Love In The Palace

Concubine Selection

Hi! Happy New Years 2016! Late greetings for me but anyway, I wish all of you a real good year to come!

Big news! This story has hit over 10k reads! Oh my god I'm so happy that people are reading and liking this story! This is a big motivation for me! :D

This is chapter 15.

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Jade's POV:

Looking around, I can only see unfamiliarity around me. The plants are not groomed by me. The pots have different carvings and the rock pavements feel strange. The yard is so much bigger and there are so many bronze lantern posts cleanly polished. The crowd of people feel unfamiliar to me. There are so many palace servants, busy bustling around moving in supplies, decorations and more plants. Though I feel obliged to lend a hand, I still feel uncertain for things will change now. There will be so many different faces I do not know before, and I will spend the rest of my palace life with them, here, in the palace Crown Prince lived in before he was sent to isolation in another smaller and further one away.

"Jade, Jade? Jade!" Cherry's voice snaps me out of my daydream, her hand is waving in front of me, irregularly. Waking up from my thoughts, I awkwardly apologise.

"Sorry, Cherry. I..."

"There will be some changes that would happen to our duties from now on. For this, we need to report to Crown Prince."

"Now?"

"Yes, now, before he leaves!"

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"Greetings, Your Highness Crown Prince." Both of us lowers our bodies into a deep curtsy, though the much bolder Cherry lifts her head up to look at Crown Prince, while the timid me keeps my head down.

"What is the matter?" He asks, seemingly uninterested as he is flipping through some books.

"This is regarding the positions of servants in Crown Prince's palace." Cherry replies without hesitation. Perhaps after years of loyally standing by Crown Prince's side, she has gained much courage.

"Why?"

"Supposedly, Jade being the higher-ranking servant should serve as Your Highness' palace's head-servant. However, I believe that it is best if I take over her position, and she serves Your Highness fully, for she has only been in the palace for a short while." As she finishes her sentence, I turn my head towards her direction, shocked and disagreeing. She has not discussed it with me yet, and she has already brought it up to Crown Prince. When she notices me staring at her, she discreetly hits me gently with her arm, signalling for me to just obey.

"I have no opinion. However, she herself seems to have some." He flips his book close, setting it on his wooden table and turns around to face both of us, still in our curtsying position.

"I...I have no opinion." I force the words out of my throat, closing my eyes, my heart beating faster than ever.

"Very well, now you may go down, Cherry. I have some documents to look through." Cherry raises and takes three steps backwards, before turning around towards the exit of the room. Crown Prince's study room is completely silent, with only two of us around. Me, still in my curtsy position, can only remain stationary, waiting for further instructions.

"What are you doing there? Come and help me prepare the ink!" He hurriedly walks over to the other side of the table, settling himself comfortably on the cushioned chair with elaborate carvings.

"Y-yes." I reply, awkwardly. Ever since the shooting incident during Crown Prince's training, I have always been uneasy around him. I timidly walk over to his side, my hands clumsily fumble over the instruments on his table, preparing ink in the right concentration for him.