Thank you to @fabheichou on wattpad for this week's fan art! I think it looks beautiful and I love the shading, textures and colours that you've chosen!



The Emperor left through the back entrance of the palace in order to make his leave sleek and unnoticeable. However, disruptions in the grass and mud caught his eye. There was a trail of a wagon and pieces of straw scattered around the place. Upon closer inspection, Takahiro could quickly identify that the cart was one from the countryside, especially since straw or hay had no place in the high-class district of Yunoaiu.

Standing up straight, he looked at the trail of the wagon and decided that perhaps this could be his best lead. The trail was fairly fresh, suggesting that the wagon had only passed by there not too long ago. Whoever was on that wagon could have seen [Name] or could even be the person who had taken her away.

He took in a deep breath and looked to his left side. He was used to you always being on his left arm, so much so that he felt incredibly uneasy without you by his side. He caught sight of the wedding ring on his left hand and immediately averted his eyes. It pained him too much to even look at the simple and modest band of gold. Shaking his head and not letting his emotions muddle with his plan, he quickly began hiking in the direction of the trails.

In the meanwhile, the Sun was beginning to rise fairly early in the region that you were in. You were left alone in the cottage while Octavi and Vernon went out fetching essentials like food and water before going to the pub. After all, they went to the pub every several days or even more than that; a sudden disappearance could arise suspicions from the locals.

You sighed, locked in a smaller bedroom that they had given you. Well, it could barely pass as a bedroom. The stone walls had moss and cracks, there was a leak in the ceiling, and the bed was just a stack of hay with some tattered rags scattered upon it. You found that the dirtied window seat was much more comfortable than the bed itself. There was one singular window that had been locked using three different types of locks. You could have broken the glass, but it would be no use as the window was so slim and tall. You wouldn't even be able to fit through.

You peered out the window, a small and tiresome sigh escaping your lips. This was too much for you. Thankfully, Octavi had locked you up in this room before Vernon could assault you once again. He was such a violent man, hiding this aggressiveness behind a listless facade. You knocked on the window, hoping you could catch somebody's attention. However, you halted this action, knowing that if somebody had come to help you, they would just be pulled into all this trouble.

Your thin and dirt riddled nightgown was not enough to shield you from the cold of the night and dawn. You sat longingly at the window, desperate for the Sun to come up, rather sooner than later.

You heard the main door unlock and slam close behind two pairs of footsteps, indicating that the duo of snakes was finally back. You sat there, attention now pinned to the door and ears listening out for any sort of chatter.

You heard footfalls slowly advance to your door before stopping right in front of it and unlocking the door. The door cracked open, and Vernon stepped into your room. "We're trying to be careful with our money. Since you probably ate a feast yesterday, being the Empress you are, we aren't going to feed you for the next day or two. If you need water, Octavi can bring you some," Vernon stated to you.

"What? You can at least feed me! I'm going to freeze to death here!" You yelled sharply at him, standing up from your window seat and flinging yourself towards the man, ready to fight him. If he were going to take you away, you were not going to make things easy for him.

He swiftly moved out of the way and left through the door, locking it behind him. You tripped past where he once stood, falling into the hardwood door. You let out an annoyed sigh before retreating to the window sill once again. You hadn't even got any sleep last night, you were freezing cold and were now not going to have any food for the next several days? You could easily tell that he was probably going to drag this out and not feed you for a week.

While all this was occurring, the Emperor trudged through the country fields, and soon found that it looked like it was going to rain. He needed some sort of transportation if he wanted to get as far as possible along the wagon's trail before it would be washed away. Looking around, he spotted a farmer nearby, tending to his horses in front of a stable.

Rushing over, he waved to the farmer, "Good sir, may I lend or possibly buy a horse off you?"

The farmer glanced at Takahiro, who seemed to tower over him. The wrinkly farmer scratched his chin before proceeding to shake his head, "I'm afraid not. I don't think a traveller like you will have quite enough to purchase one of my horses. They're used in the royal derby sometimes, you know! The knights love buying my horses, so I'm getting them ready for the next season. The only way I'll sell them to you is if you had two hundred gold coins, which I'm sure you don't,"

"Two hundred gold coins? I must say, don't you think that is somewhat overpriced? Most royal horses are bought for a hundred golden coins," The Emperor pointed out.

"Well, these horses are some of my best! And you're buying them before the horse racing season too, while I'm supposed to get them ready. Look at ya' complain, tsk tsk, go on your way if ya' don't want to purchase a horse," The old man scolded Takahiro.

Takahiro let out a tiresome sigh, who knew that his subjects could be so difficult? Takahiro grabbed the man by his collar, greatly intimidating him. With each second that passed, he would have less of a chance to find you. So, he had no time to waste, and his patience was dangerously thin.

"I'll purchase a horse," He glanced at the stables and designated a plain, coal-black horse with a small ivory spot on its forehead.

"Hey, that's my best horse!" The old man exclaimed, "You can't even buy it anyway! You travellers barely have any money! If you did, why would I be gettin' a pair of troublemakers stealin' my wagon?"

"That is why I picked it. It indeed is a good horse. Allow me to purchase it." The Emperor stated plainly.

"Only for three hundred-"

Takahiro swiftly took out five bags of golden coins, each pouch containing one hundred.

"500 golden coins should be alright, yes? Keep the change," Takahiro insisted, walking past the bewildered farmer as he let his desired steed out of the stables.

The old man stood there baffled as Takahiro mounted the steed with ease and stared down at the old man.

"Actually, would you care to tell me about the pair of ruffians that stole your wagon and horse?" The Emperor interrogated the man, hoping the large number of coins could buy him some information as well.

"Well, if you insist, there was a lad with a bowl cut and a lad with fucken' blue hair and purple eyes! I thought he was a fairy or somethin', so when they stole mah wagon I was fumin'! They went over that way, and had the audacity to pass by me again earlier today with some lady or whatever sat at the back! She was tied up, and everythin' and I tried reportin' it, but nobody was fucken' listenin' to me!" The aged man explained.

"I see, thank you for the information. Have a good day," Takahiro responded before making his way on the horse to continue down the tracks. It was dark, but thankfully the moonlight illuminated the trails. With a part of the sky becoming cloudier and darker, he could tell there was going to be heavy rain by tomorrow morning. So, he pressed on as quickly as possible.

You, though, were still caged up in your room. A couple of moments later, three strong knocks could be heard on your door before it unlocked once again. Octavi stepped into the cold and miniature room, a slight redness in his cheeks. It seemed as though he had been drinking quite a bit at the pub, especially since the once formal and seemingly perfect man had a stumble in his walk. Closing the door behind him, you found him to be carrying a simple clay jug filled with water. He placed it on the floor in the corner of your room with a small, wooden cup.

"Octavi... are you drunk?" You hesitated to ask this question, having no idea how the man would act when he was drunk.

His purple orbs zipped to meet with yours as the young man used his pale hand to slick his light blue hair back. He stumbled once again, this time landing on your 'bed' and nearly passing out.

"No, not at all," He asserted, trying his best to keep his tone formal. However, he was slurring his words and talking much slower than he usually would.

"Is that so? Your body seems to be telling me otherwise," You told the young man, eyebrows raising as you watched the act taking place in front of you.

"Yeah, girl!" He responded, eyes slowly blinking as he talked. It seemed as though he did not have enough energy or strength to stand up from the hay bed, as he was now just completely slumped on your only territory.

"If you say so," You returned, knowing full well that he definitely was drunk. It was in fact quite amusing to see him acting this way.

All of a sudden, Octavi started crying, a sight that shocked you. You jumped, wondering why he was shedding so many tears so unexpectedly. He was bawling his eyes out at this point, trying to rub his crystalline tears away from his now tear-stained cheeks.

"Octavi? Why are you crying?" You asked, not sure what to do. He was your kidnapper but was still your first friend at the palace. And you couldn't deny that you still had some sort of romantic feelings for him despite having recently been married to the Emperor.

"Because I lied! I am drunk, [Name]! I'm a liar!" He cried out, his chest quickly moving up and down as he sniffled.

You couldn't help but laugh somewhat. The young man was crying just because he had lied to you about being drunk? If anything, this was making you feel like a housewife whose husband had just come back from drinking the night away.

"I know, Octavi. It's a bit obvious," You told him, a small smile on your lips at his childishness.

"It- It is? [Name]! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get drunk! And now Vernon isn't gonna feed you! Nooooooo....." He dragged out his last word, now curling up on your bed as he began crying even more.

"Why are you so worked up about it, huh? You're supposed to be my kidnapper-"

"I wanna be your lover! You shouldn't have married that stink bug," He whined, looking up at you with glassy purple eyes.

"Well, it's a little late for that. It's not like I can divorce the Emperor," You responded, crossing your arms.

He stopped crying for a moment and took out a small box of chocolates from his pocket and held them out to you, "Do you wanna eat my chocolates? They're my," He let out a big cry in between his sentences due to his uncontrollable sobbing, "They're my favourite, but you're my favourite too so you can have them," He offered. "Especially since Vernon said you can't have chocolate for two days!" He cried out, his sobbing now worsening.

It seemed that Octavi was quite the emotional drunk, unable to contain his emotions for once in front of you. Seeing him cry made you feel bad, yet it was quite laughable to see what sort of things he was so worked up about.

"You know, the third assistant always liked chocolates," He sniffled.

"The third assistant?" You questioned.

"Yeah, he's quite the playboy. He got on the Emperor's nerves by repeatedly bringing women to the palace who were really just there to try and get with the Emperor. The Emperor warned the third assistant, but he never listened, so he got sent to work abroad as punishment. I mean, the Emperor was absolutely fuming when he woke up to one of the women trying to climb into bed with him," He told you.

"Oh my," You said, not realising how misbehaved the third assistant was.

"Yeah, Calix was so embarrassed that he even changed his name, but I still call him Calix," Octavi explained to you.

"He seems like the troublemaker from what I've heard about him," You informed Octavi who nodded, confirming your beliefs.

Octavi shook the box of chocolates still in his hand, signalling for you to take it. You smiled thankfully at him and took it out of his hands, and held it close to you before putting it down, deciding to save them for when you were really hungry.

"Octavi, I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry-?" His question got cut off but quickly answered as you pinned the weakened man down onto the bed and used the old rags to tie him up. Soon, he had his hands tied together behind his back, and his feet tied together too.

He looked up at you, too drunk to process what was going on. You stared down apologetically at him but perhaps threatening Vernon with Octavi or getting Octavi to speak more about the situation and where you were could be of use. After all, it sounded like Vernon had now gone to sleep as his footsteps could no longer be heard.

"I didn't know you were into this sort of thing girl," He said, still slurring over his words and drifting aimlessly from side to side.

"Tell- Tell me where I am, or else I won't let you go!" You commanded, picking up the wooden cup and threatening him with it.

He looked at it in fear, "Please, no! You wouldn't dare!"

"But- But I would!" You exclaimed back, holding the wooden cup tightly in your hands. You had no idea how he seemed so afraid of a wooden cup, but it was working, so you went with it.

"We're in Intuuin!" He answered you, squeezing his eyes shut.

"No shit, pretty much the whole world is in the Intuuin empire! Specify!" You ordered him.

"I will! I will! Just please, don't use that on me! Mommy, I'm scared! Vernon, help me!" He shouted.

Now you were really in trouble. You dropped the cup and rushed over to him, scurrying onto his lap in order to cover his mouth.

"What have you done?" You whisper-yelled at him, feeling inclined to beat him up at this point.

However, no footfalls could be heard making their way towards your room. Either Vernon didn't care, or he hadn't heard. Surely he had not left again, considering you hadn't heard the door open.

He muffled against your skin, desperate to get your hand off his mouth. Octavi ended up licking your hand, and you immediately jerked away, falling onto the floor.

"You're disgusting!" You scolded the young man, rubbing your hand clean onto the rags, not like they would really help considering they themselves were filthy too.

"You're beautiful!" He yelled back, his eyebrows knitted together as if he had just told you an incredulous insult.

"Is- Is that a bad thing?" You asked him, a small blush on your cheeks.

"Yes! Because I said so!" He exclaimed, looking away whilst pouting his rosy lips.

"Well, I-" Before you could even answer, you found that Octavi had completely passed out on your bed. Letting out a tiresome sigh, you determined that the interrogation was completely not worth it and even useless. You looked over to the door, realising it was still unlocked. Hope rushed through your veins as you made your way to it. You gently cracked the door open to see a quite empty main room. There was no sign of Vernon anywhere. The main door seemed to be locked but the windows here were larger. Perhaps you could try to break a window and climb through, despite knowing it would cause quite the racket. You crouched, making sure to keep low as you bolted towards the window by the front door, peering your head out of it to see that Vernon was having a smoke outside, not too far away.

You suspired, knowing for a fact he could easily catch you. You scanned your surroundings and spotted the medical kit still by the sofa. You scampered over and back with it, using the bandages to create a small barrier at the bottom of the front door, hoping that Vernon would trip over it. Looking around, you also found a half-finished pint of beer on the counter. Assuming it belonged to Vernon, you sought out random pills in the medical kit and filled the beer with it. After all, you had no idea what these pills even did in the first place, but it was common sense that having too many could result in death or ill health.

You still had affections for Octavi, but it was dangerous to stay here, especially since he was now with the black snake group. You proceeded to run over to Vernon and Octavi's bedroom. Thankfully, the door had been left ajar. It creaked open, and you slid inside, spotting a large window with a lock on it. Feeling the adrenaline rush through your veins, you threw the medical kit at the window which shattered open.

You rushed over and climbed onto the window sill before tumbling out, the glass shards gently scratching your [S/C] skin and causing more damage. However, you had no time to worry about this. You stumbled to your feet and took a minimal amount of time to regain your balance before speeding forwards, bolting as fast as possible away from the cottage. You panted, running faster and faster away. Looking behind you, your heart skipped a beat to see none other than Vernon mounting onto the horse he had stolen, his eyes piercing into your frame.

Unluckily for you, the area was fairly open, but there was an ancient wood not too far away. You were unsure if you could make it, but it was worth a shot. Your feet moved as fast as they could, carrying you closer and closer to the sight of the wood as you pushed on through the tall and overgrown grass.

You looked over your shoulder once more to see Vernon on the auburn horse, galloping at unspeakable speeds in order to catch up to you. You panicked and tried to run faster, hoping to arrive at the wood quickly enough so that it would be more difficult for him to tail you.

He edged closer, the horse vastly faster than your frail body. You were not going to give up easily though, desperate not to get caught. With Vernon now only scanty meters away, the adrenaline in your veins was skyrocketing. Finally, you approached the edge of the woods and dived into a bush, unexpectedly rolling down a steep incline. Branches, twigs and rocks painfully hit your skin, beating you up close to death. You only halted at the end of the steep hill in a rocky stream.

Your vision became blurry, and there was a strong ringing in your ears. Was this the end of the line for you? You could see your blood spilling into the once clear water, and Vernon looking down at you from the top of the incline, still on his horse. He probably thought you were dead or were due to die sometime soon.

"Help- Help me..." You hoarsely called out, reaching out to the man who you knew for a fact was too far away to hear your pleas for help.

"You've going to die now. Just know you brought this upon yourself," Vernon stated, turning his horse away and leaving quickly.

Your breath hitched as you struggled, trying to just get up but to no avail. Everything was causing you pain, and you knew you would die if you didn't get some sort of medical attention soon. You fought to keep your eyes open, seeing a blurry figure come down the incline.

Funnily enough, it was none other than the blue-haired man Octavi Kirayo to your rescue.

"You're an idiot, you know?" He scolded you as you blacked out. At least if you were going to die, you wouldn't be dying utterly alone.

"[Name], it's time for lunch now," Your mother called out to you. Your premature figure jumped down from the window sill and back into your bedroom before you raced downstairs, sliding down the old bannister to make a speedy entrance.

Bursting into the cramped dining room, you're greeted with the sight of your father, mother and sister at the table. You showed them your signature glowing smile before taking your seat at the wooden table. The table had matching chairs, all of which creaked with old age and were desperate for some sort of restoration or care. The walls had an unappealing wallpaper on them that was beginning to chip off, and there was a large, single-paned window by the table.

You looked down at your plate, noticing that your mother had cooked you your favourite dish for lunch today. Smiling lightheartedly, you began to dig in.

"What do you say to your mother, [Name]?" Your father asked you, laughing slightly at how quickly you were digging in already.

"Thank you mother, this is delicious! It's-"

"Your favourite, I know," She said through a tender laugh. Just watching you eat made her feel full.

"Mother, father, I am going to go out with my friends after lunch. Is that alright?" Your sister asked your parents, who glanced at each other before nodding in approval.

"You can go if you make sure to wash the dishes tonight, darling," Your mother told your sister, whose [S/C] face lighted up happily.

"It's a deal!" She exclaimed, now digging in just as quickly as you were into your lunch. "Done! Love you, bye!" She jumped out of her seat and bolted out of the door.

You knew for a fact that she was solely going to be spending time with her new boyfriend. Not that you cared. While you were fairly jealous that your sister could already have a boyfriend, you decided that you liked embroidery more than boys.

"[Name], would you care to help me put the finishing touches on your sister's new dress?" Your mother proposed, a small and hopeful smile on her lips.

"Of course, I don't mind-"

Suddenly, a large crash that shook the very ground could be heard, and your father immediately ordered you to get under the table with your mother. Scurrying under the table with your mother, your father ran outside to check what had happened. Was this really an earthquake? Your region had never endured an earthquake, or at least not in the longest time.

You heard gunfire outside soon after your father left the house, your heart pounding in your chest. Was your father alright? Another crash could presently be heard as your mother cradled you firmly.

Your eyes snapped open and you sat up, breathing heavily. You looked around frantically, finding yourself in a room you had never seen before.

"Lie down, [Name]. You need some rest," Octavi said from a seat in a corner. He had a book in his hand, and for once, he wasn't in his uniform. For once, he was just wearing his black trousers and an ivory dress shirt which was partially unbuttoned at the top, revealing the top part of his torso.

"Where am I?" You interrogated him, looking around more erratically than before. The pain suddenly hit you once more, with nearly every inch of your limbs covered in bandages. You lay back down, breathless already.

"You're in the Kirayo manor, [Name]," Octavi responded plainly, flipping to the next page of his book.

"What? Where's the cottage? Is Vernon here?"

"No, Vernon is not here. He promised me no harm would come to you and he broke that promise, so I am no longer working with the black snake group," He admitted.

"But you still have that tattoo," You pointed out, looking towards the black pigment on his neck.

"It will go away in a few weeks. Only official members get the tattoo, I got this painted on with some long-lasting flower pigment," He reassured you. Closing his book, his purple eyes finally looked up at you. "We're going to go back to the cottage soon, it's risky for me to be at the manor. Even if it is empty at the moment due to my parents being on vacation, I'd rather go back to the cottage, so word doesn't get out that I am still alive."

"Why don't you want anybody to know you're alive?"

"The Emperor is fully aware of my feelings for you. He will think I have kidnapped you out of jealousy of your marriage if he finds out that I am alive and well. Miracles really do exist, hmm?"

"How did you survive anyway?"

Octavi sighed and looked away for a moment before responding: "Well, I had actually readjusted myself before the Emperor shot me. He had still shot me, so I decided to play dead. Of course, Eli came soon after to ensure I was dead only to find that I was still alive. He made the decision to aid me back to health during his spare time and hide me in his private quarters. But I ran away, not wanting to burden him any longer."

"Why did you kidnap me anyway?" You asked curiously.

"Because I don't want the Emperor to hurt you. I'm still fairly brainwashed, I'll have you know. I still want the Emperor dead," He confessed.

"But how can you be brainwashed if you know that you-" Octavi cut you off.

"People can still love somebody even if they know it will hurt them, can they not?" He sighed gently before standing up from his seat and approaching your figure.

"You tricked me though, you made it sound like I had a choice," You chuckled dryly.

"I apologise. Not only for the pain I've caused to you mentally, but physically as well. If anything, I will allow you to punish me as you please, as long as you don't leave my side again." He apologised sincerely, his purple eyes melting with a long contained sorrow and need for you.

"You... have you really left the black snake group? I thought you said they were family?" You asked, clenching onto the bedsheets as Octavi sat at the edge of your bedside in the unfamiliar room.

"Yes, if anything, I have realised that you are all I need. And perhaps I should admit that each passing moment I spend with you, the quicker I feel myself healing from the past," He responded to your question.

"You speak bold words, Octavi. However, I still do not appreciate you deceiving me or causing me a lot of pain. If anything, my physical state is what I am most concerned about at the moment. I had nearly died back then because you had put me in harm's way, not only once but twice. If you want me to accept your apology, you will have to wait and let me think things over," You replied harshly, not wanting to ease up in his presence at the moment.

"Take as much time as you need," Octavi whispered to you, bending over and gently grabbing onto your chin. "You know, they say a kiss is enough to make somebody feel all better."



Thanks for reading this chapter of Obscured! I hope you all enjoyed it, it's been really fun to write.

Thank you to anybody who has made fanart for Obscured! I hope you guys don't mind the new cover, I tried my best lol

The lemon has a new cover too! I've been thinking of doing a cover competition but I don't think anybody will be all that interested

I've finally got through all the fanart I've received for Obscured ( I think )

If I haven't posted yours yet, please message me with your fanart and I'll post it in one of the future chapters.

I feel like I've forgotten a fanart or two, and I'm sorry if I have qwq

Thanks for reading once again, have a lovely day my little consorts!