"You accepted my request to meet you, my son," the words sounded like pleasant chimes from the lips of Empress Gyokuen Ren, mother to Prince Hakuryuu Ren. She was an attractive woman who had a nearly otherworldly elegance that separated her from all others and gave her an air that noblewomen from all over the empire came to be envious of.

She wore a floor-length pink and white robe which just helped to heighten her beauty for it held on to her figure like a second skin and expressed every curve of her slim shape.

Ever since learning of her involvement in the murders of his brothers and revolt against his father, he had only felt malice toward her. However, he could not resist appreciating her alluring frame and the feelings of excitement she made in him were very unwanted.

She walked around the imperial court in dresses so tight, he could discern every curve of her form.

There were periods when he could not resist daydreaming about her, and nights when he laid on his bed, lost in those imaginations. He could not help but to be brushed away by such thoughts, thoughts of her figure pushed against his, of sensing her breath while he clasped her wrists and pushed her down between his torso and his bed. He imagined about pushing her legs apart, tearing the robe from her body and then goring his eyes on her nude skin. He could not bare to acknowledge of the activities which he dreamed of engaging with her, his own twisted, deceitful mother. The exasperation that these strong impulses brought about in him was making him extremely angry.

That night, the night at the banquet when he had disrespectfully left from her presence for no other reason than that he wanted to do so, he was intoxicated and even more enraged than he was now.

The unbridled rage had come out of nowhere. One second, he, his older sister, his cousins, his uncle, and his mother had been viewing the nobles of the royal household mingle and dance while the royal bard entertained them, and then soon after, he abruptly stood up and began to storm out of the court with a furious expression on his face.

He probably would have stayed and relaxed if she had not asked him, "Have I done something to upset you, my son?"

"You have dissatisfied me with your presence," he had answered in front of the Emperor, his cousins, and his older sister as all the nobles of the Kou Empire observed on. He tried forcing himself to think of some more appropriate reply, but was met with nothing but the gazes of the imperial court. That had enraged him even more, that the whole court knew he was creating a false justification, that he could not come up with a better reason to leave the court other than that she dissatisfied him. That he could not bare to tell the truth when she, the Empress, deigned to ask him on the problem.

"May I know, what is so displeasing about my appearance that it aggravates you to the extent that you would leave the court, my son?" she asked with an inclined head and dipping stare. Her voice displayed no indication of the anger that would have extended through any other nobleman of the imperial court like wildfire by now. She raised her head and gazed at him with the plain hint of a smile that manifested no indication of mental unrest. That irritated him the most, for he could not discern whether her smile was a front to hide her menace or whether it was some tiny amount of pleasure at bringing him such irritation. To say nothing of her asking him and thus humiliating him in front of the imperial court. They had to know, he thought, he could not keep his eyes off of her, the tightness of her fine soft clothing, the low cut that exposed the tops of her bosoms. Her dancing had caused it, the way she swinged around the imperial court with an alluring elegance that gave him a thrill from glancing at her. She had no reason to dance like that, nor was it tolerable for her to be dancing with such a great amount of single, young noblemen, it was infuriating.

"You, your appearance, your insolence," he had nearly yelled in reply to her question. Whispers raced across the imperial court instantly. Initially, everybody had glanced at her, then all eyes moved towards him. They were surprised that he had elevated his voice when just seconds ago, the night had been a faultlessly serene and entertaining one. The court bard had even ceased his playing, so surprised was he, that he glanced at the prince with eyes wide and mouth open. "Keep playing," he yelled at the bard, this time so loudly that his words filled the imperial court like a thunder clap. The men and women of the imperial court tried to conceal their absence in calmness for the noblemen of the Empire of Kou were not used to a prince behaving so ungraciously, the laws of the imperial court were stern and even though the prince had considerable power, he too, was chained to obey them. For him to yell twice in a single night was not just uncommon, but discreditable.

His uncle, the Emperor, stirred in his throne and his older sister and cousins were also all visibly uncomfortable. Princes simply did not shout while in court, courtesies had to be preserved. For a prince to have yelled at any noblewoman would have been a outrageous wrongdoing, to say nothing of yelling at one's own mother. Luckily, he was a young prince and could pass of his sudden release of strong emotion.

It had been ten years since his uncle had ascended the throne. That was when his mother had started wearing those damned tight soft gowns and the gems which attracted such focus to her breasts, after his uncle had gotten hold of the crown and the time of grieving for his father and older brothers had finished. He knew that it must have been the man who raised him and ruled before that had prevented her from dressing as such, that his dad had had the propriety to keep her from walking around the imperial court dressed like some exotic prostitute. "Leave me alone," he eventually murmured, just as the bard once again began playing.

She remained calm as always, and had simply inclined her head in front of him and uttered "as you wish," before he left the imperial court as the gazes of the petty noblemean pierced his back and humiliation blazed in him like an enormous fire.

Half a year later...

It was three days after the death of Emperor Koutoku Ren, his uncle, when Hakuryuu was announced to be the new Emperor of the Kou Empire. He had always had succession rights superior to that of his uncle, but he was too young at the time of his father's death to claim it. So he was now rightfully taking what was his.

Since that night when he snapped, he had avoided his mother. However, now, he had recovered enough of his self-control to agree to his mother's request to meet him. So he could now call for her to his personal room without hurling himself at her in a fury. Had he still felt the rage that she had summoned in him several months before, he would lose his state of mind and maybe do more than simply use words to express to her the deepness of his anger. This he knew, and so he held on till he was sure that he could master his impulses before he had the sentries escort her to his room. He had sent for her with the aim of humiliating her, forcing her to confess that she had intentionally clothed herself in such a dishonourable manner in order to get his attention.

With his uncle being old and sick, in order to keep her power she probably wanted to attract the future emperor as a new husband for herself even if he was her own son. He had also seen her flirting with First Prince Kouen Ren, her nephew, who was also a possible candidate for the throne.

However, now that she was in front of him, he could barely speak the words that he had prepared from his lips.

To be continued…


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