29 Two Sui Princesses

Judging from the way she carried herself, she must have been Princess Leping. Initially, I had thought that the princess would be an older distant relative of the imperial family, yet from her age and words, it appeared that she was truly the current emperor's daughter. But as hard as I recalled the various records and texts I read about the Sui court, the title didn't register.

No matter what, if she was the Sui emperor's daughter, I had to prove that I was worthy of being an actual part of her family.

If the title wasn't an official one, should I use it to greet her as such and risk offense? For a brief moment, I stood there, not knowing quite what to say next, worried that I would make for a bad first impression.

"Youshi greets the two princesses," I ultimately decided, bowing my head and dipping into a low curtsy.

"There's no need for such formalities," she dismissed me, her voice flat. "And the title of princess doesn't suit me. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

"Sister," the younger girl by the name of A'Wu tugged on her sleeve, a slight frown taking to her face as if she didn't want me to witness their family's strifes.

Casting a glance at A'Wu, the elder princess sighed, "If the Liang Princess doesn't frown upon such words of ill fortune, I would appreciate it if you referred to me as 'Empress Dowager of the former dynasty Zhou.'" As she patted A'Wu on her arm, a mixed expression of guilt flashed before her face.

A silence took to the air as A'Wu averted her eyes. The last breath I took was stuck in my chest, and with the cold atmosphere, I was scared to even inhale again.

The casual gossip that even Liang citizens preyed upon immediately surfaced in my mind.

She was the one from whom the current emperor stole the throne from. When she asked her very father to help guide her son, he had instead replaced him and taken his position, substituting Zhou for Sui. If I remembered correctly, the rumors from last year were that the Sui emperor disposed of his young grandson, casting him into imprisonment before sending a cup of poisoned tea.

A shiver ran down my spine as I couldn't grasp the reason why the Sui Emperor and Empress would send me to her as a temporary host.

"Youshi will gladly oblige to Your Highness's wishes," I responded, trying to mask the shakiness to my voice.

She nodded at me before gesturing towards the building, "Follow us."

"New sister-in-law, what are you waiting for?" A'Wu beckoned to me with her little hands, coming over and tugging on my sleeve when I didn't immediately respond.

She did not seem to express hatred towards the current emperor for his doings. In fact, she showed very little emotion at all, and the only facial expressions she would spare was the occasional objection to A'Wu's actions.

In comparison to the rest of the nation, the supposed Princess Leping's manor was strangely well-decorated. Most noticeably, dazzling jewels framed the edge of the screen divider that stood in the back of the room.

"They felt guilty, so they let me keep the decorations from my old palace," she explained, following my gaze. "That old screen was a gift from the past dynasty's emperor. If you like it, take it as my wedding present to you." Her voice was flat, and I couldn't tell if she was trying to suppress her sentiments of grief or if she had none left.

Almost silently, she added on, "Though I'm not sure if it will be a curse or a blessing."

"Sister, the past is already past," little A'Wu ran over to her elder sister and hugged her. "In my opinion, you should take Father's offer to remarry and leave this place. Then you can go out and enjoy festivals and everything!"

There was yet another awkward silence.

"Sister, Father and Mother allowed me to come so that I could cheer you up. If you act as such, A'Wu is afraid that she cannot have an excuse to come visit anymore!"

Her cheerfulness was contagious, and Princess LePing's frown faded a bit as I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"I'm a bit tired, so I'm afraid that I will leave the Liang Princess to her own enjoyment. The maids will show you to your chambers," she waited for me to curtsy before walking out the door.

But seeing that A'Wu didn't follow, she paused at the entrance and waited for her younger sister to leave alongside her.

"A'Wu? Is Father and Mother not expecting you back?" Finally, she vocalized her concerns.

"Sister, it's not every day that A'Wu is able to see such a pretty new sister-in-law. Let A'Wu stay out a bit longer before she has to return," A'Wu pouted, smiling. "Pleaseeeeee." Her voice was as sweet as a newborn kitten's gentle meow, melting all hearts that came across it.

Against A'Wu's soft protests, it appeared as if Princess Leping's strict adhesion to formalities crumbled a tiny bit as she stepped out with a doting shake of her head.

"New sister-in-law! Stop being absentminded! You haven't even met my second brother, so there surely isn't anything to dream about!"

As soon as Princess Leping left, A'Wu dashed forward and planted herself in front of me. For a split second, I thought it was A'Yu, my younger brother instead, who had such starry eyes.

Perhaps, even in the imperial palace, they all began the same way before the struggle to survive corroded them into stoic statues as in Princess Leping or bitter puppets such as Mingzhu.

Suddenly, I had a burning wish for this young princess to never grow up. And though I had planned to ask her to stop referring to me as "new sister-in-law" as Princess Leping obviously preferred formal titles, seeing her fawn-like eyes, I couldn't bring myself to say those words.

"Princess, isn't it too early to call me that just yet?" I asked instead playfully, a genuine smile lighting my face. It was tiring acting as if not myself in front of Princess Leping, trying to play to her every favor. In front of A'Wu, maybe I could shed a hint of my masks.

But as soon as I said those words, I winced at the potential lash backs. Maybe I was getting a bit too comfortable, taking advantage of the young girl's innocence and naivety. She looked up in surprise, her mouth parting and closing, not at all expecting me to joke back.

"I apologize for being so coarse," I immediately dipped into a bow.

"Second Brother is supposed to come back this week to make it in time for the wedding. If he comes back to find his bride bowing to me, I'm sure he won't buy me candies ever again," She smiled widely, showing her pearly teeth. If it wasn't my hallucinations, her eyes twinkled ever-brighter. "Also, call me A'Wu! Everyone in the family calls me that."