Heaven's Daughter

Chapter 34 - A Deal to Switch Sides

"Isn't it great? The palace hasn't looked this festive since the King first took the throne!" one of the maids exclaimed. The flowers had bloomed at last and with the king feeling much better than he did in the previous months, the kingdom decided to hold a flower festival in his honor. All whom lived in the kingdom were filled with joy except for one person.

"Lady Xiao You, the celebration is about to begin. You must change into your new dress," her new personal servant A Mei said. Kairi peeked up from the book she was reading and once she saw the dress, she silently went back to reading her book. A Mei sighed out of frustration and prostrated on her knees. "My lady, please. The servant from his highness, the crown prince, specifically said that you must be there on time."

"Why must I go to this celebration? I'm clearly Zhang Sheng's prisoner. No one will miss me even if I don't show up," Kairi replied and nonchalantly flipped the page of her book.

"My lady, the servant said that if you do not show up on time, his highness will come over and... ahem, drag you there himself," A Mei said after careful consideration.

It's been a few weeks since their last argument and she hasn't seen him since. Then again, since they've both arrived to Eden, they've done nothing but argue upon meeting. It was as if, Zhang Sheng had been replaced by someone else. She actually missed the carefree womanizing Zhang Sheng. Sighing deeply about the consequences of not attending, she set her book down and finally got up from her seat. A Mei happily brought over the dress and helped Kairi into it at a fast speed. Soon after, A Xiang entered the room with recently bought jewelries from Zhang Sheng.

"My lady, his highness has asked me to bring you a new set of jewelries," A Xiang said as she placed the tray of new jewelries on the table with the other laid out jewelries. Kairi completely ignored them and picked from her old set of jewelries.

"What about this hairpin?" A Mei asked as she held up the jade hairpin nervously. Kairi hasn't worn the jade hairpin since their first fight. She took the jade hairpin from A Mei. It was cool to the touch as if the connection between Zhang Sheng and her had been severed. Without saying anything, Kairi held it up for A Mei to place it in her hair.

"You look beautiful, my lady! Those women from the harem will all be green with envy when they see you!" A Xiang exclaimed as she watched from the sidelines. Kairi had never been this dolled up before. She much prefer lighter and simpler accessories. Her purple dress was exquisite. She could tell that only nobles would be able to afford such luxurious fabrics. Taking one last look at herself, she ordered both maids out to arrange for her carriage. Once they left the room, Kairi released Xiao Huo.

"Xiao Huo, I'm leaving the courtyard for a while so guard my room," Kairi told it. The not so little firebird tweeted once and flew over to her bed and sat down silently. Xiao Huo was now the size of a car tire. Pretty soon, he'll be too big to conceal but his cultivation had advanced drastically. Even his behavior has changed. He seemed much calmer has if he was already in his teens. Kairi smiled at the pretty bird.

"I'll reward you with a few monster fruits when I get back," she told him and almost immediately, Xiao Huo flapped his wings excitedly. Then again, he hasn't changed that much.

The grand hall was beautifully with all kinds of flowers. Kairi marveled at the sight having forgotten for a moment that she hated the thought of attending the celebration. She only tore her eyes away when she felt stares from all direction. Was it the way she looked? Did she look funny in her outfit? Why were people staring? She didn't get to dwell too long on her thoughts because they were shattered by a loud cry.

"Xiao Xiao!" came a voice that rang out above others. It was familiar and strangely annoying to Kairi. A man dressed up in fancy royal guard armor came out from the crowd. His hair was tied up in a half bun revealing his rather charming but feminine looks.