The Blindfolded Emperor: I Only Wanted a Quiet Life

Chapter 1: The Death of Jasper Sloane

The courtroom stretched wide and tall, its wooden benches packed with people who had come to watch a man die. Jasper stood in the center of it all, hands bound in cuffs and ankles chained together as he looked first at the crowd, then at the judge seated high above, and finally at the lawyer beside him.

The man would not meet his eyes. Jasper doubted he would leave this place anytime soon, and worse, his lawyer looked like he did not even trust him—clearly the man was not going to do his job.

Behind him, reporters filled every row, scribbling in notebooks and whispering to each other while they waited for the judge’s verdict.

“Order! Order in the court!”

The judge slammed his gavel down, and the room went quiet.

“Mr. Jasper Sloane, do you have anything else to say to the court?”

Jasper looked around the room. What could he say? There was nothing left, so he could only repeat the same thing he had been saying since all this started.

“I didn’t do it.”

The words came out flat, though it no longer mattered.

The judge sighed and shook his head.

“I am sorry, son. With the evidence provided by the police, even your lawyer does not look to believe you. This court finds you guilty of the murder of Miss Sarah. You have been sentenced to death by electric chair.”

Jasper’s ears rang. He did not know what happened next as the police grabbed his arms and dragged him toward the doors. Everything blurred when he stepped outside and reporters rushed forward from every direction.

“Jasper, why did you kill her?”

“Was it because you were jealous of her fame?”

“We heard you were dating. Were you scared she would be a bigger superstar than you?”

The questions kept coming while Jasper’s mind was still ringing. How had things gone so wrong?

The police pushed him into the car. One of them looked at him with pity.

“So young,” he said, “and so cruel.”

“You know, I loved his music before,” another added, “but now I don’t think I will listen to it again.”

Jasper stared out the window as the car drove away and the recent days flashed through his mind. He had been an upcoming artist, one of the best in Hollywood—handsome, with a cuteness about him that made him the prince of his country and a face like a puppy that made people want to shield him from the world. Jasper had been on top of the world until it all came crashing down with one bad decision.

He had only wanted to celebrate a birthday party with his friends. When he woke up he was surrounded by reporters, his hands covered in blood and a woman he did not know lying dead. The news reports said she was a famous actress and that the two of them had been dating, but Jasper had never seen that woman before. No one believed him when he said it. He would never have killed someone.

If he had not gone to that party… yeah, if. But there was nothing Jasper could do. He was not like those cultivation masters who treated time as a concept they could bend. That was the answer he would have given when the police were still investigating, yet now he did not look like he cared one bit. He was done and tried. Maybe death was the best.

He had shouted over and over again, but no one believed him. Even Jasper had stopped believing in himself.

---

Two weeks later, Jasper looked up at the police officer who asked what he would like for his final meal. He was not sure what he said, but food was brought to his table. He looked down at the tray. He had not wronged anyone, yet the world had wronged him.

After his meal they strapped him to the chair and the same officer asked if he had any last words. Jasper just smiled.

The chair began its job. His body went rigid as the electricity tore through him and he felt himself let go. Just like that, Jasper closed his eyes to darkness.

---

After a while, Jasper opened his eyes.

Wait. Am I not dead?

Is this what it feels like to die? Weird, he thought. I can still feel my eyes. Just then—

He opened his eyes to a blue sky. The sun shone down so bright he had to squint while two figures loomed over him. When his vision cleared he realized they were not shadows but people in strange clothes.

Jasper looked up at the two people before him and they looked back. Just then he noticed something: the sun had turned into two.

“Weird,” he muttered. “Is it just me, or are there two suns?”

“Well, young master,” one of them said, “the sun has always been two. But are you sure you are okay?”

Jasper stared at them. They talked. Young master? Me?

Then something hit him—a wave of pain slammed into his skull, and along with it came memories that were supposed to be his but were not.

“What the fuck is happening?”