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The Deception
The new Emperor was weird.
As he was sneaky, strange and definitely scary.
He was, without a doubt, beautifully handsome - which clearly caused a lot of distractions amongst the servant girls and the 'sexually confused' male helpers. But he was definitely peculiar to the T.
I have heard of his preference for the male species instead of the female ones, which brought yet another description of his Royal Highness to my mind – disgusting!
Which again brought me to the topic of conversation.
Please do not think of me as being big headed or full of myself, but lately I could feel him watching me, observing my every move and at times trying to catch my eye.
Which was again quite strange - because in the looks department, I really was nothing to shout about. I certainly would not know what one would look for if one was to fancy one's own gender, but I would think that the same rules apply if one was to look at the opposite one.
Again, back to the topic of discussion.
I have been serving at the palace as an odd helper for four years now and recently I was upgraded to serving the Emperor's quarters.
Amongst others, my work entailed me to supervise and help the other servants who were tasked to clean and cook for the Emperor. The work was definitely lighter than that I was used to, but it was certainly a welcomed change. The money was better too.
I was looking forward to having enough saved to begin a family soon. And my dearly beloved was certainly worth all the efforts. Hence, I was not about to jeopardise my newly promoted employment, regardless of the uneasiness I felt whenever the Royal Highness was around.
However, one evening I was summoned by the devil himself, right into his boudoir.
Forgive me. I know that it was merely his bedchambers; but with my paranoia, would anyone blame me for being dramatic?
However, when you were summoned by the Emperor of Saiunkoku, you definitely cannot say no but answer to his call.
So, there I was, standing in his Highness spacious room, totally unsure of what to expect. His back was to me when I came in after his admission to my quiet knock on the door.
Then, slowly he turned around to face me.
To say I was struck speechless was an understatement. This was the closest I have ever been with the Emperor and to say he was beautiful just could not do justice to this God's creation.
Silently I prayed that I would stay true to my dear intended who was waiting patiently for me to ask her family for her hand in marriage. The Emperor could honestly reduce a grown man to tears with his sheer presence and beauty.
"Forgive us. We know we have been acting strangely lately," the Angel spoke.
Oh dear, have I said my thoughts out loud at any point of time for His Highness or his guards to hear?
I have heard of dreadful things being done to insubordinate workers, let alone to treacherous citizens.
"Please forgive me, your Royal Highness!" throwing myself to the floor.
"I have a fiancé and due to get married in the summer. I have two elderly parents to take care of, as well as 5 younger siblings. Please, Emperor Ryuuki, forgive me if I have done anything to make you…."
"Shhh, please stop. We beseech you. It is not what you think," the Emperor pleaded. "Please rise, it is difficult to talk to a head that is kissing the grounds."
"Your Highness…." I looked up at him from my position on the floor.
"Wakabe Shiki. Shiki…. We're beg your pardon? If we could call you that?"
This Angel was seeking my pardon? And since when do I look at Emperor Ryuuki as an Angel? Oh yes, since he turned around a while ago and blinded me with his persona.
"Yes, Your Highness," I said quickly, sitting on my folded knees. "I would be honoured if you would."
He smiled graciously at my words before beginning to speak.
"We have been observing you, yes. But not for any reasons that would cause you to worry; whatever that may be," the Emperor cringed at his own words, obviously aware of the rumours that have been spreading about him.
"We do know of your fiancé, your ailing father and the rest of your family. Shusui-dono told me of them. We hope you do not mind?" queried Ryuuki asking for a belated permission.
I could only shake my head, or was I suppose to nod? I was really confused at that point of time.
"I need your assistance and definitely your confidence," added the handsome King, smiling hesitantly. Now I could understand how he managed to get the hearts of all the young girls, and maybe the old ones too, aflutter.
I had problems concentrating too.
"We do not wish to be king," Emperor Ryuuki announced. "We are only holding it till our elder brother comes back to claim the throne.
And we have no desire to produce any heir if it only serves to strengthen our position as Emperor. And that is what the elders are expecting of us.
We are doing our search to find out the whereabouts of our brother. And let's hope that we will find him as soon as we possibly can.
In the mean time, we need to fend off the marriage proposals for as long as we can. And this is the only way we can think of how."
"To pretend to have no desire for women," I finished for him.
The emperor nodded and continued, "We have been observing you. You are quiet, very hard working and I would hope trust worthy. We know too of how much you love your family and your bride to be. Hence, we would hope you, of all people, would understand our current predicament."
"You need not do much. Only come to our bedchambers whenever we call you. We will ensure that it is on the nights that you are on duty, of course. We will not impose upon you on your days of rest," the Emperor explained thoughtfully.
"You can make as big a show of coming in if you like, to ensure that others see you coming in.
Then, you may rest for the night. We have prepared a duvet for you to rest on. We will personally retire to our own bed.
There are two others that we have asked of the same favour. With you, three. The duvet may is not very comfortable, hence we would not to impose on the same person too often a time."
Again, I could only nod at His Highness' thoughtfulness.
"And you can leave in the morning, but please hide the duvet in this trunk before you leave. Seeing it in the floor will of course rouse suspicion amongst the other servants. And again, we would prefer it if someone sees you leaving, if you don't mind.
Will that be all right with you? We would, of course reward you handsomely," the Emperor finished his explanation.
And my reaction to all that, you may ask?
I laughed. I practically doubled over on the floor.
"I'm so sorry, Your Highness," I explained to his astonished face. "You seriously could not know what went through my mind these last few weeks."
From his chagrined look, I believed he had a few vague ideas.
"But, yes, I would gladly offer my services as your diversion for as long as you need me.
And be rest assured that your secret will be safe with me. All this for the good of Saiunkoku!"
And for that vow, I was rewarded with the most brilliant smile a man can ever hoped to receive from another man.
And that night and the many other nights he summoned for me, I sat there, or read, or slept.
Sometimes he would even have conversations with me – talking about family, local delicacies, his fondness for a certain manjuu buns, his hopes for the future, his love for his older brother and many more.
I once asked if he liked women at all, and he laughed.
He loved women, but has yet found one that could capture both his heart and mind.
He also pined for a mother figure but confided that he had already found a father figure in the Honourable Chief of the Archives, Shoku.
Through all this, Emperor Ryuuki had certainly recruited a new fan in me.
He had earned my respect, as well as my undying trust and loyalty.
Personally, I secretly hoped that the older prince would not come to claim the throne, for I could not imagine a better king than the present emperor; only he did know it yet.
Lately, he did not require my assistance much.
There was a more worthy companion for His Majesty now. I actually felt pangs of jealousy at one point of time, before shaking the thought incredulously.
The new Royal Consort was beautiful, as she was kind and intelligent.
Apparently, she was the mysterious provider of that certain manjuu buns Emperor Ryuuki favoured so much. And she was also the daughter of the person whom the Emperor has regarded as the father he never had.
Emperor Ryuuki seemed quite happy too, spending many days at the archives being tutored by the royal state official and performing his state duties at the Council. His Royal Consort sat in through all the lessons and sometimes in the Council too.
In the evenings, we sometimes saw them walking and talking by the sakura trees. Apparently, she even took him out to the town once in a while.
And if what the rumor said was true, there seemed to be no need for a duvet on His Highness' bedroom floor. In fact, he favoured the back palace, the current residence of the Royal Consort, more than he does his own chambers.
I was truly happy for Emperor Ryuuki; he deserved all the happiness he could get.
There will be a time when I would tell my dearly beloved of the masquerade I once had with His Majesty. That, of course, when Saiunkoku has risen to the magnificent nation that I predict would be under Emperor Ryuuki's rule.
But till then, I would gladly serve my Emperor for as long as he required my assistance, with his secret safe and sound with me.
Be damn with the mocking glances or snide remarks. I know the truth and that was what truly counts.
Long Live the Emperor of Saiunkoku!