Chapter 27

I froze in my spot, scared of seeing what it was the emperor had crushed in his palm. My eyes darted sideways just in time to see him open his fist, revealing a dead wasp where its own remains oozed all over his hand. In a matter of a second, the emperor managed to catch a flying wasp in the air, and killed it with his bare hand like it was nothing.

Gross! The wasp was the size of my thumb, and I can’t believe he squeezed it into a pulp!

Appalled, I took a step back and I nearly lost my footing. I immediately grabbed his vest to steady myself, prompting him to chuckle. “Haha! You’re still afraid of bees! I remember how you fell from your chair back then when a bee flew towards you.”

This time he doubled in laughter, bearing an expression I haven’t seen before. He reached out to me and stroked my cheek with the back of his hand in assurance, while I stood nonplussed from the way his face lit up.

“It seems like the bee was also aware that you’re more beautiful than any flower, Lily. But you don’t have to worry, I won’t let one go near you.”

The emperor turned his hand upside down, letting the wasp fall on the floor. A smear of blackish goo was still stuck on his palm and he was about to wipe it on his clothes when I hastily pulled his hand away. I took my handkerchief out of my pocket and cleaned the stain off his skin.

‘Does he even know how hard it is to remove stains? Especially when the stain came from such fluids?’

Back in my previous life and up to this day, I’ve always been in the lower class where I had to take care of myself by washing my own clothes and getting my own food. Having to wash clothes that were stained with something like fruit juices or grass dew was the most frustrating of them all since it required harsh scrubbing. By the time I’m done with them, my hands were already cold and chaffed from the cold winter.

Handkerchiefs were the easiest to clean, however.

After I wiped his hand with my white handkerchief, I folded it neatly to place it back inside my pocket when the emperor snatched it from my hand. My handkerchief!

My head turned sharply, hands scrambling to reach for my handkerchief as he hid it behind his back. Was the emperor, who had every single thing in his possession, going to take my own handkerchief? It was one of the few things I own! He smirked in my direction and said, “I’ll get you a new handkerchief. Throw this away.”

‘Oh no, that’s not going to happen!’

I found the clean and unused handkerchief in the chamber and it was the first time I’ve used it, and I am not about to throw it away.

I once had lived in a world where it was completely normal to throw dirty handkerchiefs to the bin mainly because they had a supply of it. But for me, who only has a few belongings I could call my own, grew red at his thoughtless remark. Being wasteful was not something I have the luxury of having. I briefly stopped from reaching for the handkerchief, hoping the emperor would let his guard down before I tried to grab hold of it again but to no avail, the emperor swerving just as quickly. How did I even think I stood a chance against the emperor, who was able to catch bears on his own? He was able to deflect my futile attempts of retrieving the handkerchief effortlessly. Then as if in mocking, he waved the handkerchief above me like he was prodding a kitten.

“Haha no way. This is mine now. I’m much taller than you, Lily. So you can’t get it from me!” He beamed like a teenage boy, and I so wanted to wipe the smirk off his face. I rushed in and jumped higher, hands flailing above me as I tried to snatch the fabric.

“A little more! That was close, Lily!” He encouraged repeatedly, “Come here! Not that way, here!” The emperor egged me on by making it seem like he was helping me when he was actually doing the opposite. My hands clutched on nothing but air, and it was nowhere near the handkerchief.

I was growing more infuriated than I already am, causing my jumps to become erratic as the energy seeped out of me. After failing over and over again, I ceased to a halt and leaned my hands on my knees, trying to get my breathing under control.

Just what I thought. I couldn’t rely on my poor physical strength in the time I needed it the most. I closed my eyes, letting my head hang loose in despair. But wait… what are we doing? Why are two grown ups fighting over a handkerchief?

The realization hit me and I instantly felt ashamed of what I did. ‘A doll shouldn’t be doing this.’ I straightened my back, even though all I wanted to do was to sit on the ground and relax.

Since he was in a particularly good mood, I hoped he would allow me this little freedom of taking a much needed rest. I walked to the nearby tree not thinking about the repercussions of my actions. I would know what he felt about it anyway; it’s either he would follow me on his own, or grab me by the arm to prevent me from leaving.

To be honest, I really am so drained that I could barely think straight. I plopped down underneath the tree’s shade and rested my back against the trunk and to my surprise, the emperor also made his way towards the tree. He did not say a word, only keeping his eyes on me as if he was trying to figure me out.

“Lily, are you angry at me? I’ll wash the handkerchief myself and return it to you straight away.” He assured, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and urged me to take it. It was made of silk embroidered with golden threads all throughout. I regarded him curiously and took the handkerchief without a second thought. He seemed to be a lot nicer than he usually is.