Chapter Four The Union The following month was filled with days where Yeonhwa’s body was poked and prodded by both Chinese and Korean renowned tailors, etiquette and Chinese language lessons. Her days went by in a drag, her heart hurting and smiles insincere. All this while, not once did Joonmyeon attempt to talk or even look at her. She could feel her ability to feel happy slowly fading. She felt empty, betrayed and lost. It was as if she was drowning and screaming for help, but no one was there to save her. Not her father, not Joonmyeon. Not even herself. Before she knew it, she was already in China, getting ready for her wedding.  There were maids giggling and gossiping, but all she wanted was to run away and bury herself alive. The day she had dreaded has finally come.  She sat with a blank expression as the maids busied themselves prepping her. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and the eunuch announced that her father had come to see her. As he entered, he politely asked the maids to leave the room and sat next to his daughter. Yeonhwa, still hurt and sulky, refused to look at her father, as if that was going to make him turn back and cancel all the wedding plans. Even so, her father looked at her with the softest eyes; a gaze that oozed love. It did not take long for him to realize that tears were streaming down Yeonhwa’s soft cheeks and sobs racked through her petite body. Han Deoksoo’s heart wretched in pain seeing his only daughter like that, so he pulled her into his embrace and her silky hair, just as he did whenever she was upset when she was younger. “My child,” he began. “I’m so sorry,” he said softly. “But I promise you, the Emperor is a good man. I have met him before, and I know he would never hurt you.” he continued. Yeonhwa wanted to scream that she did not care even if the Emperor was a god, she did not love him. She wanted to fight everyone and tell them that she was in love with Joonmyeon, that she was supposed to marry him, not some arrogant royal who thought that everything went his way. But she knew. She knew that even if she screamed until she lost her ability to speak, the wedding would still go on. She would still end up marrying the Emperor. So she cried in self-pity into her father’s chest as he rocked her gently. Eventually her sobs ceased into hiccups, and she fell asleep. Soon after that, her father, with the help of some of the maids, tucked her into bed and left. - Everyone in her household, even Joonmyeon, had come to China to attend her wedding during the day. It was a big celebration where even The King of Korea attended. His jolly laugh was heard throughout the ceremony. She recognized almost everyone that came; yet the veil that covered her face prevented her from seeing The Emperor- her husband's- face. She could only faintly make out his built through her veil. He seemed tall and well built, and the sound of his oddly familiar voice sent shivers down her spine. During the tea ceremony, when they exchanged cups, her hands brushed against his and she shivered slightly. His hands were massive compared to hers, and from the lack of wrinkles, she concluded that either he was not as old as she thought, or that if he was, that he took really good care of his hands. She, however, could not even imagine how he looked like. From the hushed whispers and giggles she had heard from the palace maids, he was quite a looker. She grumbled silently. How come the palace maids could see how the Emperor looked like, but not her, the person he married? What kind of wedding does not allow the bride to see her bridegroom's face? She supposed that it was fair, since he did not know how she looked like either. Appa