The Husband Games

The Banquet

A light purple silk garment went up to her chest with flowers sewed on and then a pale purple almost pink coat went over her shoulders and down to her wrist. It was tightly held in place by a pink silk belt. The dress was embroidered flowers finishing the look. 

Even though the dress was simple it was made of the finest silk which made her look like a fairy. She nodded slightly and dismissed all the maids with her long pale fingers.

The maids looked at the ground as they gave the custom courtesy of respect and left the room. The last two maids closed the door and the princess was left alone with her personal maid. 

With a sigh of relief, the princess untied her vail in a swift moment and let it fall to the ground. With a small angelic smile, she watched it silently fall to the ground like a feather. Her looks were beyond belief.

She had a small oval shaped face with rose red lips that weren't too big nor too small, a strong nose with no bumps and delicate full eyebrows that completed the look of perfection. Even with limited makeup she was probably the most beautiful woman in all the kingdoms combined. 

A rare beauty. It was known that the late empress, her mother, was a very beautiful woman. She also had many talents and was very smart. 

She helped her husband win the war with her quick strategic thinking. She was also a very benevolent person as she donated money to the commoners and opened an orphanage so the children wouldn't be wandering the streets starving and alone.

Her daughter took after her and had the same qualities too. The Empress was loved by many and her death left the commoners mourning for days. She was a very rare empress and left a remarkable name for herself in the history books.

The princess finally picked up her vail and dusted it off as she looked out the window longingly. 

Her maid was quick to scold her for dropping her vail on the ground. "Miss, you mustn't let your vail fall to the ground like that, it's going to get dirty and then you'll need a new one," the older girl said.

Smiling, the princess averted her eyes to her personal maid and replied, "Dong Mei, it's not dirty, see," while rubbing the fabric with her fore fingers she pulled them back and showed dust-free fingers.

"I know that my maids do a vigorous job in keeping my room clean," she said, showing her perfectly in line white teeth.

Her maid Dong Mei only clucked her tongue in disapproval as she realized that her miss didn't know that she was telling her in a subtle way that if anyone was to see that, they would think of it below her miss do drop a vail and pick it up. 

Without even grabbing a new one, what a disgrace it would be if others found out. 

"Besides, I am going to wear a light purple one instead to match my dress," the princess happily said as she reached for a drawer and picked out a matching pair to her dress.

The maid only looked at her miss as she held the vail in her hands like it would break any minute. The maid went to her mistress's side and went to work on braiding her hair, designing it in a simple but beautiful style on her head. 

The princess didn't flinch when her maid's fingers pulled on a knot who silently apologized but instead the princess hummed a tune. She liked the feeling of someone doing her hair since it reminded of her mother. Her mother would always brush her hair when she was little, putting it in braids.

When done she gracefully raised from the seat and raised her hands with the vail and tied it behind her head. 

"Alright I am ready," the princess announced as she walked to her door. The maids guarding the entrance to their miss's room heard footsteps approaching the door and opened it up.

In one fluid movement the princess walked down the stairs into her courtyard. Her courtyard was filled with beautiful trees and plants. 

In the middle, a cherry tree with beautiful pink flowers was in full bloom. The black cherry tree was pleasing to the eyes when the wind blew the petals around the courtyard. 

It is said that this tree was planted from the Empress Dowagers mother as a gift to her granddaughter-in-law, the late Queen. The tree has been in the princess's manor ever since.

The princess felt the warm wind on her skin and took a deep breath to smell the blossoms. Their fragrance always seems to calm her down. 

She wanted to lay under the tree and bask in the peacefulness of it and smell the lovely fragrance, but time was of essence. She had to be on time to the banquet hall. Today is a special day because noble families have come to eat food and celebrate her second brother's marriage to a princess from another kingdom.

Walking in a brisk but graceful pace she arrived at the Banquet Hall. Two guards stationed at the gates opened the door from the gates that guarded the outside of the Banquet Hall as soon as they saw a lady with a purple vail. 

They knew immediately who it is since she is the only one in the Imperial Palace to wear one. However, if that didn't alert the guards presence of her, her royal entourage surely did. 

The princess walked across the stone floor with a strong presence and stopped in front of the second closed gates waiting for the eunuch to announce her arrival.

After she heard the eunuch's shrill voice, the maids opened up the door taking a sneak peek at the princess in the process. At a first glance they didn't think the dress was very stylish but then saw how perfect it looked on her.

Even a simple gown on her can look fashionable. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves the princess finally looked at everyone in the hall. Holding her head high, her willowy frame walked in, and all eyes were trained on her.