I have never seen their faces even once because I am forbidden to leave my courtyard, but I somehow know their names because of Zi Yan. All the princesses are arrogant, while the princes are in conflict, fighting for the position of emperor.
Even the emperor, my father, is not the true Crown Prince. He obtained his position by orchestrating an incident in which the crown prince was ambushed during the war, resulting in his death. This event led to the previous emperor's severe illness, and upon his death, my father succeeded to the throne. It may seem strange for me to learn about this, but this is the palace, and when it comes to palace information, Zi Yan somehow acquires it through her gossip with the palace women. Especially right now, it seems that the tragedy will repeat itself because of the conflict with the princes.
"Ninth Princess?" I was startled when someone suddenly called me. I then realized that I had not yet paid my respects to the emperor, and the person calling me was the eunuch.
"He... He Yanyu greets Imperial Father, Imperial Mother, and imperial siblings," I said, then bowed my head.
He dismissed me with a wave of his hand without even looking at me, but I could see the expressions on the faces of my supposed brothers and sisters as they looked at me.
I may not be looking at them directly, but just by using my peripheral vision, I can see the disgust in their actions.
I immediately returned to my seat when the emperor dismissed me. Since I am one of the youngest, my seat is very far away, so it took me a while to get there.
The one on my left is the 8th princess, while the one on my right is the 10th princess and the 6th prince. The latter two share the same mother, who is the daughter of a low-ranking officer. That officer helped the emperor orchestrate everything so that his daughter, who had fallen in love with the emperor, could marry him. They also fabricated my mother's illicit affair with the emperor, and when morning came, they accused her of seducing him.
The palace is truly a frightening place, which is why I desperately want to leave. I just want to live a normal and peaceful life, but why do I have to encounter these people?
When I took my seat, the eighth princess just glanced at me, then acted as if she hadn't seen anything, while the two siblings to my right sneered and looked at me provocatively.
You are the ninth princess. No wonder you look so ugly—it's because you came from a lowly maid, the princess said. You might think she is older than me because of the way she spoke to me, even though I am her older sister.
I just ignored her, which resulted in her annoyed look. I don't really care about her. I'm supposed to leave this place tomorrow and move to the Lou Kingdom to prepare for the wedding.
Envoy to the Lou Empire, General Cheng Han, Arrives
A Suivre