Yeon's POV
Peaceful chirping of birds from the treetops.
Lovely sound of gayageum.
My mother singing along to the instrument; the famed songbird.
I am rushing to hug her.
Ssaak!
"Fuck!" I scream as I sit up from the water.
There is a man in front of me holding a bow, the source of the arrow that almost ended my life, again.
Fate, are you hungry for my soul?!
"Pull him out!" someone yells and I struggle against it.
The arrow is stuck in my clothes in a strange way and my body is being pulled out with the arrow.
"What is that?" a deep voice asks calmly as I am pulled ashore to the bank.
Ah, I'm no longer dead?
The water that has been in my system starts to be forced out with violent coughing and gasping, wow.
Human life. Really…something.
"It's a man, my Lord, I found him face down in the water, I think he was dying" the man that had pulled me out.
I look up to see the person who saved me and my mouth drops open.
It's him.
The emperor.
The Golden Sun of our country, the one who tore down neighboring countries with his bare hands and shot a fire through the sky to slay the dragon.
He is big.
My eyes drop to his chest.
"Is his brain damaged or does he not understand honor?" the emperor growls and I scowl at him.
Try dying and see if you'll come back you motherf-
A strong force on my back forces my body to bow forward and I growl angrily as my face hits the soft floor and my mouth is filled with dirt.
"He growls in the presence of the emperor?" The person who pushed me down asks, "maybe he is a foreigner" someone says while I struggle.
"Lift him up" the emperor says and they do.
I am on my knees with my head being held up by my hair before being pulled back, it hurts like a bitch.
"Who are you?" The emperor asks, looking down at me from his terrifying height, his eyes are golden.
"Yeon" I say with a rough voice.
"Give me your full name, duck" he says and for a second I don't get it, then my brain sparks with the outrage of the silly name.
"Duck? DUCK?" I yell and try to go at him but the hand on my hair stops me, it is really painful to have someone pulling like that.
The emperor looks slightly…amused?
He is amused by my rage.
"You look like one" he says and I look down at my body, I look like a duck?
I, Gu Yeon, the beauty of my village.
Most women wouldn't even try to compete when I am involved in a pageant.
Of all omegas, I am the one with the highest number of suitors. Rich, old, poor, ugly, everyone keeps trying to court me and he calls me a duck?
"You must be blind" I spit in his face and someone lands a slap on my face.
The hit shocks me and forces my head to the side, I feel like I'm seeing thunderbolts as I take a deep breath.
"Doesn't he look like a duck?" The emperor asks his men.
"Look at those eyes, full of bitterness and his lips…" the emperor says and his eyes drop to my lips.
My best assets.
Plump and pink, the honey trap that has won me a free ticket to the local theater private room.
This blind mother-
"Stop cursing at the emperor with those eyes!" The man that had slapped me says and lands another slap.
This time I fall forward to the floor.
Should I have remained dead?
I think so.
All these unnecessary throwing around is starting to annoy me.
"Bastard" I say under my breath and a new voice gets to me, rough and deep.
"My Grace, should I gouge his eyes out"
"Woah woah! Calm down" I say and scramble to get away from him, he looks like he really would gouge out my eyes.
I need them, why would I choose to come back to this mad world if I wasn't going to have eyes?
"Let me think about it" the emperor says and tilts his head with a smirk on his face.
The sun behind him has to be a servant of his.
Why should a man, an alpha at that, look this handsome.
I bet he doesn't have to do much to get women naked, all he has to do is smile and they will be on their back, legs open and dripping.
He is attractive.
Unfortunately.
"What is on your mind little duck" he says and runs his sword along my jaw and down to my neck.
"How gracious my Lord is to not gouge out my eyes" I say, lying through my teeth and he laughs.
Even his laughter is full of raw power.
Some people are just made for the position of power, no argument, his posture, his face, his body.
He takes a deep breath from laughing and walks closer to me.
He leans in so that his lips are at my ear and my body shivers from his hot breath.
"I can smell your arousal…little duck" he says and my eyes widen.
Eh?
EH?
"What are you talking about you ugly piece of dog shit" I accidentally say out loud and earn another slap when the emperor steps back.
He is laughing again at me.
I have never wanted to strangle a person this bad in my life.
Okay maybe, the ahjussi at the river bank, my aunt, my aunt's husband, my aunt's children…
"Your grace, please let me put a sword through this unworthy pig!" The eye gouger screams at the top of his lungs.
The emperor looks me over with his golden eyes, smirking as he does and then he turns to his men.
"Do we still have ducks at the court?" He asks and one of his men replies with a no.
"I'm craving duck" he says and sighs.
Wait…
"Bring him, he interests me" he says and turns around to leave.
What?