Release Schedule: Once per week.
With no recollection of her past or even her own name, our heroine has merely been existing since waking in a place known as the Obsidian Terraces. Uncertain how to fend for herself or earn coin, she turned to protec...
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Mingzhu. I twirled a lock of hair around my fingers, letting the name sink in. An elegant name to be sure, though perhaps a simple leap. Pale skin, white hair, silver eyes—it wasn't hard to guess why he had named me as such. Pearls or sacred treasure. An argument could be made for either.
'He.' I pursed my lips in displeasure. It hadn't been until the latter half of my shopping excursion with Qiu that I had realized the emperor never introduced himself. I hadn't the faintest idea what his name was. The people of the Obsidian Terraces all seemed to revere him, only ever referring to him by title or honorifics.
Then there was the issue of my new residence. Living in the palace made little sense if I was to become a cultivator—or rather, relearn the arts. Whatever the pretense for my presence was. It would have made more sense for me to reside at the sect or school itself, both of which were just off palace grounds.
"Lady Mingzhu? I will see you to your rooms." A man dressed in a black and violet uniform approached me, acknowledging me with a slight bow, cupping one hand with the other. "Should you desire any changes to your rooms, Qiu will make the arrangements."
They are treating me with far too much courtesy. I acknowledged the man with a faint nod and followed him through the grand palace. "I hope I'm not being an inconvenience. I've yet to learn why I am being treated so...so...favorably."
"His Imperial Majesty is unshakable once he's made up his mind, my lady." The man shook his head. "Whatever his reason is, it isn't for a student such as me to know."
I frowned but remained silent. When we arrived at my rooms, the man dismissed himself. However, upon entering my rooms I found another there. Though a dragon like the rest, this one turned on his knees to kowtow with his head to the floor when he noticed my presence. His clothing revealed peeks of his muscular torso and arms, and a silver torque encircled his throat. His skin seemed to have a tinge of blue, similar to the azure hue of his scales. His hair was a deeper blue and was so long he could have knelt on it.
"Lady Mingzhu, my name is Shui," the man spoke, his forehead still to the floor. "I am one of the emperor's gifts to you, and am to serve your every need while you reside in the palace."
I raised an eyebrow. A personal servant for a student? The emperor had a great deal of information to divulge...if I couldn't get it from Shui.
"Please dispense with the formalities. I've been living in the streets, not in the lap of luxury." I shrugged off my over outer robe and put it aside. Shui tentatively raised his head, his expression making it obvious that he wasn't sure if I was serious. "I have many questions I would like to ask you...but I wish to take a bath first. Which door...?"
"I thought you might wish to bathe after spending so long in the city," Shui spoke in a proud tone, rising gracefully to his feet. The refined and confident way he carried himself didn't quite strike me as that of a mere servant. He swept across the room to an ornate pair of doors and pulled then open with a flourish. "When I arrived, I drew a bath for you and laid out a change of clothes His Imperial Majesty provided. Will you require assistance?"
