“What do you think, Zixin?” Lindie asked me, pulling me out of the paradise my mind had thrown me into. “Don’t you think camellias suit the wedding better?” She had changed into an olive sundress with a straw hat resting on top of her head. She looked like an actress pretending to be a farmer. The thought made me smirk.

My dragon snarled in my mind, not enjoying the level of familiarity she displayed when she called me in a familiar tone. “I don’t care,” I replied with a sigh. I shined my sword with a brown-colored rag, watching it become caked in the blood of my fallen enemies. When it was as good as new, I returned it to its sheath.

“It’s your wedding too.” A pout quickly formed on her face.

“That doesn’t make me care anymore for the ceremony.”

“I’m beginning to wonder if you’re truly invested in this.”

“Oh? Only beginning? I thought I made myself clear from the start. What was it that gave me away? My general disposition for you and your kind? No, you seem to be the romantic type. You must have been waiting for me to bestow an extravagant gift upon you or serenade you with a song I crafted just for you.”

“Perhaps I should leave so that you may resume your daily activities. I can see my presence is impeding your first day back at the Imperial Palace in so long.”

“Fantastic idea! You’re finally listening!” I plastered a fake smile on my face before returning my attention to the piece of parchment that rested on the small wooden table in front of me. My hands weaved up and down, focusing on each stroke. I had to prepare the report Fùqīn desperately wanted to send to the Imperial Historian. The memories were still fresh in my mind, as if it had happened yesterday.

Wuzhen endured zero casualties on the first day of the battle against the water demons in Suzihua. Despite our best efforts, there were a total of thirteen injuries among the Wuzhean Army’s eighth division. Half of which were self-inflicted (either from shifting or unawareness of their surroundings) and the other half consisted of humans who intervened in the conflict.

The water demons accepted their fate and were escorted to Xesal to begin their daily punishment. We killed those who did not agree with their sentence. The Suzihua Sea was purified shortly after. The second division was sent to Xianyang to recalculate the population of the water dragon sect. Crown Prince Zixin and the first division were sent to Luxuria, Iniguthia to strike at the heart of the pixie population. 

There was no physical evidence linking the water demons in Suzihua to the pixies in Luxuria. However, it is worth investigating further to see if the Dark Court has aligned themselves with the yaoguai and the Ten Lords of Terror.

“Perhaps I should leave Wuzhen altogether and demand our engagement be reversed. Your reluctance to sign the contract proves you don’t desire this union,” Lindie said.

“Reluctance? Is that what you’re calling it? That implies I have any interest at all,” I retorted.

“I understand you’ve been having issues with the Dark Court. How will you handle them if you’re all cursed by their spells?” Lindie said, forcing my brush to an abrupt stop. A large blotch of ink seeped through the paper from my pause. 

‘The little moth has fangs,’ I perused. “And I thought your kind were pacifists.”

“Although we dislike violence, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. We can’t stop everything.” Despite the words that left her mouth, she still maintained that insufferable grin. She was toying with me. She knew this union was important to my people. If I didn’t go through with the marriage, a coup would surely rise against me for not agreeing to strengthen Wuzhen when I had the chance.

I swallowed the lump that rose in the back of my throat, urging my dragon to remain calm. I couldn’t risk him losing his temper now. The damn moth wanted to get a rise out of me. I wasn’t about to give it to her.

“Is that a threat?” I asked, my gaze unwavering.

“Consider it a gentle warning, young prince. After all, a person cannot be judged by his appearance in the same token as the sea cannot be measured with a bucket.” 

I took notice of her use of an ancient proverb, which only added to the suspicion I had. She wasn’t like the other angels. 

Her dainty hand squeezed my arm. I could have easily snapped her hand if I wanted to. But alas, I didn’t.

* * *


Several hours passed, and I found myself sitting at the dinner table across from Lindie. Fùqīn sat at the head of the table, with Mǔqīn on his left. Servants stood around the table without an expression, waiting for any of us to make a request. Unlike our usual dinners, they were dressed in a formal black ruqun. Father most likely instructed them to look their best while in the presence of Lillith.

“How are the wedding preparations, Lindie?” Mǔqīn asked. “I hope Zixin isn’t leaving all the work to you.” She glanced at me once, preparing to chastise me.

“Oh no, not at all, Your Majesty. I think everything is going as planned and should be ready in time for the wedding. There are a few things I would like to discuss with you later. I am not very familiar with Wuzhen’s culture and I think it would be better to know more from someone who has gone through such a ceremony.”

“You are as considerate and diligent as they say, Lindie. I will send someone to escort you to my chambers after your evening bath.”

I picked up the nearest ladle and started scooping humble amounts of oxtail soup into my bowl. Its scent was overpowering the other dishes at the table, but it was still my favorite meal. Chunks of oxtail, potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables bobbed in the reddish-orange colored liquid. My stomach rumbled low. I hadn’t eaten all day because of my schedule and as such; I was incredibly famished. 

Just as I scooped it up, Lindie started dry heaving on her side of the table. Mǔqīn patted her back and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you sick? We should call for the Imperial Physician.”

Lindie shook her head. “No, there’s a strong smell. I feel a little nauseated and lightheaded.”

“What could it be? There’s only food here,” Mǔqīn replied, looking around.

Lindie pointed to the soup and said, “It’s definitely that.”

“This? This is oxtail soup. A very significant dish in Wuzhean cuisine,” I said through clenched teeth.

“Would you like to see a doctor, Lindie?” Mǔqīn asked. Lindie shook her head. She raised a finger and gestured for one servant to take away the soup, including the bowl in front of me and the spoon in my hand. “Tell the kitchen not to make oxtail soup anymore. Its scent is too strong for Lillith.”

I stood up from my chair, throwing my napkin on the table in a huff. “Why must we do what she wants? I am here to eat dinner, not chomp away at vegetables like I’m some sort of horse or rabbit. Dragons require a hearty meal of meat. If anything, she should become accustomed to Wuzhen’s culture, not the other way around.”

“Sit down, Zixin,” Fùqīn said with a piercing glare.

“No.”

“I am not asking you, Zixin. As your Emperor, I command you to sit down.”

His words forced me back into my chair. The weight of the Tarot’s power was far too heavy to resist. You have embarrassed me for the last time. You will go through with this marriage, and you will adhere to whatever Lindie wants for the sake of this alliance. I will not have my successor dally around with other men. That is not the way of a Crown Prince of Wuzhen. Do you understand? he growled in my mind.

His command wrapped tightly around my neck, squeezing harder the more I tried to resist. Fighting back a snarl, I concentrated on the shift into my hands, watching my fingernails elongate into golden talons. Shortly after, I sliced at the constricting grasp, freeing myself from its bonds.

Your threat holds no power over me, Fùqīn. You will not be Emperor forever and you can’t disown me because you do not agree with me. I will do as I please, regardless of what you think. If this angers you, we can settle this the dragon’s way - a duel to the death, I snapped back.

And with that, I stomped out of the room with the powerful urge to tear something, or someone, apart.