A Celestial Requiem | Book 1 of TSOT Series

CHAPTER 3

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LIWEI POV

I woke up to the flash of bright light as the servants pulled back the curtains. I could hear the faint whispering of the servants as they walked in and out of room to prepare me for the day. A warm hand landed on the arm that blocked the sun's strong rays. Morning had come too quickly; fatigue still plagued my body.

"It's time to prepare for the day, Taizi. Bìxià is expecting you," Shuren, one of two of the Imperial attendants, said with a gentle nudge. I always grew irritated whenever she referred to me as 'Crown Prince,' but I recognized it was part of the Imperial Palace's customs. After last night's festivities, I didn't feel like being the Crown Prince.

A groan escaped my mouth, knowing what today's discussion would be about. Being called on by my father was never a good sign. He was insistent on me finding a mate within the year, so he organized a lavish party filled with coquettish female nobles.

The disadvantages of being a dragon became abundantly clear when the females tried to touch me. It was a constant internal struggle for dominance between dragon and man. My dragon hated their touch because they weren't our mate. While I agreed with him, I didn't think we would ever meet a woman who was interested in something other than the crown and the luxuries that came with it.

When I made no motion to rise, Shuren tapped my shoulder once more. "You know your father likes punctual people."

"Yes, Shuren. I'm getting up." I swung one leg over the side of the bed and stood up as Shuren covered me with a black silk robe. 'Being the Crown Prince is too troublesome.'

My gaze met the earth dragon's green eyes; despite having worked in Imperial Palace for a long time, she still appeared to be vibrant. Her hair was already a silvery gray. She passed the mandatory age of resignation—something my father enforced whenever the Imperial servants became too old to work. Because his own parents were not alive, he maintained his filial duty by allowing older individuals to retire and live peacefully. However, not for Shuren. She was a stubborn dragon, insisting she would serve us until the day she took her last breath.

"Are you prepared to hear your schedule for the day?" she asked. Unlike Shuren, who was dressed in a deep green hanfu, all the other servants in the room wore matching beizi, which consisted of a pastel pink outer jacket and a straight collar. The teal skirt ran past their knees, covering their feet.

"Yes, go ahead." One servant, with a sheer face mask concealing her face, approached me with a cup of tea. Out of respect to my dragon, she kept her head low and avoided eye contact. I inhaled deeply, not recognizing the scent. They had fused it with a myriad of ingredients, making it difficult to determine what kind of tea it was. 'Please do not let this be another western tea...' I thought begrudgingly.

Last time, the servants prepared a black tea, which held a disgustingly bitter flavor. I brought my lips to the edge of the cup and took a hesitant sip, and relief washed over me when I identified baihao yinzhen, a delicate, yet sweet ingredient in white tea.

"After you eat breakfast with Bìxià, you will accompany him to see Lady Cai Min. After your visit, you and Bìxià are to travel to Shangzihua," Shuren said, reading off a scroll.

I walked closer to the window and stared at the empty courtyard in front of us. Shuren dismissed the other servants, allowing us to speak freely. "He must want to discuss the yaoguai. They cannot live peacefully with humans. I've been asking him to grant the humans permission to enter the Mainlands for their own safety, but he is unrelenting in his decision. The longer we prolong our decision, the more resentment the humans will harbor against us."

"If I may be so bold to say..." Shuren began, waiting for me to give permission. I gave one sharp nod, and she continued, "...as long as we have humans here, there will always be some level of discourse between our species. Naestrirea can't forget the past, and I'm sure there are some humans who feel the Mainlands wouldn't accept them."

"You're right. You must think me foolish to be hopeful for everlasting prosperity and peace. It is a dream only Goddess Meihui would dare dream of."

"Of course not. I share your sentiments, Liwei. To consider you foolish would be to label myself the same." Her eyes glinted playfully at me, which brought a smile to my face.

"You remind me of her, you know?"

"In what way?"

"You're always willing to indulge my wishful thinking, no matter how silly you may find it to be." I took a seat in front of the mirror and she joined me to brush my hair. Her gentle touch soothed me, taking me back to the time when my mother did my hair.

"Liwei, sit still. You can go play in a moment. The toys will still be there when we're finished." Mother laughed. The sound of her laughter warmed my heart; it was the only time I could truly be myself. She didn't force me to act on ceremony like father, she was the only person who allowed me to enjoy being a child.

"Can't I just cut my hair, Māmā?" I asked. "Then we could have more time to play!"

"Our hair is a symbol of our status, Liwei. It represents perseverance and responsibility. One day, you'll be the emperor and it'll be important for you to maintain that symbol if you want the nobles to respect you. Appearances are everything to them, but you must learn to look beyond a person's exterior. Some may try to hide their true intentions behind a mask." The comb weaved in and out of my black hair until she straightened all knots out. She pinned my golden crown up in my hair once she molded into a neat bun and came from behind me to look at her work. "Perfect, you will be a strong emperor one day."

"Why would they hide their intentions, Mother?" I asked, peering up into her serene blue eyes. Unlike the other nobles who wore golden robes to bring attention to their high status, she wore a blue daxiushan and looked more graceful than the women of the court.

Her strained expression disappeared just as quickly as it appeared, as she masked it with a smile. "You'll learn when you're older."

I learned what she meant when father bestowed the title of Crown Prince upon me when I turned thirteen. The Imperial Council did as much as they could to put themselves in my good graces because they knew once my father passed, they would have to serve me. Their masks crumbled away, and I could finally see their true faces.

"Taizi?" Shuren asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. "I have laid your clothes out behind the changing panel. When you have finished changing, please meet your father in the dining hall."

"Thank you, Shuren. You may leave."

She bowed and headed for the door while I made my way towards the changing panel. Before the door opened, she said, "I miss her too, Liwei." I peered around the panel suddenly, surprised by her admission, but she had already left the room.

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Thank you to DahliasDesk for putting up with all of my rough drafts of this story. If it weren't for your advice, this story would have been an unedited mess.