“Princess Biyu,” Muyang’s voice rang louder, halting all other conversations. Everyone shifted to turn their full attention on them.
Sweat trickled down her back and the summer heat aided in her discomfort. “Y-yes, Your Majesty?”
“I called you here for an important matter. I had a similar conversation with your sister earlier today, and she seemed to take the news well.” He picked up his cup of tea and took a sip of it. The small break increased her apprehension and she wanted him to finish talking already, to let her know exactly what he had planned for her, because he wouldn’t have called her out here for nothing. But she couldn’t rush the emperor, so she bunched her hands over her skirt and waited. Finally, he continued, “Do you know Lord Jian from the Wu family?”
She tried to wrack her mind on who he was, but her anxiety spread like a fog settling in her memories. The more the emperor stared, the more blank her mind became. Her throat constricted and she could feel more eyes training on her. Analyzing her. Whispering about her incompetence. How she could never remember anything in the heat of the moment, or whenever she was put on the spot.
But then Nikator placed a hand on the small of her back and leaned toward her ear, his breath tickling the side of her clammy neck. “Breathe. You’re fine,” he murmured quiet enough so only she could hear.
A tremor ran down her spine. His hand on her back felt warm, but just as quickly as he had placed it, he removed it and stepped away from her. The departure of his body heat made her want to twist around and reach for him. But she kept herselfrooted, even as the warmth of his presence budded in the pit of her belly.
She was aware of the emperor’s curious eyes on her, and then at Nikator. Something flickered in those black, midnight eyes. Something she couldn’t read.
Now that her mind was clear, she thought of the question at hand.
The Wu family—shehadheard of them.
The had defected from her father’s faction during the rebellion, choosing to side with Drakkon Muyang. They were a rather small noble family, so she’d never paid much attention to them or their members, and neither had her father. From what she remembered, most had been killed off, either by her father’s men or … she wasn’t really sure. The war, perhaps?
“I apologize, I don’t know him.” Biyu licked her lips. Was this a test?
Muyang waved to the man beside Minos, who straightened in his seat. “Don’t be shy, Lord Jian. Introduce yourself.”
Lord Jian was a young man in his early to mid-twenties. He was average in looks, a bit surly-looking, the type who would get in brawls with others, and he wasn’t necessarily lean or muscular, just average in build. A giant cut slashed over his mouth to give him a perpetual sneer, and he had a mean look in his eyes that made her stiffen. Although he smiled at her and the emperor, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was duplicitous.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Princess Biyu.” Jian placed a hand to his chest and lowered his head. “I’m Wu Jian, the head of the Wu family.”
An uncomfortable feeling swirled in her chest. “L-likewise.”
Muyang watched the interaction between the two of them with narrowed eyes; she could practically see the gears in his head turning, his sharp gaze flicking to Nikator, and then back toBiyu. The corner of his mouth lifted and Biyu braced herself for whatever he would say next.
“You deserve a life outside of chains, Princess Biyu,” he said. “Which is why I’ve arranged for you and Lord Jian to marry this upcoming autumn.”
The words echoed in her mind, but she couldn’t comprehend them. It must have been a joke. A cruel hallucination. A trick of her mind. But Jian continued to smile politely and the emperor stared at her expectantly. Everyone seemed to hold their breath—she was supposed to thank him, to express gratitude for allowing such a thing. And yet she only gaped.
Marriage. Tohim?
All the air dissipated from her lungs. She found herself dropping to her knees, trembling hands pressing to the floor. She lowered her head, but no matter how much she tried to formulate her gratitude, the words were stuck in her throat.
“Th-thank—” Her shoulders quivered and she couldn’t figure out why this news shook her down to her core. The summer heat penetrated through the layers of clothes and stifled her more than a few seconds ago. She was too hot. Too uncomfortable. And there were too many people, too many eyes, too much that was expected from her. “Thank you,” she finally wheezed out. “I am so ha-happy to hear that.”
She didn’t lift her head even as one of the women prattled about how great an opportunity this was for her, since she wouldn’t be stuck in her bedchambers all day long for the rest of her life and how she could look forward to having children and a life outside of being a disgraced MuRong.
She could feel Drakkon Muyang’s scrutiny, but she didn’t dare move from her position. Finally, he spoke, “You may rise.”
Biyu jerked to her feet, darkness swimming in the edges of her vision from the blood rush. She blinked and tried to compose herself, but she was failing. Thiswasa great opportunity forher,ifshe hadn’t already been plotting with Yat-sen to usurp the throne. How was she going to do that if she was shipped away to the Wu estate?
But then her mind traveled to other possibilities. Like the woman to Daiyu’s right had said, this was a chance for her to have a life outside of being a prisoner. She could marry Jian, have children with him, go on strolls to the markets whenever she pleased, participate in festivals, and do whatever she wanted to. She would be free … to some extent.
“Princess Biyu, why don’t you sit with your fiancé and acquaint yourself with him?” Muyang said smoothly, his attention shifting to something beyond her shoulder. He lithely climbed to his full, impressive height and nodded at someone. “Minos, Nikator—a word.”
Minos stuffed half a rice cake in his mouth, the sticky red bean paste oozing from the corner of his lips, and straightened out of his seat, dusting the crumbs off his robes with his free hand. The spot next to Jian was now free.
Biyu watched from the corner of her eye as Minos clapped Nikator on the back and they both filed out of the pergola with the emperor. This was probably her time to sit beside Jian and talk things through. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad? Maybe he would give her freedom. Maybe they could have a future. Maybe?—
But she was technically married to Nikator. Bound to him for lifeanddeath.
What did that mean if she married someone else? And what about her and Yat-sen’s plans? What would become of them?
