EMPEROR AND I

PRINCESS LE-ANNE

HALL OF FESTIVALS

"Last time when this took place, half of the palace maids died. What shall we do?" one palace maid cried.

"I cannot die as of yet, my family depends on me for everything. How could I die?" another joined in.

"Huticah! I heard it"s Huticah, they will destroy any person suspected to be from Huticah!" accusation flared from the other.

Le-anne couldn"t believe that on a day that she was half asleep and barely awake, she was stuck with such hullabaloo.

All palace maids that belonged to both Grand Consort Shu and the Grand Dowager Empress had been told to gather in the hall of festivals. She felt a little bit anxious about finding out what was going on as no one had informed them why they had been called. The unknown unsettled her, considering how everything was hanging in the balance with Prince Kuan Hui still unconscious. t.i.ttle-tattle was rampant all over the hall and this did not help her nerves.

"Pick one," Le-anne found herself facing a junior palace maid who held a bunch of tiny sticks together in her left hand.

"Why?" she replied with annoyance. t.i.ttle-tattle, this was not the time for games.

"Just pick one!" the girl demanded, her eyes widening in a threatening manner. She was too disrespectful for a junior. Le-anne picked up one to avoid the attention they were now attracting.

This time, the junior palace maid"s eyes widened even further than the last time, her mouth gaping.

"Follow me," she stuttered and Le-anne found herself being surprisingly compliant. She was led towards the huge double doors of the Hall of festivals.

"My lady," the junior palace maid paid her respects to her senior, who Le-anne noted her status by uniform.

"Among the retinue of the Grand Consort Shu, she is the girl that took the shortest stick in my lot," the girl continued with her report. Le-anne was disgruntled by the fact that she was being addressed as "girl".

"Very well. Tell the rest of the other girls to go back to attending to their duties," the senior palace maid replied then looked at Le-anne, "Follow me."

Le-anne was getting more agitated by the animosity but she kept her cool. The senior palace maid took big steps, to which they ended up entering a building she had not been in before within no time. In her short stay in the palace, she was not yet familiar with all the numerous buildings that were all over the palace.

"My lady, it is I." The senior palace maid announced her arrival then pushed the sliding doors open. They set foot into an ample room that Le-anne a.s.sumed to be the sleeping quarters of the lady. Already kneeling before the lady was also another senior palace maid with a maid that Le-anne had seen earlier standing among the Grand Dowager Empress" palace maids. The girl had loudly voiced how she could not die for she had to provide for her family.

Le-anne looked at the lady and froze for a second. Why had she been summoned to the Senior Court Lady of the Harem"s sleeping quarters? She downplayed herself by kneeling behind the senior palace maid, daring not to utter her greetings without being addressed. Court ladies, especially those in power were brutal beings thus this was the time for her to be on her best behaviour.

"My lady, this is the girl who lost when we cast the lot for the Grand Consort Shu"s palace maids," the senior palace maid that led Le-anne in, spoke up.

"Is it?" her eyes narrowed towards Le-anne in a.s.sessment, "What is this? Why is a palace maid disguising her face?"

"My lady, this palace maid is―"

"Forget it. You will not live anyway." The Senior Court Lady rudely interrupted Le-anne. A sound of disbelief escaped from the Grand Dowager Empress" palace maid.

"You may leave." The Senior Court Lady eyed the the senior palace maids who obediently bowed for their leave and respectfully stepped out of the room.

"As you all know, Prince Kuan Hui has been poisoned," her tone changed to one of business as she took out a sealed letter.

"Here," she put it on the table, "have this delivered to the emperor"s Senior Court Lady at the Dura Mountain Camp and she will know what to do."

She stopped talking for a moment as if in deep thought.

"And remember this," her tone warned, "Prince Kuan Hui has not been poisoned." Her eyebrows raised to clarify what she meant and they caught on. The harem was fighting to have the emperor find out about the poisoning from the Grand Dowager Empress to avoid unnecessary loss of life.

"You may go back to your sleeping quarters and change into your quest uniform, then one of the standby military serviceman will brief you with the camp rules."

S.V