Four

I was woken up at an ungodly hour simply because the emperor liked to have "early meetings". The sun had barely risen, and the sky was a contrast of blue and pink. The maid had brought modest clothes with her for me to change into, and informed that I was to wear a jewel badge, so that only the people who lived in the castle knew who I was.

I decided I wanted my hair down, so I asked the maid to brush it for me. I took a seat in front of the vanity as she pulled out a hair brush.

" Your hair is beautiful, your majesty."

" Thank you, but you shouldn't call me that. I don't have that title anymore."

"I'm sorry, princess Ruolan. I meant to give you my condolences. I just never got the chance, but my family prayed for them at the temple."

A tear slipped my eye. " Th-that truly means so much to me. Thank you truly. What is your name?"

"Anhe."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful soul. Truly thank you Anhe."

As Anhe finished brushing my hair, I asked her to place a blue hairpin to match the badge. Then, I was escorted by a guard to the dining hall.

It was filled to the brim with officials. Everyone from the army general to the head guard was there. Did he not have anything in order?

I decided to stand in the far corner of the room. I didn't want to attract any unwanted attention. It seems the emperor has yet to arrive and considering they are all his supporters, I didn't know who wanted my head. The guard who had escorted me had asked me if he could leave and I simply nodded. I didn't really have a need for him, and it wasn't like I could escape considering how many armed men were here, and it didn't seem like anyone recognized or even acknowledged me so for now, I was safe. I quietly took a seat on the floor, and glanced around the room. I was the only woman here. That thought seemed to scare me, but before I could think too deeply into it. The dining hall door was opened, and the emperor entered. I watched him as he came into the hall. He had a confident walk, truly one of an emperor. It reminded me of the way my father walked. He walked to the throne that was set at the head of the table and the men began to circle the table like ants. I decided to wait until they were done to grab a seat, and continued watching the emperor. He was about to take his seat but before he did, he looked around the room. It seemed he was looking for something. When his eyes reached one and he smiled, I realized he was actually looking for someone, and that someone happened to be me.

Unexpectedly, he walked over to me. I immediately got up, not wanting to disrespect him in a room full of officials.

" Come on." He said as he started walking back towards the table.

I could feel my face heat up as all the eyes in the room shifted towards me. To make matters worse, when we arrived at the table the emperor had instructed me to sit on his left. Something that caused the tension in the air to increase six folds. This was because that was a seat normally reserved for the empress.

This was going to be a long meeting.