Her Tempestuous Villain

They followed the tourist line and were led to a larger room adjacent to the hall. Sunye instantly froze as she entered the place. Her eyes scanned the area which was all too familiar to her.

"The Throne Room," SD remarked. Sunye nodded.

"Yes," she whispered.

The room was surrounded with a long tapestry which had detailed paintings of the daily court life. It was commissioned in the 14th century by the first Emperor of the country and since then, each reigning Emperor had added in the depiction of their own changing times. Whenever the tapestry was full, a part of it was removed and a new one was placed for the current or future Emperor to fill in his own section.

A long dark carpet led to the throne which stood at the end of the room but was alleviated at a higher spot. It stood atop a short series of stairs. The six foot tall throne was designed by the sixth Emperor in the 17th century after the country won a war and conquered the entire peninsula. He had designed it in order to show their supremacy over their enemies.

Red and golden dragons border around the sides, culminating towards the top center and intertwined into a large crown. The throne had a soft fabric stitched to it which was sewed on white cloth with golden threads and was four feet wide with armrests.

"The armrests are useless seeing how wide that thing is," SD commented. "The Emperors must have felt really uncomfortable sitting on that thing and not being able to rest their arms properly without leaning far."

He glanced at Sunye who was very quiet. She was gazing at the throne which held many memories for her. She remembered quite vividly how every morning, all the inhabitants of the Palace would gather at the Throne Room to greet the Emperor before starting their duties. The image of the royal family walking through the door in their majestic attire. Her tiny mind was awed by the people who stood higher than the society, not bounded by rules or laws.

To her, they were unattainable, far from her reach. Even if she played with Kim San everyday, he was someone she could never touch nor reach because their worlds were different. It was not a simple case of class difference but rather their births. He was a born royalty, destined for far greater success than she could ever imagine.

SD was not looking at the wretched throne but at Sunye who was still awestruck by the Throne which lay before her. The thing which was magical and mesmerizing to her, was the source of a bloody powerplay which had transcended many centuries. The Throne for which brothers were pitted against each other, killing one another and stepped on their dead bodies to reach the wretched chair.

"Does that chair entice you this much?" he asked out loud.

Before Sunye could reply, SD left her side and walked straight for the Throne. Ignoring her questions, he casually sat on the Throne and lay against the armrest while putting his foot on the other end. He sat there, looking every bit like an Emperor himself while flashing a sly smile at her.

"Don't you think I look good on this Throne?" he asked smugly. "Like I was born to sit on it?"

Sunye stared at him for a while before laughing out loud. SD was amused at her laughter which was like music to his ears.

"No," she hiccupped. "You may look good sitting on that throne, I know very well that you'll never choose power."

"Ehhh?" SD smirked, putting his foot down and leaning forward on the throne. "And why is that?"

Before Sunye could reply, a guard came running towards them. "Sir, you're not allowed to sit on it!" he scolded SD.

SD complied and apologized before getting off the Throne. Sunye was still laughing when he held her arm and led her away from there. They casually strolled through another hallway, staring at the paintings the royal family had gathered over the years.

"Why do you think that I'll never choose power?" SD asked her.

Sunye was observing the painting of a 16th century artist while thinking of how to articulate her words in response to his question.

"Because," she began. "It's just not you. If you had seeked power, I'm sure you would have gotten it long ago. But you don't want that."

She leaned in closer to check the intricate brush strokes on the painting while SD watched her.

"You want fun," she finally said. "Excitement and the thrill of the ride. Staying in one place to seek power is not for you. Nah. You're way too much of a good person for that."

Sunye did not even realize what she had said. Even SD was surprised when she called him a good person. But Sunye was even more surprised that she actually admitted out loud that he was a good person.

"I am offended now!" SD joked. "Calling me good. Ouch! That's the worst insult ever."

"Yes, I forgot you prefer to be the villain," Sunye said, rolling her eyes. "That's your thing. You wanna be the evil person to destroy the world etcetera etcetera."

She had heard this dialogue so many times that she had it memorized by heart. SD pouted at her.

"You're being too carefree today," he noted. "Where's the cold and icy lawyer who wants to throw her six inch heels at me? Although, I wouldn't mind if you pressed those heels on my chest-"

Sunye stomped hard on his foot, making him yelp in pain. "I should have added a 'no perverted talk' clause to this task," she lamented.

"I'd have refused you right away," SD winced.

"No, you wouldn't have," Sunye said with confidence.

"Why is that?" he frowned.

"Because, my dear villain," Sunye said sweetly. "If there's one person in this world whom you cannot refuse, it's me."

She smiled and winked at him, leaving SD stunned. Stifling her giggles, she walked ahead while the poor blue eyes demon was frozen to his spot, unsure of what he had just seen. Did his little minx just wink at him? Or was he dreaming?

"This is not good for my poor heart," he moaned. But he smiled and followed her.

"My payment better include whips and handcuffs!" he begged her but she ignored him and kept on walking towards the exit.