Loud ringing bells in his ears jolted him awake from the bed, and he let out a scream as he rolled and landed straight to the ground.
"Are you alright?" a soft voice whispered in front of him.
No, he was not. He had been pulled out of his sweet dreams, where he had escaped and gone back to his world.
"It is the bells for the morning gathering. We have to prepare for today's selection introduction," the soft voice spoke again.
Ling Yue yawned and rubbed his eyes as he raised his head. His gaze met soft violet robes with rose flowers imprinted on them, then rose to a round face with beautiful brown eyes. Short chestnut hair covered half the face's left eye, which screamed supportive side character in a story and drama.
"Ling Yue, right?" the boy asked. "I heard you came in last night, but I was too tired to get up. My name is Bai Lu from the Bai Clan." He stretched forth his hand.
Ling Yue's head was clouded with too many thoughts about what happened last night: the silver-eyed man who betrayed him, the prison, and being noticed by the crazy emperor.
The memory sent his thoughts spiraling, making his head pound hard. He rubbed his eyes gently and glanced around the room. He had not seen it last night, but there was a low table opposite their beds holding a teapot and porcelain cups, and behind it was a balcony overlooking a flower garden.
"This is when you take my hand," Bai Lu said, grabbing Ling Yue's hand. "Nice to meet you," he said sweetly, flashing his long lashes at Ling Yue. "I am glad you are my roommate, because it seems you love adventures just like me."
Before Ling Yue could ask what he meant, the boy leaned closer and whispered, "Everyone knows what happened in the void land."
"Oh," Ling Yue muttered and rubbed his aching forehead. "Word travels around that fast, huh?"
Bai Lu nodded in response. "That is why I am intrigued by you. Everyone said His Majesty does not spare anyone who enters that forbidden area, but you walked out freely." He chuckled and placed a hand around Ling Yue's shoulder. "Everyone is talking about how you might have won the king's favor."
"I..." Ling Yue was short of words. He did not know what to reply with.
Before he could speak, the door burst open and a flurry of servants in muted blue robes swept into the chamber.
"It is time to get ready," Bai Lu announced, and he began removing his hair accessories while Ling Yue remained on the ground thinking about the meeting with Xuan Han.
Finally, he was about to meet the hack of an emperor.
While they got him ready, he could not help but picture what Xuan Han looked like.
Author-nim had described him as a man with dark hair, red streaks, and golden amber eyes, and he wished he were meeting someone ugly.
Knowing that the man he hated so much was ugly would gladden him.
The servants' preparation took almost three hours, from the warm bath to the makeup on their faces, and finally, they were dressed in fresh new robes.
Ling Yue wore a beautiful sapphire robe embroidered with lotuses and wispy clouds. His hair was braided intricately with silver threads woven through the dark strands, and a jade pendant with his name tag was fastened at his waist, reminding him of his role.
An omega.
On the other hand, Bai Lu was dressed in pale lavender robes that complemented his gentle demeanor. A silver hairpin was placed on the left side of his short auburn hair, and the same Jade pendant was around his waist.
As they walked outside the hallway, Bai Lu leaned closer and whispered slowly, "The rumors say the emperor's presence is like a storm. I hope I do not faint when I see him."
Ling Yue rolled his eyes and adjusted his pendant. "Faint? You will faint at the sight of that emperor?" He chuckled and rolled his eyes dramatically. "Let me advise you, Bai Lu." He stopped walking and grabbed the naive boy's hand. "If I were you, I would stop fantasizing about him because he is not who you think he is."
"Then who is he?" Bai Lu asked, his face contorted in shock, but he received no response because Ling Yue was already heading toward the hall entrance where the rest of the omegas had gathered.
As soon as they walked out, all eyes turned toward him. There were low mutters, pointed fingers, and sharp glares.
"I heard the emperor spared him," one omega said as he walked past them.
"He is probably trying to gain attention so he could become a concubine," another added.
"I hope he fails the first test because he does not deserve to be here."
Ling Yue knew they were all talking about the incident of the void land, but he did not care and raised his head high as he walked through them. Suddenly, his brother Ling Chen blocked his path.
"Hey, bro..." he began, but he did not finish because Ling Chen grabbed his collar and pulled him to a corner.
"Have you lost your senses?" Ling Chen whispered in hushed tones. "How could you sneak into the forbidden void? You are a disgrace, Ling Yue."
Ling Yue rolled his eyes and tried to explain, but Ling Chen cut him off.
"Like I said before, do not bring shame to the Su family when we came here. Do not drag me with you." His brother warned and shoved him away before turning to leave.
"I..." Ling Yue tried to speak but paused and slowly exhaled. "It is not what you think. I want to leave," he whispered so only he could hear it.
A few minutes later, the omegas, twelve of them, were led to the Celestial Harmony Hall.
Ling Yue walked with Bai Lu, who would not stop talking about Xuan Han.
"I heard he is the most handsome man ever."
Ling Yue did not respond. The last thing he wanted to do was drool over Xuan Han.
The Celestial Hall was thrice bigger than the Flower Hall. At the entrance and inside, towering jade pillars carved with coiling dragons and phoenixes supported a domed ceiling painted with silver.
Golden chandeliers hung in every corner, casting a warm glow over the polished obsidian floor.
Once they reached the inner room, which was the throne room, they were led to stand before twelve cloaked figures seated just below the emperor's throne.
The Heavenly Council.
Ling Yue recognized them by their golden robes. Six had dragons embroidered on theirs, and the other six had phoenixes.
Twelve powerful council members who supported the emperor, the same twelve who were behind Feng Lan's death.
In the original story, they had plotted to kill Feng Lan, and seeing them up close sent Ling Yue imagining how he would throw words at them. But he could not see their faces since they were hidden under their cloaks.
Suddenly, someone shouted among the guards near the emperor's golden throne.
The emperor is here."
A swirling golden light appeared like a portal.
All twelve council members stood and bowed their heads, and the omegas dropped to their knees.
Ling Yue frowned and looked around before dropping to his knees. "This kneeling sucks," he muttered under his breath.
Even though he lowered his head, he looked up to see the emperor. He was too curious. He needed to know.
When the figure stepped through the portal, Ling Yue did not realize it when he raised his head.
His eyes met red robes first, embroidered with a black dragon with menacing eyes. Silver hair with black streaks cascaded down his back, tied loosely with a golden ribbon.
Then Ling Yue's gaze met his face. Silver eyes. Piercing. Intense. They locked onto Ling Yue with a force that sent his heart racing.
A smirk appeared on the emperor's face. A smirk that said, very clearly: Well, hello, stupid. I am Xuan Han.
No way. It is him. The liar he had flirted with was him.