NOVEL NEXT Chapter 60: Plans for a Midday Meal
Samaya had the habit of waking up with the sunrise. She preferred to get her morning exercise in by the time Manu woke up. During the first week or so of staying in the Palace, this routine was disrupted. But she had soon gotten back into the habit, waking up an hour earlier than her usual hour of dawn because she knew she had to do her training and exercises before her servants and the harem shook off their drowsiness.
Today was no different.
She awoke with her eyes closed. This was another habit of hers, engrained by years of training under her mentor. Don’t let anyone know you’ve woken up, Maya. She wanted to open her eyes but paused when she realised that she was in a cramped space. More cramped than she was used to.
It took a moment for her to remember why.
The Emperor had stayed over.
Fuck.
Her breath shallowed and her lashes trembled. Actions that would be damning for her had there been an enemy and for which her mentor would have run her over the coals. But she could not help it. It was the first time she was so surprised when waking up. That too in the close proximity of the very man he was trying to avoid, it would have been easier if she could sense the man’s presence. She would not have been so caught off guard. But she felt nothing but the extra weight on her bed now that she focused on it.
“If you have awoken, there is no need to pretend to sleep.”
Samaya sighed. Of course, the man would be awake already and notice her waking up.
She slowly opened her eyes. And her breath hitched. The Emperor was sitting up, slightly turned towards her. His night robes were loose around his body but the front of his chest was exposed, a thin stretch of skin visible to her through the window created by the open front of his robe, wider at the neck and narrowing down until it closed at the midsection. She had never thought that she would be able to see the man with morning hair. But here it was, messy tangled tresses cascaded down his back, a few strands flowing down the side of his chest. His half-lidded golden eyes glowed ethereally under the candlelight.
He looked like a true predator, the kind that would lure you in and pounce on you while you were distracted by the sheer majesty.
She eyed him for a moment before retracting her gaze - otherwise, she would go mad - and slowly got up, stretching her body and trying to shake off the drowsiness. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the man’s eyes roving over her body, pausing at the curves that her robes tightened against as she stretched. She resisted the urge to grin smugly. It was good to know that she was not the only one affected.
Samaya turned to the man once she was done. “I did not expect you to be up so early, Your Majesty.”
The man’s lips curled up ever so slightly. “The Morning Court starts half a shichen after dawn. It takes time to get ready.” The man tilted her head. “And you? Why are you up so early?”
She shrugged. “I just like waking up early.”
The man raised an eyebrow. He did not look like he believed her. Fortunately, he did not push her, true to his word. He reached out to the nightstand, taking the bell and ringing it. She rarely ever used that thing and never so early. She doubted her servants were even up.
But to her surprise, she heard the click of the door as it was opened and the rustling of clothes as the servants scurried inside. Only, they were not her servants. They were the servants of the Emperor. The same ones from last night. Had they stayed outside all night? Damn. The life of a servant of the Emperor must be hard.
She turned to the man. “Are you going to get ready for the Morning Court here?” She asked.
“Can We not?” The man asked as he looked back at her.
No. You have intruded enough. Get out.
She did not say that. “Manu still has about a shichen’s worth of sleep to get. The noise will wake him up.”
She threw out the first valid excuse she could come up with. She was good at that. Making up valid, true excuses. She would rather not skip out on a day of exercise because of him. Not because she wanted to hide it. She was pretty sure the man already knew, if he had not already, what with the Shadow Guards now assigned to her. Still, she did not want to run around and do her exercises with the man there.
The man chuckled after a moment. “Ah, worry not. We shall leave you to get ready for the day comfortably.”
And he got off the bed almost languidly, a sort of lazy grace to his movements, nothing like the powerful stride she was used to. She had no doubt he could still rip out the spleen of an enemy even in that state. So… this was how the Emperor was in the morning.
Eunuch Li quickly scurried over and put an outer robe on the man, who tied it at the front. He then turned to Samaya.
“About the reward you wanted,” the man started and she tilted her head. “I will be here soon after the Morning Court ends.”
Samaya tilted her head. “And when would that be?”
“Sometime before the midday meal.”
So, around lunch.
“Alright.” She nodded.
It was short notice but she could make it work.
“Strange.”
Samaya blinked. “What?”
The man paused before he sighed and shook his head. “Nothing. We shall see you again soon.”
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Manu’s head, who squirmed a bit but soon settled down with a content expression on his face. Samaya smiled down at the child and ran her hand through his hair. She did not expect the man’s warmth closing in on her. Before she could react, he had cupped her cheek and dropped a kiss on her forehead. It was quick - lightning fast - and barely more than a brush of the man’s lips over her skin.
She blinked up at him, shocked for a moment. By the time she recovered, the man was already walking out. Her skin felt like it burned where the man had touched her, where his lips had touched her. She pressed a hand over her forehead, rubbing ever so slightly to try and get rid of the sensation.
It would not go away.
After a moment, she let out a growl of frustration and got off the bed.
Swiftly changing into trousers and short robes that she used for her exercise, she set out. The jog this time was not particularly relaxing. She ran faster than she usually would. It was only when she ran five laps around her courtyard nonstop and panting slightly that she managed to push down the memory of the damn kiss consistently enough that she did not feel the need to rub the spot again and again.
She warmed up and decided to practise her tai chi today. That always managed to calm her down.
By the time the sun completely broke through the darkness, she was almost done with her exercises. She heard a familiar rustle behind her but did not stop her movements.
“Did you sleep well, Ah-Liu?” She asked.
“Yes.”
“What did I say about lying?”
Silence.
Ah-Liu had developed a habit of staying up all night to guard her ever since the attack. She managed to get him to nap some times but the boy would crash and burn at this rate.
“Ah-Liu, how many times have I told you?” She finished her last move and turned to him. “I am fine. I am being guarded. You do not need to do this.”
Silence again. Samaya sighed. The child was so stubborn.
“Alright, come inside. Let’s talk.”
The Shadow Guards would never step inside and every residence of a tilted concubine had soundproofing talismans around them. Unless he specifically sneaked inside or moved one of the tiles of the roof, it was impossible to listen in.
She sat down on one of the chairs. “Ah-Liu, nothing will happen to me. But you need to let your body rest. If you don’t, you might not be able to work when I truly need you. Besides, if you let your mind and body get too tired, you could lose control in a dangerous situation. I do not need to tell you what will happen if that comes to pass.”
Ah-Liu tensed. His dark qi was powerful, but it also had its effects. If it went out of control, it would not only destroy the surrounding areas, it could also destroy him and the people around him. And not just physically.
Alright, he needed another push.
“Ah-Liu, I need you to be strong and healthy, not tired and weak. How else do you suppose you would be able to protect me or Manu when we truly need it?”
A long pause. And then a nod.
She smiled. “Good.” She nodded. “Now, I need you to spread some news around the Jingyangong. Not yet, about half a shichen before the midday meal.”
Jingyangong. Palace of Great Brilliance. Where the concubines tilted “Beautiful Consort” lived. Where another child of the Emperor lived.
She gave him the instructions before sending him off just in time for her servants to arrive. She got ready for the day while shooting off orders to the maids to get things ready and send the invitations.
She had to get ready as well.
After all, it was the first time she was personally inviting people to her abode.
