The distant princess sat alone in the carriage, her mind steady and her heart calm as it carried her toward the emperor's grand chamber.
"This place never fails to take my breath away, huh..." she muttered under her breath.
She hadn't been to this part of the palace in years, and the sheer magnificence of the architecture still shook her to the core. She exited the carriage gracefully, her steps light as she made her way to the door.
The hallway was lined with maids and guards. As she approached, the guards bowed and opened the door, allowing her into the emperor's inner chamber.
The room was lit by the soft yellow glow of countless candles, casting a warm, dreamy atmosphere over the opulent space. It exuded both elegance and luxury.
"You're here." The emperor's voice rang out.
Wearing a calm expression, she gave a soft, feminine bow. "Your Majesty."
"Come."
The emperor was lounging casually on a raised platform used for dining, his toned body barely covered by a light nightgown. The table before him overflowed with food and wine, clearly set up for an intimate evening.
'Didn't we just eat a lot at the banquet…' she thought, confused.
She approached and sat beside him. In truth, she had no idea how to serve. It had been too long, and even then, she never learned properly.
Li Wan studied her, his head lazily resting on his hand.
"What are you thinking?" he asked, casual but observant.
Luqi reached for the wine pot and poured into his cup with graceful precision. "I'm thinking of what to do," she replied bluntly, as always.
"What to do?" he repeated, lifting the cup to his lips. "What do you mean?"
She looked up, locking eyes with him for the first time. "I've never served anyone," her voice was soft but clear, the same one that had caught his attention earlier. "So I was wondering what I should do. And how I should do it."
He chuckled. "So you're one of those."
"...Those?"
"Spoiled princesses."
"I guess," she replied with a light shrug, her expression easy.
Li Wan found her speech strange but entertaining. If it were the old him, he might've thrown her out for insolence. Now, he didn't seem to care. In fact, he welcomed the change.
"Say, how long has it been since you came to the palace?"
"It's been four years, Your Majesty."
"And you never felt the need to come greet me?" He swirled his cup of wine.
"I was hoping you'd forget," she said plainly, pausing before continuing. "And you did."
He let out a dry scoff, clearly not expecting that response.
"Still, why have I never seen you?"
"You have, Your Majesty. At several banquets."
"Banquets, huh." He tried to recall.
"Yes."
"What about outside of banquets?"
"I don't go out of my chamber otherwise."
"For four years?"
"Yes."
"You never went out? At all?"
"Not really."
"Why?"
"It's troublesome outside."
"That explains it." He took another sip, the quiet reflection settling between them.
"But it has been peaceful," she said with a small smile. "I suppose it's thanks to Your Majesty's leadership."
It was true. Without his diplomacy and strength, Tianxia might have collapsed. Even she, a recluse, knew that.
"You're rather well-informed for someone who doesn't go out."
"I read newspapers."
"Hmm." He hummed and wondered what kind of life she lived. She felt hard to read.
"I'm curious," he said. "Are you happy you were chosen tonight? To serve me?"
"I..." her eyes wandered, "guess not."
"And why is that?" he let out a small smile, entertained.
"You've just made me the target for bullying," she joked.
"The princess of Qi Tian getting bullied? I doubt that," he said smugly. "And I'm sure the others wouldn't agree."
"Maybe that's because they like to compete and have nothing better to do." She leaned back, eyes closed, sipping her wine.
He couldn't believe what he just heard.
Her nonchalant tone, her unfiltered words. It was strange and funny.
"What are you looking at, Your Majesty?"
"Your endearing face," he flirted.
"Thank you. Bai Yi spent a lot of time drawing it." She smirked.
He laughed unexpectedly. "Who?"
"She followed me here from Qi Tian."
"Ah so your little helper."
"Yes." Her smile seems brighter now, perhaps getting more comfortable.
The emperor's hum was contemplative, a sound echoing the depths of his thoughts. His gaze, detached and unwavering. Perhaps a new line of thought had entered his mind.
"Say," Li Wan's sharp eyes mellowed, "do you know anything of the war's battlefield?"
Her expression shifted. "I can't say I do. I've only read about it in books. It's hard to imagine."
"Naturally." He hummed, his tone carry some unforeseen thoughts.
…
"Hm, would you like to know," he turned to look at Luqi, "what the war was really like then?"
"Yes."
"Then I shall enlighten you?" A detached sigh escaped his lips. His gaze scattered as the memory and images of that bloodbath land returned.
He began, delving into tales of war, his voice painting vivid images of bloodshed and carnage that only a seasoned warrior understood. She listened, entranced and invested. It was as if she had been transported to another world, his world. She was seeing what he saw. Each word, a page unfolds towards a new chapter of a dramatic but enthralling narrative. Perhaps she was there fighting with him.
The way he described the war was beyond anything she was aware of. Maybe it was that he was a good storyteller, or that she found something emotionally engaging about his words. The events he went through, all the suffering and battles he and thousands of knights fought while she was carefree in her chamber.
What went unnoticed even to the Luqi and even Li Wan was how easing and perhaps…comforting it was to converse.
"And then what happened, your majesty." Sometimes she would questioned, edging him to tell her more. His stories kept her on her toes, her mind sunk and eyes sparkled.
"And then..." he continued, engaged into his own order of thoughts.
The session went on for a long while. It seemed as if the two were in their own little world.
"The war is that interesting to you huh?" Li Wan scoffed.
"Yes." She answered with no shame, "I don't know if I can call it interesting, but I wanted to hear more."
"Hear more…It was a dead ground, you know." He leered at her.
"I have been listening, yes."
"Then why?"
"…" her eyes wandered around, looking for an answer, "maybe I just simply like to listen, to your story."
"That's all?" He laughed.
"Mm." She purposely ignored the contributing fact that she was once a warrior, a great fighter with refined skills. She, too, gets excited by the thrill of a battlefield.
"So," the wine mellowed his guarded features. His eyes slightly unfocused as they travelled from the ceiling to her, "Are you scared at all then? listening to my story."
A small smile spread across her baby face, "it doesn't take a genius to say that was rather traumatic." She paused. "I am glad you told me your story."
Li Wan was glad; his eyes seemed to have lightened. Perhaps sharing it with someone who seems so interested took half of the burden off him. It was a new experience for the emperor.
For a few moments, silence hung heavy in the air.
"Do you have any stories then?" The king relaxingly rested his head on his hand, his body loose as he gazed at her.
"Hmmm, stories huh..." She thought to herself, "What kind of stories does Your Majesty like?"
"Do you have any stories then?" he asked, leaning on one hand, his eyes lazily fixed on her.
"Hmm… stories, huh…" she tapped her lip. "What kind does Your Majesty like?"
"Something calming, maybe."
"Wouldn't that be boring?"
"Maybe that's what I need."
"Ah, that's why you picked me tonight." Her eyes gleamed.
"Pft- Princess, are you calling yourself boring?"
"As Your Majesty said, it's called calming." Her smug smile was hard to miss.
He shook his head with a chuckle. "Then tell me. What calming stories do you have for me?"
"It's not my story. But back in Qi Tian, one of my brothers was a traveller..."
And so Luqi began to tell the adventuring tales of her own blood brother, how he had roamed the world and what the other nation was like. They shared a long conversation, and her stories were truly calming, but also extremely enticing. Perhaps Li Wan anticipated that he would fall asleep, but he clearly didn't. He was intrigued, gravitated into the world she was portraying, even questioning if it was real.
"An octopus larger than the grand hall?" he repeated with suspicion.
"It's true. Or at least, that's what my brother saw."
"I read about that once. Didn't think such a creature really existed."
"Right??"
…
"There were people who wore leaves as clothing."
"I've heard of them. The Bian An nation?"
"Yes, I think that was it. But don't you find it strange..."
…
"What would you do if you were in that situation?"
"Ehh…"
…
"You like birds, Your Majesty?"
…
"And your brother survived?"
"Of course!"
As the alcohol flowed through their veins, the conversation flowed endlessly. They continued talking past bedtime.