Perspective: Bai Xuan Hua
Hua wanted to hit him.
Oh, how she wanted to hit him.
Every second that passed, the man sitting across from her — so composed, so imperially dignified — seemed to beg for someone to shake him until he learned what it meant to take something seriously.
She could imagine it vividly — the sharp sound of a slap, followed by the shock in those ever-calm eyes.
It would be liberating.
But unfortunately, that infuriating man also happened to be the Emperor of the Zhuge Empire, and inside that courtyard, every gaze regarded him as a living deity.
Hitting him there would be the same as declaring war on Heaven itself.
Even for someone like her — a daughter of the Bai Clan — there were limits that neither love nor anger could cross in public.
Not that she'd actually be punished — she doubted he'd let anyone lay a hand on her.
Still, it would be a hassle to endure all the "wise advice" that would follow.
Fortunately, that little limitation existed only… in public.
A small smile curved Hua's lips.
In private, things could be very different.
Oh, the day she caught him away from these eunuchs and the walls plastered with symbols of "virtue" and "discipline," he'd learn the true meaning of fury.
But until that day came…
She would settle for the spectacle.
And what a spectacle it was.
Seeing Zhuge Su Yeon surrounded by dozens of women — all competing desperately for his attention — should have been infuriating.
Yet, it was oddly satisfying.
Because behind that calm, untouchable expression, Hua saw what no one else could: discomfort.
The subtle tension in his shoulders.
The faint tightening of his jaw.
And most of all, the occasional glance — that silent, pleading look as if he were begging for help.
Ah, that look.
That was the highlight of it all.
The moment when the all-powerful Emperor silently begged for rescue.
And of course, she didn't help.
She just smiled.
A sweet enough smile to fool the world — and cruel enough that he knew exactly how much she was enjoying this.
Still… even as she savored his small suffering, a tiny ache stirred in her chest.
Not from compassion, exactly. Zhuge Su Yeon deserved to be uncomfortable.
It was almost criminal how much he could irritate her while keeping that serene composure.
And yet, she couldn't deny the fact: he was far too handsome to look that miserable.
His long, straight black hair reached down to his waist, tied loosely with a golden ornament shaped like a flame — ironic, considering how utterly made of ice he seemed.
His face was annoyingly symmetrical, the kind of perfection that only existed to feed arrogance.
But Su Yeon wasn't arrogant — he was worse.
He was calm.
So absurdly calm that even when the world around him burned, he'd simply watch the flames as if calculating the cost of the fire.
His eyes were dark, but reflected light with the luster of polished jade — the kind of gaze that didn't shout, but silenced.
And every time he looked at her, Hua felt the air thin — as if the northern cold itself were slipping into her lungs.
His nose was straight, refined — irritatingly precise.
His lips, thin and rarely curved into a smile, carried danger when they did — that quiet irony that said, "I've already calculated this game before you even started."
And the robes… oh, the robes only made it worse.
A white mantle embroidered with blue swans and waves, flowing like mist over the fabric, turned him into something almost ethereal.
Each fold moved with graceful calm, echoing his deliberate gestures — the gestures of a man who knew he was being watched but pretended not to notice.
He looked born for that throne, for that cold, for that silence.
A man carved from jade and discipline.
And maybe that was what irritated her most.
Because deep down, Bai Xuan Hua knew — no one knew him as well as she did.
That man everyone saw as a statue… was the same man who could drive her absolutely insane.
Maybe that was his greatest talent — irritating her.
It was that contrast — ice and fire — that made her love and hate him in equal measure.
She crossed her arms, glancing away for a moment but unable to hide her smile.
As much as she enjoyed watching him suffer, part of her still ached to see him uncomfortable.
Not because he didn't deserve it — he absolutely did.
But because he was simply too handsome to look that troubled.
And far too handsome, she thought, not to be provoked just a little more.
As for the reason she was punishing him so "harshly"…
As usual, it wasn't because of something he had done.
He seemed almost incapable of doing anything wrong — which, of course, was even more irritating.
No, it was because of what he refused to do.
He refused to prepare.
He refused to see the danger creeping closer to his life.
Today, specifically, it was because — even with the Shu Clan's threat looming at our gates — he simply acted as if it didn't matter.
He kept entertaining every request from his mother, behaving as though nothing was wrong, as if his life and the lives of his family weren't hanging by a thread.
I wanted to shake him until he woke up.
But no matter how hard I tried, he just wouldn't listen.
All my efforts felt useless.
So I already had a plan for the worst — and it started with me ignoring his silent pleas for help at this little "gathering."
If he had the audacity to die tomorrow, I would do everything in my power to protect the ones he left behind — those who would suffer for his carelessness — even if I only had a few hours to do it.
And when his enemies inevitably turned their eyes toward me, I would simply choose to follow him into the fall… just to keep tormenting him in the afterlife.
I'd make sure he suffered the eternal punishment of having to endure me day after day — reminding him that he should have listened.
It's the least I could do.
After all, living without that infuriating man…
Simply wouldn't make sense.