My Darling Peony (2) :Emperor!China x Reader:

My Darling Peony (2)
Emperor!China x reader

"(Name)...how about this?" You quietly observed a certain scripture Yao had held up for you to see. After you read the slightly faded words from the unrolled parchment of rice paper, you smiled at him as you began to recite it from your memory.

"The winds have long gone
But the house still stays
and although the place seems to fall apart,
The sows will work their toiling days
Far...Far beyond this road
I see my love standing near
Years seem to pass by
and yet we continue to live, without fear."

"That was amazing, (Name)!" Yao exclaimed as he rolled the paper up and placed it alongside with the other bundle of scrolls. "I have never seen a girl take an interest to studying literature!" You blushed and smiled as the emperor continued to praise you.

"Y-you flatter me too much, your majesty." You stammered, cheeks tinting pink with happiness. The emperor merely pouted at your words.

"I have already told you before, (Name), just call me Yao." He sighed wearily and you frowned slightly before murmuring his name as quietly as possible. The young emperor perked his ears up and immediately beamed at you, loving the way his name came spilling out from your lips.

Two weeks have passed since the encounter of the emperor and during those days, you recovered very quickly. Thanks to the gentle care of Yao himself...along with the best medicine the nation could offer, you were able to make a speedy recovery and in no time, you were up on your feet looking good as new.

Yao was very pleased with your recovery and he insisted that you stay in the palace; expecting you to follow him wherever he went. You've noticed how he was an incredibly curious emperor, despite him being wise while his dignified posture held his pride. You also happened to notice how he was unwilling to let you out of his sight...even for a little bit.

But you didn't mind. Yao gave you enough space for you so that you wouldn't feel uncomfortable and you pretty much enjoyed his company. And considering how the emperor took the time to make sure you healed completely, you were grateful to him.

Despite his kind behavior, however, it still bothered you of how it felt taboo to you. Seeing how you were allowed to stand so close to the emperor... You practically felt as if you were his wife!

Wife...

You blushed at the thought. You were a commoner and he's the emperor for the gods' sakes! Wake up, (Name)!

"... (Name)? Are you okay, aru?" You blinked rapidly as you gazed into the emperor's honeyed eyes with confusion.

"A-Ah, yes. I was just daydreaming a bit..." You started, brushing the dust particles off of your lap. "Was there something you mentioned before I was 'away from the world'...?"

"No, there wasn't." The emperor smiled, placing the scrolls back into their proper location."Well now, let's get going! There are plenty of other things I want to show you!"

Before you can protest, he immediately took your hand and started out the door.

---

Yao was enjoying himself very much. He was intrigued about (Name) since the day he found her in the garden. She was in really bad shape, he recalled. And because of me, I managed to save (Name)!

His interest in her increased greatly when he learned that she was rather knowledgeable in literature as it was rather uncommon for females to take interest in such subject. Not only was (Name) able to read and write; she was able to recite the scriptures from memory and even go as far as to interpret them!

If (Name) wasn't a female, she would have been assigned as a top-ranking scholar and work for the emperor's royal court!

However, Yao knew that (Name) was special. It was before he met her that he had been having dreams of a young woman (whose face was always concealed by a cloud of peony petals that blew by him). And according to the voices whispering to him in his dreams, this woman was someone Yao should keep close to.

Yao truly felt blessed upon encountering such a delicate creature in his life---Her (e/c) eyes sparkled with happiness and her silky (h/c) hair carried the sweetest smell than any other females. In truth, he looked forward to spending more time with (Name) and to open her up for him a little more. And in order for her to gain more trust, he decided to handle the dispute of the invading villagers.

At the crack of dawn, Yao quickly wrote a letter telling (Name) that he will go venture with his men to visit the village that invaded hers...with the promise of returning to her company before the day ended.

After sitting beside the sleeping female to watch her dream pleasantly, the young emperor bent down to kiss her temple delicately and take in her adorable face (he tried his best to contain the urge to embrace her while she slept) before he reluctantly drew away and prepared his men to head to the village.

The young emperor was dressed in his suit of armor and had his men stand around him for protection as they proceeded to start their journey out east-- he knew exactly which village he had to go to.

---

You woke hours after Yao left and noticed the letter settled beside you when you sat up.

Opening its contents, you slowly took in the beautiful penmanship the emperor possessed in writing his letter--it was as if he wrote each character with such care that it made you feel comfortable...despite his absence. As you read on, you felt your lips form a frown.

You knew that you could trust the emperor to keep his promise and have him return before the sun goes down but... You were also worried that he could get injured during his journey. The villagers were ruthless, unforgiving people who only cared for their self benefit. It could be possible that you could have put the emperor at risk for deciding to do this for you.

Everything would be your fault then! You would be put to blame for his fatal encounter and you would definitely be sentenced to death!

Shivering in fear, you clutched the letter to your chest desperately and sent multiple prayers to the gods for his safety. Please let him return back safe and unscathed!

---
You watched as the sky began to cast golden hues into the scarlet sky, and the warm orange sun sink into the distant horizon below.

There was no sign of the emperor returning. The servants were beginning to feel as restless as you were. Suddenly, a female servant by the name of Chun Yan had walked into your room and approached you slowly.

"...His majesty seems to be very fond of you, miss." Startled by her entrance, you spun around quickly to catch her appearance. The petite woman gave an apologetic smile.

"A-Ah. Well, I still feel like I shouldn't stay here...but Ya-" You quickly cut yourself off and corrected yourself. "-His majesty, kept insisting that I belong in the palace..." The woman narrowed her eyes slightly as she caught your little slip-up but decided not to point it out. You heard her give a little sigh.

"...Miss, I think it is wise for you to leave while you can." She began, dainty hands slipping into the sleeves of her servants robe. "You know very well of what this nation can hold in the hands of the emperor...and you are clearly distracting him from doing so. Besides, you're just a poor girl who was fortunate enough to receive help from the emperor himself. If the entire nation found out about this, the balance between power and class will be disturbed and the emperor will be threatened by the people until he is overthrown."

You cannot help but widen your (e/c) eyes at her words; everything she said...was true.

You were very much aware that your country was very strict when it came to traditional views and customs. Even your mother had constantly told you to never interfere with the life of an emperor...as it would bring about misfortune for the nation. Hearing those words from the emperor's servant herself has indeed made you feel as if all of this was just a mere dream.

The emperor's love for you seemed superficial now. It was as if he was only using you to get away from his studies! If he is your nation's (Dynasty Name) emperor, he should reinforce the rules of the previous emperors to maintain order. Yao had used you...!

After staring at the young servant for quite some time, you managed to move your trembling mouth.

"I-I don't see the reason why I should stay," you said bitterly. "You are right; I'm sorry for staying here for so long when I'm nothing but a poor, homeless girl. I'll leave as soon as possible. Is there a chance I'll be able t-"

"-Find a place for you to stay permanently?" Chun Yan finished the question for you. "Yes, there is. There is another town not too far from here, actually. I believe their village is safe from invaders so you shouldn't worry about them on your way. I'll go pack some things for you."

While the servant left the room to fetch your little possessions, you raised your head to stare out the window again. The sun had already gone down and you could make up a row of lit torches miles away.

The emperor was coming back to the palace.

You watched the row of lights move slowly before it dissolved into the thick forest. It will be hours before the emperor can finally approach his home... But you won't be there when he returns.

Chun Yan approached you again minutes later, with a small bundle of silk clothes, some food stuffed in a basket and some chunks of wood for fire. She quickly informed you of a path you can take that led to the next village and you thanked her with gratitude.

The sky continued to grow dark as you set off to the next village and within a couple of hours, you were able to reach the location safely. As you settled inside your new home, you slowly took out a piece of paper from the folds of your robe and unfolded it, reading its contents several times.

The words of Yao's servant continued to ring into your head but... you cannot help but feel that the emperor's letter had really expressed his honesty and trust for you...and...To put it frankly, you wished you did the same before you left the palace.

You stared out the window of your new home, holding the letter against your chest tightly and murmuring the emperor's name.

"Yao...I really wish I can tell you how much you mean to me." You said softly as tears welled up in your eyes. "I wish...I wasn't someone poor so that I could stay with you in the palace...you're the only one I have left in this world..."

Outside, the wind was blowing delicately at the fragile blossoms of a Peony tree and carried them towards the trail you came from. The wind gently puffed at the loose petals to keep them flying until it reached its destination.

---

Yao entered the palace and eagerly headed towards your room to greet (Name)...despite him being worn out and exhausted from his trip. He wanted to apologize for breaking his promise and he wanted to see her beautiful face break into an adorable mock scowl before uttering the words of forgiveness. He wanted to hear those words spilling from her perfect lips before pulling her to his chest and embracing her tightly (while telling her to never leave him).

Yes, he prepared to approach (Name) with this in mind and he pushed open the door to her room to call her name out happily.

It took him a moment to realize that the room was vacant.

And once he did,

His smile disappeared from his face,

and he went frantic.