Jade Fire Gold(44)
“You assume a prince has friends,” he says lightly. Before I can think of a response, he offers his arm to me. “We are headed in the same direction.”
I run through all the rules Linxi shared with me. The banquet is a big event for important officials and guests. It marks the end of the mourning period and it’s the first time Tai Shun will be seen in public after his father’s funeral. It can only mean that everyone will be looking to him as emperor and not prince.
The empress may have asked me to keep Tai Shun company at the banquet but entering the room with him would be a different thing altogether. If I were to arrive on his arm, would I be signaling something about my relationship with him? Would I be making a target of myself?
Tai Shun drops his arm. I’ve taken too long to respond.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he says. “What will people say if it looked like I brought you to the banquet, if it looked like you were my special guest? Would there be gossip? I can assure you there will be. I apologize for putting you in a difficult situation. Let us arrive separately.”
“I wasn’t thinking any of that,” I lie.
“It is all right, I am used to it.”
He looks defeated. I don’t know why I care, but I don’t want him to be sad anymore.
“Your Highness,” I say, loud and clear. “I’d be honored to accompany you to the banquet.” I grab his arm and link it with mine, ignoring that I’ve probably broken ten palace rules about decorum.
Caught off guard, Tai Shun laughs. Loudly. He startles, as if he doesn’t recognize the sound. He laughs again, and I glimpse a fragment of a boy who could be happy.
All conversation dies the moment Tai Shun and I step through the grand doors of the banquet hall. My eyes drink in everything: crimson silk drapes across beams spanning the ornate ceiling; lanterns hang in every corner; candles float from cast-iron holders shaped like dragons; music streams in from somewhere. I recognize the sounds of a pípá and dízǐ but see no musicians.
“Presenting the Crown Prince Tai Shun, and . . . and—” The announcer fumbles when he sees me, chubby cheeks turning as red as the silk sash around his waist. Someone whispers in his ear, and he looks like he might cry in relief. “And Lady Zhao Ahn!”
We bow and are greeted in return. Some of the nobles look scandalized when they realize their crown prince has shunned any finery and is still wearing mourning robes. Others tug self-consciously at their own ostentatious outfits and jewels. A few of the court ladies stare openly at me, hardly bothering to veil their interest. Or their distaste. A gnarled knot forms at the pit of my stomach.
I don’t see my father as we walk through the room, but I catch the eye of the empress dowager who is seated at the back on an elevated platform. She’s dressed in Imperial colors now—ivory, gold, and crimson. A thick sash falls down the middle of her belt to her hem, embroidered with a pair of gold phoenixes. Like some of the other ladies here, her bodice is disarmingly low. But if anyone’s eyes were to linger too long on her, they might find themselves short an eyeball or two.
She gives me an encouraging nod. I walk with my head high, trying not to fall flat on my face in these impossible shoes.
“Are you regretting this?” Tai Shun mumbles under his breath. He looks ill with discomfort. “Because I surely am.”
“Not at all, we’ll have a blast,” I say airily, ignoring the palpitations in my chest.
He relaxes a little. “All right then. Make sure you keep my cup full.”
We stride through the path the colorful crowd parted for us. I’m tempted to wave, if only to see the look on everyone’s faces. But I shouldn’t push my luck, and my father is somewhere in here. That knot in my stomach tightens. Will he be upset at me for showing up with Tai Shun, for blatantly marking myself like this? Especially since he’s instructed me to keep a low profile while I’m learning to control my magic.
Too late for regrets now. I sigh silently and walk on.
A gong sounds and everyone moves to the long tables that line the hall on either side of the empress’s platform. There seems to be a prearranged order of seating that I know nothing of.
An attendant moves swiftly to us, murmuring, “Her Majesty wishes for Lady Zhao to be seated with His Highness.”
Tai Shun looks surprised, but he guides me to a table next to the empress’s. I bow to her before taking my seat, and she graces me with an approving smile. Another attendant hurries forward to set the table for two. I wait as Tai Shun exchanges a few words with his mother, glancing around to see if I recognize anyone.
Two familiar faces are seated on the third row from my right. Lieutenant Bao and the female priest who captured me back in Shahmo. So they survived the ambush. They are dressed like nobility and are seated at a table headed by an older gentleman clad in fine emerald silk. He must be the Marquis of Qin, and Bao and the priest must be from his clan. I count six other men of descending ages who bear some resemblance to the marquis. His sons.
Leiye is nowhere to be seen.
The female priest notices me and a snakelike smile touches her lips. I look away. The smell from that hood she forced me to wear engulfs me. I exhale slowly and take a sip of my tea.
Tai Shun settles next to me. “Everything all right?”
“Everything’s fine.” He stares at me a moment longer, worried. I force a bright smile. “Really, I’m fine.”