Chapter hundred and ten: I've missed you

His face glowed as he peered closely at her. The outlines were nothing close to what he remembered, every enhancement seemed to be upgraded to the best version of what it used to be.

He held her against her struggle to wriggle out of his arms.

"Yoona, why do you keep escaping from me?". The struggle ceased for a moment but began vigorously the next. "Am I horrible?".He asked again.

She raised her head proudly to his and smiled in mock surprise. "You didn't know?", she asked nonchalantly.

"Your Majesty is the most horrible man I have ever seen!". He released her arms to let her vent out her frustrations.

"It's me Soon", he said softly and guiltily. "Not your Majesty... Soon is standing as a man, not an emperor, before you".

She huffed arrogantly and looked him straight in the eyes. "No", she said.

"A man is not standing before me but an emperor". A stray tears left her eyes and he drew instinctively closer to wipe it off, but stopped when she withdrew back in anger .

"I came to the palace to find the emperor who would help me crush my enemies, but found him an enemy and the one person I can't touch!". Her voice was raised to a high tempo as she let go of every emotions.

"Your Majesty was the balm to my injuries but ended up being the real cause of it ... What to do?". He drew closer to her and held her against his chest.

"I will accept my punishment but please, don't stay far away from me. I've been a living dead but because of you, I'm alive. You are my salve ". She violently extracted herself from him and wiped off her tears.

"No your Majesty, the empress is your soothing salve not me". She smiled ruefully at him as she tried to leave.

"You are the only woman in here". He touched his chest in demonstration of his meaning"."You are the only one", he repeated solemnly.

"What about the empress?, Do you not love her?". She got entangled with mixed feelings at the revelation and knew she would never handle more of it .

"You've never been in love and yet you married her?", she asked with doubt.

"Love is a sacred and beautiful mystery", he replied. "I am not one who hold love lightly and treat it in jest and I had already given my love to someone else". Pity for an unrequited love assaulted him but he knew he loved just one woman. A love not attached to benefits, a love unconcerned with status and political affiliation. Just pure love of a man to a woman.

"You've never been in love?", she asked but saw him shake his head.

"I did not say that", he defended himself.

"I've loved a lady. To me, she was always far above all other women" .

His face glowed as his eyes shined with such lustre it was blinding. The face seemed to soften in admiration as he continued.

"The lady I loved was as far as the stars are to the earth". He looked outside to find the sky studded with multitude of stars and smiled.

"She seemed to me the most deserving of esteem and respect. Most to be reverenced... the one woman apart from all others. When I hear her voice, my soul leaps in ecstasy and fill me up with gladness".

Myung OK looked at the man before her and had no reason to judge him. Behind the great facade of an emperor is a man who is true to his love. This is not the love men treat lightly and hold of little worth, but a love true in life and death.

"What kind of woman was she ?", she asked softly.

"She was gentle yet proud".

"Pure of heart, sweet and stainless of soul ".

" She was capable of giving me what I couldn't give back in return".

"She was true to me".

"She was noble, generous, selfless and lovely".

He smiled at her lovingly and muttered, "She was a child and an angel. Most importantly, she was my woman!".

"If she was all this", she said when he found him exhausted with words, "Why didn't you make her your empress?" .

His heart tightened as he fixed his eyes intently on her face. "She was lost but I have found her. Now, she will get everything belonging to her".

Her breath came in hot. Thick gasps came from her lips and her heart beat faster. "What do you intend for our empress?", she whispered fearfully.

"Nothing. We made a deal and she promised to return everything to her". Sadness enveloped her heart as the empress's face registered on her mind. She found her pitiful for her husband is in love with another.

"Where is this woman who stole your heart from you?", she asked. Hard lump formed on her chest as she recalled all she went through for him, yet, another held the key to his heart. She wanted to know who could stir such emotions in him as he was completely enamored with her.

He came closer to her, light seemed to overspread his face. She wondered why.

"She's right before me".He dropped the bombshell.

The hands entwined with hers to confirm he was really talking about her and she became startled. She made a desperate attempt to run but found his hands firmly held on her cloth's sleeves.

"Let me go!", she screamed but he encircled his arms around her neck. She tried to wrench herself free but found it impossible. The turmoil in her heart boiled as she really felt angry and suffocated by the piece of news.

She summoned her physical strength and set herself free from the hold. "Your Majesty!", she said sarcastically. "Don't disrespect the empress by using me. For the past six years, I lived just to kill you and Choi bastard".

She ran out of the door but was stopped by the heartbroken voice she heard.

"I've missed you".

"Please don't leave me again".

She turned around fiercely and gave a mock laugh. "You say you love me but you betrayed and killed me six years ago".

"I'm sorry, but it wasn't what it seemed", he defended but found her expression odd as she didn't believe him.

"Whatever the reason was, Yoona died by your hands that day and I shall never forgive you and Choi". She laid emphasis on 'never'.

"I am Myung OK, there is no Yoona".

"Give me a chance to explain what happened", he cried but found her gone.

Outside the door, she ran pass the guards who ran in to check up on their master.

"Find her", he bellowed at the confused guards. "Escort her back with the highest courtesy", he said in a voice they found strange. A voice on the verge of crying.

She ran towards the royal infirmary and broke down in tears. Why would she be the one he's loved, whereas her only thought was to kill him. She sniffed noisily and wiped out her tears. At least, she succeeded that night. Choi Seo-yun shall be lonely that night.

The plan succeeded but she wondered why she felt empty.

...

That night, once it was made known Choi Seo-yun was sharing her first night with the emperor, she found herself angry and hatched up a plan. A plan to keep him away from her even if it means exposing herself.

She observed his palace and found him leave but was surprised at the direction he took. The direction was in an opposite direction of Seo-yun so she stalked them stealthily as she knew his guards were highly trained.

She saw him arrive the dowager's palace and entered too with the identity of a female physician. The dark cloak was enclosed inside the medicine box. Her identity card confirmed her identity and she was allowed in.

The guards at the door entrance were alert and would inform the dowager hence she took a back gate to wait for him.

After few hours, she saw him come out and put on the long cloak and hoodie. She made sure he noticed her presence when he pushed back the entourage. The rest was left up to fate. Luckily, everything went according to plan.

Seo-yun shall be mocked tomorrow. She wondered how Choi sang-min would react once the news gets to him.

...

"I hate him very much!". Myung OK shouted at the winds as she left for the room at the infirmary. Thoughts of the emperor's confession plagued her mind and she decided to stay away from him.

The emperor can have her room tonight.

She would never allow anything destroy her relationship with the empress. Not even an emperor.