Unlikely Circumstances (HuaLian)

Chapter 1

   "The prince never looked our way, had he? Why bother with all this?" She muttered displeasedly, eyes glaring into the magnificent mirror in front of her. It reflected a young, slender girl with a pretty face, no matter how dissatisfied her expression was. 

   Despite her own complaint, however, she proceeded to precisely brush a thin coat of eyeshadow the color of blooming flowers onto her eyelids. Her movements were clumsy, but she was better than she used to be a few months ago when she first entered the dancers circle.

   "Aiya, mei mei! Has no one told you yet?" The oldest dancer of the female group fretted, and she raised a single eyebrow.

   "Is something the matter?" She asked absentmindedly, still working on her makeup to look smooth and poised. 

   "He will look." Another voice joined the conversation, and her hand halted for a short while, turning to one of her seniors. She had been the youngest dancer since joining.

   "What makes today different?" She questioned, nothing but curious.

   "He will have to look, Ban Yue." Her senior said complacently, while she quietly frowned. Couldn't she just say it straight-forwardly, after all?

   "Ah, it's nothing stressful, Ban Yue dear." The oldest of them spoke again, breaking the slight tension that rose. It was not her fault being a tad bit annoyed, she just really hated makeup.

   "Yes, instead, it is something we ought to be delighted about!" Another dancer that was just slightly older than her exclaimed enthusiastically. She blinked. There was nothing worth celebrating after being sent to the palace dancer's circle as a price of atonement for his father's crime.

   Delicate hands landed on her shoulders, and she looked at the owner of the hands through the mirror. She smiled at her gently.

   "The prince is seeking a concubine." Her senior told her, ending the raging curiosity in her head. She hummed, wonderingly but approving of the presented explanation, as simple as it was.

   "So hurry up, alright? The male dancers are all ready. We will wait for you in the room beside the throne room. Don't take too long." She advised kindly before leading all five of them out of the room, leaving her alone in the preparation room as an exception for being a little slower with her movements. The door was left open, as they concluded that she wouldn't take long. Ban Yue didn't waste her time and continued with her setting powder, planning on her eyeliner next. It would be her finishing touch.

   That conversation explained why everyone seemed to be so nervous and excited and shamefully, frivolous. Their attire looked especially alluring and flowy that day, just the right amount of everything, silks and revealed skin alike. She never liked frivolous things, but whatever. She guessed that it was meant to be after all, frivolousness and dancers. If she thought about it, even dancers themselves were just arts and beauty for display, it wasn't exactly needed.

   What she was curious about, however, was the fact that her fellow sisters seemed to believe that they stood a chance with the prince. She didn't mean to be rude, but wasn't that too big of a dream? To be the prince's first ever concubine when he never really paid attention to them before. She expected nothing more than a few glances scrutinizing their faces before they were left alone again. It was the only outcome to be anticipated.

   Or maybe it wasn't, because their prince, His Highness The Crown Prince Xie Lian had always been the eccentric one. It was already weird that he was the one to save her from being sent to the slave camp, then he took dancers when he wouldn't look at them, though she had heard rumors that it was because of his cultivation method. Then why search for a concubine now? What changed?