Conquering the Emperor - Chapter 87

“But…that’s…” I murmured.

“Come along, Rin. Dinner will get cold…” Ren said lazily as he pulled on my arm, dragging me behind him.

I felt like my body was not my own as I let Ren drag me along the hallway to what I supposed was the dining room. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that I would be spending the night with Ren in his palace. I know we’ve slept together before but…that was in my room. It felt completely different to be spending the night with him in his room…

I didn’t have any more time to worry about that because we soon arrived at the dining room where dinner was laid out for us. As expected for the crown prince’s palace, the dining room was too big for its own good. It like a dining room, a tea ceremony room and a living room had been combined into one, considering its vast size.

“Do you often have guests here?” I asked.

“Apart from my father, Kin, and Shin, no one has ever dined here before,” Ren said casually.

This room is too big for so few people to eat in. Wait, so apart from those three people and Ren, no one has dined here? Suddenly, I felt very honored and important.

“Guess I’ve made it onto your list of honorable guests,” I teased.

“I guess, you have…” Ren replied as he sipped on his tea.

“You know…I don’t think you truly understand what it means not to waste food. There’s too much food here…” I said as my eyes rove around the table at all the exotic and rare dishes on the table.

“This meal is special so I thought that I could make an exception,” Ren answered with a pleasant smile.

“Special?” I asked, not quite getting it.

“It’s your first meal here with me, in my palace,” Ren said as his smile grew wider.

Oh…I see…

“Well, then, I’m really going to enjoy the food!” I cried out happily.

Ren watched me as I sampled various dishes, most I have never seen or tried before. The cuisine here in the capital was slightly different from my hometown. I’ve gotten used to it from my meals in the inner court; however, today’s dishes were different from usual.

“This food is a bit…different from the ones I’ve had in the inner court, right?” I asked.

“You’re right. This cuisine is actually from the Northeast of the empire. I don’t know the details, but the herb and spices used are said to be very healthy for the body and lead to longevity,” Ren explained.

“Well…here’s to a long life ahead of us…” I said cheerfully.

Ren smiled as he both sipped out tea to toast to a long life ahead of us. I wasn’t sure there were spices that so conveniently brought longevity, but one could always hope and pray for the best. The thought made me think of the future once again.

Not that much time had passed since I was sent to the palace in the capital and then I become accomplices with Ren. However, our relationship had inevitably evolved into something more although I wasn’t sure what our relationship was. We were definitely not lovers in the strict sense of the word.

I’ve always thought it over whenever I had time to myself but have not yet figured it out. What I was sure of was that I enjoyed Ren’s company. The fact that we seemed to get along well with each other already started since I first met him back in my town. Although our view regarding peace, war and the values of people’s lives were very different, we had decided to work together for our own goals.

He wanted to be the next emperor and was trying to figure out how to make that happen without producing an heir. As for me, I’m trying my best to go home and I hope that one day when Ren becomes the emperor or I am no longer required in his plan, he will send me back to my hometown. Everything that has happened between us as our relationship developed over time have made things a little more complicated for me.

The real question for me was, when can I go back home? Was it a matter of months, a year, a few years?

“What are you thinking about again, Rin? You’ve gone awfully quiet on me,” Ren said.

When I snapped out of my thoughts, I jolted a little in my seat when I saw Ren staring intensely at me. That made me wonder how long I was lost in my own thoughts.

“When we were watching the sunset together today, it reminded me of the time when we watched the sunset together…back in my village,” I said reminiscently.

Back then, I wasn’t sure if Ren enjoyed the beauty of the sunset like I did, or was his mind just filled with strategy for war and how to capture my town. Not that it mattered anymore right now…

“I was just wondering…if there’s a way that I can go back and visit my hometown?” I asked, trying my best not to get my hopes up.

I knew I couldn’t return there, not yet anyways. However, if it was just for a short visit then perhaps it wasn’t entirely impossible, right?

I looked up from my plate of food to see that Ren had stiffened in his seat and he had paused eating as he look back at me. Was my question that shocking? I thought it would be obvious for someone to want to return or to visit their homeland after being away from it for a while.

“Ren?” I called out his name questioningly when I didn’t get a response.

“Is there something in the palace that you’re unhappy about?” Ren asked, his tone solemn.

“No…I didn’t mean…” I said as I tried to correct the misunderstanding.

“You don’t need to hold back. If you tell me, I’ll make sure to get it fixed,” Ren said firmly.

He’s missing the point entirely and I wasn’t sure how to go about explaining it without ticking Ren off completely.

“There’s nothing wrong with anything in the palace, Ren,” I said, trying to reassure him.

“Then why are you so desperate to leave?” Red asked, as his eyes stared at me, and I could sense his dissatisfaction.

–To be continued…