Yuelan once again watched out the window as the carriage drove through the streets of the capital, this time to an inn. She could hear Prince Guangfeng, Long He, and the two maids speaking to each other, but didn’t really pay much attention to what they were saying. When she saw a small group of street musicians she turned to the rest of the people in the carriage. “Before we go back to the library tomorrow, could we get a guzheng?” she asked Long He.
Prince Guangfeng looked a bit surprised. “You play?” he asked. “Why didn’t you bring your instrument with you?”
Yuelan sighed. “It’s a family heirloom handed down from my mother’s side,” she explained. “Daddy doesn’t like it leaving the house. I also didn’t realize I’d be staying at the library as long as it seems I may be staying when I left, so I didn’t think to ask permission to bring it.”
“I see.” The prince smiled. “I would be happy to arrange an appropriate instrument to be sent to you.”
“I’d prefer to choose an instrument myself,” Yuelan explained. “Then I can check the quality of the sound and be certain it’s one I like instead of potentially wasting money on something that looks beautiful but doesn’t have the same quality of sound.”
Prince Guangfeng nodded. “In that case, please be careful as you’re visiting the shops. I must attend court in the morning, unfortunately, or I would be happy to escort you. Camphor, Willow, and Laurel know the capital well, so take them.”
Long He raised an eyebrow. “Forgive me, Your Highness, but I believe that Miss Yuelan is my ward.” The corner of his mouth twitched in amusement. “Her care and comfort is my responsibility. I’m afraid I must stop you short of offering to give her the money to pay for her shopping trip tomorrow. I’ve brought plenty of banknotes with me that she can take along to pick up anything she needs or wants while we are attending morning court.”
The prince shrugged. “I am merely trying to be a gracious host to the daughter of a high ranked official of another country,” he replied. “It’s my responsibility as a prince, after all.”
“I believe it would actually be the responsibility of one of your sisters, Your Highness,” the dragon countered as the carriage pulled to a stop. “We thank you for your hospitality this evening, Your Highness. Miss Yuelan, this is the inn we’ll be staying at for the night.”
Yuelan felt relief at Long He’s interference and refusal to let the prince provide anything else for her. Prince Guangfeng had already done more than enough and she could tell he had taken an interest in her, though she wasn’t sure yet what sort of interest it was. Not that it mattered. She wasn’t interested in making lasting connections here, as she didn’t intend to stay in Longuo forever. The dragon may have said she’d be traveling back and forth between worlds, but that wasn’t Yuelan’s intention at all. She just wanted to go home and live the rest of her life with her father.
As Yuelan stood up, Camphor and Willow quickly got down from the carriage and assisted her down as well before they moved to stand two paces behind her. “Thank you,” Yuelan said to the two, who gave her gentle smiles in response.
Once certain Yuelan was ready, Long He headed into the inn and requested neighboring rooms for himself and Yuelan. One of the inn’s servants led them up a set of stairs and to a pair of rooms, unlocking the doors and handing one key to Long He and the other to Camphor before saluting the group and heading away again.
“Would Miss like a bath?” Willow asked as Camphor busied herself with inspecting the room. “This servant would be happy to assist you in preparing for bed.”
“Yes please,” Yuelan answered. “Though...where am I supposed to take one?”
Willow and Camphor had overheard enough to know that Yuelan was near completely unfamiliar with their country, Longuo, and were too well trained to show any surprise even if they felt it. Willow smiled at her new mistress and led the way through a curtain to a room with a large tub already filled with hot water. “The chamberpot should be in that seat there,” Willow explained, pointing to a decorated chair that had a box for the base instead of legs. “Would Miss like help undressing?”
“Thank you, I can manage that myself,” Yuelan assured the maid. She started to pull the ends of the sash to untie it and removed the two layers of her gown before slipping into the warm water that smelled of roses. To her surprise, the tub was larger than it seemed at first and she could stretch out in it to fully relax. She felt Willow place a pillow behind her head and heard the maid pick up a pitcher before starting to wash Yuelan’s hair without even asking. Having someone else wash her hair was relaxing, so Yuelan didn’t argue with her servant and just let herself relax. After a couple of minutes, she drifted off to sleep. Her newly-assigned maids finished bathing her, dried her, wrapped her in a soft, silk robe, and put her to bed.
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***
When Yuelan started to wake again it was already morning and the sun was peeking through the curtains. She frowned and shifted under silk sheets, causing them to rustle. The feeling was a bit unfamiliar, causing her frown to deepen as she opened her eyes and sat up to look around in confusion. Her sleep-fogged brain couldn’t make sense of where she was and why the sheets were made of silk instead of the highest quality cotton. Movement next to her drew her attention and seeing Camphor, Willow, and another girl about the same age with a few freckles on her face coming in with food, dishes, and tea woke her the rest of the way and reminded Yuelan where she was. The third girl was most likely Laurel, whom Yuelan had yet to meet.
“Miss is awake,” Camphor said cheerfully. “His Highness the third prince sent some new clothes over for Miss before Master Long left for morning court. Willow and Laurel will assist you with dressing and doing your hair and makeup while I finish preparing your breakfast, if that’s alright with Miss.”
“Yes, thanks,” Yuelan yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. “Is there water for me to wash my face with?”
The girl named Laurel set down the food she was carrying and walked over to a stand with a porcelain bowl on it and brought the bowl over to Yuelan, who shifted so her feet were hanging off the side of the bed. “Here’s the water, Miss. This servant is Laurel. I will be serving Miss along with Camphor and Willow.”
Yuelan nodded and picked up the cloth hanging from the porcelain bowl, dipping it in the water and using it to wash her face and hands before setting it back down. “Thank you.” Laurel nodded and took the bowl back while Willow started putting a pair of comfortable, embroidered slippers on Yuelan’s feet.
All the assistance and attention was starting to make Yuelan feel a little overwhelmed and useless. She stood up from the bed and headed behind the changing screen, intending to insist on changing her clothes herself only to find that the gown Prince Guangfeng had given her was more complicated than anything she was used to and she had to let the two servant girls help her put it on. The two hovered around her, adjusting here and there until the layers sat just right before adding the final layer: a sleeveless, pink gown that tied just above her breasts and flowed to the ground, covering most of the layers she had just put on and revealing only the sky blue sleeves of the half coat. The two maids fussed over that and the half coat for a full minute before taking Yuelan to sit down in front of a polished mirror and starting to brush and style her hair using two hair pins and half a dozen other accessories that Yuelan hadn’t seen before they started putting them on.
“Are the accessories from Prince Guangfeng as well?” Yuelan asked. They didn’t seem like the sort of thing a dragon would remember to provide for a human adolescent girl.
“They are,” Laurel assured her. “His Highness noticed that Miss did not wear many yesterday and didn’t want Miss to be looked down on while shopping today. He said Miss is welcome to borrow them and return them with his handkerchief at Miss’s convenience.”
“The accessories once belonged to His Highness the third prince’s mother, the former empress, and were part of her dowry. As His Highness is her only child, he inherited the things from her dowry after her death and keeps them safely in Heping Palace,” Camphor explained. “The dress Miss is wearing was also something the former empress wore.”
Yuelan’s cheeks turned a bit pink. “I should return them,” she said quietly. “We’ll find new accessories and clothes while we’re out today.”
“Does Miss not like them?” Willow asked, her expression concerned.
“No, I like them,” Yuelan reassured the maids. “But...I lost my mother as well when I was young. The things that once belonged to her are very precious to me. I’m sure His Highness feels the same way about his mother’s things.” She smiled. “And he has very good taste. These things are all very beautiful.”
The maids relaxed and smiled. “Then please wear them without worry,” Camphor told Yuelan. “His Highness will not mind, and he only asked that the accessories be returned when it is convenient.”
Willow and Laurel finished with doing Yuelan’s hair and stepped back with smiles. “Miss doesn’t even need to wear makeup,” Willow sighed. “Miss’s complexion is so beautiful and pale already.”
“Then I’d rather not wear any,” Yuelan told them as her stomach let out a growl. “Especially not before I eat.” She smiled and stood up. “Is breakfast ready? Would you three like to eat with me?”
“How could that be possible?” Camphor protested. “Breakfast is ready, but you are our master! It isn’t appropriate for us to eat with Miss.”
“But I have no friends here and I dislike eating alone. Sometimes the servants would eat with me at home if my father was away for the evening,” Yuelan pleaded.
The three servant girls looked at each other with hesitant expressions, then sighed and nodded, giving in. “Then we will eat with Miss this time.”
Yuelan beamed at them and clasped her hands together. “Wonderful!” She grabbed Willow’s and Laurel’s elbows, linking her arms with theirs since they were closest to her, and headed for the table where everything had been set out. “Then let’s add things for the three of you to eat with and have breakfast!”