Page 19 of Empire's Curse

“The princess’s cat.”

The princess? She was confused for a moment because the emperor didn’t have any children, but then she remembered the previous emperor, who Drakkon Muyang had slain, had daughters. Her smile faded. Those princesses were still in the palace? For some reason, she had expected them to be imprisoned somewhere else. Or dead.

“Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to see what nickname you could come up with for me. But I’m no longer amused. I do have a nickname I go by, which I think you both can call me.” He placed his hands on his lap. “Feiyu.”

They were all silent for a moment after that. Daiyu picked at the embroidered lotus by her knee and pressed her fingernail over the tight threads of it. All traces of jesting faded as her mind roved over her current predicament with the emperor and how messy everything had become. Finally, when she couldn’t think straight anymore, she lifted her head to pin the mage with a curious look. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“To see howyou’redoing.” Feiyu folded his pale hands on his lap and the dragon face of his mask seemed to peer into her soul.

She shivered at the thought of it—could he see into her memories? Her thoughts? He was a mage, after all.

“And—” he added, straightening in his seat and readjusting his emerald robes, “to hear about your grand plans of escape. Which, I’m assuming, still require my assistance?Unless?—”

Daiyu waited for him to finish, but he simply shrugged, and she pursed her lips together. “Unless? Unless what?” A thoughtstruck her and she gasped. “Unless you think my plans have changed because the emperor chose me?”

He shrugged again, and this time Daiyu couldn’t help the mortification and embarrassment from flooding her face with fire. She wasn’t naïve enough to think that being by the emperor’s side meant she would live a lavish and full life.

She jumped to her feet, unable to hide her emotions any longer as she waved to the jade-veneered pillar, and then to the pretty blue window shades. “You think that these fancy things are enough to entice me?” She rushed to the dresser on the side of the room and picked up the jade necklaces and painted hairpins lining the top of it. She thrust them in his direction. “Or that these pieces of jewelry are enough for me to sell my soul to that wicked man?” She dropped the fine jewelry and they clunked against the surface of the dresser. Her breathing increased as she thought of Emperor Muyang with his beautiful dark eyes and the sinister smile on his cold face. “None of this is enough to sway me. I’m not so easy of a woman to be … to be—” Her lower lip wobbled and she was all too aware that Lanfen was staring at her wide-eyed and that the mage was gravely silent. “To be put under a spell by the riches His Majesty has to offer. I don’t need all of that! What I need is my family and my freedom, none of which he will ever offer me. I may be a simple farmer’s girl, but I am not so blinded by the brightness of this palace to lose sight of what’s important to me. So no, my original plan hasnotchanged.”

The back of her eyes stung with tears that threatened to spill, but she blinked rapidly to keep them at bay. She wasn’t one to cry so easily—and especially not in front of a stranger and her younger sister—so she squared her shoulders and tried to appear as in control of the situation as possible.

Feiyu hadn’t moved from his position and it maddened her that she couldn’t see his face to determine what his expression was or what he was thinking, but he finally released a long breath and said, “I understand. So what will you do now? I can take you both away now, if you wish.”

“Why would you help us?” Lanfen interjected, giving the strange man a once-over. “If you’re working with the emperor, what do you gain from this?”

“Your sister and I already have a prior arrangement.”

Daiyu had almost forgotten the favor she had promised him, and uneasiness spread over her chest at the thought of being indebted to this mysterious mage, but the bigger part of her reasoned that she needed him more than he needed her. If it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t have gotten this far, so surely whatever favor he had in mind for her couldn’t be that hard to fulfill? At least she hoped so.

She could feel Lanfen’s sharp gaze on her as if asking her what exactly she had traded for his help, but Daiyu simply cleared her throat and said, “Well, although I would love for you to take both of us home, I’m afraid I’m in a bit of a bind now that the emperor knows my name and face. I don’t think he would take too kindly for me to insult him by running away.” She paced in the room, her rounded silk slippers padding softly against the intricately woven rugs and polished tiles. “Since he doesn’t know about Lanfen, I think it would be best if you took her back home?—”

“What?” Lanfen jumped to her feet, her dark eyes the size of saucers. She adamantly shook her head. “I’m not leaving you?—”

“It’s for your own safety.” Daiyu crossed the distance between them and held her younger sister’s hands gently. Unshed tears shone in Lanfen’s eyes and Daiyu’s chest tightened at the sight. So long as Lanfen could escape back home, it was worth coming here, even if it meant falling into a sticky trap. “This place is dangerous, and the longer you stay, the harder it’ll be to remain safe. You need to go back home, or else all of this will be in vain.” She brushed back the stray tear that rolled down her round cheek. “I know it’s not easy, but I came here to rescue you, Lanfen, and I need to know you’re safe back home. I can’t have you attracting the emperor’s attention.”

Lanfen opened her mouth, clamped it shut, and then tried again. “I don’t want to leave you here.”

“I’ll find a way to escape too, and then we’ll be together again.” She smiled, even as her throat closed up at the thought of them being apart again. Truthfully, she had no idea how she would escape from the emperor’s clutches, but Lanfen didn’t need to know that. “Just like how I made my way here, I’ll make my way back out.”

Lanfen pulled Daiyu into a tight embrace and buried her face into her shoulder. Her small body quivered and her voice was muffled as she spoke. “I wish we could leave together. It’s not fair.”

“I know, I know.” She patted her back slowly. Suddenly, she was reminded back to when they were younger and Daiyu would hug her small body and rock her to sleep when their mother was too tired to console her after a long day of working in the rice paddies. The back of Daiyu’s eyes burned and she squeezed her tightly as if that could make her stay longer.

“Do you wish for me to take her now?” Feiyu rose from his seat and brushed the nonexistent dust from his clothes.

“Yes.” Daiyu pulled back from the embrace and gave an encouraging nod to Lanfen, who wiped her red eyes and nose on her sleeve. “Are you able to take her to our village?”

“Sadly, I can’t. I must remain close to the palace grounds at all times,” he said. “But I can warp her out of this palace and give her passage back to your home. Will that suffice?”

Daiyu didn’t like the idea of trusting him so much like this. What if he instead kidnapped Lanfen? Or sent her somewhere else? Or … Or sold her? But then again, keeping her here was a terrible fate in and of itself. Not only was the emperor her enemy here in the palace, but all the ladies and potential concubines would no doubt make her life harder.

“Is there any way you can do some sort of magic to keep your word?” Daiyu asked. “I find it hard to trust you so blindly.”

Something flashed in his dark, glittering eyes, and all at once, Daiyu became aware that she was in the presence of a powerfulmage. Her mouth dried up at the shift in the air. Had she offended him? But as soon as the change happened, it disappeared.

She blinked back, unsure if she had imagined it all.

“You’ll just have to trust me,” he said with a cheerful inflection in his velvety voice. “If I wanted to, I could turn you both into rabbits right now or electrify you on the spot, but I haven’t done any such thing, now, have I? If I truly had ill intentions for either of you, I could very well do whatever I wish. So, Daiyu, you’ll just have to trust me that I will send your sister safely on her way home.”

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