised me strictly to become the perfect ruler of Intuuin. If anything, she made me completely numb to emotion for a short period. During this time, I took over the world. I let out my anger, my stress, my frustrations upon the earth and conquered every country and nation known to man. I was heartless and merciless, unlike my father. I had mastered everything to do with war and the military. Despite Eli's efforts to stop my rampage, I continued. Soon, there was nothing left for me to conquer, yet I still felt unfulfilled and empty inside. This was around when I was first officially crowned Emperor of Intuuin with all the festivities and ceremonies. I was about 15 years old when I took on the crown and responsibility-"
"15 years of age? Why, that's quite young, and yet you took over the whole world? Did your grandmother genuinely teach you everything you know? I would've thought your parents taught you some things." You questioned him, echoing his words in pure disbelief.
"Indeed so. I guess that's solid proof of how well imperial grandmother raised me to be Emperor. Not a single day off, this has been my life for as long as I can remember. My grandmother only wants what's best for Intuuin. After all, her husband died fighting for Intuuin's independence. So naturally, she wants to make sure Intuuin never becomes that weak nation once again. Not to mention, this is her home, after all. Intuuin is very precious to her, and she has been watching over it for many years. Lastly, no. My parents did not bombard me with studies which went against my grandmother's wishes. My mother and I would spend time in the garden picking fruits and practising instruments and then on some days I'd run around the imperial office and play with my father as he did his paperwork. Father was usually quite stressed out and uptight when he was doing paperwork, so he always said he was glad to have me there to cheer him up and keep him company. I'd say I had a good relationship with my parents." The Emperor finished his summary of his life, obviously leaving out the more intricate parts and occasions.
"Nathaniel darling, do you like what I have made you?" Takahiro's mother called out to him. The woman had long and impressive locks of pure black hair that seemed to flow like a dark waterfall. Her eyes sloped downwards and had red eyes, much like her son. In fact, her son nearly looked like a smaller version of herself.
In her hands was a hand-stitched stuffed toy in the shape of a white tiger. The eyes were uneven, and the stitching was messy, but it was made with love. She held it out to her young son, a pleased smile on her lips. Takahiro's mother was often preoccupied, hence the fact that she had taken the time out of her day to hand-make a toy meant the world to him.
The young Takahiro tilted his head in awe at the plaything and took it into his small and pale hands, a childish grin easing his features as he looked up to his mother gratefully. "It looks terrible, but I love it!" He told her truthfully, a proud smile on his lips.
Takahiro's mother let out a velvet-like laugh at her son's brutal honesty. He was growing to be just like her, a strong individual that also didn't know when to keep their mouth shut. Luckily for her, Takahiro was also a highly empathetic child. She could already see from his personality that one day, after many years of raising her son, he would become one of the best emperors of Intuuin.
"Brutally honest as always, I see." His mother responded, still recovering from the statement which she had found hilarious.
"Mother, I'll look after this.."
"Tiger. It is a white tiger you see, Nathaniel. They are known for their great strength and majestic fierceness. They represent fearlessness and spiritual awakening; the white tiger symbolises courage, willpower, instinct, vision and much more strong traits that an emperor must have. I hope you know that you will blossom into the Emperor of Intuuin one day, Nathaniel. However, it is not mine or anybody's decision what kind of Emperor you will grow up to be. I trust you to look after Intuuin nevertheless. Can you do that for me?" His mother explained then asked for reassurance, crouching down in order to look with her son at eye-level.
Takahiro nodded his head proudly, "Of course! I can't wait to be Emperor. I'm gonna be so cool!" Takahiro exclaimed cheerfully.
"You seem to have led a much more eventful life than I have." You told the Emperor. Lost in the story, neither of you had noticed the sun slowly setting deeper into the horizon. The tips of the sky now sprouted into the midnight blue of the night.
"Nonsense. You have quite the interesting background. Do you have any other questions relating to me? No matter how personal, I will try to answer them to the best of my ability." He offered, obviously wanting his consort to be as comfortable as possible in his presence. It was not an easy thing to be so relaxed in the Emperor's stead, especially when you were a peasant from one of the most impoverished areas of the country.
"Well, I have some questions about your love life actually. Have you ever been in romantically in love with a woman before..?" You asked timidly, a small rosy blush now dusting your [S/C] cheeks.
"[Name], [Name], [Name]. Have you not yet realised? I have not made any romantic advances towards a woman beside you in my life. If anything, the most action I've gotten is most likely due to my grandmother trying to find me a suitable woman as consort. However, let me be plain and honest here. You are asking due to the comment I made quite a while ago, yes? I am still a virgin myself, [Name]. Just because a man knows what he likes in the sheets doesn't mean that he has done sexual things with a woman before in his time. Look at you worrying over nothing. Why? Has it been on your mind ever since that night?" Takahiro purrs into your ear.
You gulped, knowing fully well the predatory gaze he had in his sleek and blood-red eyes right now even though you could not see him. Over the past month leading up to your wedding, you had got closer and more pleased with Takahiro. Despite still being unsure and feeling somewhat trapped, you had learnt to accept that this was your life now.
A deep sigh escaping his lips, Takahiro let out a chuckle. "Now you can never run away from me, [Name]. Tomorrow we will be bound for the rest of eternity. I promise I will not let anything get between us. Nobody has loved you more than I do. I will give you a warning once, [Name]. If you run away, I will hunt you down. I have eyes and ears on every street and field within Intuuin. If you disobey me and repeatedly try to leave me, I will kill you and then myself. I will leave Intuuin for you so we can be together in death as well. Isn't that romantic now, my love?" He whispered dreadfully into your ear.
You could feel his warm breath hit the side of your neck, and you couldn't help but feel like a prey about to be devoured into pieces. A nervous trickle of sweat travelled down the side of your forehead. You gulped the saliva down your throat and felt as though you were about to choke. It was at times like these that you grew unsure. What in the world was he talking about?
"Takahiro, what if I did-?"
"You don't even have to ask such a ridiculous question [Name] because you won't. This is how I express my love, dearest. You won't leave me now, will you?" He cut you off, a slight growl in his voice warning you to choose your next words carefully.
"I'm just saying that-"
"Anyway, let's not fuss over something that will never happen. You looked so deep in thought while I was talking, [Name]. Do you want me to go into further depth for some parts of my life? I will do so quickly before the sun melts away into the night," The Emperor granted, changing the topic and diverting your curious mind elsewhere.
"Did you really not have anybody romantic in your life?" You pressed on, feeling that he was concealing something.
"Very well then, I'll go into depth about all that crap. I've known Lady Via of the Resniyi family since the age of twelve. She has made romantic advances towards me yet can't seem to take a hint. So, she has resorted to destructive and toxic methods to try and get me to propose to her. I don't want anything to do with her, though. She has always been such an annoyance and doesn't realise even now that I never was interested in romance. Of course, until I met you. You caught my attention at first for no woman outside of the royal family has dared to talk some sense into me. If anything, Eli is the one usually doing that. I grew curious about you as well, since you were one of the only peasants who dared talk to me. So, I went as the first knight to find out more about you. It seemed as though without realising it, I fell in love with you. I think I realised I had fallen in love when I was willing to hand even one of my most prized possessions over to you - the flower that I had named after myself. From that moment on, my romantic feelings for you poured out and were difficult to hide," The Emperor snickered as he thought about his past behaviour.
"Was that sweet side of you not an act then? I mean, the way you were before I became your consort." You questioned Takahiro, looking up at his serene figure.
Takahiro let out a sigh and shook his head, "Nothing has been an act, [Name]. I simply have many different sides to my personality. Now that you're my consort, I can show you every side of me. I hope you show me every side of you too. After all, I do not care what my dearest [Name] looks like. Your skin, your hair, your height, anything could change, and you'd still be my [Name]. Forever." He whispered into your ear.
Shivers travelled down your spine as Takahiro's fingers gently glided up and down your arm.
"Do you not have any light-hearted questions for me, [Name]?" Takahiro laughed at your serious demeanour, his chuckles seeming to ease the atmosphere of the room immediately.
"Ah! My apologies, I'm just so curious. I finally feel as though I've got to know you. I do have some less severe questions, though! Like when's your birthday? What's your favourite colour and animal? My birthday is on-"
"[DOB], yes, I am quite aware, and your favourite colour is [F/C]. On the other hand, my birthday is on March 28th, and my favourite colour is red-"
"Just red? No other colours?" You interrogated him.
"Just red. Well, I do quite like certain shades of blue as well. That's a secret between you and me, though," He booped your nose and chuckled, "Ah yes, and my favourite animal is the white tiger. My mother had made me a white tiger stuffed toy when I was younger. She was not very skilled in sewing, so it did not turn out the neatest, yet I still treasured it dearly."
"Where is it now?" You asked curiously.
"Well, grandmother took it away on my tenth birthday. She said I was much too old for toys. I am not sure what she has done with it." Takahiro said with a hint of sadness in his tone.
His eyes wandered over the window to see the sky a deep red with the midnight blue slowly pressing down upon the horizon. Pulling away regretfully, Takahiro took one last look at you.
"I will see you tomorrow when you walk down the aisle, my love. For once, I will not be able to keep my eyes on you. I will have somebody watching by closely. After all, you aren't going away anytime soon. I'm not going to have anybody trying to ruin our wedding either. You will be bound and tied down to me forever," He looked at you with that sadistic look that you still couldn't get used to. His eyes seemed to glow a menacing red as he approached you one last time for the night.
His hand steadily gripped onto your chin with a pleasurable smile upon his face as he leaned down to press his lips against your own. Before you could even object or pull away, he used his hands to grab onto your wrists and restrict your movements. His deeply passionate kiss settled into your mouth for several moments before he pulled away and licked his lips. Pleased with the kiss, Takahiro leaned forward to kiss your soft and tender cheek, "See you tomorrow, my love."
As if on cue, a maid knocked on the door and stated her purpose: "Your Majesty, the bridal chamber awaits your consort."
Takahiro gave you a shooing motion with his hand, urging you to leave through the door as he confirmed with the maid, "Indeed, she is on her way to you now. I trust you to treat her kindly."
"Of course, your majesty." The maid shyly responded as you left the private chambers that belonged to both you and Takahiro.
The maid had her honey-brown hair tied back neatly into a bun. Unlike the other maids, she was wearing a simple and draping ivory gown that stopped perfectly at her ankles and a black apron with a red flower embroidered into it.
The red colour caught your eye, as you thought that only the Emperor and his Empress could wear the colour red. Before you could even open your mouth to question it, the maid knew precisely what you were thinking and answered: "There is a red flower embroidered onto my apron as I am now to serve you for the rest of my life, my empress. Tonight is the first of many nights I will be serving you. I am honoured that somebody as lowly as me is allowed to wear even a small amount of this rouge colour. Even if just during your preparation to be wed and the wedding."
As she answered your question, she bowed her head and led you down the nocturnal hallways of the palace. Despite the limited amount of light, you were not too surprised to find many servants at the castle still awake in a rush to finish any preparations for the wedding that was to happen the next day. The servants that you passed by seem to freeze in your presence and bow gratefully, even if you were not the empress yet. It nearly felt awkward to you, as you felt as though you were the one meant to bow. Due to your now drastic change in lifestyle, the only person you'd ever find yourself bowing down to was the Emperor himself. You nearly found it amusing how you had gone from a small country peasant to the empress of Intuuin more quickly than you could comprehend but then again, even if you were given more time you knew you would remain unsure. Takahiro had made it clear what he would be willing to do to keep you, no matter what the cost. It seemed unhealthy.
The maid led you out of the palace and to an area of the garden you had before never been to. There, you came across a building made purely of red and gold. It had flowers and storks decorating the exterior, and a dark brown staircase leading up to the main entrance. Walking up these steps slowly but surely, you felt the moonlight give you salutations as the cold fresh air nipped at your lungs with the taste of freedom lingering away.
The maid hurriedly opened the door for you and bowed, allowing you to enter. The building was just one large room. At one side of the room was a sizeable king-sized mattress covered with maroon duvet covers. The floor was made of a dark and mysterious wood that was hidden away by exotic rugs and carpets from foreign lands. There were dressers and a matching dressing table on the right side of the room just opposite of the bed, and you found the place to be illuminated with a warm glow from the red lanterns with words wishing you a long and happy marriage in the future, spilt across the whole ceiling.
As you entered the building, you found five other maids in the middle of making last-minute preparations stop their movements to get on their knees and deeply bow towards you, "Our empress, welcome to your bridal chamber. We are honoured to serve you," They welcomed you in eerie unison. Unsure how to reply due to the fact you were still getting quite used to things, you stood there silently.
As if by perfected by repeated practice, the maids stood up in unison once again, still bowing their heads. One of them spoke out and introduced you to the bridal chamber, "This is where you will reside tonight. You are to have a large serving of noodles tonight with pork for a long and fortunate marriage. However, I am afraid that we are not allowed to let you eat starting tomorrow until you have walked down the aisle. We will be playing you some spiritual bridal music to give you a good night's rest and will wake you up in the morning to bathe and dress you, so you are prepared for the wedding. If you require anything, please do not hesitate to summon any of us by ringing this bell," She gestured over to a thick and dangling rope from the ceiling of which you assumed connected to a bell.
"The wedding is to happen at dawn so you must go to sleep straight after dinner," The maid finished as she motioned for one of the others to fetch your dinner. From a corner of the room with a water jug and several teacups, the other maid picked up a golden tray and carried it over to a low-lying table in the centre of the room that sat for only one.
She laid the meal upon the table, revealing a divine smelling dish of noodles in a rich chicken broth, accompanied by pork, green onions, a tea-stained egg and bamboo shoots. By the meal, she laid out a small side dish of rice, bread and beans before returning to the line of her colleagues and keeping her head low.
"Do you dismiss us, our dear empress?" A maid questioned, to which you took a moment to respond.
"Ah, yes. I will see you in the morning, you are indeed dismissed," The maidservants scurried out the door in ta straight line, closing the door behind them in a rush. All of them left except the one who had escorted you to the building. Instead, this maid took a seat in a corner of the room on a red velvet pillow with a string instrument ready in hand to play whenever you decided to get into bed.
You sat down at the table and began to enjoy your meal by yourself, savouring its rich and expensive taste in your mouth. Your stomach growled for more as you gobbled down your meal and side dishes with ease, finding that the plates were empty nearly straight away. You cleared your throat in embarrassment, not realising that you had been so hungry despite not eating much throughout the day due to last-minute preparations for the wedding.
Deciding not to keep the maid waiting any longer than she had to, you retreated to the gargantuan mattress. Sinking into the soft fabric that kissed your [S/C] skin, you already felt sleep calling your name.
As the maid saw your heavy eyes threatening to fall asleep any second soon due to this tiring novel life, she played a calming tune on her instrument, easing you into sleep.
In the meanwhile, Takahiro privately made his way to a concealed corner of the palace. He arrived at a wooden door that was threatening to break off its hinges. Opening the door, inside was a relatively average looking room that was modest and not too grand despite its comfortable furniture and bleak colours. Sat on a small, grey and cushioned chair by a window that overlooked the vast palace gardens was the imperial grandmother. There was an empty matching seat opposite from her and a small tea table where a tea set rested, ready to be poured and drank at any moment as steam slowly escaped from the spout.
"Nathaniel.. how kind of you to visit me, my boy. I haven't been able to hear any news about your engagement to that disgrace of a woman since you have thrown me in here. I hope you're here to tell me the good news of your engagement being cancelled, or at least downgrading that wrench to a concubine." Imperial grandmother hissed in a falsely polite tone, her eyes never lingering from the window.
"I thought I owed you a visit the evening before my wedding. I hate to break it to you but [Name] is going to become empress of Intuuin whether anybody likes it or not." Takahiro told his grandmother as he stood in the wooden door frame with stubbornness.
"Come and sit here, you ridiculous child." Grandmother did a hand movement, ushering Takahiro to sit in the empty chair across from her.
Accepting the invitation, he closed the door behind him and sat on the small wooden chair, his eyes never leaving his grandmother's figure.
"I don't remember you being the stubborn one." She told Takahiro, a small 'tsk' leaving her little rosy lips.
"People change over time, grandmother. I also request that you stop calling me Nathaniel. The only woman who is allowed to do so is my mother... and [Name]." Takahiro said to imperial grandmother, his eyes now drifting to the view of the sun barely peeking over the horizon.
"Tell me what your business is coming here, Nathaniel. Why did you come to visit me?" Imperial grandmother cut right to the chase, her wrinkly hands now drumming impatiently against the tea-table.
"I am here to ask you to bless my marriage with [Name]. You are still my grandmother and the only family member of my blood whom I am close to. So, I have come to visit you to ask for your blessing for a long-lasting marriage with my truly beloved." Takahiro declared more as though he were ordering her to do so than asking, his red eyes staring at her drumming fingers.
"I will not bless the marriage between a man of royal blood and a woman of peasantry. I may be your grandmother and the one who raised you, but I refuse to bless this marriage. I do not agree with it. If anything, I hope you have a terrible marriage and are in search of a concubine the next day." The grandmother spoke venom from her lips with a calm tone.
Slightly angered by her remarks but not being the type to let his feelings get the better of him, Takahiro's vicious and predatory gaze burnt holes into his grandmother.
"If you bless our marriage, I will let you live the time you have left in freedom and bliss. I will allow you to leave these chambers and never return to this corner of the palace ever again," Takahiro offered his grandmother, "This is the last chance I will give you to reconcile with me and [Name]."
"I refuse. I would rather rot in here than bless your marriage. I gave you opportunities to marry a rich or powerful woman, and you shut down every single one. Yet a peasant girl walks into the palace, her only skill being the art of embroidery and all of a sudden you wish to marry that fool? That will not go without bothering me. So, I deny my last chance. I would rather live my last years here or be humiliated on the streets than give you my blessing. In fact, I would rather die." She spoke confidently against the Emperor, the only one who is confident enough to do so other than you.
"Very well, then. The woman who raised me, the woman whom I gave my all to. The woman who I let raise me in such a cruel manner, will not even fulfil my first and final wish from her. I have never asked for anything from you. This is the only thing I have asked of you in my whole life." The Emperor's temper began to break loose, but he continued to try and conceal his rage.
"Yet you owe me everything. Without me, you're nothing. You'd be a crap emperor," Imperial grandmother barked back at Takahiro, "You still haven't learnt how to control that temper of yours. What a pain. Be a dear for once and pour me some tea." Imperial grandmother commanded Takahiro.
Takahiro released a tiresome sigh from his lips and sneaked a capsule out of his pocket. Hiding it in his hand as he reached for the teapot, he poured tea in his grandmother's teacup. When nearly full, he slyly dropped the capsule into her drink and watched it fizz away silently. He then proceeded to pour himself a cup of tea and returned to a comfortable seating position as he placed the teapot back upon the table.
His grandmother reached for her teacup and raised it to her lips, unknowing of the substance he had put within it. She sipped calmly on her tea, a pleased smile on unassuming lips as she savoured the taste and the feeling of the warm liquid going down her throat.
Takahiro had planted a slow-acting poison that would kill his grandmother in the next day or two. He had managed to get his smug grandmother to feel confident enough to look away as she thought she could anger him. How did she not see something like this coming? He had managed to time things perfectly. Around tomorrow at the same time or later, his grandmother would pass away in this room. She was a threat to his relationship with [Name]. Now that his grandmother would soon meet a sticky end, he just needed to take care of Via and the black snake group in order to protect [Name].
"How drastic that you'd rather die than bless our wedding. I thought you were smarter than that, grandmother." Takahiro commented as he began to sip his tea.
Still unsuspecting, imperial grandmother continued to sip on her tea and responded, "And I thought you were smart enough not to marry a useless bitch."
Takahiro stood from his seat and swiftly made his way over to the door, "And I thought you weren't such an old fucker," He finished as he abruptly left.
He looked to the guards with a pleased smirk on his lips, "Lock her in there and don't let her out, no matter what the circumstances are," Takahiro instructed the guards who proceeded to lock the door to imperial grandmother in the guest-chamber silently.
As fast as you fell asleep was as fast as your rest was over. You were being woken up what felt like straight away to you to the small hand of a maid gently shaking your shoulder to wake you.
"My apologies interrupting your sleep, my empress. It is time to get ready for your wedding." She told you, her hand still shaking your shoulder, only to pull away as your eyelids parted, your eyes cracking open to the very early morning.
"What time is it..?" You interrogated her with a tired and unbothered tone.
"It is about four in the morning. You shall walk down the aisle at six in the morning when the sun is rising in the sky. His Majesty wishes to see you as soon as possible. The guests are already beginning to arrive, my empress." The maid spoke to you in a soft tone, not wishing to bother you too badly as it was very early.
And so you got ready to walk down the aisle.