Please Divorce Me, My Emperor

Chapter 4

Frustrated by her backfiring attempts at domestic ruin and financial sabotage, Aurelia decided to spend her evening in the peaceful, isolated solitude of the Grand Imperial Library.

The library was a sprawling, three-story labyrinth of dusty scrolls, ancient leather-bound volumes, and towering oak shelves, located in the quietest, most secluded wing of the Sun Palace. At night, it was completely deserted, saved for the quiet moonlight filtering through the high-arched windows.

It was past midnight. Aurelia sat at a dark mahogany table tucked away in a shadowed alcove on the second floor, reading a dry, ancient legal text titled A Comprehensive Survey of Royal Annulments in the First Dynasty by the light of a single tallow candle.

Suddenly, a faint, metallic scrape echoed from the dark first floor below.

Aurelia froze. Her eyes darted toward the sweeping marble staircase. The library was locked and guarded by two imperial sentries every night at ten. No one should have been inside.

Silently, she extinguished her candle with her fingertips, letting the darkness envelop her. She crept toward the heavy stone balustrade, crouching low and peering over the edge into the shadowy expanse below.

Three shadows dressed in tight, midnight-black cloth slipped through the rows of tall bookshelves. In their hands, long, curved daggers gleamed like slivers of ice in the pale moonlight. They moved with terrifying, silent grace—moving directly toward the heavy oak door at the back of the library that connected directly to the Emperor’s private inner chambers.

Assassins, Aurelia realized, her heart slamming against her ribs like a trapped bird.

Her immediate, instinctual thought was: If Kaelen dies, I am technically a widow. A widow does not need to file for divorce. I can pack my bags and move to my countryside estate by breakfast!

She stayed completely still, watching the masked figures reach the heavy oak door. The lead assassin pulled a tiny glass vial from his belt—poison—and began carefully coating the edge of his blade.

Aurelia stared at the glinting steel. She pictured Kaelen’s arrogant, infuriatingly handsome face. She remembered the gentle way his gloved fingers had brushed her temple during the tea party, the fierce, genuine respect in his voice when he handed her the treasury mandate, and how tirelessly he worked late into the night to keep his empire from crumbling.

"Darn it," Aurelia hissed under her breath, squeezing her eyes shut. "He is far too handsome to die like this."

Without thinking through the consequences, Aurelia reached onto the desk beside her and grabbed a massive, eight-hundred-page leather-bound volume titled The Complete Criminal Codes and Tax Penalties of the Realm.

Aiming carefully over the balustrade, she hauled the heavy book back and hurled it down with all her strength.

CRACK!

The heavy book struck the lead assassin squarely on the back of his neck, driving him face-first onto the marble floor with a pathetic, muffled groan. He went instantly limp.

"Intruders!" Aurelia shrieked at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing violently off the high vaulted ceiling. "Guards! Assassins in the library!"

The two remaining assassins whipped around, looking up at the second-floor balcony in utter shock. The taller one immediately drew a thin, double-edged throwing knife, his eyes cold with lethal intent as he raised his arm to strike her down.

Before the blade could leave his fingers, the heavy oak door to the Emperor’s quarters blew inward with a deafening, splintering crash.

Kaelen burst into the library. He wore no heavy armor—only loose white linen trousers and an unbuttoned black shirt, his bare, scarred chest exposed in the moonlight. In his right hand, he held a glowing silver broadsword. He looked less like a refined monarch and more like an ancient, bloodthirsty god of war.

In a flash of blinding movement, Kaelen closed the distance. His silver blade carved a gleaming arc through the dark air, disarming the knife-throwing assassin in a single brutal strike. Before the assassin could draw a backup weapon, Kaelen spun, driving the heavy pommel of his sword straight into the man's jaw, knocking him unconscious instantly.

The third assassin attempted to bolt toward the exit, but Kaelen lunged forward, executing a devastating kick to the man's chest that sent him flying through a glass display case, crashing into a heap of shattered glass and leather scrolls.

Within ten seconds, the threat was neutralized.

Heavy, frantic footsteps echoed down the distant corridors as thirty-armed palace guards finally breached the main doors, swords drawn and torches lit.

Kaelen ignored the guards entirely. He lowered his sword, his chest heaving heavily, his dark hair messy and sticking to his forehead. He turned and looked up at the second-floor balcony where Aurelia stood, breathing fast and holding another thick history text like a makeshift shield.

Kaelen bounded up the marble stairs three at a time, his boots thunderous against the stone. He reached her alcove in seconds, dropping his silver sword to the floor with an echoic clatter.

Before she could utter a word, his large, warm hands cupped her face, his thumbs tracing her cheekbones frantically, searching her skin for blood or bruises.

"Are you hurt?" Kaelen demanded. His smooth, controlled voice was entirely gone, replaced by a raw, frantic panic she had never heard from him before. "Aurelia. Speak to me. Did they touch you?"

"I... I am unhurt," Aurelia stammered, completely stunned by the sheer terror burning in his eyes. "I threw a eight-hundred-page tax code at one of them. It was surprisingly effective."

Kaelen stared at her, his dark violet eyes searching hers in the dim light. Suddenly, he pulled her flush against his chest, wrapping his strong arms tightly around her waist and burying his face in the warm crook of her neck. He was trembling slightly.

"You foolish, incredible woman," Kaelen breathed against her skin, his hold possessive, desperate, and fierce. "You raised the alarm. You drew their attention. You could have been killed."

Aurelia stood frozen in his embrace, her hands resting awkwardly against his bare, warm chest. She could feel the wild, erratic thumping of his heart against her palms.

"I couldn't just let them poison you," she muttered softly, her face burning. "It would be an unrefined way for an Emperor to pass away."

Kaelen pulled back slightly, his hands resting on her shoulders, looking down at her. The cold, distant ruler was completely gone; in his eyes burned a raw, dangerous, terrifying emotion that made her knees go weak.

"You saved my life, Aurelia," he whispered softly, his thumb gently tracing her lower lip. "Which means you are stuck with me a little longer."