The Other Side of the Mask

This new side of her never ceases to impress me. I munch on some cookies and cake, trying not to catch too much attention to me or else the two of them might find out my secret. I look over at TianYu, happily smiling and chatting. I look away, unable to bear the sight. Well, I guess it is expected, since we were both in the trials for the reason to compete for that position.

I accidentally blurted out a question as I was curious, " If it isn't private information, can you tell us why the crown prince didn't choose a crown princess yet?"

After a second, I realize my insolence and suspicion that may rise.

"Ah… well… there's so many beauties, so…"

TianYu glances at Queen Huang. The Queen sighs and nods.

TianYu starts to explain, "Well, this is private information, but the crown prince already has someone in his heart. She is my best friend so his highness and I made an alliance to become 'concubine and prince' to search for her."

"My silly son had begged me and refused to eat, just for that traitor," the Queen says disapprovingly.

What?! I control my expression to the best I can for now and pretend to eat, undisturbed.

"My, he must really love her… but why did you call her a traitor?" mother asks.

"She poisoned the prince because she was blackmailed," TianYu said.

"How horrible!"

I keep out of the conversation and munch away. My mood cheers up a bit now that I know TianYu and XiaoLong are in an alliance, but I don't get my hopes up because Queen Huang is pretty much dissing QiLing and shows a lot of disapproval. It's for the better anyways.

Commander Yang and the guards stand a couple meters away, and I hear them talking. Commander Yang seems to be quite happy with what they're discussing, so I focus on their words instead of the conversation in front of me. I close my eyes a bit and sip tea. The wind rustles my hair, as I listen to the chattering, not focusing on each word. The birds chirp on the trees above and the leaves scatter and fall.

"How do you like the palace, YingYue?" mother asks.

"O-oh yeah, it's really nice and comfortable," I respond truthfully.

I give them a smile which I quickly put away. I lower my head, trying not to raise suspicion. Luckily, no one notices. After an hour or so, we head back to our rooms to get ready for the ball tonight. It's not a grand ball, but a pleasant one. Some esteemed knights and famous people we bring along will attend, for example KaiZhen, Commander Yang, and Xing, while maids and servants get the chance to see the famous ball as well.

I walk back to my room and meet Xing, who was waiting for me.

"Don't worry about doing perfection and using up all the time from now till then," I say to her, "You need to dress up as well."

Xing dressed herself in a dark purple dress and black ornaments.

"Wow! You look amazing!" I compliment her.

"Thank you," she responds with a smile.

I have Ji, Zhe and Qu come with us as we enter the ball. I stand in front of the door. This is where the real battle begins. I put my hand on the door handle and push.