Concubine's Greed (Revising)

Three (Revising)

The passing months drained the very life out of my family, and the citizens of the court. With an emperor the morality of the palace were scraping bare bottom. The once vibrant palace now turned to an ugly gray hell. Robberies and petty crimes ran rampant outside of the palace, the council struggled to handle a situation they didn't have the heart for. As the people of the country prepared for the funeral, I prepared for a wedding, the thought made me sick.

Sunlight hit my eyes gently, making my face seem pleasantly warm. I could hear a distant cry of a unfamiliar bird. I heard the light shuffling of the servants entering my room quietly, trying not to rouse me. I felt a rough pushing on my arm, I opened my eyes hesitantly and realized it was only Ling. Her gentle brown eyes peered down at me.

"Lady Jiayang, it is time to get up, today is a big day."

She said calmly while stroking the top of my head. I felt the bile begin to rise and stick in my throat, I opened my mouth to speak but no sound came out, instead I gripped onto her delicate alabaster hanfu. Ling sighed and turned to the other servants.

"Can you all excuse us for a moment?"

She announced sternly she turned away from me and eyed the maids that were tending to my wedding attire. The maids paused and looked to me for confirmation, I waved my hand annoyed, annoyed they had ignored Ling's command. Ling's attention remained on the maids until they excused themselves. She turned back to me, her eyes revealing no ill-temper.

"What is wrong, today should be exciting."

She spoke quietly, her fingers running through my hair, that ran down my spine. I shook my head and sat up from the bed.

"Nothing about this is exciting, I'm getting sold to a country that I know nothing about, nothing is going my way."

I cried as I scratched my hair messily. Anger and sadness continued to cloud my eyes as I wasn't sure if i was on the edge of crying or throwing a fit. Ling quickly got up mid sentence, she sauntered her way to the marble counter across from my bed. The knobs and draws were lined with a gold lining that matched the frame of my large bed. The soft dove-colored sheets crumpled at the foot of my bed, some even draping onto the smooth jasmine flooring. She quickly picked up a rose quartz encrusted comb that had been placed by one of the maids and made her way back to me. I sighed as her diligence annoyed me at time, as I turned my back to her, allowing my hair to become more accessible.

"Jia, not everything will go your way in this new Kingdom."

She began as she stood behind me. She paused before she began to softly comb my hair.

"You will be seen as a stranger, and another competitor, for the Emperor's attention."

My blood boiled at her words, words that no doubt everyone at the palace was thinking of me as I was leaving for another kingdom. That bile rose in my throat again at the thought of..pleasuring an older man, for politics, as my brother and father claimed it would serve.

"I will not be a whore I will have the same title there as I do here."

I exclaimed, but immediately felt a slight pull on my hair.

"Drop such an attitude, and listen to me. You only have two roles you could follow there, you can impress the emperor and gain his attention and become Empress, or you can have the status of a princess but will only be seen as a concubine with fake jewels."

She put the brush down and began to run her fingers through my hair again, smoothing it even more. I sighed in dismay, I bit my tongue knowing she was right. The feeling of her hands were removed at last, and I took the opportunity to remove myself from the bedside. A thin layer of silk seperated my body from the cool spring winds, that chilled my room.The soft rays of the sun lit the garden below my room slightly. As the gardeners went to work on maintaining the life that flourished there. Bouquets of flowers covered and overwhelmed the small space granted by my father. My personal peacocks strutted about to yard, there vibrant feathers stretching widely display a flash of colors. I slowly closed the window, leaving the silk drapes open. I felt Ling's eyes on me, quietly anticipating my response. I remained facing the window blankly staring at the life outdoors. I sighed quietly before speaking into the silence.