Blue Gold

藍 金『 xv 』fleeting blossoms

❝ UNTIL THE LAMBS BECOME LIONS. ❞

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【 Kirin Isle - キリン 】

The cold silence was broken by someone pouring saké into a small cup, the running sound finishing with a clink of the porcelain bottle being placed back onto the small side table.

Though the room was dim and only lit by flickering candles lit within red lanterns, casting their crimson light and drawing shadows, the only sound was the slight pattering of a heavy rainfall outside the washi papered sliding doors. 

Just then, the door slid open into the room and the slight shuffling sound of a kimono entered the room, bowing first by placed the tips of their fingers on the ground directly in front of their knees, thumbs touching in a perfect 30° bow.

"A reply already?" Came a young voice from a boy who was sitting in perfect seiza while calmly sipping a small cup of saké. Despite his young appearance and voice, he had glowing blood red eyes that seemed to know all in the world, ancient and wise in their vision. 

"Yes, Master." Was the straight-forward reply, otherwise silently handing the child in appearance a letter with a seal marked by a phoenix. 

The boy broke the seal and read the letter with a sharp, analyzing look at it before smirking ambiguously. "For a new temple-boy, it seems as though the young Tiên prince has some ambition yet."

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【 Capital City - Qiú - 求 - Imperial Palace 】

A week had passed since the Imperial wedding ceremony and Liên sincerely felt that she had the thank the Pheonix Mother for the busy time that palace was going through, having a new Emperor due to the deceased of the former and reorganizing of the ministry. 

It was thanks to this that she had seen Lón--the Emperor in a blessed week. She herself was keeping an ear to the ground and eye out for any news passing through about the Northern situation or more specifically, her own former home of Tiên. Though that was a bit more covert than her expected studies of Lóng government and society. She did have to fit in as their new Empress, so she was told numerously. 

Of course, she had already spent most of her life studying these sorts of things— etiquette, foreign languages and customs, governance...the sort of studies all royalty go through, so she wasn't too out of place in that department. 

Just then Tuyến, Liên's personal maid since childhood, entered into the harem palace's open sitting room, where the newly enthroned Empress sat on the exterior end of the building on the wooden ledge seats, looking out onto the peach orchard and drinking tea, having taken a well-deserved break from her own work. 

"For a harem, this place if far too big without absolutely no one to fill it!" The raven-haired maid huffed honestly, setting down a large basket and rolling her shoulders back. "There's just me and a hundred or so maids alone just to upkeep the place and serve you."

"One would think an Emperor would have a few concubines as well." 

Liên looked up at her and smiled softly. "I doubt he'd take a concubine if she wasn't useful in some way."

"Fairy Elder Sister!!~" Came a cheerful voice which made the Empress look up to see the familiar eye-patch and mischevious grin of the second prince, who popped up from seemingly nowhere. "What a surprise!"

"Surprise? But you're in the harem. Which is currently only housing me..." The white-haired girl raised an eyebrow suspiciously. 

Yun Lóng laughed at that nonchalantly, sliding in next to her.

"I'm trying to stay out of sight for a bit, so this place is as good as any. Tightest security in the palace, you know." He informed her randomly, waving his hand at the courtyards and gardens. "Not even the palace dungeons are this locked up."

"Well, I'm a bit high-profile for an ordinary prisoner." Bitterness seeped into her voice.

Laughing easily despite his poor choice of words, the second prince touched his eyepatch unthinkingly in thought before speaking up once more, a quick flash of brighter gold being seen in his eyes.

"The Baekho ambassador has come to pay their tribute today. Hence! I'm skipping." He emphasised the 'hence' with a clap of his hands.

"Is that wise?" Liên asked without much interest to be honest.

"Very," Golden eyes twinkled mischievously. "The Prime Minister said that I scared him a little too much last time with my pranks so I should stay away." At this, he pouted sadly at his lose of fun before grinning in a strange rapid facial-expression swing.

"You should too, Fairy Elder Sister."

"Skip?"

"Take a break, relax, whatever wording you think sounds more poetic."

"But I am taking a break...?"

"You still look exhausted though." Came a suddenly sharp scrutiny, voice devoid of any human quality and his golden eyes blank but glowing. 

The Empress blinked in surprise, somewhat speechless at how quickly the boy could change his entire aura from mischevious, care-free and teasing to frigidly cold, causing a shiver to run down her spine at how he suddenly looked so much like his accursed elder brother.

"You should use our hot spring!" Yun Lóng beamed at her, at some point having taken her trembling in memory hands into his, going back to his usual demeanour without skipping a beat.

Liên didn't know why her hands were shaking like that, though the sudden memory of her former love standing over her cold, unmoving parents who were stained in that Southern crimson colour washed over her.

"There's a really pretty bathhouse built over our hot spring for the royal family to use." Yun chattered away as if he were selling the idea to her.

"I..."

"--Should do as you please." The single-eyed boy finished for her, picking up on her hesitation. "You are our Empress now and should do as you please."

A moment of silent debate came from the Northern girl before she sighed reluctantly. "A hot spring does sound nice right now, thank you for the suggestion."

"Excellent! Have a nice time, Fairy Elder Sister!!~" Yun waved energetically as she stood up to head off, his childish smile slowly twisting into a calculating smirk, glowing eyes laughing in amusement.

Perhaps now things could get a little interesting.