Drakkon

Chapter Five

I wondered what my family thought about me becoming the empress. A servant had been sent to me that morning and had informed me that Meilin had ordered someone to go to my village and tell everyone in it that I was his bride. My family was given gifts and I couldn't help but imagine the looks on their faces when they found out that I was to be the wife of the Dragon, most feared man in the empire.

"My lady," a woman said as she entered the room, bowing down.

I sat upright from my position on the couch and stared at her for a moment before smiling softly. I still wasn't accustomed to people bowing down at me, and when I had told the servants to stop, they ignored my requests and did so anyway. "Yes?" I asked.

She was carrying a plain red box in her hands and as she spoke, she pulled it open. "His Majesty has sent you a gift."

I hesitantly walked forward and gasped when I saw six silver hairpins nestled in the box. They were simple and beautiful, with crystals and jewels attached to them. "They're beautiful," I breathed.

"Do you wish for me to style them into your hair?"

"Yes, please," I said with a smile.

The servant came over to where I was at and undid my hair, brushing the long strands before pulling it together and weaving the pins in. When she was done, I turned to the mirror and tilted my head to look at my black hair, my eyes bright as I admired her work. I had never worn such finery before, and even though it was quite simple compared to what other women wore, I adored it.

"Thank you very much," I said.

"He also sent this note," she said as she produced a thick white card with dark, neat lettering.

I stared at the paper in my hand and gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but I can't read."

She blinked in surprise and wrung her hands together. "I'm sorry, My lady, but I also cannot read." She glanced over her shoulder. "Perhaps we can call a soldier or someone who can?"

After a moment of hesitation, I agreed to that and waited while she fetched a soldier. After a few more moments, an older man stood before us with my note in his hand. He bowed to me before reading the note out loud, "To be dearest little rabbit, a gift for you."

"That's it?" I asked with a soft blush, not sure why his words had my heart racing.

"Yes, My lady," he said.

"Thank you," I said as I took the note back. "Please tell the emperor that . . . that I love the gift."

When they both left, I touched the hairpins and smiled at the small gift. Granted, he probably didn't choose them himself and just ordered someone to send some, but at least he remembered his promise to send me it. Perhaps Meilin wasn't that bad; my dinner with him had proved that he wasn't as cruel as I had initially thought.

Although I had spend a lot of time boringly cooped up in my room, it was only last night where I realized that I was allowed to walk around the palace and venture the gardens if I wanted to. Precisely doing so, I smiled softly at whoever bowed to me on the way there. I still wasn't accustomed to the behavior people had around me, the woman who apparently had the Dragon's favor, since I was chosen as wife instead of concubine.

"My lady, you're looking as beautiful as always," a maidservant murmured when I entered the garden I had seen yesterday. I smiled at her and said my thanks, glancing around the greenery around me, the small pond, and the stone pathway.

Walking along the pathway, I smiled at the sky and the flowers around me. I had been born in a small, rural village with greenery and animals, so the sight of trees and flowers were welcoming to me. I missed home and wanted to see my family, but I couldn't bring up the request to Meilin, who didn't seem that concerned with me. In fact, from what I learned from dinner two days ago, Meilin didn't think much about family since he didn't have one. There was no way he would understand my feelings and see that I missed my family.