The Presentation of the Butterfly Princess
The Imperial Palace Celebration Hall
It was nearing the end of the celebration and Chokan was smiling and laughing with a young woman from another kingdom who had come to visit him. As a bachelor, he had many unwed princesses pinning for his proposal. Cho sat nearby, her head low, staring at the floor.
Have we really sunk so low? Cho thought sourly as she brought her head up and looked around the room. Just an hour ago, she'd been brought out and pushed into the middle of the room where the Emperor waited with a smile on his face. He'd introduced her with a smile to those in the hall and then...
She shivered at the thought of his hand at the low of her back pushing her towards the balcony. With a loud booming voice, he announced to those citizens waiting outside of his capture of the Butterfly Princess. The crowd roared back in applause. She could still hear the sounds of the people chanting his title.
She swallowed as she watched the people danced and turned to look up at Chokan who currently had more than 5 princess surrounding him all dressed to kill. A quick sigh escaped her lips as she rolled her eyes.
"My, My... Such a sigh from one as beautiful as you? You'll age yourself by 10 years!" He shouted, a grin on his face as he looked past the girls before him at Cho.
"You and I know very well that I do not age, Chokan." She returned, her words holding a certain bite to them. He let out a small chuckle before motioning with his hand for several maids to come to him. They came quietly, afterall, they'd long since had their tongues cut out, not that it was Chokan's doing.
"Please take our lovely Princess to her room. It seems the celebrations bore her. Perhaps some isolation will cure her of that." He told them and turned his head back to the women in front of him with a smile.
Cho sighed once again and rolled her eyes as she raised herself from the floor herself, shooing the hands of the maids away. With her head held high and her hands placed delicately at her front waist, she walked on, motioning for the girls to take lead, and they did. She stared on despite the glances given to her, both the jealous ones from the females and some males and the lewd ones from the men and women that fancied her type. Still, her dress, unlike the other women, was not as promiscuous. In fact, it was what she'd been wearing when he found her and the dress itself identified who she was. It was laid with magic from the spirits and protected her in most cases though it had failed her in her attempt to escape the Emperor. It just showed how arrogant she had become. She'd let herself get too close because of her many years of successful evasion.
She reached the room with more speed than she'd meant and the maids bowed as the door was opened for her to enter. A nasty look grew on her face as she looked at the room. It had open windows that showed the other side of the palace and the mountain in the distance. It reminded her of a birdcage and only managed to fans the flames of her anger. She sighed and stepped inside, having realized her own situation. This... wasn't bad. She was okay. She shouldn't let her temper get the better of her again. This was probably that person's test for her. She chuckled as the maids closed the door and left. She walked over to the seat by the window and sat down to stare out at the evening sky. It was still a beautiful purple as the sun was finishing it's decent.
Yes, it was definitely a test from that person. She needed to stay calm and focus on her work. There was probably plenty she could do from the palace. Plenty power she held here... She sighed again. This wouldn't be easy. She needed to gain his confidence and stay by his side. She needed to be able to work for the palace and heal as many people as she could manage. That was the easiest way...
"Give me strength, my love." She spoke, her voice barely a whisper as she looked up at the stars as they slowly appeared in the night sky.