Aiko felt her body tumble in a dark hole, swallowing her alive. A sheen of thin ice spread over her heart, slowly stopping it. Her eyes widened, the white clearly visible, her red streaks shimmering. The room was quiet, the pounding of her heart the only noise slicing the silence. A bead of sweat trickled down her cheek, almost like a tear.

Aiko thought she would be able to taste freedom for the first time, but it clearly wasn't what destiny had in plan for her. She couldn't run away now. The guard was blocking the entrance, and even if she sprinted, she had no clue where the gates were. And sentinels were guarding them. It was impossible. The weight of the realization settled on her soldiers, making her hunch her back in despair.

The guard felt his heart fill slowly with pity for the poor girl lying on the floor, clearly shaken. Nothing of his warm emotions were visible on his face. "The Emperor does not like to wait." The guard said, his voice softening to not agitate the poor girl. He helped her up, gently pushing her in the corridor. He had a feeling that if he didn't help her, the girl wouldn't move.

Aiko's feelings were a complete tornado, swirling around inside her. Uncontrollable and destructive. It destroyed the dam Aiko had built for her feelings. A tear escaped her eyes and splattered softly on the wooden floor. She was tired, her body was exhausted, a headache was conquering her mind and she did not have the strength to meet the Emperor. Even the short glimpse she had had of him was enough to make shivers cross down her back, mixed with the sadness was a spark of anger. Anger at being terrified. She shouldn't be scared, she was better than this, but still, she was shivering. The Emperor could kill her if he wanted, and she doubted he would hesitate.

As Aiko munched on her thoughts, she didn't realize that they were approaching the Emperor's chambers, the more decorated corridors a testament to that.

As they turned one last corner, two beautiful doors appeared. It would have been a remarkable sight for Aiko if she hadn't felt so many tragic emotions at once. She didn't pay attention to anything. She barely noticed the doors were engraved with jewels and diamonds.

A guard dressed in the same military attire as the other, was on the left side of the door. The right space was occupied by another guard. As the guard escorting her arrived, the guard on the left saluted, "Gaku, my turn is complete, if you could please take my space?" The guard presumably named Gaku nodded.

The previous guard took off and Gaku, who had been escorting Aiko, took his place, leaving Aiko alone in front of the doors. Aiko wanted to beg for them to help her, but she knew it was useless. The woman wanted to retain some scraps of dignity as well, drying her tears and stepping closer to the door.

The guards watched her, not sure if they should escort her or push her inside. Aiko slowly advanced to the door handles, wrapping her hand around it. She gently pushed it down. She had to be strong, Aiko told herself. She didn't have to show the Emperor she was afraid. She breathed in and tried expelling every negative emotion that was twirling around her head.

She knocked two times.

The same voice as before answered. "Come in." Aiko opened the doors and stepped inside, staring down at the floor. Aiko couldn't admire the room well, only seeing bits and pieces from the corner of her eyes. But she lifted her head, slowly, her eyes darting from one side to another, trying to assess if there was an exit.

The room was extremely spacious. Another room was situated on the right, the screen doors open, revealing the library where books had been stacked. A desk was placed by the window, a pen laid down on an unfinished letter, dripping its ink like tears on the white paper. The other sets of doors were barely open, but Aiko could see a bathtub.

But what caught her attention the most was the bed in the center. It was large and took up a substantial portion of the room. White silk sheets were spread on it. It was a canopy bed; the curtains were linen. A thick wire frame twisted in many ways was creating the head stand, wooden lilies decorating it.

The only thing that distracted Aiko from her admiration of the room was the person in the center of the bed. Aiko lowered her eyes. She could only see his black silk pants with red streaks drawn on them. His long legs were crossed.

Aiko stepped closer, trying to steady her trembling shoulders. Her face was serene, but her shoulders were a testament to what she truly felt. She bowed down, her hands clasped tightly, nails digging into her skin to calm down.

Aiko heard shuffling as the Emperor jumped down from the bed. He inched closer to her. His strong scent enveloped her as he approached. It was relaxing, Aiko realized with confusion. He smelt of fresh air and flowers. The Emperor stopped in front of her. She inhaled, not sure what he would do. Suddenly, he outstretched his hand, his slender fingers gripping her chin. A gasp left her lips when he suddenly touched her. They dug quite deep into her skin, yanking her face up to his.

Aiko quickly pulled her eyes to the ground, focusing on his lips since they were the lowest her eyes could reach. "Look at me," The Emperor whispered in her ear, his voice commanding and his fingers digging deeper. Aiko wondered if this was a trick, trying to get her to look at him, and then kill her for impudence. She didn't lift her eyes, but when his fingers tightened around her chin, she had no choice left. Aiko's eyes slowly went up to meet the Emperor's.

The world seemed to slowly drain to a stop as both stared at each other. Aiko looked at the Emperor. The Emperor. He was beautiful. Stunning. No reason to hide the truth. He had a beautiful complexion. His eyes were long and wide. They were a clear colour, maybe a soft grey. They resembled springs in the mountains. They didn't seem warm though. Only terrifyingly cold. His nose was perfect, centered right in the middle of his face. His jaw line was sharp, and his lips were a wonderful sight to behold.

Aiko could feel the Emperor looking at her as well, his eyes grazing her features.

"I know what you must be thinking. 'Why did he stop the banquet? For me?'," He muttered. "Don't think too much of yourself, maid." He added, his eyes roaming shamelessly over her body. His cold breath blew on her face. Aiko gulped, trying to relax her face. She felt the desire to cover her already clothed body, feeling naked underneath his stare.

"I'm going to tell you why...so you do not think yourself important. You sang the song my beloved mother used to sing to me." The Emperor said bitterly, the first flash of emotion passing on his cold face. He yanked her closer to him, their bodies pressed together. Aiko's eyes widened, her body stiffening. She didn't like to be this close to him. "You offended me," the Emperor whispered, glaring at her. Behind the anger in his eyes, pain glimmered as well, hidden but still present. The song had reminded him of his dead mother. A flicker of sympathy burned in her chest: she knew how he felt. It was surprising that such a monstrous human being would care for his mother so much, Aiko added on second thought, not wanting to be too nice.

Even if she sympathized with him, she couldn't have known that it had been his lullaby. She couldn't have avoided the mistake. 'Maybe if you hadn't decided to look inside the room,' a tiny voice whispered in her head, but she shushed.

A small smile spread on her lips as she realized she had caused him a little bit of pain.

The Emperor noticed her smile, his eyes flashing. He didn't like to see her smile. This maid should be trembling in fear and not smiling at him. He gripped her kimono tighter. Aiko kept the small smile on her face proudly. The silence enveloped them. His eyes examined the red streaks in her eyes. After he lost interest in them, he pushed her away. She stumbled backwards, her arms flailing. "Sing something for me. Now." The Emperor ordered, disinterested, turning his back to her, and watching the garden.

Aiko felt pure rage start to boil inside her. She was trying to stay calm and not lash out. But she had been disrespected by him not once but twice. He had called her an imbecile, cut her only way to freedom, and had dragged her to his room, eyeing her body without even a hint of shame. She knew very well he was the Emperor and there would be terrible consequences, but she just wasn't thinking, her logic being trampled by the stampede of her ire.

The more she thought of what the things he had done, the more her anger grew. Her temper was something Uncle hated in her. Her hot-headedness and stubbornness. She saw red, any idea of treating him with respect left her head.

"Your Majesty, I have a name and I would appreciate it if you would use it," Aiko said, trying to keep her voice steady but hints of anger lashing out. The Emperor turned to look at her, slowly. His eyes were wide with shock. No one had ever spoken back to him.

"How dare you, you little brat?!" He roared. "I am the Emperor! I could kill you right now!" He yelled, veins bulging out. Aiko remained calm, still on her knees.

"I do know that. But I would prefer dying than getting continuously humiliated." Aiko spat back, her honor exaggerating for her. The Emperor walked to her, his hands clenched to his side. His hand grabbed her slender arm.

Aiko, without thinking, her mind corrupted by the rage, as well as a spark of fear, turned around and hit him in the nose with her elbow.

The crack was loud. The Emperor felt the blow. Ways to torture her before her death passed in his mind, but as he opened his eyes, an idea popped in his head. Aiko stood frozen in spot as she realised what she had done, terror hissing in her ear. The Emperor looked at her, blood dripping out of his nose.

After a few seconds of silence, he grabbed her collar and pulled her so close they would have been able to kiss, blood dripping on her cheeks. "Just remember this, you will pay." He said in her ear, before pushing her on the table.

"If you find dying so pleasant, I won't grant you the gift that is eternal rest. I'll keep you alive so you can suffer...Now leave! You have angered me enough."

Aiko stood up. She smoothed her kimono. Aiko was still furious, her cheeks red. As she walked to the doors, she heard the Emperor sneer in the background. "See you tomorrow night. I won't let you die peacefully just yet."