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The palace was silent that night.
A storm had swept through the empire earlier in the evening, and though the thunder had faded, the air still carried the sharp scent of rain. The marble floors were slick with dampness, and the night sky outside was heavy with clouds that parted just enough for the moon to shine through.
Himeka walked slowly down the corridor, the hem of her nightgown brushing against the cold stone. Her slippers made soft sounds with each step, but her heart beat louder than her footsteps.
She was headed toward the private chamber she shared with him.
Her fingers curled nervously around the lantern she carried, though its faint glow barely mattered. She knew her way now. One year of walking these same halls had etched every corner into her memory.
And yet tonight… her stomach twisted with unease.
Why does it feel different? Why does it feel like something is about to happen?
---
When she pushed open the chamber door, the sight before her froze her in place.
He was there, as always—but not in the bed, not at the desk.
He was sitting on the wide windowsill, framed by moonlight. His white hair shimmered like threads of silver against the night sky, and his crimson eyes reflected the pale glow of the moon. His posture was relaxed, but his expression was the same as always: unreadable, emotionless, still.
For a moment, Himeka could only stare.
Her breath caught in her throat. Her chest tightened painfully.
"…Ah." The sound slipped past her lips before she could stop it.
He didn't turn. He didn't react. He simply remained there, gazing at the moon as though she hadn't spoken at all.
But that didn't matter. Because for the first time in her life, Himeka understood something terrifying and beautiful at once.
Her heart was racing not with fear—but with longing.
He looks like the moon itself… distant, untouchable, but so beautiful that I can't look away.
She pressed a hand against her chest, as if to quiet the frantic beating of her heart.
"This is bad," she whispered under her breath. Her lips trembled as she gave a shaky laugh. "This is really, really bad…"
Because she knew, at last, what this feeling was.
She was falling in love with him.
Completely, utterly, hopelessly.
---
The silence stretched, filled only by the faint howl of the wind outside.
Finally, unable to stop herself, she stepped closer. Her lantern's light touched the edge of his form, but he didn't move.
"Why do you always sit here at night?" she asked softly. Her voice wavered, but at least it broke the suffocating quiet. "Do you like the moon that much?"
No answer.
Her lips curved into a sad smile. "Or… do you prefer it because it doesn't speak back to you?"
Still, nothing.
She closed her eyes briefly, her throat aching. "You're cruel, you know. You ignore me, and yet… just one glimpse of you like this is enough to make me…"
Her voice broke. She clutched the lantern tighter. "…To make me fall even deeper."
For once, she thought she saw him shift slightly, as if her words had stirred something. But when she blinked, he was still the same—motionless, unreadable.
---
Himeka lowered her gaze, her lashes wet.
"You don't have to love me back," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I just… I just want you to see me. To look at me. To know that I exist beside you."
Her words hung in the air, fragile and desperate.
But as always, no reply came.
She let out a trembling sigh and forced herself to move. Slowly, she set the lantern down on the table, then crossed the room to the bed.
She lay down carefully, curling beneath the covers, but her eyes remained fixed on him across the chamber.
The pale light of the moon clung to him like a veil. He looked impossibly far away, even though he was only a few steps from her.
And in that moment, Himeka realized the truth she could no longer deny:
Her life had become unbearably painful, unbearably sweet, unbearably alive—because of him.
The Moonlit Emperor.
And she was his prisoner not by force, not by chains, but by the helpless beating of her own heart.
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End of Chapter 6
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