’’Go on. Enlighten me.’’ Emperor Moon broke the heavy looming silence since no one else should. He remained at ease on the high silver throne, leaning two fingers against the temple on the side of his forehead. Staring down at the pitiful her kneeling on the floor with not much of an expression on his old features, their eyes not meeting.

  ’’The Second Prince, Your Majesty.’’ One of the members from the highest counseling answered, ’’The letter sent by Emperor Ming stated he would generously send a gift meant as His Highness’s concubine, but as you see, it was only implied. Pointed as a mere suggestion of her possible service.’’ He continued.

  Moon Kian, The Second Prince, kneeled over a velvet carpet on the side, representing The Emperor’s lineage in such gatherings. This time alone. His eyes drifted towards her now changed appearance, and although she wore what those of kitchen workers did—although her hair was up like every other lower class employee hidden from sight deep inside the palace—he still could not help but steal a risky second glance in admiration of how she managed to stood out more than any maiden garnished in their most expensive attire.

  ’’Ah, i see.’’ The Emperor huffed out through his nose with a knowing subtle smirk, ’’And he thought this gift of his was worthy becoming a concubine of my very flesh and blood, did he now? Tell me, from which family of The Eastern Empire is she?’’ He continued with a tone laced with the threatening power over everyone inside and outside the extravagant great hall.

  ’’Her name and family relations were left empty on the form of those in the carriage, Your Majesty.’’ The counsellor answered with a grave tone while going through the very ink on paper, or better the lack of it.

  ’’Hmh— Of course it was.’’ The Emperor could not contain the bitter sarcasm for the life of him, ’’No social status, wearing those un-jeweled fabrics of our servants. She has been awfully quiet, at least.’’ He added, as if she could’ve talked without having her head severed the moment she dared to do so. A person with nothing might not have been very experienced in the presence of those from the noble society, yet even she knew better to read the room. Someone who had always looked over their shoulders learned to notice the small details by nature.

  ’’As I have been informed, she does not speak. Nor does she respond to sudden sounds, either, Your Majesty.’’ Another counsellor answered with a much more shaky voice, fists crushing against the thighs. He must’ve been new to the task, not knowing for sure when it was fine to chime in and address The Emperor.

  ’’A perfect match it is, indeed.’’ Emperor Moon scoffed while rubbing the long beard clearly scheming something, not even trying to hide his distaste, ’’He wanted to gift our Prince a concubine? Well then, we shall show The Eastern Empire their well deserved gratitude for such benevolent gift— that is, their women barely good enough for The Third Prince. Emperor Ming's humor sure is refreshing. Send him a letter. Thank him. And kindly suggest to perhaps higher their standards. They must allow anyone from the streets to become their son’s concubine, what a shame.’’ He swished his disregarding hand once, and in that very instant the woman felt a hand forcefully grab the back of her head, shoving her over the thighs in a deep bow before being pulled up and handled once again.

  ’’Poor young woman.’’

  ’’Yes, she mustn’t understand what has become of her.’’

  ’’She does not hear, they said.’’

  ’’Oh, poor thing. It cannot be she simply doesn’t understand either, right? The Eastern Empire share our language, although their accent and poems does differ.’’

  ’’My my— she hasn’t been given a name. That’ll be a hassle.’’

  ’’Should we not address her as The Third Prince’s concubine?’’

  ’’That is very long, what a bother. But i assume we have no other choice.’’

  The nameless woman could once again feel all the eyes upon her in the middle of the dusty crowded space as everyone got ready to end the day. She had been brought in a chamber shared with many other women among with those very same lower class workers who had washed her and dressed her prior. The chamber had all the walls covered with large thick dressers filled with clean sheets and linen taking up most of the space, the room most likely meant to be a storage room first and an accommodation second. She hugger the newly acquired blanket and a pillow over the thin mattress made out of bamboo, the best spots of the room being the corners already occupied by those quicker with their daily tasks. Not that she cared—those women wouldn’t be able to even begin to believe what a luxury simply having a roof on top of her head had been, let alone a pillow.

  She settled down on her back in the midst of the others, shoulders almost touching with a stranger on both sides, pulled the blanket all the way up to chin as the exhausted eyelids began to close on their own.

  ’’But we are sharing a room with a concubine— of a Prince whether acknowledged as one or not. They usually have their very own chamber in a separate building, not even sharing a room with each other. And we are supposed to feel comfortable with this?’’

  ’’She is only the concubine of The Third Prince. She’ll hardly be of any use, just like him.’’

  ’’Oh my, keep your voice down you ought to get us in trouble!’’

  ’’The Imperial family thinks so too, there is no harm in profound truth.’’

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  As the conversation went on and on— she fell asleep unsure of what tomorrow would bring, yet still laid those tenuous arms wide open for the sunrise to come once again.

  A sudden attack of a leg startled her awake, landing heavy over her own thighs. She moved her arm from over the eyes while laying on her back, just enough to see the hue of sunlight blessing the high ceiling. The golden light made the small dust in the air hover softly, and the others stayed soundly in their deep slumber. Oddly enough, she felt warm and comfortable, which was all so very new. A feeling she had little to no faith would stay and linger, thus she wouldn’t hold on to its warm embrace. Still, this definitely wasn’t the dungeon and it’s cold wet floors, nor the streets beneath the sky of The Eastern Empire. This time, morning came as if in a blink of an eye and offered the most magnificent hibernation in her whole entire life. She could already feel the slight difference in her body which only a good night’s sleep could offer. The most efficient medicine out there.

  Not too long after, she found herself once again being pulled towards each direction, scrubbed and dressed in all white which was typical for funerals and days of misfortune—yet again another stab of an insult directed towards her already pitiful existence, although a golden ornament with tangling emerald jades now decorated over her head, half of the black hair left draping down, lips painted with the deepest shade of red made out of oils to cure the chapped skin and vermillion powder to give its color—sometimes containing blood of an animal which was an uncomfortable thought.

  She stood in front of a mirror, all finished when one of the maids slapped her back with a closed fan and sharply told her to straighten the posture. She was told to walk gracefully with gentle hands held hovering over the empty stomach while letting the long, thin silky scarf drape down from the crooks of the elbows. The longest walk so far forced the nameless woman to question how far exactly were they headed inside the palace grounds. Through many corridors with painted paper walls as if telling a story along the way, wide window openings and the green vegetation carefully planted, pathways made of flat smooth rocks and light grey gravel, not a single rock out of place. Eventually, they reached a building connected by the same raised wooden walkways, far on the side of the third quadrangular courtyard away from the center where The Emperor had his many lavish chambers.

  And in front of the wide sliding doors awaited The Second Prince accompanied by his trusted eunuch, whose job was to follow his assigned Prince where ever he desired to go. Their eyes locked as soon as she came from behind the left side corner and into the opening of the wide and empty corridor, oddly uncared for by the lack of decor. Moon Kian had been leaning against one of the red pillars but carried himself high in an instant as he noticed the nameless woman escorted by five maids in their light peachy robes and eunuchs in baby blue. Seeing how Moon Kian wasn’t surrounded by a dozen eunuchs compared to her own escorts made little to no sense.

  Perhaps it was a trust issue.

  The nameless woman followed the lead of the others as they stopped an appropriate distance away from The Prince and bowed respectfully. As she raised her gaze up towards him, she was met with a sight unexpected. Where as The Emperor’s deep brown eyes scrutinized with expected deep knife-like cuts, his on the other hand left her confused. A curious, stunning yet barely noticeable smile on The Second Prince’s lips perhaps more evident by the way his dark wide eyes curved from the lower eyelid. He surely was rather pleasant for the eyes— at least that is what the maids would not once forget to mention between each opportunity they had. She, however, found no interest in the beauty of another.

  ’’I spoke with His Majesty—’’ Kian held the chin high up quite cheeky and brought his shoulders behind, ’’No woman inside this palace should remain without a name. It would bring only unnecessary scandals upon The Imperial family.’’ He added, as if expecting her eyes to sparkle, to anticipate. Anything. Yet they left him with nothing.

  Instead, she kept those serene cold blue eyes, almost translucent, steadily on his own. Suddenly reminding Kian of the five coy fish in the pond outside his room. Glaring back at him just as uninterested. The comparison was not an insult—heavens no—for fish and other creatures from the depths of the waters were greatly appreciated in The Western Empire. Many seen as holy and untouchable.

  A Goddess with the crystal gaze, indeed.

  ’’I did well when convincing him—’’ Kian cleared his throat behind a closed fist, ’’I have been personally given the task of gifting you with a name. I gave it my most devoted night.’’ He took a step closer, two of the maids stepping away with their heads held down. For a moment one could’ve sworn his eyelids fell heavy as he turned around, the long smooth hair fanning through the air until settling behind and against the dark blue robe, detailed with handmade finest embroidery of a silver scenery. Everything seemed to tell a story. The nameless woman found herself feeling overwhelmed by all around her. The smallest things seemed to create an element of surprise. Although no one would be able to see through the clouded invisible veil covering her true emotions deep inside. A shell of a human being.

  And now she was going to be given a name? And by non other than a Prince himself?

  Something she hadn’t even thought for herself. Never needing one before.

  ’’Suyi.’’ Kian’s voice became merely a whisper once the nightly devotion slipped through his lips, ’’Fair Suyi, the first concubine of— The Third Prince.’’

  Above anything, Suyi—as her name should be from then on—felt on guard. She had been taken far away from the main buildings, to the edge of all where it was hard to imagine a Prince would live, when even lowly she herself slept closer to The Emperor than his own son it seemed.

  However, Suyi felt no anxiety. Behind those wide, scenery decorated doors awaited The Third Prince. A man looked down upon even by the kitchen workers who freely spoke ill about him. A man who had not received respect from even those dirtying their hands on the fields. A Prince shrouded away, not once seen by the public eye.

  Was he truly that terrifying? What made him deserve such disrespect?

  Kian watched as Suyi positioned herself in front of the sliding doors, two of the maids stepping forward and gently tugging the doors with the tips of their fingers. As the crack between began to widen, the first thing Suyi saw was the wide open windows opposite the entrance, bright from the golden time of the day, and outside them the vivid pomegranate trees with their deep green leaves and round red delicious berries ripe for the taking, tenderly swaying from the thin branches as small chirping birds jumped joyfully on their loveliest playground.

  While her gaze was set on the sight unveiled, Kian noticed a slight change in those eyes of a Goddess fish. A glow, albeit fleeting, disappeared as soon as it had arrived.

  Blinking a few times, avoiding getting distracted upon meeting her new Master, Suyi came across the white sheets of paper scattered all over the floors, covering the finest carpets entirely. Each filled with skillful strokes of black ink. A new painting one after another. Her gaze followed the trail until set on a man sitting on the floor around the large hardwood table, his upper body tenderly swaying from right to left in a crosslegged position.

  Completely spellbound in his own precious world.

  ─?~???~?─