Drakkon

Drakkon 2 (Black Jade) - two

"You look beautiful," I said as Lanfen stood in the mirror adjusting her hairpins. She was dressed in an indigo and purple gown, and her hairpin—a butterfly with a cluster of lavender jewels on the wings—matched perfectly.

"Are you sure?" She chewed on her lower lip and ran a hand over the silk material of her dress. "You don't think I look weird?"

"No, you don't." I gave her shoulder a squeeze. "You look stunning."

Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Thank you."

"You don't like it?"

"I do." She turned back to the mirror. Her brown eyes were wide and doe like as she splayed her fingers against the mirror. Maidservants had done her hair and even helped her change into the dress—with much resistance from Lanfen—but there was always a frown on her lips whenever she looked at herself, as if she wasn't sure if she liked what she saw. It puzzled me, since Lanfen wore clothes and jewelry we could've never imagined before.

"But?" I added, raising an eyebrow.

"But—" She sighed. "I feel like I don't belong."

I wanted to tell her to stop feeling like that, or assure her that she belonged, but I couldn't bring myself to do so. How could I lie to her face when I felt the same as she did? Our lives back home were so different. We didn't have hundreds of people watching our every move. We could wear the same dress multiple times in a row and no one would bat an eyelash.

Even the room we were in was so vastly different. The thick embroidered curtains hanging over the giant windows overlooking the capital, the lush rugs with intricate detailing from Arile, the lustrous marble floor ... Every inch of the room was layered in finery, and it wasn't even the emperor's quarters. This was Lanfen's room.

A single vase—like the one sitting on the glossy wooden corner desk, the one with carvings of a folktale along the trim—was worth more than what our parent's yearly salary could afford. And yet, we were both expected to fall into our roles in the palace like we were born into these luxuries. Like we weren't daunted by the cost of every piece of finery we came across.

Instead of joining her in her gloom, I worked a smile on my face and smoothed her already perfect silken hair. "We fit in our own place, Lanfen. Be confident," I said, drawing strength from my own advice. "Never be ashamed of where you come from."

I was speaking to myself more than her, but it was enough to ease a tiny, shy grin onto her face.

"You look beautiful too," Lanfen said with a wave towards my red and gold dress.

My laugh tinkered around the quiet room. "Thank you, but I do feel a little out of place too," I said, hesitantly bringing a hand to graze the golden hairpins intricately woven into my hair. The metal was cool to the touch. Meilin had gifted them to me last week; he loved to see me in silver, but he said he didn't want people thinking I wasn't worthy of gold, so he gifted a bunch of gold jewelry to me. "Gold is more expensive," he had said. "As an empress, you don't deserve anything cheap."

"That's kind of him." Lanfen sat down on the corner of her bed and watched me with questioning eyes. "Why is this party happening in the palace?"

"One of Meilin's important allies is holding the celebration." I recalled what Meilin had told me. The Wang family was a famed, loyal, and wealthy supporter of the throne, and Meilin had said lord Wang was a trusted supporter of his ever since he became emperor. "It's his daughter's birthday feast."