Daishoga's eyebrows raised somewhat when she had called him handsome. He hadn't expected such a compliment from her at all. Her following question gave him pause. Had a woman ever said that to him before? Of course there were women who said that to him, but was it out of true feelings or simply a desire to gain favor? As an emperor, it was never entirely obvious who was honest with the words they spoke. Some words were spoken out of kindness while others were spoken out of self-serving necessity. But he didn't believe Sage was the kind of person to compliment for self benefit. But he had been wrong before. Despite all of the powers he possessed, he was not all-knowing or all-powerful.<br/><br/>So he took the compliment in silence for the time being. Her answer to his question was a far more surprising answer. There was an obvious truth to the words she spoke. She was a woman. Women were often put into arranged marriages so men could increase their own wealth and prosperity. Even his parent's marriage had been an arranged marriage between two of the largest states at the time. Their marriage had brought a unity to these combined states and resulted in the formation of the Zusan Empire. At least that was the shorthand version of it.<br/><br/>"Fate is often unkind to people in places where power is scarce," Daishoga said, nodding in agreement. "Even less so to peasant women. Their fates are determined long before they reach maturity and often get the worst end of things." Of course he was still under the impression that she was a peasant rather than the princess of Vaandom.<br/><br/>Once she was out of the bathing chambers, he stepped out of the bath as well and dried himself off. He took his time as he wanted to collect his thoughts before he went back into his room. Once he was done drying himself off, the emperor walked back into his bedroom. He hadn't covered himself at all, and he didn't carry himself shyly in the nude either. Aside from the scars marring his body, he was above average in terms of build. But he had had to train for a very long time to achieve the abilities necessary to defeat Valiscor and ascend to the status of Emperor.<br/><br/>The emperor stopped next to the edge of the bed and studied Sage keenly. The rest of her was quite as beautiful as her face, but Daishoga had never doubted that it would be so. He climbed onto the bed and seated himself in front of her.<br/><br/>"I appreciate your words you spoke earlier," Daishoga said. "I am quite used to receiving compliments, but these compliments are often the platform of dishonest intentions. I am surrounded by nobles who would love to gain my favor for their own gain. Such is the way of things when you're the ruler of a vast empire. Yet even while you stand to gain from being in my favor, you do not strike me as the kind of woman to grant compliments for your own purposes. But I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. My body is marred by the circumstances of my life. But you...you are a picture of almost complete perfection."<br/><br/>The emperor reached out and took her hands in his own. His thumbs gently stroked the smooth flesh of her palms. He felt that uncertainty knawing at the pit of his stomach. He felt that stirring of emotion that he had experienced previously.<br/><br/>"To be honest...I feel like a little boy around you," the emperor finally admitted. "I feel fluttery, unsure of myself. It is truly absurd. I have faced impossible odds in battle, I have summoned unholy creatures from the depths of the Earth, and yet I find myself nervous around my own personal servant. These are things I am not used to experiencing. It is a discomfort, but not one I would seek to get rid of. But I do not wish you to think of me as soft. I am anything but. Then again, I suppose you bore witness to what I am yesterday." Of course he was referring to the moment when he had slain Calbrand. "I did not slay him because he spoke to me in such a manner. I killed him because he spoke ill of you. It made me angry. And...again, I am uncertain as to why I should have felt that way. I am not a romantic. I do not seek to give my heart away. Many have tried to gain it and many have failed. I have lived my life in the cold shelter of my own imagination since the day my mother was felled by the demon invaders. And yet now I feel as if that shelter has been ripped open by your hands."<br/><br/>His eyes had rested upon her own the whole time he spoke. He was no stranger to speaking without formality, but here he was bearing his soul to this servant. But that was the job of a personal servant, was it not? The emperor chose her as his personal servant so he could speak openly with her. He wondered how she would feel with him admitting the kinds of things he was admitting. Perhaps foolish. Love was an outdated concept contrived by poets and bards who really only sought the comforts of a woman in their bed. He hadn't said he loved her, of course. Such a thing would be a fallacy. But he felt things he had never felt before when he sat there looking into her eyes. He felt he could have spent the better part of a century doing just that.<br/><br/>His hands ran up the length of her smooth arms to her shoulders. Once there, he leaned in. His lips were a mere fraction of an inch away from her own when he finally hesitated. The memory of the slap played across his mind. It was almost humorous how much such a thing had impacted his being. But he quickly got over the momentary indecision and pressed his lips against her's. He kissed her gently, but there was a burning passion in the kiss that he couldn't contain and soon the gentle kiss turned fiery with all the passion that had somehow erupted within him the moment his eyes had met hers.