I was escorted to the throne room just as the new emperor requested, walking up to him with my ginger footsteps.

Emperor Yuan's eyes rested on me, watching me until I made it front and centered to his throne. I lowered my head for a proper gesture.

"Raise your head, Jasmine" Murmured emperor Yuan softly and flicked his finger to one of his advisers.

The adviser poked his chest and chased everyone out of the throne room as though this was his favorite part of the job. Every single person left the room except for one. The most intimidating guardsman in the entire palace. He had been emperor Yuan's personal guardsman ever since the emperor was still the crown prince. Everything about this guardsman announced danger that I wouldn't doubt he's a monster encased inside an armor.

The mountainous man stood guard blocking the entrance. Then darted his eyes straight, passed the wall and beyond, sending shuddering chills down my spine.

This gave me the sensation of being trapped.

"Do you know why I called you here, Jasmine?" The voice of emperor Yuan jarred my attention back to him.

"No, your highness." I murmured.

"I called you here today because believe it would be in your best interest if I were to take care of my brother's widow. I'm sure this is what Hoon would have wanted. He would have wanted his oldest brother taking care of what he left behind."

"What do you mean take care of me, your highness?"

"I want you by my side as my concubine."

"A concubine? But, I am the second prince's widow." My retort came out of my mouth faster than I could stop it.

His mouth pressed into a thin line, dissatisfied with my response. "You want proper marriage?"

"I am a princess."

"Your title doesn't mean anything, Jasmine. It is a title you acquired after your marriage to Hoon. You are a peasant, you don't have any aristocratic blood flowing in your veins, nor you belong in any powerful or influential clans. You're a farmer's daughter and nothing more. You'd still be digging your hands in the mud planting rice seeds if it wasn't for my father. I'm giving you a rare opportunity to be my concubine. Take it."

His demeaning words cut through me like a sword, bleeding me into reality. I fell into crippling silence as the emperor put me into my place.

I think the emperor is a very unpredictable man. He scares me. And I think he's very dangerous despite his show of kindness last night.

"I need time to properly grieve my husband."

His lips pressed tight. His domineering glare pressed and burned making me writhe from under his stare.

"Get on your feet, Jasmine." He said in a flat even tone.

I did as I was told rising on my feet.

He gestured to the seat by him, it was the seat typically taken by his wives whenever they accompany the emperor in his throne room.

My gaze followed his gesture knowing exactly what he's trying to do, the emperor wanted me to feel what it's like to take a seat beside the most powerful man in the nation.

It might be a dream come true for some people but I never wished for anything more than I'm comfortable.

"Sit down beside me." He murmured.

I hesitated unwilling to issue a step forward.

A few seconds passed when I felt the looming presence of his guardsman hovered behind me, making me tremble underneath the cast of his wide shadow.

He's trying to intimidate me and it's working.

Emperor Yuan rose from his throne and prowled as he made his way to me. He stopped only once he towered me.

He flicked his gaze to his guard and one gesture from the emperor sent this scary guardsman retreating back to his post by the door. I felt the weight of his threat lifted once he's gone.

"Your Highness," I whispered with my unsteady voice.

He said nothing as he ran his dark onyx eyes on me, taking in everything. "You know, I have never been so close to you until last night. Never looked at you long enough where Hoon might catch me admiring his wife. And now that I had, I can see why my brothers are crazy over you. You are beautiful, Jasmine. The most beautiful girl I've seen."

Yuan took a strand of my hair and smooth it with his fingers. His voice plunged into a seductive vibrato. "To think, I waited this long until my brother is dead...I love my brother enough not to be enamored by his wife, but now that he's gone, and I can see you grieving, I can help but want to comfort you, keep you, make you mine. Do you realize the control and the patience it took?"

My gaze dropped to the floor. "No."

"It took pretending you do not exist." Yuan leaned closer, his breath swarmed hot and dangerous on my cheeks. He finished smoothing my hair and gazed back at me with his shining and twinkling dark onyx eyes.

Emperor Yuan moved his wide hand around my neck and he squeezed. He guided my head to bend the way he wanted.

A soft whimper escaped my lip at the discomfort.

He made me look at the cushioned seat. "Take the seat beside me, Jasmine."