Conquering the Emperor

Prince Kin’s palace was further away than Ren’s palace which I guess was to be expected. Afterall, it made sense for Ren’s palace to be located closer to his inner court. Due to the distance, a carriage was prepared for me so that I didn’t have to walk.

Upon my arrival at Prince Kin’s palace, I was greeted politely by his maids and was led inside to where they told me that Prince Kin was waiting. Prince Kin’s palace was large and glamorously decorated. The place had a different vibe from Ren’s palace and seemed less traditional and newer. Unlike Ren’s palace that was decorated with many traditional motifs and the symbol of the empire, Prince Kin’s palace looked more like an entertainment theatre.

The building was full of various bright colors and the shape of the roof resembled performance theatres. Judging from the various performance masks on display on the walls along the hallway of his palace, I could guess that that was what he was into. A prince who was interested in the visual and performing arts. I couldn’t picture a starker contrast from his older brother who was interested in warfare.

“This is the room, Lady White Lotus,” the maid said politely as came to a stop in front of a pair of sliding doors.

“Thank you…” I replied simply.

I watched as the maid bowed respectfully before leaving me. I guess this is it.

“Welcome to my palace! I’m overly excited and honored to have the grace of your presence, Lady White Lotus,” Prince Kin greeted me the moment that I entered the room.

I was reminded once again of how Prince Kin was very different from his older brother. While Ren was outwardly cold and unapproachable, Prince Kin was bursting with positive energy. Some people may feel drawn to his friendly personality that seemed to get along with everyone; however, for me, I just felt like he was acting overly friendly with everyone.

He got up from his seat at the round dining table and approached me as he smiled charmingly at me. I was sure that that smile would disarm most women and perhaps some men as well; however, I was more interested in the fact that we were the only two people in the room right now.

Following his inviting gestures, I slowly and cautiously took my seat at the round table where we were supposed to be having lunch. The decoration in the room truly matched the fancy and bright colored exterior of the palace.

“Where is Lady Mimi? I was looking forward to having lunch with her as well…” I said before offering him a polite smile.

Seriously, where is Lady Mimi…

“Unfortunately, Lady Mimi was quite sick last night and doesn’t have the strength to join us today. I truly wished she could have joined us as well,” Prince Kin replied casually.

After those words left his mouth, I realized that something was very wrong. I smiled politely at him while trying my best not to narrow my eyes suspiciously at him. Did he tell me that Lady Mimi would be joining us to make it easier for me to make up my mind? Or is this all just some unlucky coincidence?

“That’s truly unfortunate. I do hope that Lady Mimi recovers swiftly,” I replied smoothly.

“Yes. She’s receiving treatment from the royal doctors so there is nothing for you to worry about,” Prince Kin said reassuringly.

In other words, he no longer wishes to discuss Lady Mimi’s situation. It wasn’t like I was interested in how she was doing…

“I see. Shall we start with lunch?” I asked, trying to sound polite.

The sooner we start with this the faster we will be done with it. I wasn’t hungry at all, and I was beginning to feel very uncomfortable around Prince Kin and his overly charming smiles.

“Oh, I am so sorry. I didn’t realize that you were hungry. Let me get the maids to serve the food and drinks right away,” Prince Kin said before clapping his hands together to signal to the maids that our food is to be served.

A few maids came in with trays of food in their arms as they filled the table with food and drinks. I learnt that Prince Kin’s extravagant tastes extended to his food preferences as well. The food he offered me rivaled the meal that Ren offered to me when I spent time with him in his palace.

“Thank you for your kindness,” I replied flatly.

“Please enjoy the food. These are actually my favorite dishes and I think my cooks are quite talented at making them,” Prince Kin said as he gestured for me to start eating.

I smiled politely at him before taking a sip of my tea.

“This tea is special as well. It has a mixture of dried roses, adding to the aroma. It’s quite popular right now in many cities,” Prince Kin informed.

“I see. It’s nice…” I said, a little surprised at the sweet taste of the tea after I had sipped it.

The smell of the tea was indeed pleasant thanks to the dried roses. Although the taste of the tea was sweet it somehow went along well with the savory food.

“I’m glad that you like it,” Prince Kin said as he smiled at me. He was clearly pleased with himself.

I nodded slightly to show my appreciation when he refilled my teacup with more rose tea. So far everything seemed to be progressing as per normal. Prince Kin was friendly and very polite. His conversations were simple and very easy for me to engage with. We talked about random everyday things including our hobbies and what we enjoyed doing. He asked me about my hometown and how my time in the palace has been so far.

“You seem to have a passion for the arts. I can see many performance masks in your palace as I was walking through the hallway,” I said.

“That’s right. You’ve got a good eye for things. I like art a lot and I support the development of visual and performing arts,” Prince Kin said excitedly.

--To be continued…