"Ah, Hiroko, thank you for attending me." The Dowager Pearl looked up from where she was seated at a low table, piles of papers scattered all around her. "Please, enter. I'm sorry I haven't had the opportunity to host you personally before this. I had meant to take your studies in hand but have found myself swamped with responsibilities." She gestured all around as Hiroko joined her.

They were in a brightly lit room with rice paper walls painted in shades of brown and green with pastoral scenes. Stylized mountains towered over wheat fields, storks waded through rice paddies. It was the largest building on Petal 74 and had been entirely turned over to the Dowager Pearl and her staff, who were overseeing both the Court of Gems and the pageantry associated with the bridal competition.

Hiroko wasn't jealous of the Dowager's attentions. She'd spent the last few weeks attending social events put on by the Dowager's minions, mingling with the cultivators the brides had brought in, forcing herself to do her duty all while contemplating her own future.

"I'm sorry I had to deny your request to enter the tower," the Dowager said.

Hiroko met her eyes, and the Dowager was the first to look away. "I understand it's difficult with my other obligations, but my cultivation has stalled out," Hiroko said. "I wish to reach the Peak of Bodily Refinement sooner rather than later. My previous tutors indicated that reaching the Peak of Mental Refinement will take a great deal of effort and self-study on my part, and I would like to begin it."

"Yes, well," the Dowager said, stacking some of the papers neatly to one side and gesturing for one of her attendants to bring them a pot of the ubiquitous hibiscus tea that Vardin City seemed to prefer. Hiroko hated the stuff. She preferred a herbal blend herself, but she made no complaint as the Dowager's attendant poured them cups and then left the pot to sit on the table.

"I have the Court of Gems purse at my disposal," the Dowager said. "I can easily provide you with the pills and elixirs necessary to reach the Peak of Bodily Refinement, even perhaps the Peak of Mental Refinement. Why not let me have a pill custom-compounded to your specifications?"

"I don't want a pill," Hiroko said stubbornly. "With my affinity for blue lux, I'm told that taking a pill would cripple my future advancement. There are no shortcuts for me.”

"Does it matter?" the Dowager asked. "Most cultivator spouses are happy to remain at the Peak of Mental Refinement. It's enough to keep them safe around their spouse during the climb. And after all, you have other duties to attend to. You can't be spending the hours devoted to cultivation it would take to reach past Mental Refinement. Who would manage your sect and handle your underlings?"

The Dowager had a point, but Hiroko stubbornly clung to her insistence. "No Violet Princess is permitted to use pills to reach any of the peaks. My mother made it on her own. My father is under consideration to be made a prism. How can I, as their daughter, rely on artificial aids for my own cultivation?"

"Yes, your mother." The Dowager looked down. "I knew Princess Aiko from a young age. Did you know?"

Hiroko bowed her head. "You said before you were a friend of my grandmother, Dowager Pearl Hiroko.”

"Yes, we entered the Imperial Gardens together, almost sixty years ago now." The Dowager shook her head, reminiscing. "But your grandmother was chosen to bear a child, and I was not. I remained close to the Imperial Grounds even after my time as a pearl was over, and I was privileged to see Aiko grow up. Most of the Violet Princes and Princesses reached their required cultivation peaks by the age of 40 or so. Your mother had reached the Peak of Spiritual Refinement before she was your age, and she didn't stop there. She could have become a prism herself if it wasn't forbidden to a Violet Princess. When she chose your father as her spouse, well, there was an uproar in several quarters. Your mother was one of the only Violet Princesses ever to be allowed to leave the Imperial Grounds before her marriage. She was such a talented cultivator. I wish you could have known her. I see her spark in you."

Hiroko nodded, keeping down a lump in her throat. "I wish I'd known her." Aiko had died when Hiroko was a six-month-old child.

"You know your mother was murdered, don't you?" the Dowager said abruptly.

Hiroko choked on a mouthful of hibiscus tea. "She what?"

"It was hushed up, but there was no question about it. She had powerful enemies, and when she chose your father as her spouse, she inherited some of his as well. The emperor was angered by her death and had two entire sects put to death, but I believe the architects of her murder are still out there."

"I didn't know," Hiroko whispered, aghast.

"My point is, cultivation politics is dangerous, and you must always be aware of your surroundings. Mere power, even ranks of cultivation, are not enough to protect you from enemies. And so, I've called you here to ask how you find the Court of Gems here."

Hiroko understood what the Dowager was really asking. Had she found any of the cultivators here more to her liking than at Golden Moon. Choosing her words carefully, Hiroko tried to persuade the Dowager to allow her back into the tower to cultivate. "Many of them have very polite manners. It's a change from Young Master Feng's arrogance. I have come to see that there's more to being a cultivator than self-assuredness. Attending parties and afternoon teas and poetry competitions may give me an idea of what a man says, but not what he does. I would like to see my future spouse cultivating before I commit to him."

"I will take that under consideration, perhaps when the bridal tournament has progressed to a later stage," the Dowager said. Hiroko knew she was being brushed off. "Nevertheless, do none of them take your fancy?"

Hiroko felt herself blush. "I have yet to meet any of the cultivators accompanying the brides who impress me more than the ones I knew at Golden Moon Tower," she said truthfully. After all, next to Joshi, other cultivators faded into the background. They lacked his single-minded drive. “Most of them seem to be dedicated in supporting their sect's candidate. But I wonder if perhaps the more driven cultivators are not here?"

"I think you do well to wait and take your pick," the Dowager agreed. "The most promising Young Masters of these sects have their own agendas and are unlikely to subordinate themselves to another, even for the honor this tournament will bring. You might wait until you see which sects have a hope of winning. If the prospective bride is a strong cultivator, it stands to reason that the other Young Masters of her sect are as well. There's no rush."

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Hiroko hesitated. "Dowager Pearl, I worry that my presence here in the Court of Gems has a chilling effect on the others. I'm aware of how my station is enticing to a cultivator who hopes to move up in the world."

"Any cultivator worth his salt wants to marry as high in the imperial court as possible," the Dowager Pearl agreed.

“Which means the other gems are finding it difficult to consummate their own courtships."

"Nonsense," the Dowager said briskly as she poured herself another cup of tea and topped off Hiroko's cup unasked. "If a gem noble can't seal the deal, then what hope do they have of keeping their spouse in line afterward?"

That wasn't exactly how Hiroko would have put it. The Dowager spoke as though the gem nobles were there to command and spy on their spouses, not to assist them on their climb. She was uncomfortably aware that she'd heard other cultivators speak of their prospective spouses in the same terms.

Was that why Joshi wouldn't meet her eyes? Or was it because she had declared she would marry his rival? From the moment her decision to marry Feng had slipped from her lips, Hiroko had regretted it deeply, but she didn't see what else she could do. She couldn't take back her word once it had been given. When Joshi had emerged alive from the tower and told everyone that Feng was dead, Hiroko's heart had been made light again. She had hoped for one brief moment that everything would work out there on the spot, but it hadn't, and Joshi had avoided her company in the weeks since.

"I think," the Dowager began, but her words were cut off.

An oppressive presence pushed down on Hiroko. She dropped her teacup, the faintly purple fluid spilling out across the mat. She was pressed forward against the table, unable to lift her head.

The Dowager said in a ragged voice, "Your Radiance, please."

The pressure let up just a bit. A woman's voice said, "Oh, sit up, you foolish girl."

Hiroko carefully sat back up, taking a deep breath. She still felt as though she were draped in heavy quilts. Her eyes wanted to close.

A woman sat at the edge of the table, her legs folded beneath her, her arms outstretched. Hiroko had never seen her before. She had curiously light-colored hair, a brown verging almost to yellow. Her eyes were a light green, and her skin a paler shade than Hiroko had seen anywhere outside of the imperial grounds where exotic beauties from foreign lands had come to wed the emperor. The woman's presence was astonishing, suffocating. This must be a prism. But which?

The Dowager bowed. “Prism Eri, what may I do for you? I had no idea you were in this portion of the empire."

"Well, of course you didn't," the prism declared. "If you had known, it would have rather defeated the point, wouldn't it? Dowager, it's good to see you again. It's been a long time since the gardens. And this?" The prism, Eri, looked Hiroko over. “Indigo Princess…. this must be Aiko's daughter. How curious to find her here.”

"Princess Hiroko is here to find a spouse," the Dowager gasped. "Your Radiance, what may I do for you?"

"Well, as it happens, the West has become unacceptably dull with the recent triumph of a certain notable general over his enemy. I simply had nothing to do, so I thought I'd drop in on this riotous little event. I even decided to get involved myself. I've brought a sect along with me. My own sect, as a matter of fact, and my own niece to compete in the tournament."

"It's too late for any new entrants," the Dowager said.

Eri raised a hand. Her presence increased. Hiroko was pushed forward again. She desperately cycled, trying to force her meager scraps of lux through her body in an attempt to keep her breathing going. Eri relented. Hiroko took a deep, sobbing breath.

"You know as well as I do that those rules were not made for prisms," Eri said. "Don't worry. I've had my sect scribe prepare all the paperwork. Here it is." From the thin air, she produced a stack of forms and dropped them to the Dowager's desk. "I look forward to seeing how you handle this, and also I'll be spicing up this tournament from here on out. I stopped and had a look on my way in. They're taking on challenges one at a time." The woman rolled her eyes. "They're not even fighting each other. This simply won't do. How can we determine which sect is worthy of granting the emperor his newest bride if they're too afraid to actually compete?"

"As you wish, Prism," the Dowager said. "But Prism Nai Hong and Nai Lin are in charge here."

"Yes, well, I have been dying for a word with Nai Hong,” Prism Eri declared. "I'll just pop over and have a word with him now and let you get back to your very important duties." She turned to Hiroko and looked her up and down. "My, my, you are a pretty one, aren't you? I am so glad I brought my entire sect along. I have two great nephews and a great niece, if that's what you prefer, who would love to make your acquaintance, my dear. You do have your mother's eyes. And I see a bit of your father in you as well." She winked at Hiroko. "Your father and I have had considerable dealings these last few years." There was an undertone to her words that Hiroko couldn't quite unravel. "He failed to mention to me just how beautiful and eligible his daughter is, though."

"This is her first season in the gem court," the Dowager Pearl said through gritted teeth. "Hiroko will be announcing her engagement very shortly."

"What a shame. I'll have to tell my relatives to make their pitches quickly, then." The woman stood up. "I'll just leave you to this." And then she was gone. Her overpowering presence vanished from the room.

Hiroko took a deep, gasping breath. She looked at the Dowager, whose face was almost gray. The Dowager drummed her fingers on the tabletop. "What does she want?" she muttered.

"You know her?"

"Oh, yes." The Dowager looked grim. "She and your mother were something of rivals. They ascended the cultivation ranks at roughly the same time, and it was said they were both rivals for your father's affections. But of course, what cultivator will turn down a Violet Princess? No matter." She turned back to Hiroko, her eyes focusing once again. "I fear things have gotten dangerous for you, Princess. I no longer believe it is safe for you to wait to make your choice. You need the protection of a sect, preferably a powerful one, perhaps one not from around here. Have you considered the cultivators of the Azure Flame sect, or the Celestial Phoenix?”

Hiroko shook her head.

"Nevertheless, I think you should announce your engagement at the next possible opportunity. There'll be another party of some sort in a day or two. Yes, yes. It would be best for you to announce then. So, who will it be?"

Hiroko opened her mouth a few times, failing to find the words. “Come, girl, you know your duty,” the dowager said impatiently. “I’m sorry to rush you but believe me, there are forces at work here… you will be much safer once you’re off the table.”

But she was frozen. The last time she’d made this decision, she’d had logic and good sense behind her choice, and it had been the wrong one. Now… now Hiroko was listening to the yearnings of her heart. If she had to wed, there was only one man she wanted. “Joshi,” she said. “Young Master Joshi of the Morning Mist.”

“Morning Mist?” The dowager frowned. “Are you sure? Joshi impressed, yes, but they are a small sect without backing. Hardly worthy of your rank.”

“The larger sects have no need of me. If I join the Morning Mist, then I improve their standing. Joshi and Cultivator Wu both are promising cultivators who have reach impressive heights without much support.”

“True,” the dowager said, stroking her chin, lost in thought. “I’ve never liked the fact that their only cultivator spouse is a girl of such poor self-control as Lady Min. With you at their helm, I will have no worries about them finding their proper place in the Empire.” She looked up and made a dusting-off motion with her hands. “Excellent. I will take care of the arrangements and see that the announcement is made at the upcoming reception for Prism Eri’s sect. We'll decide when to hold the formal ceremony after that, but I don't think it should take more than a few weeks. There's no point in delaying once the decision's made, after all." She sighed. "Forgive me, Hiroko. I have a great deal of work to do."

Hiroko departed, feeling shaken and lost, still unsure as to what had just happened. Halfway back to the petal where the Court of Gems was housed, she was seized with a terrible fear. She'd just declared she would marry Joshi in front of the Dowager. The Dowager would make that happen. She hadn't spoken to Joshi about this. How would he react when he found out? She couldn't let him be blindsided. She'd have to find a way to take him aside and warn him.

Perhaps it was time she paid a visit to the Morning Mist.