A WEEK LATER
EMPEROR LIANWEI POINT OF VIEW:
The palace woke before the sun that morning. By the time the first blush of dawn touched the sky, the corridors were already alive with the clatter of servants, the rustle of silks, and the faint scent of incense curling through the air. Today was the day. I wasn't nervous. At least, that's what I told myself as I stood in the mirror chamber while a small army of attendants fussed over my wedding robes. The layers of embroidered white and gold shimmered faintly in the candlelight along the hem, almost seeming to move as I breathed. My hair was drawn up and bound with a golden crown circlet, the one worn by emperors on their wedding day for centuries.
"You look like a proper groom." My grandmother said from her chair, eyes sharp but proud.
"Was there a time I didn't?" I replied, adjusting my sleeve.
She smirked.
"You've looked like a proper groom since the day you met her."She said.
