Chapter Eight

Love

The first thing Yeonhwa noticed when she woke up the next day was the comfortable warmth that enveloped her whole being. She could get used to this. She was so content that she did not want to wake up. But as rays of sunlight seeped into the bedchamber, she willed her eyes open slowly. As her sight slowly came into focus, she realized the warmth was coming from the man who was holding her as if his life depended on it, the Emperor of China, her husband; Wu Yifan. He was still sleeping soundly, his chest rising up and down as he breathed. Yeonhwa took the opportunity to study her husband’s face when she realized that she had never done so before.

She stared at Yifan in awe. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed and his long lashes and eyelids were fluttering, signaling that he was still lost in his dreams. His pouty lips were slightly parted and Yeonhwa blushed at the memory of their kiss last night. When Yifan’s lips touched hers, she felt fireworks erupt in her. No, it was more than fireworks. It was an atomic bomb. Her heart was beating so fast as if it was trying to break her ribcage. She had never felt anything like it, and what scared her the most was that she wanted more of it.

Yifan stirred beside her, uncurling into a stretch. His body went rigid as his muscles vibrated, then he threw a leg over her, pulling her closer into his chest. Yeonhwa pushed at his chest to look up at him, his annoyed grunt signaling that he was awake. He nuzzled his face in her hair before pulling away and slowly opening his eyes. He stared at Yeonhwa for a while before his slightly chapped lips and clearing his throat.

“Good morning.” he said, his voice still laced with sleepiness.

“Good morning, Yifan.” replied Yeonhwa.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked, fighting back a smile at the mention of his name.

“Yes, ”

He made a noise of contentment before pulling her closer and closing his eyes again.

“You’re going to be late for court.” she mumbled into his chest, even though she honestly did not mind the position they were in. Yifan groaned in reply.

“It doesn’t matter, I’m the Emperor,” he mumbled.

Yeonhwa narrowed her eyes at this. She pushed him away again and struggled to get out his arms, but obviously Yifan was stronger, so eventually she gave up and sighed.

“You think you’re so scary, don’t you?” she said coyly, looking at her husband through her lashes.

Her playful tone seemed to wake him up, and he opened his eyes to look at her.

“You think I’m not?” he cocked an eyebrow, interested in where she was going with this.

She smiled adorably at Yifan before replying.

“No. You’re too pretty to be scary.”

Yifan gawked at her answer, half amused and half horrified.

“Did you just call me pretty?”

In that moment, Yeonhwa quickly escaped his arms and got off the bed.

“Get ready and let’s have breakfast together.” she grinned.

-

They ate breakfast in silence, stealing glances at each other and smiling shyly. Yifan finished eating before Yeonhwa did, but he decided to stay until she was done, just because. He liked watching her. It was no secret that Yeonhwa was exceptionally beautiful and Yifan took pride in knowing that she was his and his only. Yifan was possessive like that.

He watched her pick up a piece of radish with her chopsticks and put it into when she noticed him staring at her. She paused mid-meal, the end of her chopsticks resting on her bottom lip. A sudden rush of desire went through Yifan’s whole body and ended in his pants, so he quickly looked away and cleared his throat.

Control. He was going to control himself until she was truly ready, no matter how irresistible she looked.

It proved to be Yifan’s biggest challenge he had ever faced.

-

A few weeks had passed, Yeonhwa was sitting in her quarters as she embroidered a lotus on a piece silk. She was planning to give it to Yifan when it has completed, and even the thought of it made Yeonhwa’s heart bloom with happiness. She could not wait to see Yifan’s reaction. He was so kind to her, so warm and loving. Yeonhwa was undeniably in love with him, but she was too much of a coward to say it out loud. It irked her that she could not say it to him even though that was all she ever wanted to tell him. How hard would it be anyway? I’m in love with you. Yifan says the same thing to her at every chance he got, so why was it so difficult for her to say it to him?

The hushed whispers of the maids outside her door interrupted her musings, and she immediately stopped her handiwork. The maids always gossiped; apparently they knew the palace inside out. Now usually Yeonhwa ignored them, as she was never one to pay attention to petty gossips, but this one made her want to eavesdrop. Because this one involved her and her husband.

“I heard that The Emperor didn’t want to sleep with her, thus they never really slept together in one bed.” said one of them.

“Nonsense. I went to their shared bedchamber to make their beds and both sides were slept on. They definitely slept together.” a second one replied.

“So why isn’t she with a child yet? I’m pretty sure if they’ve slept together, she would be with a child now.” the first one retorted.

Yeonhwa blushed a deep red. Yeonhwa and Yifan had never spent a night alone ever since, always sleeping in each other’s embrace. Now that both of them knew the warmth