Crocodile Tears

Countless days had passed since I arrived at Sui before I realized why A'Wu was staying here with me. To put it quite simply, the emperor and empress were thrifty and didn't want to hire another etiquette coach.

"Princess of Liang and Princess LanLing, please perform a ritual bow."

With a flick of her sleeves at a precise angle, A'Wu was on the floor, her right hand carefully folded over her left. Though she was younger than me, in the moments when she wasn't trying to convince me that her second brother was the best man in the world, I had to admit that she was a much better student and a more proper princess.

"That is all for today." Hearing those words, A'Wu bounced over with her toy bunny, a completely different girl than the serious one from a moment ago.

"New sister-in-law! Stop being absentminded! You haven't even met my second brother, so there surely isn't anything to dream about!" she pouted when I gave her no attention.

In just the few days I've known her, she became the closest to a friend I've had for years. Quite frankly, her bubbly personality made it hard for anyone to dislike her.

"Your second brother surely can't be as handsome as the famous Prince Gao," I teased her, knowing that she would immediately jump to his defenses. At times, I would forget that this man she nearly worshipped was to become my future husband.

"Well, for starters, he's dead, and my brother isn't. Plus, you'll love my brother and not him." She continued rambling on and on, and I near-regretted asking her the question in the first place. Finally, I couldn't take the propaganda anymore and begged her to move on to a new topic.

She contemplated for a minute, and her shoulders drooped. "I know you grew up outside of the palace," she paused, looking at me uncertainly before adding. "I don't mean to belittle you or anything."

Though it was less than a month ago that I dreamt of opening an apothecary, the memories felt like they were from a lifetime ago. Instead of waking up to my aunt's calls, I could only communicate with her through transcribed letters by my uncle's hand.

"Sorry, did I say something wrong?" A'Wu looked at me, sincerely apologetic. "I just never really went outside before. When I was a child, Mother and Father said it wasn't right for me to go out to play, and I could only watch my brothers leave without me. But when I was old enough, I found myself stuck instead in the palace. I just really…" Her voice faltered. "I just really want a sense of freedom, that's all."

Some sense of unknown courage must have gotten into me somehow because my mouth moved on its own. "I'll take you around. We can sneak out of the palace." The moment I said those words, I regretted it.

"No, I can't…" She whimpered as conflicted emotions flashed before her eyes.

"Did Your Humble Servant hear the words 'sneak out?'" A'Huan's voice sounded from behind us, and we froze.

-----

Slam! Thunk!

The sound of a hammer beating on an anvil cast crisp notes as the blacksmith worked on the new sword.

Surprisingly, instead of reporting us to Princess LePing, A'Huan smuggled us out of the palace under the premise that she accompanied us. She missed it too, she claimed, a sad smile replacing her usually icy stare.

Don't worry, I have told General Yuwen to cover for us, she assured us. How did she, a mere maid, know the general? Though I had these questions in mind, I kept on walking.

So we ended up on the streets dressed in commoner's clothing. A'Wu was ecstatic, grinning that it was the first time she actually broke the rules and rushing into every store she could find. It was the first time I walked on Sui streets as well, and the whole time, a nagging feeling reminded me that it was much different from home.

A stark contrast to A'Wu's bristling excitement, A'Huan trailed behind us with an expression of melancholy. My suspicions of her grew.

"Sister-in-law! Look at this!" She pointed excitedly at a bunny-shaped flower lamp. Had she never seen one before? She was certainly not born into the palace and should have seen these before even if her parents hadn't permitted her to leave the house.

I gestured toward the ornament and began explaining. The whole time, she looked at me as if I was from the Heavens. Had she seriously lived under a well?

"Clear the streets! Minister Gao is passing through!" A booming sound screamed over the streets, disrupting the peace. Immediately, the people shuffled to either side of the street and bowed. Before long, only I was gazing around confusedly.

"Sister-in-law!" A'Wu tugged me over to the side, hissing, "Duck!" She and A'Huan were already bowing.

When the entourage finally passed, A'Wu looked like she was on the verge of fainting, and all colors were s.u.c.k.e.d out of her cheeks. "That was close," she whimpered. "If he saw me and reported me to Father…" Just the thought was enough to leave her shaking.

At that time, I hadn't truly understood her fear.

"In the future, you should displease my brother before offending any Guanlong Pseudo-royals," she looked me firmly in the eye. "If you wrong them, even Father cannot save you."

A'Huan nodded in agreement, lowering her voice. "These are all powerful families. The past three dynasties have originated from this political group, and none have lasted."

The lanterns suddenly lost their appeal, and I felt more vulnerable than ever in this foreign land.

"Fifth Miss!" The voice was familiar, but I couldn't quite connect it with a face. YuwenShu? It was the general who had led me to the palace. "Your Father and Mother are requesting you! They have been looking all over!" He galloped towards us at full speed, but his face betrayed no signs of panic.