Veiled in Silk
Author:KeepCalmN_AKTF
Title:Veiled in Silk
Length: Chaptered (1/?)
Pairing:YunJae
Rating:R (for themes)
Genre:AU. Angst. Murder. History.
Disclaimer:Inspired by the heart-breaking life of Sporus (Roman Emperor Nero’s MALE mistress!)
Warnings:MUTILATION!
Summary: “That which resides within the folds of these chambers is the affair of the Emperor only. Do not concern yourself with it, Captain. You will do well to avert your gaze from such matters if you value your life and all that is dear to you. You see nothing, and you hear nothing.”
Captain Y. Jung, the South’s most ruthless army leader and valued military tactician could not have foreseen the horrors that faced him upon his arrival at the Imperial Palace. Nor could he have known of the dangers of falling into the lull of compassion.
What secrets were hidden behind those Silk robes? And did he dare try to find out?
AN: This story is heavily inspired by a topic I've been studying at University. As you'll see when the story unfolds, the characters are inspired by the Roman Imperial figures. This story, specifically, is inspired by the heart breaking life that Sporus lived. Sporus was a Roman slave who had been freed, but then the Emperor of the time - Nero - took a liking to him, and so the poor boy's life was shattered. He was a teenager when the events unfolded and the young boy committed suicide at the age of roughly 20. Nero had Sporus CASTRATED, and treated him like his wife. The bastard even married him and kept him as a woman. The life of Sporus is a tragedy all on its own, so if you'd like, you can read more about the life of Sporus until I post an update...xxx
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1 -Striking Innocence
The Emperor’s palace had been lit in honour of the noble Captain’s recent victory against the Northern hostile legions. Lanterns lit the expanse of the Imperial Lands, an atmosphere of victorious celebration in the air. Emperor Lee had personally received him from his voyage - such was his value to the Empire’s dominating status over the nations. Captain Jung had spent the entirety of the day in the Palace’s White Marble Ball Room. It was a sight to behold, made specifically to show off the grandeur of the Emperor’s taste in artistry. For all its glory, the Captain had not had the chance to appreciate, fully, the work of art that was the entire structure of the towering marble walls. A shame, he thought, for he had a soft spot in his heart for such beauties.
But all thoughts of the beautiful architecture flew away from his mind as his eyes focussed on the trembling form on the ornately decorated bed. Pale, protruding shoulders were exposed from under the deep red velvet sheets draped across the rest of the body. Dark ebony waves messily fell at waist length, so dark that the light from the chandelier above almost reflected off of it. The figure, however, was clearly quivering, emitting little sniffs every now and then. One arm under the cushion, the other bunching the soft looking material in a fist. Crying.
He’d been granted some private time away from consuls and military generals, which he graciously accepted and set to go and become familiar with his own quarters that he will be dwelling in for as long as the Emperor demands his presence. The slaveboy led him up the spiral staircase towards the grandest part of the palace, the balcony of which directly overlooked the White Hall with an incredible view of the rest of the city and walls of the Palace. From the advantageous viewpoint and impressive architecture of pillars and wall art, the Captain assumed this was around the Emperor’s personal residence quarters. He felt honoured to be staying so close to the Emperor himself.
The slaveboy had left him at the top of the staircase, claiming he was not permitted to go further, but giving him the directions to find his own quarters. On his way across the hallway, he’d glanced at the golden plated door but not given it much thought until he was stopped in his tracks as he made to go on his way.
Soft whimpers made their way to his ears, piquing his curiosity. For a second he thought to ignore it, but there was something in that little voice that lured him back and into the rooms beyond the high-standing gold plated door. He did not know what to expect nor was he prepared for what was in front of him. Once the mesmerising ornamentation of the room itself had been shaken off, his eyes landed on the half-naked body on the ostentatious bed. Tapestries decorated the four corners of the bed with crystal-like, gleaming ornaments; the silky-red theme extended to the entire room. But grand as the quarters looked, there was a daunting sense of intimacy wafting off the interior walls that made the Captain’s skin crawl.
“My lady, is everything alright? Do you require assistance?” He felt guilty that the walls had distracted him from the damsel, but another groan from the prone body had him coming back to his sense - realising he should probably call a maiden to tend to the Lady’s needs. He was about to say just that when the woman turned her head.
And by the lords! She was a sight to behold. Red and raw lips, a striking contrast with oh so pale skin. Big, deep eyes stared at him, a hint of curiosity in them before a smile took over. And in that moment, nothing of the beauty of the palace could compete with the riveting sight that was that little stretch of lips. The Captain noted that tear tracks ran down pretty cheekbones, but that smile made him feel more at ease than he perhaps should have. Too innocent. That smile was too pure and innocent for his world.
And just like that, he remembered himself. He was a Captain of this kingdom, yet was momentarily distracted by the aura of a woman. That went against everything he stood for, and had anyone witnessed that, he may have lost his stature as the man he was. People like him had no business meddling with little pure flowers.
H opened his mouth to apologise for the intrusion - and hopefully walk out with his pride intact - but he was halted by the sound of laughter.
It wasn’t really a laugh, more like a giggle, but there was so much sincerity in it that the Captain was left confused once again.
“You must be from among the new arrivals.”
What followed after, as the Captain tried to figure out what that tone meant, left him shocked to the core. The awestriking figure on the bed slowly rose up to her-hisknees and turned around to face him, displaying a very much naked and masculinechest. The ebony layers of hair fell behind him in gentle waves, framing his face, giving him that feminine streak which had fooled the Captain. Now that he looked closely, that jawline was much too strong to be female. Despite the obvious new discovery, the boy, now reclining with his legs crossed as he wiped the remaining stray tears from his cheeks, was more beautiful than any woman the Captain had come across. And that thought left him curious. What was a young man doing in such a peculiar state?
A boy. He was no more than a boy; his unrefined features and slim body a giveaway of his youth.
Strange as the scene was, the boy was smiling up at him, an odd little glint in those hypnotic eyes. Captain Y. Jung was most definitely out of his league here, he realised as he stood there stock-still, not knowing what to do with himself. Should he have apologised for his intrusion or enquire further to satiate his curiosity? After all, he was certain this was no scene to be witnessed by any lone wanderer.
“Ah, the Captain. The people here speak highly of you.” He was mildly surprised for having his identity known, but then again his attire was a clear display of who he was.
“Captain Y. Jung of the Collective Royal Infantry division. Forgive me for the intrusion, do you require assistance my lad-” The boy’s smile had brightened with his introduction, only to fall into a grimace at the Captain’s slip. He wasn’t sure whether to address him as a male or female, but judging by the reaction from the boy, he clearly shouldn’t have gone with ‘lady’.
Not sure what to do with himself or his mistake, he stood there awkwardly trying to apologise, only to have no words come out. It was not often that the man’s body betrayed him. However, this seemed to be a special occasion as he stared at the vast portrait of the Emperor himself hanging on the right side of the bed.
“I greatly appreciate the concern, Captain, but perhaps you shouldn’t tread into these chambers again.” There was no heat behind the words, rather, it sounded like the boy was doing him a favour by the little warning. And who was he to argue? He hadjust walked into a private room and seen something he probably should not have.
“Yes, of course. I do apologise.” He bowed to the boy in apology, resisting the urge to ask questions and avoided eye contact. Endearing to him, was the little wave the boy gave him with a smile as he walked away and couldn’t resist the urge to glance back one more time.
Although the torso was the only naked part on display, the Captain was certain the rest of that little body was not clothed either. He was thankful to the silk sheets bundled at the boy’s waist that covered the intimate areas, or he may have not been able to resist asking questions. This was entirely away from anything he’d ever come across, and he wanted to figure out the situation before causing any sort of trouble through direct investigation.
He was not unlearnt about the goings-on of the male population’s private endeavours in many parts of the kingdom, it was simply his first encounter with it. Perhaps the boy was under the wing of one of the higher officials - the high stature of the room he was residing in clearly belonged to someone of high authority. While he understood the basics of how these agreementsworked, he was confused about the entirely feminine appearance of the boy. Did all young Beloveds have such looks?
It was ridiculous for a Captain to be wondering of such issues, he thought as he finally located his room. The inside was very much suited for a warrior to be dwelling within, much to his satisfaction. As he explored his new base, he decided to throw all thoughts of the boy at the other side of the hallway out of his mind. It would be fruitless to chase answers for his curiosity’s sake when he was to establish his title.
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AN:Eh? What do you think? Good start, or nah? Once I have free time on my hands, I'm going to upload a detailed summary and other related stuff on the intro page, so yeah...but I will say that I might link this andWherein Loyalties Lay(WILL) to make a trilogy kind of thing...might. So if you're interested you might wanna check that one out ( HERE) as well! Just bear in mind that WILL is currently on hiatus. xxx