The Newlyweds

Tianshi Xue could feel her face heating up as she trudged upwards the long staircase. The heat of the sun left her sweating under her dress and she was relieved when she saw Howin, her handmaiden, waiting for her by the entrance.

"Join us in an hour," the emperor said, nodding to them both.

Being married meant that they would have to stay in the same bedroom. Tianshi Xue was lead back to her old one. When she saw her heavenly bed, she found the urge to jump right on it. However, she was dirty still.

"Let's make the bath as quick as possible."

Howin nodded at her. "But of course, Your Highness. Getting in the dress will take a long time."

Tianshi Xue was thinking about getting just a few minutes of dreamless sleep but it was far beyond her reach apparently. Howin steered her to the bathroom and she did not object when she was stripped off her clothes. She was too tired to complain about it.

"My, Princess," she exclaimed. "Your hair!"

"I know," Tianshi Xue just said, looking at the bubbles on top of her body. "I could barely take a decent bath in the river. There were fishes and I felt so squirmy the entire time."

Howin's frustration was turned into cleaning her whole body. Her hair most specifically. It would be hard to believe but Howin found some small leaves and branches from her thick hair.

"Imagine having a wedding in the middle of the woods," Howin said with disapproval.

"It's the worst thing."

"Of course, Your Highness. A wedding in the woods is not ideal at all. Not for a royal!"

"No. Not that," she sighed. "The worst thing is getting married."

Howin gasped as she was wrapping the towel around the princess' body. "You shouldn't let the emperor hear you talk like that, Your Highness. A marriage to a prince is a blessing."

"So I've been told," Tianshi Xue deadpanned.

She was really not seeing anything beneficial for the princess in this arrangement. Now that she was princess of this land, what was expected of her? What was her role now? She was just going to be some pretty thing that people would look at in public celebrations. On the empty days, she would just be inside the palace, forever roaming it like a ghost.

Howin cinched her waist and wrapped her in multiple layers of clothing. It made her feel warm yet again. "Are we ready?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Howin put her hands down and bowed. "You look just like a princess."

The dress was made in blue and flow-y fabric. It made her feel like she was a wave. She was now wearing the colors of the Heping Empire. Like she actually belonged there.

This couldn't get any worse was the only thing that she told herself that was any consolation. "Let's go," she said to Howin and they both exited her room.

**

Everyone was in the ballroom and she literally meant EVERYONE. Or at least, it seemed like it because it was full. There were people in gorgeous dresses and waiters all had their hands high up in the air to serve their needs.

There was a string band playing at one corner and all the windows were open. The last time that she was in this room, she tried to kill herself and the invasion happened.

The huge place was even more magnificent in daylight. Cool sweet air came in huge breaths and the lights… she didn't think that she would miss bright light but after being in the woods for a few days and being under the shade of tress, it was a nice change.

Her stomach dropped when she saw that Prince Qui was waiting for just at the mouth of the entrance. She stopped walking and Howin bowed away.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she fixed her skirt that gradually turned to white and translucence.

"The party is for the both of us. It's for our marriage. It would not look good if we don't enter together."

Tianshi Xue muttered under her breath, "As if they don't already know that we only got married to save the empire from invasion."

"With or without invasion, it's not much change."

True, marriage is one of the most highly celebrated occassion—probably one of the most sacred ones with being augur the first.

"Let's get this thing over with?" he asked her.

He didn't have to tell her twice. As much as she wanted to move away from him when she took his arm, there was not much that she could do other than pull a smile at her face.

The men by the door pulled the door open and the announcer clang a small bell and everyone stopped.

"Presenting, the newlyweds, Prince Yang Qui and Princess Lin Yingyue."