Fine.

That was what she had sent back when the man insisted again. She had expected a reply back when she had sent it, but none came. She did find it odd but figured that the man had gotten busy. So, she turned her attention to Fu Caiyi, and firmly told her that "you will need to teach me if you do not wish for me to embarrass us both."

Fu Caiyi gave a good natured smile that belied her skepticism about her statement. Samaya was grateful for the woman's trust in her. But this time, she was not sure she would live up to it. She'd seen what passed for feminine entertainment. They were a certain mixture of subtlety and power, maintaining a delicate balance through intricate, subtle movements, conveying their emotions through their eyes. She could do power, she could subtle, she could do power, but the perfect balance? That would take at least months of practice. She was good at hiding her emotions, suppressing them beneath a perfectly blank mask. But conveying them? That was something else entirely.

Still, she could try. Fu Caiyi seemed to be nervous about going up on stage herself. Samaya could take the position of the supporting dancer. It would allow Fu Caiyi to shine while keeping Samaya and whatever mistakes she might make out of the limelight.

So, they decided to meet up the next day to plan and practice.

The rest of the day was quite uneventful. After dinner, she tucked herself in beside Manu and pulled him close, absently noting that he was getting bigger. Soon, it would be time for him to have his own room. Well, she did not have to think about it for a while, since Manu did not seem too keen on separating from her just yet.

Her sleep was broken as she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand. Someone was in the room, and they were far more discreet than the assassins once sent to her in this very room. She could not hear any footsteps. Heck, she could not even tell where the presence was, just that it was getting closer. She did not tense, not wanting the intruder to be alerted to her awareness.

It was only when gentle fingers brushed against her temple that she reacted. Her hand shot out, grabbing the wrist of the intruder, and her eyes snapped open, the dagger slipping from her sleeve as she thrust it toward where she estimated their neck was.

The intruder did not move, and her blade stopped just an inch short of their throat. Golden eyes peered at her from above, shining with amusement.

She stared, blank for a moment, before exhaling softly and relaxing. She let go of the man and lowered her hand, the dagger slipping back into the strap beneath her sleeve.

"Your Majesty," she said softly, "you should know better than to sneak up on me like that. Especially when you conceal your presence like that."

The man chuckled softly and sat down beside her on the edge of the bed. "Then, does that mean We can sneak up on you if We do not conceal Our presence?"

She rolled her eyes. That was not sneaking up. "Do not sneak up on me at all, Your Majesty."

The man did not reply. Instead, he gently took her hand, his thumb rubbing over her pulse. Her breath hitched, but she did not try to move away as she would have a month ago.

"Why are you here, Your Majesty?"

The man did not speak for a while.

She was about to ask again when the man spoke. "We were curious," he started softly, "as to what made you change your mind, after insisting so stubbornly that you would not perform."

Samaya stilled ever so slightly. She could tell the truth, but … she had a feeling it would not go over well.

She gave a small shrug. "No particular reason."

"Truly?" He asked, his voice unreadable.

"Maybe I felt pity for those poor Eunuchs." Samaya resisted the urge to frown. The man seemed … dismayed. "Are you upset that I have decided to perform, Your Majesty? Should I withdraw?"

She felt the hand around her wrist tighten for a moment before the man tugged her, pulling her close. A sharp gasp left her throat, and she tensed for a moment, relaxing only when the man buried his head into her hair.

"No." She could feel his chest rumble against her. "We are upset, Ya'er, because Lady Fu persuaded you with only a few words, whereas We could not with a dozen of letters."

She was not sure it was a dozen, but well, she would let it go. Suppressing a smile, she pulled back and turned her head ever so slightly to look up at the man.

"Are you jealous, Your Majesty?"

She got her answer at the slight clenching of his jaw.

Reaching up, she tightly wrapped her arms around him, her chin resting on her chest as she kept staring at the man. "I only agreed because Lady Fu is hesitant to do it alone."

"You are doing it for Lady Fu?"

"Well, you can say that."

The man's eyes bored into hers. "And yet, you could not do it for Us?"

She could not help it. The man was adorable when he was jealous. A soft chuckle escaped her lips, quickly pursing her lips to suppress it when a frown marred his face.

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"I apologise, Your Majesty." She sighed softly. "I did not wish to perform because I did not believe I could put on a performance that suited an Imperial concubine. Besides, I had no interest in the banquet. It has little to do with me. I only agreed because Lady Fu needed a partner, and she offered to teach me."

"We could have gotten you a teacher." The man sounded surprisingly petulant. "Do you not want a promotion?"

She frowned slightly. "Why would I want a promotion?"

"It is Our understanding that concubines usually want higher positions in the Harem, and the Emperor's favor."

She shrugged. "Well, I am not the usual concubine."

"You do not want Our favor?" Samaya thought she heard a tinge of hurt in his voice.

A soft sigh escaped her lips. "I do not like that word. Favor. It makes … whatever it is that we have between us … so transactional. As if I am getting a favor in exchange for giving you a well spent night." She paused slightly as she pondered the usual state of things in the Imperial Harem. "Which, I suppose, is how things usually are in the Harem. But …" She lifted her gaze, peering into those beautiful golden pupils and smiling, "that is not how we are, is it?"

Silence reigned for a long moment, before the man sighed softly and let go of the tension Samaya did not realise he'd been holding on to.

"No, We suppose it is not."

A soft smile curled her lips. "Exactly. Whether I get promoted or not has no effect whatsoever on your … affection … for me. And the same is true on my part. I have no use for these titles." She tightened her arms around him. "I am here, in your arms, because I want to be. Nothing more, nothing less."

The corner of the man's eyes crinkled ever so slightly. "And here We thought We would be the one wooing you."

She rolled her eyes but did not let go. "I am not wooing you. I am pacifying you because you are brooding."

Another frown. "We are not brooding."

"Really?" She asked. "Then why are you here, barely a shi from dawn, sneaking into my quarters like a thief?"

"Careful. We are the Emperor. The price of offending the Emperor is steep."

She threw her head back and let out a soft laugh that echoed in the room.

"Oh, I'm terribly frightened, Your Majesty."

The man sighed, exasperation coating his voice as he spoke. "You really do not care for Our status as the Emperor, do you, Ya'er?"

Despite his words, his gaze was impossibly soft. Samaya felt something warm surge in her. She settled herself in his arms, and they stayed like that until the first rays of the sun broke over the horizon.

For once, Samaya was completely clueless as to what she was supposed to do. So, she left all the planning and coordination to Fu Caiyi. Fu Caiyi decided on something called Lotus Blade Dance, something that would integrate both of their personalities. There were blades involved. Samaya was surprised to know that Fu Caiyi knew some basic movements. Fu Caiyi told her that she'd been fascinated with sword dances and had insisted on learning when she was a child. Her father indulged for a while until the announcement for concubine selection went out and her parents put a stop to her practices because - and Fu Caiyi quoted - "it would not do for you to be rejected for your callused hands."

Fu Caiyi looked downcast when she narrated that story, a sad, wistful expression on her face. Samaya cursed the stupid norms of this stupid patriarchal society.

Strangely enough, it was Samaya fumbling this time. She had little experience with a sword, especially ceremonial ones, and all her training with blades had her automatically aiming for fatal or disabling points. Which resulted in some rather hilarious mishaps as ceremonial swords were too cumbersome for her fast motions. Never in her life would she have imagined that her own reflexes would someday work against her.

Oh well. She just needed to find the right balance and keep practising.

And that was how the week passed in a blur.

And soon enough, it was time for the new concubine to arrive with her entourage.

Samaya could not shake off the tight knot in her chest, the uneasy feeling that permeated across her whole body despite the festive mood. She'd thought she had adjusted to the fact that the Emperor must take a new concubine to secure this truce. Perhaps not.

She pushed the feeling down - she had no time for it - and walked to the grand throne room, which was transformed into the banquet hall for today. Lady Fu Caiyi's presence beside her grounded her, eased the twisting in her gut just a bit. She hald Manu's hand tightly as she stepped inside.

The Grand Hall had been transformed into a vision of splendor. Rows upon rows of towering bronze candelabras lined the walls, their flames flickering in the wind. Imperial yellow banners embroidered with black dragons hung from the vaulted ceiling. The fragrance of sandalwood incense drifted through the vast space, mingling with the rich aroma of delicacies laid out on endless lacquered tables.

The Emperor's throne, elevated upon a wide dais, commanded the hall's attention. To either side sat smaller, but no less ornate, seats of honor - one for the Empress Dowager, carved from rosewood and inlaid with jade, and another for the Empress, gilded and adorned with phoenix motifs. Both women would sit slightly behind a veil of gauzy curtains, enough to soften their features while still marking their eminent presence beside the Son of Heaven.

The dias was separated into several sections.

After the topmost section, a step below the Imperial Family, sat the ranked Imperial concubines. Their positions were carefully arranged by rank, each screened behind translucent silk curtains dyed in shades that denoted their station. The Consorts were arranged on the same row, while the Ladies were granted the next two steps for their larger number. The higher in rank you were, the more unreachable you were. There was a large space right across the middle, of course, for everyone to ascend or descend.

The unranked concubines were seated along either side of the Hall, behind the rows of tables where the ministers, the generals, and the guests would sit. Through the veils, only the suggestion of jeweled hairpins, brocade sleeves, and graceful silhouettes would be discerned. They were both present and obscure, symbols of the Emperor's power, displayed yet concealed.

In the wide space below the dais, long tables stretched out for ministers, generals, and favored guests of the court. Musicians and dancers occupied the wings, ready to perform at a gesture. Servants, eunuchs, and guards moved among the guests, silent yet purposeful, tending to wine, food, and the strict choreography of ceremony.

And in the very center of the hall, left bare of tables and rugs, lay the polished marble floor meant for the night's entertainments - glossy as still water, waiting to catch the shimmer of silk, the flash of blades, and the glint of eyes watching from behind their curtains.

It seemed Samaya was right on time. The Emperor had not arrived yet, though most of the concubines had. Well, that was a given, considering that they were practically threatened with confinement if they did not arrive on time.

Samaya and Fu Caiyi walked over and sat in the very first row, Samaya gently settling Manu beside her. The veils were semi-transparent, and though, due to the lack of any source of light around her, she would only be half visible to the men outside the veils, she could see everything clearly. She relaxed a bit. Being concealed had its benefits.

It did not take long for the seats to be filled up, the men taking their seats outside while the Imperial consorts took their seats behind the curtains as per their ranks.

The Emperor should be here any moment now-

"His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, and Her Highness the Empress Dowager arrive!"

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