為皇帝 // xiao qiao + cao cao
With every toss and turn in between the soft silk blankets, Xiaoqiao grew more restless. Her eyes did not close for long, and she laid there, waiting for something to inspire her body to grow tired so she'd fall into a lull of sleep. She turned her head, resting against a soft pillow as she bestowed her eyes on her sleeping husband, who was much more sound than she was. It was strange to see him in such a deep state of sleep; he was usually the one pacing the room back and forth as he debated a strategy or something of the sort. He was strangely peaceful, given the circumstances and even their current place of residence.
She slipped out of the covers, flattening out her nightgown before she took quiet steps to the door. She peeked first, looking out to see if anyone was silently roaming like she was. It turned out that the hallway was empty, except for the sleeping guard outside of her room. She frowned, slightly disappointed. What if something happened? The guard would never even know. Although right now, the sleeping guard was in her favor as ran down the hall. Maybe blowing off some energy would help her sleep.
She came across the dining hall, or one of them. The Emperor's palace was incredibly well decorated and large. It stuck out like a sore thumb. It certainly proved his status in the world. The Emperor wanted to see her husband and others, discussing something that she truly couldn't recall even in this state of restlessness. It was something important, but the "meeting" was so long...
The more she moved, the more adrenaline pulsed through her, as if she was doing something wrong by moving about this castle while everyone was asleep.Â
She slowed her pace, her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the one man she hoped to only see on a battlefield - Cao Cao; one of the people asked to see the Emperor as well. He didn't look nearly as coldblooded this time around, but that might have been the moonlight playing tricks on her. But she did know it was him. The way he stood, tall and unwavering; and his piercing eyes that were staring right at her. She didn't say anything, at least not immediately. She blinked at him once or twice, hoping that she was imagining things; that she really was asleep, just dreaming of such an encounter. Her dreams were always quite vivid, after all. The feeling of her heart beat felt way too real to be in a dream though, which proposed a question: Why didn't I stay in bed?
