Chapter 4

"Then, let's take a break."

I had finished playing three pieces for the princesses, put the erhu aside, and encouraged them to take a break.

In the waiting room, there were sweet pastries and fruit juice for the children. The princesses, now more accustomed to the setting, were smiling as they received tea and pastries from their respective ladies-in-waiting.

I was glad.

Even at 25, which is quite old for a 5-year-old, I seemed to be of some help to them.

Relieved, I took a sip of the prepared tea.

"Shall I adjust the position of your hairpin, Rin-feng-sama?"

One of the ladies-in-waiting approached me.

Her offer was much appreciated.

The decorations on the hairpin, which jingled as they swayed, had been bothering me when I played the erhu.

I had intended to fix it later but accepted her kindness.

"Thank you."

The lady-in-waiting, standing behind me, skillfully pulled out my hairpin and repositioned it. She also combed the part of my hair that was down and adjusted the collar of my robe.

"How is it?"

She let me check the position of the hairpin in a hand mirror.

It was placed in the opposite position from before, allowing me to play the erhu freely.

"Thank you."

As I expressed my gratitude, one of the princesses who had finished her tea naturally came to my side.

"I want to try playing this too!"

"Huh?"

I was slow to react.

The lady-in-waiting holding the hand mirror and the one who had followed the princess could not stop her from picking up my erhu.

– Bang!!

"!?"

Everyone gasped in surprise.

The princess, having just picked up the erhu, which was almost as tall as she was, had accidentally hit it against the table.

"Cui-lan-sama!? What have you done…!"

A lady-in-waiting rushed over, her face pale with shock.

"Ahh…"

This child had no ill intent.

But she understood that she had made a mistake and turned pale.

"The tuning pegs…"

The tuning pegs, around which the strings were wound, were chipped.

I picked up the fragments from the floor, but it was clear they couldn't be fixed immediately.

What should I do?

I can't play like this.

Using a damaged erhu in front of the imperial family is out of the question.

In the silent room, Princess Cui-lan was trembling with tears in her eyes.

This is bad. Of all people, it had to be Cui-lan who broke my erhu.

This child is a princess from the Li family, a rival to the Liu family.

While it's clear to everyone that it wasn't intentional, the relationship between the families makes this a very bad situation.

If I don't handle this well, Cui-lan will be seen as a malicious girl who tried to sabotage me, and I will be seen as a foolish girl who was outsmarted by a child.

"I'm s-sorry…"

I gently took the erhu from her hands and smiled to reassure her.

I have to do something about this situation.

I took a deep breath and told Princess Cui-lan,

"It's okay. I'll take it home and have it repaired. Next time, please handle it gently and carefully."

Fortunately, this is the palace.

There should be another erhu available. I have to borrow one to get through today's banquet.

I entrusted Princess Cui-lan to a lady-in-waiting and put on a smile as if nothing had happened.

Then, I turned to the male official who was waiting and was about to ask him to lend me an erhu.

However, before I could speak, a black lattice door opened, and a man entered.

"Is there a problem?"

The man, with long black hair tied up high, was dressed in a light gray robe with a blue overcoat, clearly an upper-level military officer. He was a strikingly handsome man I had never seen before.

The moment he entered the waiting room, the atmosphere among the ladies-in-waiting and officials changed.

His noble presence and dignified demeanor were clearly different from the others.

"What's the matter? Explain."

His eyes were fixed on me.

I was surprised by his sudden appearance but answered almost reflexively.

"The erhu is broken."

When he saw the one I was holding, he simply said, "Ah."

To him, it might not be a big deal.

Perhaps he doesn't understand the severity of the situation?

I added an explanation.

"If it's broken, I can't perform at today's banquet. It may look like only a small chip, but it's very delicate. The sound will be completely different."

Moreover, this erhu is something I have always cherished.

I feel so sorry for it in this state.

However, even after my explanation, his reaction was still slow.

"It's not like it can't make any sound, right? Are you trying so hard to be chosen as the Empress?"

"Huh?"

I was so offended that I almost fainted from anger.

Me?

Trying so hard to be chosen as the Empress?

Unbelievable!

I was trembling with anger, and he was staring at me intently.

His face was infuriating.

"What's wrong?"

As I stared into his eyes, I felt he was deliberately trying to provoke me.

I pushed down my emotions and took a deep breath.

"…No, I didn't explain myself well enough."

Calmly.

This is the palace, and many people are watching.

I need to handle this calmly—

"I don't want to be the Empress. This is a matter of respect for those who will listen to my performance."

Normally, someone would offer to lend an erhu as a subordinate of the banquet host, right?

If the Liu family is hosting the banquet, they would at least make such an offer!

But I can't show my frustration.

I need to stay calm and resolve this smoothly.

"Please, lend me an erhu."

I have to ask for it myself.

Talking in circles is a waste of time.

I looked straight ahead and told him, and he raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction and said, "Alright."

Then, for some reason, he closed the distance between us.

"Um…?"

I looked up at the military officer standing right in front of me, blinking.

But at that moment, he picked me up as if I were a piece of luggage.

"Ahhh!"

Ignoring my scream, he told the nearby man, "I'll be right back."

"Hey!?"

Confused, I struggled, but his strong arms were around my waist, and I was carried away effortlessly.

"Let me go!"

"Shut up, or you'll bite your tongue."

"!?"

This is the first time in 17 years I've been treated like this.

Before I knew it, the man was walking down the corridor at a brisk pace.

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