Thank you to @sig_mkmo on ig for this fan art! This is the first fan art I have gotten for Obscured, and it makes me so happy hehe. Her Quotev account is Astridz.



The Emperor sat upon his throne, a smug look on his face. His hair had been tied back with his signature red ribbon, exposing his slender eyes resting upon Eli. He wore the usual red and black robe while the palm of his hand took hold of his cheek. His wine-red orbs had a delicious and darker yearning hidden beneath them as his other hand slowly tapped the golden details of the throne.

"Your- Your Majesty, did I hear that correctly?" Eli stammered, bewilderment permanently etched onto his features. His panicked gaze reverted from your figure to that of the Emperor in a repetitive manner, unmistakably taken aback by the situation.

You were sat timidly on a recently made throne, placed by the Emperor's side. In the throne room, there were now two thrones as the Emperor had finally found a consort - [Name] Fuyomui. Everything was happening too quickly for you to process, but last night's decision was one of the most difficult you had made in your life.

"Takahiro, I deeply apologise, but I have to refuse your offer. I don't want to be your consort nor concubine; I am your tailor. Please, don't be ridiculous." You responded dimly, your head lowering as you were afraid to hear his response.

The Emperor gaped at you in utter disbelief that you had the nerve to reject him after he had clearly told you that you had to choose one.

"Don't be ridiculous? The only thing ridiculous here is how ridiculously in love I am with you. I'm warning you while I'm still asking politely." The Emperor impatiently tapped his finger upon the ivory cloak on the table. His patience was running thin. He wanted an answer, and he wanted it immediately.

You finally earned the confidence to look up at him and make eye contact, showing at least a decent amount of respect. Before you could even begin to object any further, your mouth fell agape at the man whom you just realised was looking at you with such intense feeling, as though he were a completely different person. His fiery red eyes seemed to burn through you, urging you not to test him any more.

After a few minutes of silence, his murderous look eased up, and he gave you an impish grin.

"[Name]. I want you now. If I'm honest with you, I'd prefer that you choose consort." The Emperor said through his smile, looking down at you with no mercy. He had gotten you cornered with this decision, and finally, his long-lasting thirst for you could be quenched whether you liked it or not.

"What happens if I choose concubine?" You asked him, raising your brow. If you chose concubine, you wouldn't have to be given any lessons on how to be the proper Empress or attract too much attention.

"[Name], choose consort for me. I was being lenient and gave you two choices, but it truly feels like I'm just begging you to marry me already. If you go against the Emperor's wishes and choose concubine, I'll show you what you have to do as a concubine tonight." The Emperor instructed you, his lips pursing as he looked you up and down.

"I- I.. Do I really have no choice?" You responded, your sweaty hands gripping shakily onto the tablecloth.

"Well, not really. Why not make things easier for both of us and choose consort already? I'm willing to kill for you if I have to. When I want something, I will have it. How the hell have you not yet learnt that I'm a psychopath head over heels for you?"

You looked down to your lap. You could only imagine what he could do, and you could tell just by the threatening look in his eyes that he would not hesitate to take extreme measures to get what he wanted. He was the Emperor, after all, somebody not to mess with. At this point, you had to think about the safety of the people you knew, your friends. If you didn't go along with his wishes, who knew what could end up happening? Could he even end up hurting Kai?

"Alright, then. I accept, I'll be your consort." You stuttered, not having the guts to look your new fiancé in the eye, his eyes holding such a potent gaze.

You felt a hand grasp your chin, forcing you to look towards him. His cold, slender fingers lifted your chin so you would look him in the eye. He seemed utterly overjoyed despite your worrisome expression.

"Finally."

Since you were now the only royal consort, you had been given the privilege of wearing red clothing. Though you insisted not to wear any as it would only draw more unwanted attention towards you, the Emperor decided that a red velvet outfit would be the best thing for you to wear in celebration of your engagement. For once, you were given proper and higher treatment and simply overnight you had turned from a girl from the rags with a tragic background to the future Empress of the kingdom.

"Do you wish to inform your.. your subjects about your engagement, Your Majesty?" Eli questioned, scratching his blonde hair as he lost all sense of what to do.

"Not quite yet. Let us do things the traditional way - I shall announce [Name] was my wife after our wedding day. That way, nobody can bother us about our engagement until we are already sealed together by the hands of God." The Emperor declared, not wanting anything or anybody to get in the way of your marriage.

"Understood," Eli responded, confused as to how things had seemed to fly by him and the Emperor was soon to be married.

The Emperor leaned over his throne in order for his arm to reach your hair, which he twirled nonchalantly around his fingers, the strands intertwined into his hand as if he were chaining you down so subtly you could never escape from him.

Without another word, Eli left the throne room completely in awe at what occurred that day. He had been ordered to do this and that to make preparations for the perfect private wedding.

"[Name], you truly are divine. I must say though, be careful what you do. I don't want to see my bride running away or embarrassing us in public." He hummed contentedly, the innocent and tender look in his eyes disappearing as though it'd been a mere facade helping him get what he wanted. After all, the best way to win a war was for there to be no war at all.

You remained silent, your gaze never meeting his as you grew incredibly apprehensive.

"What are you thinking so hard about, little tailor? Ah, I guess I should not call you that anymore. You are no longer the tailor but my consort." The Emperor let out a deep and small chuckle as he played with your [H/C] hair.

"I'm not thinking about anything. It's just a bit overwhelming to be getting married all of a sudden to somebody I haven't really formed romantic feelings for yet." You confessed, biting your lip.

The Emperor's fingers stopped playing with your hair and remained so still that one could've mistaken him for a statue. Flinching at the painful silence that almost screamed into your ears, you regretfully looked up at him to see another deadly, venomous glare burning right through your frame.

"You love me, [Name]. I know you do. That's a funny joke." He kept chuckling - though it'd initially been softly, his laughter soon became louder and brasher as if he had gone crazy and couldn't bring himself to believe the words which had just left your lips.

"Anybody who gets in between the two of us can die. Ah, [Name]... I cannot wait for you to be my Empress." He said with a voice drowned in sheer happiness.

"I must ask, however, where has this behaviour come from? This is so unlike you." You interrogated him. He was acting frighteningly different; it seemed he had become insane overnight. His latest behaviour made you anxious, and you felt as though you hadn't truly gotten to know him after all the time you had spent together.

"Well, I suppressed my feelings for you for so long [Name]. If I had initially acted like this when my romantic feelings had blossomed, I'm positive I would have no chance at all for you to accept being my consort. The easiest way to win a war is for there to be no war at all. I realised if I wanted you to be mine, I didn't have to pull out large amounts of threats or offers but instead, I had to win you over. Now that you have accepted my proposal to you, you can't run away from me. Isn't that just - simply - sublime? Even if you want to leave, you can't go anywhere. My [Name], my Empress, my life." He revealed his intentions to you, leaving you flabbergasted. All had been a facade from the very beginning, and it, indeed, was too late to turn back.

Once a woman had become consort and soon enough the Empress of Intuuin, she could not go back on her word. You felt the weight of the diamond ring tensely weigh you down as his soft fingertips forced your orbs to focus on him, and only him.

"[Name], [Name], [Name]. You can't leave me now. My biggest fear has no chance of happening! You are my weak spot, after all; I must protect you myself." The Emperor continued to talk before finally letting go of your chin. While he did so, Eli re-entered the room, ironically right on cue.

The Emperor laughed at Eli's concerned expression towards you, as he had left you in such a position that you appeared to be intently staring at him.

"She doesn't want to admit it, but she's head over heels for me already." He told Eli, an immodest grin on his lips as he turned and faced you, your noses touching. You blushed profusely. Pulling away and sitting upright, you faced forward and did not dare even to flinch as you heard Takahiro's laughter at your behaviour.

"Your- uh, Your Majesty, the items you purchased for your consort have just arrived," Eli announced.

"Splendid! Bring them in!" The Emperor requested cheerfully, using his arm to make a gesture that urged Eli and the servants to bring the items into the throne room.

"As you wish," Eli muttered before swiftly leaving the room.

"What is he talking about?" You questioned, utterly taken aback by what you had just heard.

"Oh, it is nothing much, just some engagement gifts from me to you. It is tradition in Yunoaiu for the wealthy man to spoil his fiancée. A lot of the women in the kingdom tend to brag about the things their fiancés have bought them. It goes without a doubt that they'll be questioning what I have gifted you during the wedding celebration. So it is only natural that you tell them every single thing I have bought you." The Emperor explained to you, a complacent smile on his lips as the large, golden double doors of the throne room were opened by the guards, revealing a line of butlers and maids carrying what seemed like hundreds of gifts from sizes big to small. They advanced towards you and placed each gift around your throne and at your feet. The presents surrounding you were quickly piling up at an alarming rate, and you feared they would become taller than a mountain.

"Takahiro, this is unnecessary! I don't need so many gifts. I feel bad now; I only prepared you one small gift." You intercepted. You felt spoilt to the core. You did not want to be greedy, but you also didn't want to be seen as disrespectful by turning down the gifts.

"It is necessary, sweet Empress. I finally get the chance to spoil you rotten, so don't expect me to hold back. I did not expect a gift or anything in return. However, what is this gift you speak of? It has caught my interest. It does not matter if it is small; it is the thought that counts." The Emperor responded to your words with his eyebrows raised due to curiosity.

You took out a small, black velvet box from your pockets and presented it to him with both hands. He inspected it for a moment before using his slender, pale fingers to pick up the object.

"Are you supposed to be proposing to me now?" He teased.

You choked on your saliva at his remark and shook your head, "Don't be ridiculous, Your Maje- Takahiro." It was still taking some time getting used to calling him by his first name. It felt strange for it to roll off your tongue and nearly wholly foreign.

He proceeded to open the box, exposing a golden brooch in the shape of a flower, decorated with pure, blood-red rubies. It had taken quite a lot of your saving to purchase the item but saw to it only fit after the way he had tried to cheer you up and even risked his reputation to sneak you out of the palace.

"Ah, how gorgeous. I shall wear this whenever we are in public." The Emperor announced as he took it out of the packaging and attached the brooch onto the fabric that covered the left part of his chest.

"The red reminded me of you because you have red eyes and that ribbon to hold your hair back." You explained, a small smile on your lips. He grinned and grabbed your cheeks forcefully, planting a large and messy kiss upon your forehead. You flinched at the contact, and despite pressing your hands against his chest to get away, the number of kisses he placed on your face didn't stop augmenting. Some were barely missing your lips.

"Don't worry, [Name]. I won't kiss your lips just yet." The Emperor revealed. One of the maids placing a present at your feet stumbled at these words and almost toppled over. She had never heard the emperor act so affectionately and felt astonishingly surprised. Once she had processed what happened, she scurried off.

"Just yet?" You echoed his words before he finally let go of your cheeks. He gestured to the presents that had now begun to tower over you. It seemed that his main aim was to distract you from the gifts so you wouldn't object any more. You currently had a mountain of presents to open and an Emperor waiting by your arm, eager for you to open them all.

"Go on, [Name]. Start with any single one that you want."

"Oh, uhm- alright then." You replied, deciding it was too late to turn back now. The Emperor's behaviour was incredibly concerning to you and made you wonder if you even knew him at all. Before you could think of the matter any longer, you felt the Emperor nudge you, pestering to have one of the gifts opened.

You came out of your thoughts and picked the closest present to you. It was wrapped in a relatively large rectangular box with purple tissue paper. When you had opened the box, your eyes met with one of the most inappropriate things you hadn't expected the Emperor to get you. Sat upon a cotton purple cushion was a piece of red lingerie. You choked on the air in your throat and looked at the Emperor questioningly before instantly closing the box to how it was previously.

"Oh- Thank you, Takahiro." You chose to thank him either way. You were a tailor after all and knew how difficult lace was to make by hand, and you could spot the expensive fabrics incorporated into the piece. The feeling of gratefulness was there but also great embarrassment.

"I hope you wear this for me on our wedding night." Takahiro boldly ordered of you, rather than asked. You shuddered at the remark and hurriedly moved onto the next present. It wasn't the time to become any more of a flustered mess.

"Uhh, no promises." You returned with a nervous smile. The two of you continued to open your presents for nearly the entire day until it was already evening. Your hands were growing tired, and your whole body felt fatigued. You had received an extensive range of gifts, from upscale clothing to foreign objects you had never even heard of.

As the window behind you grew to spill in the moonlight after the holy Sun's disappearance below the horizons, the guards opened the door and announced an entry. "Imperial Grandmother is now entering the throne room, your majesty."

For the first time, you laid your eyes upon Takahiro's grandmother. She was around the same height as you and wore a red tunic with long, bat-like sleeves and golden details here and there. She appeared to be sweet until her wrinkled gaze targeted itself upon your frame. From what you could tell, she was utterly enraged. Her eyes switched to none other than Takahiro, whom she gave a nasty glare that would've made the whole kingdom fall into submission to her.

"Emperor Wang! My grandson, what in the world are you doing? Why are you marrying a- a tailor? That is unheard of! I am utterly disappointed beyond description! What ever pushed you to do such a thing? If you were ready to marry, you should have let me help you find a suitable consort! Via Resniyi is a lovely woman; she has been waiting and pondering over you for years! You are not to marry this peasant! Is this how I raised you to be? I am- I can't believe this!" She roared furiously, her kind facade immediately shattering onto the ground.

Takahiro gently let go of your hand and stood up. He stepped in front of you as if to shield you from his grandmother, who indubitably held strong disagreements with his engagement to you.

"Grandmother, stop this nonsense. I already told you I was not interested in any of those women. I indeed did not intend to find love at all. However, [Name] has stolen my heart and affections. I now want to marry her. She is not to leave me. I will not let you take her away from me." He proclaimed his admiration for you, leaving his grandmother thoroughly confounded.

She looked to the guards, "Throw her out! Throw her onto the streets and humiliate her! She is lucky I am not ordering an execution!" The Imperial Grandmother yelled. The guards immediately sprung into action and advanced towards you, only stopping in their tracks when the Emperor raised his hand.

"You may be the Imperial Grandmother, but I must remind you that I am in a more powerful position. I am the Emperor of Intuuin. I won't let some old twit take my consort away from me. Guards, I demand you to throw her out of the palace, onto the streets and humiliate her. She is only to return when she apologises for not paying respects and congratulations to my engagement and wishing my consort ill-health." He instructed the guards. Your mouth hung agape, and you clung onto Takahiro's clothing.

"Takahiro, don't you think that's a bit extreme? She is the Imperial Grandmother-" You were interrupted by Takahiro looking over his shoulder at you, revealing his deadly predator-like eyes to you. It sent shivers down your spine.

"I am only giving her the same treatment she was about to give you if I had not intervened. If she does not want this, she will say her apologies to the guards who will inform me of it. Then, she shall bow on her knees to you for forgiveness." The Emperor elucidated in a grim tone. "I see that as a suitable punishment, grandmother." He hissed, venomous words spitting from his lips as his eyes fixated upon his grandmother once again.

"Beg on my knees? Me? To a peasant? A low-life? I-" " What are you waiting for? Get on with it." He cut off his grandmother and signalled the guards to carry on with his orders. The guards ran back towards the door and further away from you, presently advancing towards the Imperial Grandmother.

The guards grabbed her arms and dragged her out of the throne room before closing the doors behind them. After that scene had occurred, the palace servants broke into a wave of whispers and mumbles.

"Continue you as you were unless you want the same type of punishment." The Emperor pronounced. The sea of whispers immediately drained away as the servants resumed their usual evening tasks with a sparse feeling of uneasiness.

You were speechless. It was difficult to believe what had just happened right in front of your eyes.

Takahiro whirled around, his eyes holding a tender and passionate devotion for you as he held your hands within his own and placed kisses upon them in a doting manner.

"My dear Empress, do not worry. I promised to protect you. Nobody shall take you from me - not even you. If you even think about running away, I'll lock you up or maybe even cut off those beautiful legs of yours if I deem it necessary. Anything to keep you with me." He mumbled, abruptly grabbing your chin.

He gazed at you with glowing red eyes that seemed to prey upon you. The moonlight danced across the floor from the large, arch-shaped window behind the thrones and a soft glimmer appeared on his face. You both stood there, frozen for several moments. You had no idea what to say, and all he was doing was admiring each and every single one of your features.

He grabbed you by your waist and pulled you up from the seat. Hunching over to hug your waist close to him, he stared into your [E/C] orbs with extraordinary intent and love. Your lips were several inches away, and soon enough, your foreheads were gently pressed against one another's as he continued to near.

It finally hit you what he was about to do. You seized his collar for extra grip and pushed him away. Caught off guard, you managed to move him an inch or two away from your face. He stood frozen for a moment before his eyes became more slender. He glared at you not-so-lovingly, the predatory look you had just recently learnt about returning.

"[Name], [Name], [Name]." He muttered in a disappointed tone as he shook his head sorrowfully. He grabbed your hands which were still stuck upon his collar and pulled them forcefully off him, causing his clothes to fall open. His muscular chest had become exposed, and while he held your wrists firmly, he pressed them against the throne to keep them out of the way.

He slowly advanced upon you. As much as you tried to object or pull away, he wouldn't budge this time.

"Your Maj- Takahiro, it's too soon for me to kiss you on the lips. It would be indecent of me. I do not believe this is a bright thing to do-"

"[Name]; you are my consort. You are not only to become Empress soon but will be required to take care of my personal needs, yes? I think I have been taking things fairly slow. As a reward for all these gifts and holding myself back until last night, I want to feast upon your soft lips." He professed.

You could not even respond before he leaned forward and pressed his lips against yours. It only lasted for a moment, but it felt like a lifetime. His gentle lips against yours made your cheeks burn up. You could not utter a single word at all. It all seemed so magical yet so forced. You tried to pull away and even attempted to open your mouth in order to ask him to stop.

This was a terrible move to make, as he immediately slipped his tongue into your mouth and began to kiss you even more deeply.

None other than Eli entered through the door and quickly paused. "Your Majesty?" He inquired, clearing his throat in hopes of gaining some sort of attention.

You attempted, even more, to get away from the Emperor. This was too humiliating for you to bear, especially since there was now a spectator. Despite the supplementary presence, Takahiro ignored Eli and continued to give you a meaningful kiss until you were practically suffocating for air.

He finally pulled away and licked his lips like a beast who had just enjoyed a meal after being deprived of food for so long. He looked at you hungrily, as if begging for more with his orbs. You rubbed your lips with the back of your palm and Takahiro gave you a mischievous grin. You began to pant heavily, gasping for air. Even though the kiss had lasted for an eternity, Takahiro seemed to not be out of breath at all.

Takahiro turned around and looked towards Eli, a pleased smile on his lips.

"Yes, what is it, Eli?" Takahiro asked.

"Odette Kirayo from the black snake group requests an audience, Your Majesty."