White Empress, Ashes of Love Sequel

Chapter 1

"Annchi, Mother says to sit up straight," she heard her sister's forceful whisper next to her.

"And stop picking at your food," she added.

Annchi craned her neck to peak beyond Xiu, catching her mother's stern expression two tables down. Sitting back, her eyes gave a slight roll before focusing again on the small bowls in front of her.

"I can't eat. It tastes like ash," she mumbled, pushing the rice with one chopstick.

"It's delicious and you're being a brat," Xiu stated with a small swat to her sister's arm.

"Am I?" she asked, one dark brow raising as her stare down with the rice continued. "Perhaps I'm just exhausted after working five days without rest to hand pick and sort the very best peas for this most auspicious occasion," she stated sullenly.

"It is our honor to be invited to the Heavenly Realm. It is our duty to provide for them. Wipe that gloomy look off your face or people will start to notice," her younger sister chided.

If the people in this realm noticed anything so far, it was not her gloomy look, evidenced by the two women seated at the table next to them. They made no effort to hide their disdain for her and her family and even less effort in controlling the volume of their comments to each other throughout the meal.

"How brown and course they are," one woman had mentioned to the other in a barely concealed whisper earlier. "Their fingers are black. They don't even have finger nails!" the other answered and it had caused the offending digits in her hand to coil up and squeeze.

"Are the women here not beautiful? I love their dresses and hair adornments. Have you ever seen anything so fancy?" Xiu exclaimed, scanning the group surrounding them, completely oblivious of the sentiment surrounding her.

"Oh, look!" 

Annchi pulled her head back quickly to avoid the pointing finger of her sister toward the front of the Palace.

"Dancers!" she gasped out, causing Annchi to flick her eyes toward the group of elegantly dressed woman in flowing gowns as they twirled in unison toward the front of the cavernous room.

"Aren't they graceful? Everyone in this realm is so dignified and serene. It's like a dream," Xiu sighed.

"I disagree. Every one of them is faking it, I assure you," Annchi answered, scrutinizing the expressions on the beautiful faces of the dancers.

"Not so. They're smiling, look at them," her sister replied as she cupped her chin in her hand and rested her elbow on the table.

"Their mouths are smiling, their eyes are sad."

"You are truly too cynical, Chi-ya," Xiu stated softly, her eyes focused on the dancers.

"They are miserable, just like everyone else in this room. Except for you, of course. You seem inclined to believe this farce. Even the Emperor looks pained," she commented in a flat tone.

"He is most handsome. Don't you think?" Xiu commented, her eyes flitting to the dais at the front of the room.  Annchi's followed.

He was handsome, Annchi supposed. But a handsome face could only do so much to mask the ugliness inside. 

She knew what happened 600 years prior. Everyone in the Six Realms did. Her family lived and worked in remote land in the furthest reaches of the Heavenly Realm, closer to the Floral Realm.  Isolation and distance were no barriers to the knowledge of a failed war and a disgraced ruler. 

"He looks constipated," Annchi mumbled before looking down. 

"Chi-ya!" her sister chided with another swat to her arm. "You shouldn't say such things!"