Chapter 11: The Emperor's Secret
There were many things whispered in the stone corridors of Angkor Thom—rumors carried on flower-scented breezes and hidden beneath the rustle of silken robes. But none spoke aloud what was known only by a few, and understood fully by just one man.
Emperor Jayavarman VII had a secret.
And she had just walked into his court. "That's why I'm scared of the palace; people seem to have secrets all the time!" Luna murmured to herself while she was sitting on her chariot, lifted by men. Today, she was summoned by the king early in the morning. She had no idea what would happen. But, she always has someone to help her, right?
"System! System! Why did the Emperor summon me so early today?" Luna asked in her mind, hoping that the cracked head system would reply to her, because for her, that system wasn't better than her; sometimes it doesn't even work, or maybe it falls asleep.
~~System: Good morning! What can I help you?~~
"You reckless system! Why does it take you so long to answer me? What if the Emperor cut my head, what should I do?"
~~System: Dear user! What made you so scared of your husband? The Emperor would never kill his beloved wife, as written in Khmer history, except, you played it wrong and chose to be the worst one ~~
You stupid system!!!! Who said I will be his wife? You dirty, he is my sister's husband, why do you have to make me dirty like that? I will sue you!
~~System: The main plots cannot be changed. If you change the main plots, the head system will error~~
Who the hell created this system and brought me here without my permission?!
Luna was so frustrated, she almost yelled out loud, but because the chariot had already entered the palace, she couldn't do anything without thinking. Lose faces a lot of time because of the system, now, she has to play it cool. But when she heard about her destiny, as Queen Indradevi, Luna felt so guilty. She swore to her breath that she would change the plural marriage rules.
Indradevi stood at the edge of the throne hall, her eyes steady, her body tense. She bowed, proper and precise, but distant. Always distant.
He watched her approach in silence.
To the world, she was his sister-in-law. The Empress's elder sister. A royal scholar, a spirited girl who grew into a sharp-tongued woman with wild ideas about the stars, machines, and fate. But to him—to the boy he once was—Indradevi had always been a fire he could never reach without being burned.
He still remembered the day he first met her.
She was barely fifteen, and already arguing with court philosophers about whether women's minds were weaker than men's.
She'd looked him dead in the eye and said,
"If you're afraid of clever women, Your Highness, then you should not make them queens."
Everyone in the room gasped.
He smiled.
From that moment, he had been captivated.
She was bold, fierce, and entirely unbending. A lioness in a world that demanded she act like a lamb. She challenged him. Outwitted him. Fascinated him.
And she rejected him.
Not cruelly. Never cruelly.
But with a quiet, graceful strength that left no room for insistence.
"Your Highness," she had said once, years ago, "I am honored. But I will not marry out of duty. My heart is not something that can be ordered."
Jayavarman had known then: to force her would be to lose her forever.
So, he turned his eyes to her sister—gentler, softer, willing. He did not marry out of love, but he grew to care. Jayarajadevi was a good woman. A kind wife. A loyal Empress.
But the woman who set his soul alight with awe… was always Indradevi.
And now, she was standing before him again.
Older. Wiser. Still untamed.
Still avoiding his gaze.
"You do not look at me, Indradevi," he said softly, breaking the silence.
Hearing this, Luna thought to herself, My head isn't very safe if I dare! However, she tried her best to not express her feeling and play it cool as the Khmer Lady.
She flinched slightly but raised her head. "Your Majesty."
"Have I become a shadow that frightens you?"
Luna couldn't help but feel suspicious towards the king's words. What's happening? He summoned me here, just to flirt with me? Huh! Men always be men! One is not satisfied, ten are not satisfied.
"No," she said quickly. "Only... I am not the same person I was."
"Nor am I."
Another silence passed between them. How could she react to this? What happened to the Emperor today? Was the system right about that? That the king loves Indradevi dearly?
She fidgeted with the sleeve of her embroidered shawl.
"I remember a girl who once told me she would rather die than be owned," the Emperor said, his voice low. "And I believed her."
Indradevi froze. Just as I thought! It must be the cowardly childhood crush! Where one is in love, but dare not confess, and wait until each is married. How cliché! I hope all people would be as confident as me; if you love someone, just go and tell them. See? Now, it's so complicated!
"I never forgot her words. That's why I never pursued her again. Not because I lost interest..." He paused, then added with a trace of emotion, "...but because I never wanted to see her break."
Her eyes widened. Is he going to confess his feelings now? That would be the first time she ever experienced that! Oh, no! Luna was so confused about how to behave like a royal lady, and maybe, would reject him politely.
Jayavarman looked at her now—not as a king looking at a courtier, but as a man staring into a memory that still breathed.
"I married your sister because she could accept me," he said. "But the one who always amazed me... was you."
Indradevi looked down, unsure of what to say. Just as I thought! It's always been like this! That's why I hate how men think! They always think about their face first and regret it later. Now, I'm his sister in law, and he tried to confess to me? How absurd! This king!
The weight of his words sat heavy in her chest.
He stepped back toward the throne, every movement still graceful, still regal.
"You need not answer," he said, sensing her panic. "I do not speak to trouble you. I only wished that, for once, you would see the truth as I have seen it all these years."
Indradevi bit her lip. Her hands trembled slightly behind her back. Luckily, all the servants were commanded to go outside. What if they hear? Would they think she is a shameless woman? Nah, she is only shameless when it comes to single handsome men, but never a married man like this.
"Your Majesty," she said at last, her voice quiet but clear, trying to act like one, "I don't know what to do with the truth."
Jayavarman smiled faintly. "Then do nothing. Let it rest here, between us, like a stone in a river. The water will move around it, as it always does."
And with that, he sat again on his throne and said no more.
Indradevi bowed and left, her heart pounding louder than her footsteps. She did not know what she felt—only that the man she feared… was not the monster she had imagined.
But that made him even more dangerous.
Because he was kind.
And sometimes, kindness could unravel a woman faster than cruelty ever could.