I'm sorry that for Third Prince's special chapters, the chapters are quite short, because I have to separate it into four parts. It is to fit the titles for each chapter. If you have notice, for Emperor's, it is Bud, Bloom and Wither, because Magnolia's name comes from a flower. So, it will be the same for the other special chapters.
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"Third Prince! Third Prince! Your Highness is going to Seventh Princess' palace again? Please do not! If it is found out by Her Highness Consort Shine again, we will be punished!" The two eunuchs chase after the eight years old prince, panting and shouting in their high-pitched voice while lifting their slipping hats slightly.
"You two are so noisy! If we never say anything, Mother Consort will never know! Then, no one will be punished!" Third Prince halts suddenly in his tracks and irritatedly spins around his body, complaining at his two eunuchs who are, to him, exceedingly coward. Then he runs off again in the direction of Seventh Princess' palace.
"Third Prince!"
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His heavy steps are quickened every moment by the feeling that starts out flickering, and is now burning within him. Sweat trickles down his temples, and his ears turn deaf to the shouting of his eunuchs running behind him. He still does not understand this feelings that seem to be suffocating him and squeezing his heart tight. It is the feelings he begins to feel ever since he witnesses on his own, Seventh Princess laughing, in the presence of Crown Prince, which unknowingly caused his body to turn around on its own, running away from his sister's palace even before entering it. It is a scene that keeps on repeating itself in his mind, only to bring out this unpleasant feelings he has ever felt for the first time.
Then it strikes him, that what he feels is the fire of jealousy. By the time he understands, it is fear that he feels.
For he has just sinned, helplessly.
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*10 years later*
The palace that is often showered with glamour and gifts from guests, stands high and mighty, almost alwaya earning envious stares from the lowly concubines that seem to have never existed in the palace. Consort Shine's palace this year will snatch the spotlight of the Imperial Palace from Empress', for Third Prince has finally stepped into adulthood this year, after Crown Prince last year. Under Consort Shine's absolute order, preparations have begun since months before the actual day, all for her precious son that is more valuable than any treasure ever existed. Her son will soon turn eighteen, an age where all princes will start attending Court.
And it also means another new beginning to her struggle in the palace will commence. She keeps repeating to herself over the years, that her main purpose of staying inside the palace, is to see her son becoming the Emperor, the Son of Heaven.
At the west side of her palace is a big garden with a grand phoenix pavilion specially built by the Emperor for her. A wooden seat with golden trimmings is placed in the middle of the pavilion before a long wooden table. There are two other simpler seats but with similarly intricate carvings placed on either side of the golden seat reserved for the Emperor. There is supposedly only one for her, but after an extremely long hours of consideration, she unhappily orders her servants to add another one for the Empress.
In the opposite side, the east side of her palace, is a an almost completely quiet place, filled with serenity that people would never believe it to be actually possible when they have heard how noisy the west side is during the preparation. It is again an order by Consort Shine to keep this place extremely peaceful for the sake of Third Prince. Third Prince rolls open another book, a precious original work of literature by a famous historian from the previous dynasty.
One more hour passes by, and he squeezes his eyes shut tight as he stretches his whole body, yawning in the process. Enough reading for now, he thinks while literally sweeping all the books aside of his table with his hands. Standing up from his seat, he barges out of his study chamber and rushes towards the east side of the palace to peek at the preparation.
A stage with loosely-draping translucent red curtains has been built in the middle of the vast garden, for the purpose of entertainment such as singing and dancing. There is an empty space casted aside for all the musicians. The palace servants are all dusting the furnitures, grooming the bushes, flowers and plants, moving the supplies and spreading out a squarish red carpet on the performance stage.
"Wan, let us go."
"Go? Go where?"
"Where else?"
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The condition of the palace is still as serene as it was ten years ago, or perhaps a little bit livelier as the master now has grown up from the quiet little princess to a surprisingly talkative, cheerful woman who is escpecially talented at dancing. There are several more pots of colourful flower to liven up the atmosphere of the palace.
Throughout these ten years, Emperor has never even once visited this palace. He has probably even forgotten about the existence of this palace, or even the existence of his princess. But of course, with Third Prince, he makes sure that Emperor will never forget Seventh Princess by constantly reminding his Father Emperor of how great his seventh daughter is at dancing. They are the often being spoken about pair of siblings who have somehow gotten close despite their complete difference in status in the palace. One is Consort Shine's son, another is the long-deceased and forgotten Consort Para's, who once lost favour, daughter.
So now, he wants to visit again his Seventh Sister.
When he steps into the palace, the first pleasant string of music travels into his ears, and he follows the source of the music into the small garden of the palace, where a small stage has been built for Seventh Princess to dance on. A female musician can be seen flicking the strings of zither while another slender figure is dancing around the stage in her pink fluttery silk dress, paired with red silk shawl that follows her movement. Thus, he just stops in his track to admire the beauty of hi sister, who has grown more and more womanly as time passes by. She is no longer a little girl, but is now a fifteen-years old lady whose beauty is well-known inside the Imperial Palace.
When the music ends with a last flick of the strings, Seventh Princess freezes her movement, so still like the scenic mountain, both her hands are up in the air in the lotus hand position, her extremely long hair slightly flutters in the presence of gentle breeze, her head tilts slightly to the right, her eyes looking down.
"You are dancing again." His voice earns her attention so easily as she immediately lowers her arms and carefully steps down the stage while holding onto Ere's hand.
"What brings you here?" She rushes towards the side of her brother in slightly quickened steps, which still carry grace befitting of a princess.
"Now I cannot even come to visit you?"
"You are really.... You always answer my questions with questions!" Seventh Princess casts annoyed looks at Third Prince's direction, though the latter only laughs it off lightly as per usual.
"Should you not be busy, considering your eighteenth birthday is in three days?"
"Why should I? The palace servants are the ones who prepare all the celebration, not me."
"You are really a prince..." Seventh Princess slowly shakes her head and fakes a look of disgust at Third Prince. She turns her head around and casts a short look at Ere before pacing her way back into her considerably small palace-which should have been called a manor instead. Ere takes several quick little steps following after her master into her palace. Seeing both of them hurriedly return back to their palace, Third Prince eagerly heads into the palace as well, only to be stopped by Ere and her next words that catch him by surprise and send him into slight embarrassment.
"Third Prince please do not enter. Her Highness Seventh Princess will be changing her outfit."
"O-oh..." So he moves several steps back and waits outside her palace for her to come out.
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Anyway, I just want to know what do you feel about this story from the start until now. Please do tell me in the comments! :)
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Love In The Palace
Historical FictionShe was sold to a richer family, and then substituted their daughter to be a palace servant candidate at 15. As news spread fast like the wind, she knows that a palace servant's life is not easy. She wishes for release as soon as she enters the pala...
