Page 94 of Empire's Curse

She cringed at the insult she had hurled at him weeks ago. “I already apologized for that. Will you continue to hold it over my head, or will you get over it?”

“I don’t recall hearing an apology.”

“I’m sorry,” Daiyu added with an eye roll. “And I have chosen your nickname, remember? You’re to be calledlittledragon, since you prefer to add little to every moniker you give me. I shall do the same to you. Is that acceptable enough?”

Muyang frowned, but there was nothing malicious about it, nothing that told her he would throw her in the dungeons for offending him. She had crossed that boundary a long time ago, she realized when she took in his scowl.

“I don’t know about acceptable, but I will tolerate it,” he said with a long sigh. “I see you’re enjoying the nickname already.”

“Oh, I’m enjoying myself all right,” she said with a soft laugh.

Daiyu opened her mouth to say more, but someone clearedtheir throat, and her attention swiveled to one end of the room. Bohai stood between one of the bookshelves, an apologetic, polite smile on his face. All at once, the small moment between Daiyu and Muyang seemed to shatter, and she found herself retreating back in her seat. Hopefully, the commander-in-chief hadn’t heard too much of their conversation.

Bohai nodded at Muyang. “Your Majesty, you’re running late for a meeting.”

“I’m not running late anywhere,” he replied with a wave, his own smile fading and a look of irritation flashing over his face. “Last I checked, everyone waits for me.”

“True, but as your advisor and longtime friend, I suggest we make it to your war council in time.”

Muyang rose to his feet smoothly. “Then let’s go.” He eyed the scroll in the center of the table before turning to her sharply as if remembering something. “Where’s Vita? I thought she was supposed to guard you at all times?”

Vita was supposed to be with her, but when Feiyu snatched her away, he had given the woman a break and told her to take an hour off until he dropped her back off to the room. Seeing as how Feiyu was nowhere to be seen, she had no idea if that was still the plan.

“She was taking a break,” Daiyu said slowly and carefully. She didn’t want Muyang to know that she was involved with Feiyu, but she also didn’t want Vita to come across as someone who would shirk their duties for no reason. “I can walk back to my room?—”

Muyang’s brows pulled together quizzically. “Vita, taking a break? Who has enough authority to convince her to do that?”

The high mage had enough authority, apparently. But the high mage wasn’t supposed to be interacting with Daiyu at all.

She wrung her hands together beneath the table, her fingers itching to fidget with something. “I, uh, don’treally know for sure?—”

“It was me,” Bohai pitched in. “I thought she could use a break. We all know how serious she gets with her work.”

Muyang studied the commander-in-chief for a brief moment but nodded nonetheless, seeming to believe him, while Daiyu also stared at Bohai, unsure if she had heard right. Her shoulders involuntarily sagged and she released a muted breath.

“Have a guard escort Daiyu back to her room,” Muyang finally said. “And have Vita report back as soon as possible.”

“Certainly, Your Majesty.”

Her secret was safe for now, but she wondered why the commander thought to help her. Unless he too knew about Feiyu’s involvement? Whatever the case, she was grateful.

32

Daiyu couldn’t sleepthe night before her wedding. How could she, after all, when she would be marrying the emperor? She lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling of her bed frame, her mind a jumbled, thorny mess and her nerves shooting through the roof. She felt like she was suspended in a strange, fairy-tale dream where all her problems faded once she was married. But maybe it was because that wasn’t true at all that made her feel like she was floating in a daydream—on the contrary, her troubles would likely multiply tenfold once she was married.

She pulled the silk covers up to her chin and closed her sore, burning eyes. Her body was fatigued, but no matter how much she tried to sleep, she couldn’t fall into a slumber.

And yet none of it felt real.

How wasshegoing to marry theemperorof all people? How did any of this even happen? It was easy to forget reality when she was so caught up in escaping from Muyang, surviving the palace, and freeing her sister, but now that she was on the eve of the culmination of all her decisions up to this point, she couldn’t believe it.

She was going to marry Drakkon Muyang. The evil, cruelusurper whose reign was drenched in blood and whose very name caused people to shudder. The same man who no one was allowed to stare into his gaze for fear of being punished. The very man whose magical prowess leveled battlefields.

A soft knock on her door interrupted her thoughts and she jolted upright in bed. Vita poked her head through the doorway.

“Lady Daiyu? I thought I would wake you up, but if you’d like a few more minutes—” she began.

“No, no. I’m awake.” Daiyu pushed the covers off her body and swung her legs around the bed. “I’ve been wanting to get out of bed for ages now.”

---