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Morning arrived gently over the Guo'an Empire.
A pale golden light spread across the tiled rooftops of the imperial palace, touching the curved edges of the golden eaves until they seemed to glow beneath the rising sun. A thin veil of mist still rested over the distant gardens, hovering above the ponds where lotus leaves floated upon the quiet water.
The Guo'an Imperial Palace was already awake.
Servants hurried through the corridors carrying trays of breakfast, folded robes, scrolls, and fresh flowers. Guards stood at their assigned positions beside the palace gates and along the covered walkways, their armor catching the morning light whenever they moved.
It had been several weeks since Princess Xiao Lihua of Tianzhou had arrived.
And now, only two weeks remained before the wedding.
Inside the study of the First Prince, Guo Mingze, the atmosphere was considerably quieter.
Mingze sat behind a wide wooden desk, a partially unrolled scroll resting before him.
The study was decorated with shelves filled with books and historical records. A large window stood open toward the eastern gardens, allowing the cool morning breeze to enter. Several bamboo plants swayed gently outside, their leaves brushing against one another with a soft whisper.
Mingze's eyes moved slowly across the words written on the scroll.
He was reading, but his thoughts were not entirely focused on it.
A quiet knock sounded against the door.
"Enter."
The door opened.
A young palace servant entered and immediately bowed.
"Your Highness."
Mingze did not immediately look up.
"Report."
The servant straightened.
"Yes, Your Highness."
He carefully consulted the small record in his hands.
"Princess Xiao Lihua attended breakfast this morning. Afterward, she spent some time in the eastern garden with Lady Lin Yue."
Mingze listened quietly.
"She also visited the palace library yesterday."
That caught his attention.
Mingze finally lifted his eyes.
"The library?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
The servant smiled faintly.
"The Princess appeared interested in the history of Guo'an. She asked several questions about the founding of the empire and even requested several books about our traditions."
Mingze's expression softened.
"That sounds like her."
The servant continued.
"Her Highness also received the jade hair ornament Your Highness sent yesterday."
Mingze glanced down at the scroll.
"Did she like it?"
"Very much, Your Highness."
A small smile appeared on Mingze's face.
He remembered selecting it himself.
The ornament had been crafted from pale green jade, shaped like a blooming flower with a tiny phoenix carved into its center. It was not the most expensive ornament in the royal treasury.
He had deliberately chosen something simple.
Something that reminded him of the gardens of Tianzhou.
Something he thought she might appreciate.
"I am glad."
The servant hesitated before continuing.
"There is also something else."
"What is it?"
"The Princess has been asking about the people of Guo'an. She appears to be trying to familiarize herself with the customs before the wedding."
Mingze slowly leaned back in his chair.
His expression became thoughtful.
He could hardly blame her.
She had been brought to a foreign empire because of an arrangement made by their families.
She had left behind her homeland, her brother, her familiar servants, and everyone she knew.
And although the palace treated her with respect, Guo'an could never truly replace Tianzhou.
Mingze lowered his gaze.
"Has she seemed unhappy?"
The servant thought carefully.
"Not unhappy, Your Highness."
He paused.
"Perhaps... homesick."
Mingze's smile faded slightly.
He understood.
He had noticed it himself during their conversations.
There were moments when Xiao Lihua's smile appeared genuine, yet her eyes seemed to wander toward the distant horizon.
As if she were searching for a place that was thousands of miles away.
Mingze gently rolled up the scroll.
"Continue making sure she has everything she needs."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"And..."
Mingze paused.
"Tell the kitchen to prepare the sweet lotus pastries she liked during breakfast."
The servant blinked.
"The Princess mentioned them?"
"She didn't have to."
A faint smile returned to Mingze's lips.
"I noticed."
The servant bowed.
"Understood."
Mingze stood from his chair.
"I will visit the Princess later."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The servant bowed again before leaving.
Once the door closed, Mingze remained standing beside his desk.
His gaze drifted toward the garden.
Two weeks.
Only two weeks until the wedding.
He wondered what the future would look like after that.
Would Xiao Lihua eventually come to consider Guo'an her home?
Would she ever look at him without seeing the political arrangement standing between them?
Mingze did not know.
But he knew one thing.
He would not force her to pretend.
If she needed time, he would give it.
If she needed someone to listen, he would listen.
And if she missed Tianzhou...
He would never tell her that she had no right to.
After all, he had never asked to become her husband either.
Perhaps they could at least become friends before becoming anything else.
With that thought, Mingze left the study.
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Meanwhile, in the Princess's personal residence, Xiao Lihua stood before a large bronze mirror.
Morning sunlight entered through the carved wooden windows, illuminating the delicate embroidery of her robes.
Her hanfu was a soft shade of pale lavender, decorated with tiny embroidered flowers along the sleeves. A thin sash rested around her waist, while her long black hair had been arranged into an elegant half-up style.
Lin Yue stood behind her, carefully adjusting the final hair ornament.
"There."
The young maid stepped back.
"Perfect."
Lihua looked at her reflection.
Then she smiled.
"Thank you, Lin Yue."
Lin Yue immediately smiled back.
"Your Highness looks beautiful every morning."
Lihua laughed softly.
"You always say that."
"Because it is always true."
The Princess shook her head fondly.
"You flatter me too much."
"I am only telling the truth."
Lin Yue adjusted one final strand of hair.
"There. Now it's perfect."
Lihua turned around to face her.
"You've become very confident lately."
Lin Yue blinked.
"Have I?"
"You used to be nervous whenever you spoke to me."
The maid's cheeks became slightly pink.
"Well..."
She lowered her head.
"I was afraid I would make a mistake."
"And now?"
"Now I know that Her Highness is kind."
Lihua's expression softened.
She reached out and gently touched Lin Yue's shoulder.
"You don't have to be so formal when we're alone."
Lin Yue looked surprised.
"Your Highness?"
"You're more like a younger sister to me now."
Lin Yue's eyes widened.
"A... younger sister?"
Lihua smiled.
"Yes."
The words carried a warmth that surprised even Lihua herself.
She had always wanted a younger sister.
Someone she could fuss over.
Someone she could tease.
Someone she could protect.
Instead, she had grown up with Zhenyu.
Her older brother.
Her protector.
Her sometimes overly strict guardian.
She remembered how he used to scold her whenever she wandered outside without informing anyone.
How he would sit beside her whenever she had a fever.
How he would stay awake beside her bed even when their parents told him to sleep.
Her smile became softer.
"I suppose I was lucky."
Lin Yue tilted her head.
"Your Highness?"
Lihua looked toward the window.
"My brother."
She smiled.
"He could be unbearably strict."
Lin Yue giggled.
"I find that difficult to imagine."
"You shouldn't."
Lihua laughed.
"He once lectured me for nearly half an hour because I climbed a tree."
Lin Yue covered her mouth.
"You climbed a tree?"
"I was eight!"
"Still!"
Lihua laughed again.
"He was furious."
Her laughter gradually softened.
"But he was always there."
Lin Yue's smile became gentler.
"You miss him."
Lihua nodded.
"Very much."
A quiet moment passed.
Then Lin Yue carefully poured tea into a cup.
"You'll see His Majesty again someday."
Lihua smiled.
"I know."
She took the cup.
"And perhaps..."
Her gaze drifted toward the distant palace gates.
"...one day Guo'an won't feel so foreign."
Before Lin Yue could answer, a servant hurried toward the entrance.
"Princess!"
Lihua turned.
The servant bowed.
"His Highness the First Prince has arrived."
Lihua blinked.
"Mingze?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Lin Yue immediately straightened the Princess's sleeves.
Lihua smiled faintly.
"Let him enter."
The servant bowed and left.
A few moments later, the doors opened.
Guo Mingze stepped inside.
He wore a formal but understated robe of deep blue, embroidered with silver patterns resembling clouds. His long dark hair was tied neatly behind him, and his calm expression carried the same gentle composure Lihua had become accustomed to seeing.
He stopped several steps away.
"Princess."
Lihua bowed lightly.
"Your Highness."
Mingze smiled.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
He glanced around the room.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you."
"Not at all."
Mingze held up a small wooden box.
"I brought something."
Lihua's eyes widened slightly.
"Another gift?"
Mingze chuckled.
"I suppose you could call it that."
He placed the box upon the nearby table.
Lihua opened it.
Inside was a delicate bracelet made of pale jade beads, with a small silver charm shaped like a lotus.
Her expression softened.
"It's beautiful."
"I saw it yesterday."
Mingze smiled.
"And thought you might like it."
Lihua carefully picked it up.
"Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me every time."
"I should."
"Why?"
"Because you're being kind to me."
Mingze looked at her quietly.
Then he said,
"You're going to be part of this family soon."
Lihua's fingers paused around the bracelet.
The words reminded them both of the approaching wedding.
Two weeks.
Mingze noticed her expression.
"If that makes you uncomfortable, forgive me."
"No."
Lihua shook her head.
"It's not that."
She looked down.
"I'm simply..."
"Thinking about Tianzhou?"
Lihua nodded.
Mingze's voice remained gentle.
"I understand."
She looked at him.
"You do?"
"I would miss home too."
A quiet silence followed.
Then Mingze smiled.
"That's why I've been sending you things."
Lihua looked confused.
"Things?"
"Things that might make Guo'an feel a little less unfamiliar."
He gestured toward the jade bracelet.
"The bracelet."
Then toward a vase containing flowers.
"The flowers."
He smiled.
"And the pastries I had sent earlier."
Lihua's eyes widened.
"Those were from you?"
Mingze nodded.
"I was told you liked them."
A small laugh escaped Lihua.
"I thought the kitchen simply decided to spoil me."
Mingze laughed softly.
"I suppose I should blame the kitchen for taking credit."
For the first time that morning, Lihua felt genuinely comfortable.
Not as a princess.
Not as a political bride.
Just as Xiao Lihua.
Two people sat together in the quiet room, slowly learning about one another.
Outside, the palace bells rang softly.
Two weeks remained.
And somewhere beyond the walls of Guo'an, events were already beginning to move toward a future neither of them could yet see.
Lihua looked down at the jade bracelet in her hands.
She smiled.
Perhaps the future was frightening.
Perhaps the marriage was still something she had never chosen.
But maybe...
Just maybe...
The person waiting at the other side of it was not someone she needed to fear.
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(End of Chapter 31)