"ili! ili!" called her mother in a panic.
ili sat opposite Master Rong, playing the guqin at her afternoon lesson. She put her hands on the strings to still them.
"Yes Mother?"
"Excuse Master Rong," apologised Madam Yu, inclining her head towards him. "I'm afraid the Second Prince has turned up unexpectedly and requested to et with i ili. We'll have to cut her lesson short today. I'm so very sorry to trouble you like this."
ili blanched. Why did the prince want to see her instead of her First Brother? She couldn't imagine any good reason. She rose from her instrunt, nervous butterflies dancing in her stomach.
"Manni, please freshen your mistress for the visit," Madam Yu ordered. "Leave her veil on," she said sharply, looking at both of the girls.
"Yes Madam," Manni curtsied. She took ili by the arm, steering her hurriedly back to her chambers.
"But mother, the prince has already seen my face at the palace," ili called back over her shoulder. "It's split milk worrying about that anymore."
"Do as I ask ili, don't argue with ," said her mother, brooking no nonsense.
Old Master Rong chuckled as he struggled to his feet. "Oh, to be young again. Such are the joys of youth."
"Let see you out Old Master," said Madam Yu solicitously. "It's so much harder to properly raise girls than boys," she lanted.
"Although this bird has not yet taken flight, when it does it shall surpass heaven. Although it has not yet sung, when it does it shall shake the angels," quoted Master Rong.
So much for the veil, thought Madam Yu, with alarm.
She could feel their carefully kept secret rapidly unravelling, after all these years of hard work.
She hoped her husband's efforts to keep ili out of the palace would pay off. If her daughter had to enter the harem or beco a prince's concubine under the rule of a wife, it would break her heart.
Manni quickly ran a comb through ili's long hair. Luckily, she was already dressed prettily for the visit by Master Rong. A light peach coloured dress complented the natural highlights in her hair. Her silver bell earrings from her father tinkled as she stood.
With her light veil secured, ili walked to the receiving courtyard to et the prince.
Tricky was close on her heels wearing a smart peach scarf, and Manni followed a discreet distance behind them.
"Your highness," ili curtsied. "Your visit is unexpected. What brings you to see today?"
"Miss i," he nodded stiffly, noting her veil was back in place, "I ca to return this".
He stuck out his hand, in which he held the pale gold veil she had lost at the palace.
Tricky watched him warily as the man nearly touched his mistress.
"Oh," she flushed with embarrassnt. "Thank you for your kindness your highness. You didn't need to co all the way here in person to return this, but I thank you anyway."
The second prince really was ridiculously handso she thought, it was hard not to stare openly at him. How many young ladies must be in love with this man?
"Would you do the honour of taking a walk around the garden with ?" he asked formally.
"Of course, if you have the ti to waste on , I'd be happy to accompany you," she responded.
The i Mansion had extensive grounds. As well as the training grounds, stables and a riding field, there was a large ornantal garden, with shaded paths, a koi pond and ta peacocks roaming freely.
This ti, ili established the proper etiquette before they set-off. Walking alongside the prince, but slightly behind him, at a modest distance.
Who knew what might happen if her parents or her brothers saw them arm-in-arm as they had been in the Empress's Garden, she thought with alarm. They'd probably insist on him taking her as a concubine where she would languish in a cold palace sowhere like a sad character in a novel. She shuddered.
He reached down to stroke Tricky-Wu, but the dog turned tail and hid behind his mistress, and the prince smiled in amusent.
"Good boy not to trust anyone," he spoke approvingly.
"Young Miss," said Manni, approaching them, "let take Tricky for you".
She grabbed the dog by his scarf and dragged the reluctant animal behind her, standing a good distance away where their conversation would not be overheard.
"Miss i," he kicked off. "I wanted to say to you that your Flower Lantern Dance in my mother's garden was very good. A worthy tribute to her. She was also a talented dancer," he spoke wistfully.
"I hadn't heard that she was a dancer your highness. She must have been beautiful to produce children like the princess and you," she said guilelessly.
He chuckled with quiet pleasure. She thought he was handso. That was a start.
"She was very beautiful by all accounts. I don't rember her well, but the paintings of her are lovely. My Emperor Father says they don't do her justice... They were a love match. That's why he's never installed another empress."
"Yes, your highness; it's a beautiful tribute. You must miss her."
"You can't miss what you don't rember," he sighed. "Sotis I wish I had a mother though. There are tis in your life when you need a mother's advice."
He was pulling at her heartstrings.
"Of course! I hope you have soone in your life who can play that role, even if they're not the sa as a real mother."
"I am close with Princess Lingling, but it's definitely not the sa. And she's my ii, so I can't go to her for advice."
He stopped walking as they crossed the bridge over the koi pond.
Turning to face her, he stepped towards her, and placed one arm on either side of her, trapping her between his arms against the bridge rail.
She leaned precariously backwards in alarm as he leaned towards her, like a wolf sniffing its prey. Her eyes were wide as she looked into his eyes. Where was Manni?
"What are your hopes and dreams, if it's not too forward of to ask Miss i?"
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