Kyou was distracted, his thoughts seemingly weighted. Since their argument, he hadn't gone to visit the witch, making sure the maids reported her welfare to him. He had been plagued with the need to apologize though he wasn't sure why.
Days later, Inka was recovered, and he knew that time was ticking.
One evening, there was a small celebration for the foreign ministers who came to call on the Emperor. He had instructed the maids to prepare Inka, wanting her to join as his guest – provided she didn't decline.
Beautifully dressed harem girls fleeted like butterflies amongst their male admirers, giggling and serving a copious amount of rice wine. Some were dancing to the lively music in the background, offering entertainment. The scene appeared merry and high-spirited to a stranger's eye but, Rei felt something was amiss with the Emperor.
Lately, Kyou had been spacing out during Jin's daily reports. His workload was piling up and he was unreasonably hard on the men while training. It was escalating to the point where Rei would be forced to intervene if this continued.
Pouring himself another cup of rice wine, Kyou downed the alcohol in a single shot. His eyes watched the dancers, but nothing registered in his mind.
"Pardon me, Your Majesty," a humble servant appeared. "Your guest has arrived."
Kyou snapped out of his stupor, straightening to attention. She was here. Anticipation strummed his veins. "Show her in."
Rei wondered at the abrupt change. He swore the aura around Kyou seemed to...sparkle? He must have had too much wine.
The servant disappeared and Inka entered the Lotus Lake gazebo garbed in an ice blue silk dress he had chosen for her. Her unusual tresses flowed freely around her shoulders, swaying gently with each hesitant step. Kyou couldn't tear his eyes away and it dawned on the Commander that the Emperor was possibly…falling in love?
Rei hid his smile behind his drink. So, she was the reason. This was going to be both exhilarating and painful to watch. Kyou wasn't the kind of man who did things half-heartedly. When he wanted, he took. When he disliked, he discarded. For him to experience his first stirrings of emotional attraction…Rei felt sorry for the Ashina female.
Inka was painstakingly aware of the scantily dressed harem girls flirting with the male guests. Her gaze landed on Kyou who was seated with his Commander. The tightness in her chest loosened when she saw they were alone.
Commander Rei stood to acknowledge her, gently taking her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Commander Rei." With inky black hair worn a little too long, his gleaming dark-honey complexion and a diamond stud sparkling in one ear, he looked more like a pirate than a soldier.
"It's my pleasure, Commander Rei." She allowed him to seat her beside Kyou. "I am Inka."
"Just Inka?"
She smiled at the twinkle in his eyes. He was a charmer. "Yes, just Inka. Ashina tribesmen do not have second names."
Annoyed that his Commander was hogging all of her attention, Kyou coughed aloud. "What took you so long?"
Strangely, she flushed. She wasn't going to admit that she had been trying to escape when the maids dragged her back and scrubbed her down to her toes before pulling on this silk dress.
"You should just compliment a beautiful woman who has taken this long to look good for you," Rei spoke glibly, coming to her rescue.
Kyou didn't believe that for a second. She never struck him as a vain woman.
A maid set a meal tray before Inka and her stomach grumbled in response. She hadn't noticed Kyou picking up his chopsticks to select a lotus root, until he lifted it to her lips. "Eat."
Her eyes widened obscenely, panic setting in. There were plenty of curious eyes on her since she appeared, probably wondering who she was — to take a seat beside the Emperor. If they had been discreet, they were openly staring now.
Her voice dropped to a harsh whisper. "What are you doing? I can feed myself."
"I'll feed you the entire night if you don't open your mouth right now." And she knew he meant it. Kyou never reneged on his threats.
Awkwardly, her mouth fell open and he slipped the vegetable between pink lips, his eyes never leaving them. Inka forgot what they were arguing about as she chewed and savoured the sweet tartness of her meal. Kyou proceeded to pour her a cup of rice wine.
"I've never drank this before," she commented, taking a sniff before tossing it back down her throat. Her eyes brightened. "It's sweet!"
"Beihai is the largest distributor of rice wine. It's one of the highest quality wines you'll ever find in the Kingdom." Pride dripped from his words.
Inka couldn't fault him for it. It was exceptionally good. Holding up her cup, she silently asked for more.
Kyou looked uncertain. "This can easily go to your head. You shouldn't drink too much."
"I'll be fine." She seized the bottle from him.
To Kyou's dismay, Inka was a terrible light weight and he had to stop her the moment she started babbling nonsense.
From across the room, one of the harem women bit her lip at the sight of the Emperor cozying up with that strange female. She was the oldest consort in the Emperor's harem, yet he never once served her wine. Plastering a faux smile, she danced over to their table.
"Why, Your Majesty is she a new collection to the harem?" she asked with a pout that emphasized her painted lips and beauty mark.
"No, I am not," Inka responded for him, releasing an adorable hiccup. "Are you a royal courtesan? You're beautiful. I've never met a royal courtesan before."
Hana blinked at the unexpected compliment. "Y-yes. I am Hana."
"You dance beautifully. May I join you?" Inka rose only to have her knees lock, sending her tumbling into Kyou's lap — all flailing limbs and smothering silk.
Hana didn't quite know what to make of this situation. The young woman was very much foxed.
"That's enough," Kyou declared, hefting the witch into his arms. Inka's head lolled against his shoulder. "I'm taking you outside to clear your head. Rei, I'm leaving the ministers to you."
The Commander beamed mischievously, eliciting a dark scowl from the Emperor. He waved them off. "You children have fun."
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"Why did you invite me?" Inka slurred, feeling high as a kite but still in control of her thoughts. She giggled as Kyou set her down.
Kyou only shook his head at her antics. "Just because."
She ran ahead of him towards the lotus lake, bending down to watch the koi fishes. Her reflection pouted. "That's not a reason."
He shot forward to grab her shoulders when she tilted forward. A second too late and she would have been drenched.
Her childlike laughter echoed around them. Inka clutched onto him for balance, feeling her head spin. "Whoops! Looks like I drank too much. To be honest, that was my first time with alcohol."
"I can tell," he said dryly, wondering if she knew her hands were coasting over his chest. It awoken a riot of white-hot lust, one with her name stamped all over it. He forced his hands to keep still.
She stared severely at the illustrious patterns on his changshan robe. "Watching the harem girls dancing reminds me of what we were celebrating the night you came along." Her words were weighted with a tinge of sadness.
It stirred his curiosity. "And what were you celebrating?" His breath tickled her ear.
"Our coming-of-age rite," she paused, bleary eyes meeting his. "I couldn't participate because our family was in mourning. But I had it all figured out." Her voice carried a note of hope. "The dance I wanted to entice my partner with."
Kyou had never heard of this practice and utter possessiveness gripped him at the thought of her enticing any other male but him. She was upsetting his infamous calm and equilibrium. "Show me." A quiet demand.
Inka shivered at the smoky, dark opulence of his voice.
Like a marionette on his strings, she drew out of his arms and began twirling under the moonlight, a flash of skin here and there, a fluttering sigh from her lips and the come hither look in her innocent eyes. She was seduction wrapped in finest silk; her movements alone more mesmerizing than any high paid courtesan.
When she ended with a smile over her shoulder, Kyou was right behind her, his head dipping to inhale her enticing scent of flower soap and pure Inka. "You have me thoroughly captivated, little witch. I would kill anyone you show this dance to."
The harshness of his words had her twisting around, finding his gaze had darkened into twin pools of onyx. It was sensuous. Magnetic. She couldn't recognise this version of him. A timid laugh escaped her. "Don't be stu –"
She gasped when he ducked his head and stole an off-center kiss from her lips, as if her laughter were something he could taste.
This wasn't her first kiss but, it was the first time she felt completely attuned to a man. His hand cradled her nape, the pad of his thumb tracing the satiny edge of her hairline. Inka wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or her own desire coming to life, but she closed her eyes and leaned in for more.
Finally, he knew her taste - sunshine, sweetness, and unearthed passion. Kyou consumed her with his fire, a primal satisfaction taking control when he felt the inexperience of her kiss. He wanted to mark her all over, and make her fall under his spell, like he had fallen for hers. It was illogical but, he couldn't help it. Since he laid eyes on her, this senseless attraction had been hounding him. Was this lust or something more?
A soft mewl left her lips when he drew back and Inka felt the imprint of his mouth, her thrumming nerves reluctant to release the sensation. "K-kyou?"
He was breathing hard. It was ridiculous how a short, single kiss could make his heart race harder than facing imminent death. Controlling his desire, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, not wanting to take further advantage of her in this state. The next time they kissed, he wanted her sober and thoroughly wilful. "Come on, I'll escort you back to your room."
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