The first thing Zhao Yunli had learned in her life was silence.
It sounded terrible when she described it like that, but it really wasn't. She was the middle child of two opinionated, driven brothers and the only daughter of an overbearing but loving and ferocious mother and a dutiful father.
Silence had been her only reprieve from the noise, and mastering it had made her powerful and observant.
She figured out Mingzhe's feelings for Lord Ye and his wife months ahead of the rest of the family, including Mingzhe himself. She'd known when Zhuli had met Marabelle days before he'd finally admitted it to the rest of the family, and she'd known he was going to marry her then, even though it took him another year to figure it out.
Her mother had wanted Yunli to follow in her footsteps in intelligence, but Yunli had no interest in constantly travelling or physical fighting. She didn't like fighting of any kind, really.
Which was why she was so surprised when Lord and Lady Ye accompanied Mingzhe to dinner and broached the topic of Yunli marrying the king.
The gleam in her mother's eye was dangerous. If there was one thing that would make up for Yunli's unwillingness to follow in her footsteps, it would be becoming queen, but there was a great deal of responsibility in being Queen. It wasn't totally unlike intelligence, since she would have to be constantly on guard and aware. She wouldn't even be able to trust her husband beyond doubt, unless she got very, very lucky.
Zhao Linlin was like a hawk spotting prey, and she'd locked on as soon as she'd seen Mingzhe's guests had sat down. It'd take an army to pull her away now, so Yunli stayed quiet and worked through her own thoughts on the proposal.
"You are quite close with the king?" Linlin already knew that from her sources, but getting it in Lady Ye's words was important.
Lady Ye didn't seem to mind the question, answering between bites. "He was my brother before I had one. We grew up together, and he is still one of the people I consider myself closest to." She took a sip of plum wine, something Linlin's sources had informed her was a favorite. "He is a good man, and he will be a great king."
"Unfortunately, those two things are mutually exclusive." Linlin pointed out, expecting an argument.
Lord Ye considered it. "Not always."
Linlin shook her head, her husband eating placidly beside her. "You cannot be a good man and a great king. A great king cannot make the choices a good man does, and a good man cannot make the sacrifices a great king can."
"There is a balance." Lord Ye argued. "A great king who is not a good man at heart is a tyrant."
"I agree." Linlin summoned the next course, and the table was filled with steaming dishes of slow-roasted pork in plum sauce, noodles in a spicy red broth, pickled vegetables, and thick slabs of bread and herbed cheese.
Lady Ye looked amused as they set out the dishes. No doubt she recognized all her favorites, but she didn't comment. Yunli wondered what her childhood in the capital had been like. Yunli herself had only visited on a handful of occasions, and while she had enjoyed her visits, she didn't consider herself familiar with the city.
"A great king." Lady Ye said suddenly, when they were all in the midst of serving themselves. The Zhao family had always preferred to serve their own food, despite the common practice of having the kitchenmaids serve. "He'll be a great king."
Interesting, Yunli thought. Lady Ye seemed to be a very forthright person. If she were truly as close to the king as she said, perhaps the king was the same.
Linlin nodded, not unpleased. "What would that mean for my daughter's marriage bed?"
Yunli sighed as Mingzhe and Zhuli shifted, uncomfortable as they always were when Yunli's personal life came up. Marabelle patted her husband comfortingly on the arm.
Lady Ye paused, a flash of hesitation for the first time. "It would be…managed."
"Managed?" Linlin frowned. "Are there other beds to contend with?"
Lord Ye and Mingzhe glanced at Lady Ye curiously. So even they didn't know. Lady Ye clearly guarded the king's interest well.
Lady Ye met Linlin's eyes without fear. "Perhaps one, if he's figured it out."
That, more than anything else, intrigued Yunli.
Her mother frowned, no doubt about to launch into a series of questions, but Yunli stepped in. "Is it love?" Because if she were to be his wife, she would not do so without complete knowledge of who else would share that space of his life.
Lady Ye turned to her, and Yunli was struck by the unnatural brightness of her eyes.
And her still missing eyebrow. It was just starting to grow in, but without looking for it, you couldn't see it. It should have been funny; it probably was to those close to her, but Lady Ye had such an air to her, an aura of power and presence, that Yunli felt nothing but the weight of her gaze and the sense of distance fate. Lady Ye would be a presence in the marriage too, so trusted by the king that she was, in essence, choosing his wife and queen for him.
Would he take her choice over the Dowager Queen's?
A wiry twist came over Lady Ye's lips. "Probably, but men are notoriously bad at figuring that out."
Both Lord Ye and Mingzhe looked at her and snorted.
She ignored them, and Yunli had to fight down a smile. Seeing her brother so free and at ease made it easier for Yunli to trust her, to take a risk. "I have little interest in a man in my bed, but I greatly desire children of my own."
Lady Ye stopped with her fork halfway to her mouth. Lord Ye managed to contain his surprise admirably. Lady Ye's eyes narrowed in consideration. "You would rather have a woman? An elf? A dwarf? A mer? One of the winged peoples in the Wasteland?"
Yunli's lips twitched up at the edges of their own accord. "I would rather have an empty bed to myself. I feel little desire toward romantic relationships regardless of the partner."
"Huh." Lady Ye chewed and swallowed. "Would you require the same emptiness of your husband?"
"No. But I would require honesty." She paused. "And a wise choice of bedmate."
"You won't have to worry about that. His choice is smarter about it than Eric is." Lady Ye's head tilted to the side as she studied Yunli. Not unlike a bird of prey.
Yunly was careful to keep her expression neutral as she understood what the Princess had said. The king's preferred bedmate was a man. While it wasn't unheard of, it was certainly a problem for the throne, since it wouldn't result in children.
But what wouldn't work for the throne could certainly work for Yunli. A husband who was more friend than anything else, who could provide children and provide for them without demanding something from Yunli that she didn't enjoy.
"The Soliel line is known for its fertility," Lady Ye added, then frowned. "Aside from me. Eric wants children, but he is not the type to force himself on someone unwilling. Appetites aside, no one in my family is."
It was more than could be said for some, but it set Yunli further at ease. Her lack of enjoyment and interest in carnal activities had ended a few marriage possibilities before.
"I will not agree without meeting him first." She could feel the pleasure radiating off her mother, despite Linlin's blank expression.
One son married for love, one son beloved of the Lord and Lady of the Camelia, and a daughter who would marry a king. What mother could desire more?
~ tbc