It had been a month since my first encounter with the emperor that I saw him again. Jia and I had meanwhile become fast friends and she would often visit me so that we could chat, since her husband was away at the border dealing with sparks of a revolt. I saw the Dragon unexpectedly when I aimlessly exploring the halls of the palace.

I saw him at the end of the hall, a few men flocked around him as he spoke about something. He was dressed in military attire, his hand lazily resting on the hilt of his sword and his gaze locked on Commander Bohai as they spoke.

"Y-Your Majesty," I muttered when he drew near me. I averted my gaze and bowed as gracefully as I could.

Meilin faltered in his steps and stared at me for a moment, as if he had forgotten that I was in the palace. If he had not glanced at his right when he did, I was sure he would've passed me without even noticing that I was his wife-to-be.

"Daiyu," he said slowly, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he looked down at me. He turned to his men and then turned back to me. "I almost forgot that you're cooped up here."

So he had forgotten.

"I have some duties to attend to," he said. "Join me for dinner tonight."

I raised my head and felt my cheeks burn. "O-Of course, Your Majesty."

"Good." He turned back to his men and began talking to them, pulling away from me and making his way towards wherever. When he was at the end of the hallway, he glanced over his shoulder at me before disappearing at the turn.

My legs trembled and I pressed a hand to my chest, not at all sure if my heart was pounding in fear, in awe at his beauty, or both.

To be asked for after a month of loneliness—save for those moments with Jia—was a pleasant escape, but also a dreaded one. There was also the fact that he had forgotten that I was even in the palace, which angered and upset me more than it should have.

Still, I ran back to my room and started preparing myself. I bathed in rose scented waters, washed my hair, and mentally prepared myself as well. When it was almost time for dinner, I dressed in a pretty light pink hanfu that Jia had given to me. I had only a few that were given to me, and since that was my favorite, I chose to wear it.

In moments, a servant entered my room and bowed. "My lady, the emperor asks you to join him for dinner."

I rose to my feet and mustered a smile for the servant. "Thank you."

He waved for me to follow and we both walked silently until we reached the emperor's chambers. The doors were jeweled and fancy, so much so that the entire door could've fed my entire family for years. The servant knocked on the doors before pushing them open and walking in. Once inside, I saw that there were fancy couches strewn around the room, bookshelves lining the walls, and rugs and furniture all about. Making our way through the room, the servant paused at the entrance of another room, which seemed to be the emperor's personal dining area.

Delicious aromas wafted throughout the room and there was an array of dishes around the low table rested on the ground. Meilin was seated casually at the front, his attire more informal and his attitude nonchalant as a servant poured tea for him. When he saw me enter, his bored look was replaced with an amused, haughty one.

"Daiyu, my little rabbit, nice to see you looking so well," he said with a smile. He motioned for me to sit at the place adjacent from him.

I felt like I would collapse as I walked over to him, my gaze fixated on the spot he wanted me to sit at. Once seated, I stared at the food around me before turning to him ever so slightly. "Thank you for the invitation, Your Majesty."

He nodded and reached for his plate full of food, picking up a piece of chicken and plopping it in his mouth. "How's your stay at the palace? Do you enjoy it?"

I hesitated. Should I tell him that I was lonely and that I missed my family? Or would that be rude of me to say that? Not sure what to say, I stared down at my empty plate. "The stay is wonderful, Your Majesty."

"Really?"

I stiffened at the question. "Y-Yes."

"Hmmm." He picked up his chop sticks and began to eat the food laid out before him. "That's good to hear."

I reached over and slowly placed food on my plate. My mouth watered at the sight of the delectable food around me, but my nerves were too shaken up to eat much.

"Jia comes to visit you often, doesn't she? I heard you've become friends with her."

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty," I answered honestly. "Jia is a dear friend of mine, we talk often and I look forward to her arrival every time."

We silently ate for a moment after that. I tried not to squirm under his scrutiny and instead tried focusing on eating what was around me. Meilin watched me and reached over, gently gracing my cheek and tucking a stray hair behind my ear. I tensed up at his touch and felt heat flush over my face.

"You don't wear ornaments and jewelry like the other women?" he asked curiously, eyeing my hair and how it was bare of jewels.

I shook my head. "No, my family and I . . . we are poor. W-We can't afford jewelry."

He surprisingly didn't seem to care that I had just admitted to being from a poor family that wasn't able to afford even the smallest of ornaments. "It's nothing to be ashamed of," he said instead. "I'll have something sent to you."

"No, Your Majesty, that's not nec—"

"Don't turn away from my kindness."

His words froze something inside of me and I stiffened, fear gnawing at my stomach. Who was I to refuse the emperor? If I overstepped my boundaries, there was a good chance that I would end up dead, along with my family. "I'm so sorry," I said shakily.

"You will look prettier with silver, maybe," he mused. "I don't like gold, it's too gaudy. But silver, silver is elegant."

"Thank you."

"Do you have siblings?" he suddenly asked me. "Family is important to you, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, I have seven siblings. Two older brothers, three younger sisters, and two younger brothers."

"And you love them?"

"Yes, very much."

Something glimmered in his eyes that I couldn't decipher and he smiled wryly. "Family bonds always irk me; I've never had a strong connection with mine."

"Do you have siblings?" I asked him cautiously. Not much was known about his life before becoming the leader of the rebel army and now our emperor. His upbringing, his life, his family, all of that was ambiguous.

He took a sip of his tea and nodded. "I had a brother."

"You had?" I said. "I didn't realize, I'm sor—"

"Don't worry," he said with a dark look, his eyes glittering with malice. "I hated him." He touched his shoulder and pulled the fabric of his shirt, revealing a thick white scar that looked like someone had stabbed him on his shoulder. "You see that? He stabbed me there and hoped I would die."

I paled.

He pulled back his shirt and smirked when he saw my expression. "Don't be scared, little rabbit. A wound is a normal thing."

"B-But didn't it hurt?"

He looked taken aback by my question and he stared at me for a second before shrugging. "All wounds hurt to some degree."

"That's terrible," I said without thinking. "I could never hurt one of my brothers or sisters like that."

"I suppose that's what makes you so sweet," he said with a wry smile. "You wouldn't even think of harming a little mouse. I, on the other hand, am a wolf. Or," he drawled in amusement, "a dragon, as people call me."

"It's because you're so strong," I said carefully.

He pulled a dagger out and flipped it in his hand, making me flinch and lean away from him. He chuckled at my wide eyes and waved it in front of me. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said when he took note of my tense posture.

The dagger was beautiful and thin, a dragon curling around the hilt of the blade. It was entirely black save for the dragon's eyes, which were two tiny pebbles of ruby. Even the blade was as dark as ebony.

"It's beautiful," I said once I realized he was just trying to show me the dagger.

"It is, isn't it?" He ran a finger over the flat of the black blade. "It's made from a dragon's fang."

My eyes widened. Dragons and other creatures were deadly and far too powerful for humans, and it was rare when people took down those creatures. "A real dragon's fang?" I sucked in and stared in awe at the blade.

"You've never seen a dragon?" He smiled at my expression. "I killed it; it was a big, black dragon with teeth that could rip apart a house. Once it was dead, a young man I knew crafted this from the dragon's fang."

I gasped and stared at him in disbelief. Usually when people had items made from monsters or dragons, it was because they had found a dead one on their path. Killed by another creature, it was how most items were forged. To think that he was like Raia, the legendary dragon slayer from the kingdom of gold and sand, was shocking and awe-inducing.

"People called me Drakkon from that point," he continued, lost in thought as he stared at the blade. "That was back when I was in Sanguis, the kingdom of bloodshed. Ever since then, I suppose, I picked up that name and gave it to myself."

Firstly, he didn't have a family name to begin with? Secondly, he traveled to Sanguis?

"Sanguis? Did you see those coliseums that they're so famous for?" I asked hesitantly.

He bobbed his head. "Gladiators and bloodthirsty beasts. I even fought in a pit myself."

"How—" Before I could finish, Commander Bohai entered the room and cut me off. His dark brown hair was messier than usual and he had a hand on the hilt of his sword.

Sensing the tension from his commander, Meilin narrowed his eyes and sat straighter. "Bohai, what happened?"

"Hai got in a fight with Bolin," he said.

Meilin scowled at him. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"A serious fight or a fight among friends?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "It looked serious but it didn't, at the same time."

Meilin cocked a brow. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, they both were fighting seriously, but it looked like it was over something stupid, but it was serious. However, it didn't look like a fight that they would hate each other for." Bohai scratched the side of his neck. "Does that make sense?"

Meilin sighed loudly and rubbed the side of his face. "How seriously are they injured?"

"Hai is bleeding from his chest while Bolin is unconscious."

"They're always so stupid," Meilin said with a huff. "What was it this time?"

"A woman."

"A woman?"

"Yes. Bolin said she was pretty while Hai said she was ugly. They both started fighting because they didn't agree with each other's tastes."

"You're kidding," Meilin said with the most flabbergasted and pissed expression ever.

"Unfortunately, I'm not."

"I'll have their heads," Meilin muttered darkly. "Seriously, they're such idiots sometimes."

"And you wanted Hai to be the emperor," Bohai joked with a smirk.

Meilin snorted. "The empire would've fallen for the stupidest of reasons if I had."

I stared at the two of them for a moment, amazed at how well they were conversing with each other. It was obvious that Commander Bohai was among the men that Meilin trusted dearly and cared for, since he was being so casual with him.

"My little rabbit, Daiyu," Meilin suddenly interjected. "Unfortunately, I'll have to cut this dinner short and leave earlier than expected."

He rose to his feet and rubbed his shoulder absentmindedly, a scowl in his place as he spoke to Bohai about Hai and Bolin. In moments ,they both left the room, leaving me to wonder if Meilin was as cruel as people said he was.