Page 10 of Empire's Curse

The man, Fang, frowned. “Hurry up.”

Daiyu released a breath as Jia grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down the hall.

“I’m sorry about that. He can be a bit rude. Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes. I’m a bit … overwhelmed. This palace is enormous.” Daiyu tried to smile, but it came out strained and unnatural. Her heart was still racing. “Who was that man?” When she peeked over her shoulder, the man was still standing there, his arms crossed over his chest and a disapproving scowl on his face. She quickly looked away. “Is he someone important?”

Jia blinked. “Oh, you mean Fang? Yes, he’s, well, he’s a general.”

“Ageneral?” Daiyu’s eyes nearly bugged out. First, she had met a palace mage and now ageneral? Her luck was either unlimited, or it was running low because she had just survived two encounters with two powerful people and had left them unscathed.

“Yes, General Liang Fang.” Jia smiled. “You didn’t realize who he was?”

“No, I’m new here.”

Jia nodded as they went up a flight of stairs. Chatters filled the next hallway they entered and they stopped outside a paper sliding door with pink and white cherry blossoms painted on them. She motioned to the door. “This is the place.”

“Thank you, lady Jia.” Daiyu smiled at her, relieved.

“No worries.” Jia waved to her before leaving.

Daiyu breathed out deeply and touched the handle of the door. She prayed Lanfen was inside.

4

Daiyu flungthe door open and stepped through. Almost instantly, a cloying floral smell hit her—an amalgamation of jasmine, rose, and cherries—so sweet she almost choked. Over three dozen women turned to her. For a moment, Daiyu froze, staring at their heavily painted faces, the silk dresses they wore, and the jewelry adorning their heads. They were all sprawled on couches with decorative, tasseled pillows.

Time slowed, and her heart sank as her gaze flitted over the women with white-powdered faces and red flowers etched onto their foreheads.

“Daiyu?” One of the women rose from her seat, her eyes wide.

The basket slipped from Daiyu’s hand, forgotten as she pushed through the room. “Lanfen? Lanfen!”

Lanfen rushed to her and they both fell into a tight embrace. Daiyu’s eyes burned with tears as she hugged her sister tightly. All the weariness from travel and the anxiety of getting to this point vanished in seconds. Her throat closed up and she breathed in the flowery and powdery scent from her sister.

“How are you here?” Lanfen asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“It’s a long story.” Daiyu closed her eyes. The other women inthe room continued their chatter, ignoring them both. “I came to rescue you.”

Lanfen pulled away from her. Her face was covered in white powder, but it didn’t extend to her neck, which was still tanned from farm life. “How will we do that?”

“I’ve got my ways. Anyway, how are you? How have you been here?”

Daiyu eased onto one of the many couches along with her sister. Lanfen twiddled her hands together and ran her thumb over the silver embroidery on her sleeve. “I’ve been well. I haven’t seen the emperor, if that’s what you’re asking. He hasn’t come here even once, and some of the girls I talked to said they haven’t seen him even though they’ve been here for months! It seems he has no interest in choosing one of us …” Her gaze skated to the others in the room, and then back at Daiyu. “We might be stuck here for a while.”

“No one has mistreated you, have they?”

She shook her head.

“Good.” Daiyu placed a gentle hand on her sister’s cheek. “You were very brave to come here, Lanfen.”

Unshed tears shone in her eyes. “I want to go home.”

Daiyu’s chest tightened at the sight of her younger sister’s anguished expression. She squeezed her hand tightly and gave her a reassuring smile. How lonely and terrifying must it have been to be thrust in the royal palace with no say of her future? Lanfen didn’t want to be here; she would rather be home with her family. And yet she had no choice. Even if the emperor chose her, she wouldn’t be able to say no.

“I’ll take you back, I promise,” Daiyu said.

Lanfen sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, smudging the whitish makeup on her face. “But how will we do that?”

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