Yuelan and her two friends finished looking at the accessories in the shop and finally ordered what they wanted, though Yuelan did decide not to order or purchase anything. She had more than enough accessories already and was looking forward to wearing the fire opal set that Guangfeng had given her before.

The three girls bade the third prince goodbye as they left the shop and then went on to have some tea and snacks before heading to shop for fabric for Yuelan so she could have a new gown made. They found a beautiful burgundy fabric with gold embroidery as well as a light orange fabric to use as an accent. After enjoying their day of play the three parted company on cheerful terms and went back to their homes.

As Yuelan walked into her manor she lifted a hand to her mouth and yawned. It had been a while since she’d gone out to play and now she was physically and emotionally drained from it. As she started toward her courtyard to rest, Chung Soo approached holding paper in his hand. The steward bowed and offered the paper to Yuelan.

“My lady, this arrived for you from the palace while you were out with your friends,” the eunuch explained. “Please, read it.”

Yuelan unfolded the paper and read through the missive inviting her to travel with the members of the imperial family that would be escorting the second princess to her wedding in Zhongshu three days after the mid autumn banquet. She lifted her thumb to her mouth and nibbled on the tip of it for a moment before letting out a sigh and looking over at Camphor. “Inform Granny Bing Mei that I will be traveling after the mid autumn banquet and heading to Zhongshu,” she instructed. “If she could help me learn some of the etiquette of that country before then I would appreciate it. You, Willow, and Laurel will come with me, so make sure everything is prepared before it is time to leave.”

Camphor curtsied to accept the order and headed off to find the older servant woman and etiquette instructor.

She wasn’t really sure why, but Yuelan felt it was important that she travel to Zhongshu this time. Not in support of Second Princess Xiong Ainuan, but for something else unrelated to the upcoming marriage.

***

The streets of the capital were very busy as the various noble families prepared for the mid autumn banquet and the imperial family started preparations to send the second princess off to Zhongshu for the marriage alliance. Even Guangfeng was busier than usual and didn’t spend as much time trying to bother Yuelan. However, the third prince did send additional hidden guards to protect her as he had promised before as well as many gifts and advice for her to use on the trip to Zhongshu once he learned she intended to go. He also made sure to remind her that he would be traveling to Zhongshu as well in the hopes that it would make her less nervous about traveling.

Yuelan spent her time more or less focused on studying the use of magic. Occasionally, a certain dragon would appear and test her, either on her ability to control herself and not accidentally activate whatever stones she happened to be wearing or on what she was studying in preparation for learning healing techniques. She was never sure if Long He was satisfied with her results or not, as the dragon never said.

The morning of the mid-autumn banquet arrived and Yuelan ate breakfast then allowed Camphor and Willow to help her dress and do her hair and makeup. Laurel had made an excuse and begged to go visit her family the previous evening and so was unavailable.

A tan short coat went on underneath the long, burgundy gown that was tied with a dark brown and gold ribbon over her bust. The gown flowed smoothly and the light orange outer robe finished the outfit nicely. The clothes went perfectly with the fire opal accessory set and Yuelan was very pleased with her appearance. She took the circular fan embroidered with a fall lake scene from Willow and headed out of the manor and toward the waiting carriage.

Yuelan relaxed against the cushions in the carriage and let out a quiet sigh. She moved the curtain slightly so she could watch the bustling streets on the way to the palace while her two maids sat across from her.

“Is something troubling Miss?” Camphor asked in a gentle voice after a while.

“This is the first time I’ve been to something like this,” Yuelan admitted as she let the curtain fall back into place. “I’m a bit nervous.”

“Miss, don’t worry. Just be your usual self. Your station is higher than any of the Misses who will be attending and you only need to watch for the princesses. The second princess is the only one who may cause you trouble,” Camphor reassured her.

“Thank you, Camphor.” Yuelan smiled a little and looked down at her pale hands. Since coming to this world her skin had gotten even more pale than before because she spent so much less time in the sun and most of her skin was always covered by the ancient-style clothing.

The two maids saw that Yuelan still seemed uncomfortable and did their best to make cheerful conversation by talking about unimportant conversation topics intended to lighten the atmosphere and help their miss relax along the way.

Before long the carriage stopped in front of the imperial palace and the maids helped Yuelan out of the carriage. They intended to lead her to the front of the line, but Yuelan shook her head and entered the line instead. “I’m not a princess yet and these other women and girls have been waiting patiently. It would be unfair of me to pressure my way in more quickly.”

The two maids sighed and resigned themselves. They had gotten used to Yuelan’s ignorance of the privileges her position allowed her to take advantage of and her subsequent refusal to use them even after they were explained to her.