Page 24 of Empire's Curse

“Are you three … here for the royal selection?” Daiyu asked.

Jia’s eyes widened. “Oh, heavens,no. I’m already a married woman, and these two ladies here are my maidservants, Chun and Ying.”

Chun and Ying bobbed their heads at the introduction.

“My husband is in a meeting with His Majesty, so I have a few hours to kill here. And anyway, what better way to spend the time than to hear about how you bewitched the emperor? You must tell useverything!” Jia looped her arm in Daiyu’s and led her down one of the paths.

Daiyu could do nothing but be dragged by the giggling flock while her guard trailed behind them silently. She didn’t particularly like the termbewitchedand could only wonder what people had heard about her. Unease weighed on her chest, but it was probably better to converse with these people, especially since Jia seemed to be a noble lady, or someone of high importance if her husband was having a meeting with the emperor. Maybe she could get information out of her?

When they went inside a pergola by the lake, they all sat on the stone benches and began talking at once, asking her how and when she met Muyang.

Daiyu traced the crane carvings in the seat and picked at the debris indented in the lines. “W-Well,” she said as the women leaned in closer to her. “It was nothing special, really. I came here—” She licked her lips, tasting the bitter cosmetic used to paint them red. It probably wasn’t wise to tell them the truth, so she went with what she told the emperor. “I came here instead of my sister, and the emperor seemed to notice me and picked me. I didn’t do anything special.” She omitted the part about how she had accidentally bumped into him in his bathing chambers, as that didn’t seem appropriate, and the last thing she wanted was rumors floating about how she had seduced the emperor.

A cool summer breeze wafted over them, carrying the sweet, floral scent of peonies and chrysanthemums. Daiyu noticed a small, spotted bird perched on one of the railings of the pergola and wondered briefly if there were eyes and ears everywhere. The emperor was known to have a plethora of mages under him—were even the birds listening in on her conversation? And were these women also the ears of the emperor?

She shivered, but not from the cold, and smiled stiffly at Jia, who was nearly bouncing on her seat with excitement.

“He must have fallen in love at first sight!” Jia said with a small squeal, while the other two girls tittered like chirping birds.

Daiyu momentarily touched the soft gauze on her neck and suppressed a shudder. She remembered Muyang’s dark eyes and the pure enjoyment on his face as he drew her blood. There was no way a man like him could ever fall in love. And certainly not with her.

“I don’t think it wasloveat first sight,” she said with another nervous laugh. “I think he decided on a whim to choose me. I haven’t the slightest idea why.”

“There must be a reason.” Jia smoothed down her soft pink dress with embroidered vines and flowers running along the sleeves and skirts. “From what I know of His Majesty, he isn’t one to do something so random, and besides, he’s had women in the palace for this selection for years, and he hasn’t chosen anyoneuntil now. There must be something you did to invoke his interest.”

The last part came out as more of a question than a statement, and Jia watched her expectantly, but Daiyu didn’t have an answer for her. She instead studied her silk shoes and pressed her lips together. Why did the emperor choose her? She truly didn’t have an idea. Other than blubbering at him with flimsy lies in his bathing chambers, she hadn’t done anything warranting amarriagebetween them.

“I wonder if this means the emperor will choose more women to be his concubines?” Chun mused. “If he’s already chosen you, then he must be thinking of choosing others? I think it’s about time. People were wondering why no one was good enough for him.”

“I’m just surprised he choseyou.” Ying gave her an apologetic look while Chun chuckled. “I mean no offense, but you’re a commoner, aren’t you? I can tell—” She gestured to Daiyu’s hands, which were still tan from her work in the rice paddies, so unlike her face, which appeared pale due to all the white powders the maidservants had forced on her.

“I mean, we all thought Lady Yanlin would be chosen—” Chun began.

“Hush now, no need to talk about her,” Jia said with a frown.

“But, my lady, it’s true. Yanlin is beautiful, comes from a powerful and wealthy family, so of course it makes one wonder …” Chun lifted her shoulders and stared at Daiyu strangely as if she truly did believe she had done something strange to entrap the emperor. “Not to mention all the other noble women who’ve come to the palace and have been either turned down or kept here for months and months. It’s just so strange.”

A blush of embarrassment warmed her cheeks and Daiyu clasped her hands together on her lap. “I … I truly didn’t do anything special.”

Jia crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, I think you’re just as beautiful as the rest, noble woman or not, so there really is noneed to bring others into this.” She frowned at Chun, who lowered her gaze. “None of us here know what the emperor is thinking, so we’ll just have to chalk it up to love at first sight. At least that’s what I believe. There’s no other explanation.”

An awkward silence filled the space between them, and Daiyu could only stare at the birds and colorful fish whirling in the pond. She didn’t even know what to ask without sounding too suspicious. She doubted she could ask these three on how to leave this place, and with how much the two servants had been giggling, they seemed to be the gossiping type. She had to be careful with what she said.

“Have any of you interacted with the mages in the palace?” she asked, keeping her eyes wide, innocent, and simply curious. “I’ve heard they’re highly dangerous. Is this true?”

Jia blinked rapidly as if not expecting that question. “Truthfully, I’ve never conversed with any of them, but they’re mages. So naturally, they’re powerful and mysterious.”

“I try to avoid them.” Ying shifted in her seat. “You never know what they know, and what they can do.”

“I’ve seen a masked mage recently in the palace. Do you know anything about him?” Daiyu asked. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Feiyu, but she wasn’t completely sold on him and what he wanted from her. “He wears different masks from time to time?—”

“Oh, you mean Feiyu?” Jia asked. “He’s the head mage of the palace. I think he wears the mask to keep his identity a secret? Though I don’t know why he needs to keep it a secret. He’s powerful enough to end his enemies, right? Since he’s a mage?” Jia seemed to be asking them, and yet she seemed lost in thought, her lower lip jutting out. “My husband doesn’t really talk about him, even though they both serve directly under His Majesty.”

“Why do you ask?” Chun tilted her head to watch her.

“No reason, just curiosity.” Daiyu smiled. She hadn’t gotten anything useful out of this conversation, other than confirming her suspicions that Feiyu was strange and that theemperor was even stranger. “Since I’ll be in the palace more often, I thought it would be appropriate to familiarize myself with the people here.”

“You’re likely only going to remain in the inner palace, though,” Chun continued with a frown. “In the Lotus wing, most likely, since that’s where all the emperor’s women are kept. And I’m sure His Majesty will now start choosing more women. It’ll become more crowded in the coming weeks, I’m sure.”

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