I own the story, the plot, and the characters here, so please be nice with me and enjoy~
"Will you be the heroine of my life?"
Lucas sat in front of the fireplace with a glass of red wine on his right hand. He sat quietly like he used to be, listening to the crackling sound of the woods broken by the fire. His right hand kept swinging in clockwise slowly as he caught the sweet scent of the wine which Alfred served to him this evening after dinner. He loved how his butler can actually describe his current mood. That was, he admitted, one of Alfred's quality of being a perfect butler for a perfectionist master like him.
Truthfully, he never felt content with his surrounding lately. All looks the same from time to time, and the cycle of life will just rotating like it used to be. This is something a vampire would be familiar with, especially an old one like him. He knew all of these for a long long time. And somehow, he just feel like to find a new sensation than just sitting in front of the fireplace in a cold winter in England.
His indigo eyes moved to his study desk where piles of books and scrolls of maps scattered. One of his current partner, Sir Christopher Gavin, just iniated him to come with him to China. Hell with it, he thought at first, he would gladly find anything but bamboo forests and that bear-like creature with black and white patterns in their body. Lucas knew it was naturally genetic thing, but he himself couldn't help to wonder whether it was a cross-breed between a cow and a bear back then. He never thought of this boring day would come to an old vampire like him in a bloody cold winter. He wondered if this was only a side effect of being alone for over than eight centuries. Whatever the reason was, he actually just thought of come to that foreign place along with his business partner. Perhaps, it won't be that bad to go there, he thought again. Not only would he get the new scenery, but also new opportunity for him to invest some amount of money there. Even though his main purpose there was only to refresh his body and mind.
"Alfred," he called as the butler came in second in front of him, bowing respectively to his only master without saying any words, waiting for the command to be stated. "prepare my luggage and inform Sir Gavin that I will accompany him to China the day after tomorrow."
"At once, Milord," was all the butler, Alfred, said and he was gone from his eyes.
As the butler left him, the vampire came back to his flying mind, accompanied by the scent of sweet wine and the sound for fire sparkling with the woods cracking. He couldn't believe he would actually just left his beautiful castle in the middle of coldest night of winter to this famous biggest continent called Asia. His silver-blonde hair swiftly moved as he dipped his head into his wide palm of hand and give the temple a light massage and gave another heavy sigh.
"Let's just hope this voyage will be better than not having any refreshment at all."
The winter in Summer Palace has made the beautiful palace covered with white snow blanket. Covering the entire road with its whiteness, made the girl actually sigh contently at the view in her eyes. She gazed on her uniform today, made sure the winter coat didn't get any snowflakes since she will soon meet her mistress, the Great Empress Dowager Ci Xi. With last breath she taken, her tiny leg mobilized her petite body to the main hall of the Empress Dowager's pavilion.
"Mei Lan," a voice called out her name and in turn, she moved her eyes to the source of the voice to find her friend, Yue Xing across the place provided for the servants and lady in waiting of the Empress Dowager. "It is rare to see you still here at this time," her friend stated in her exasperated pants.
"Ah, well, The Empress Dowager actually asked me in person not to be so early lately, she said it will make me more like the servants rather than the lady in waiting." answered Mei Lan as she smiled at her friend. Her hair ornaments moved in rhythm as she swung her head toward her friend.
"Then it is a good thing to have you here, Xiao Lan," Yue Xing chirped happily as she wrapped her arm in Mei Lan's left arm, her smile showed how grateful she was to see her childhood friend here. Indeed, those who were very familiar with the most favorite lady in waiting of The Great Empress Dowager can call her with her birth name, Xiao Lan. "Come! We must hurry before The Empress Dowager searched us,"
They followed the biggest path in the area that lead them both to the main hall of Summer Palace where The Empress Dowager had been staying for the past two months. Of course, it is something weird to see the Empress Dowager staying in the Summer Palace in winter, but who was she to ask this out? As a lady in waiting, her main job is only to serve her mistress and make sure her every need is fulfilled inside the palace.
Being appointed as Empress Dowager Ci Xi's most favorite lady in waiting can be somehow called as a gift as well as a curse to Mei Lan's life. As her favorite lady in waiting, Mei Lan got some privilege to be able to follow the Empress Dowager wherever almost all the time, including during the politic negotiation and the royal meeting. The Empress Dowager herself allowed her to be able to learn how to read and to write, and ever since, she became totally in love with literature world. Mei Lan's voice sometimes also heard by the Empress Dowager in order to make a wise decision for the member of her pavilion. Aside from all those privileges, Mei Lan also feel how her friends started saving some distance between them and her. She felt it and saw it clearly through how she actually became lonelier and lonelier as the time went by. This leading herself to be focus on the art world, the painting, the embroidering and knitting. Luckily, she still had this childhood friend called Yue Xing who remained still as her friend, even until now.
"Anyway, have you heard about the ambassador of England who came with some businessmen from that place?" asked Yue Xing curiously, her black orbs shone as it showed its excitement toward the news.
"Yes, the Empress Dowager herself told me about it," she admitted softly.
"I heard that the ambassador came to visit today at noon!" Yue Xing chirped happily again as she giggled childishly.
"Really, I never thought the contingent would arrive so soon," she muttered lightly as she looked at the morning sky. The snow had stopped fallen and cleared out the sky as blue as it had been.
The ladies in waiting finally arrived at the main hall and came in to show their respect to their mistress. The Empress Dowager had sat there for a while when they showed up, her elegant features lighted up when she saw her favorite lady in waiting in front of the door.
“There you are, my child,” said the Empress Dowager as she raised her right hand, letting them to rise again. “Come, don’t let your gown crumpled only because of this daily respect thing,” she smiled at them.
“Thank you, Your Highness” answered both Yue Xing and Mei Lan together as they got up and joined their groups beside the red rug.
“As you girls know, this noon, the contingent from England will come to have business meeting with China, with our kingdom,” the Empress Dowager spoke calmly as she moved her hands on her knees. “I expect peace from them, but meeting new people means we have to be very aware of every suspicious act they made here.” She sighed softly as she watched the remaining scrolls on the golden furniture in front of her seat. “After all, it is for our country’s safety.”
Mei Lan understood how it feels as she also aware of how the member of misnitry had become more and more anxious as this day came. Deep down inside, she felt that this contingent could be a gift for Qing dynasty. But that didn't close the gate of hell for this dynasty.
"I expect you all to prepare yourself in the best way to show them the grace of Qing women. And also, this means that by noon, all preparations are done perfectly." The Empress Dowager stated calmly yet sternly. She moved her gaze to Mei Lan as she raised her left hand to her. "Mei Lan,"
"Yes, Your Highness," answered Mei Lan as she bowed her head once.
"I believe our guests would like to have a good entertainment tonight in the welcoming feast. I personally also had missed your performance of gu zheng and the way you brought the poem for us."
Dear God, she gasped in silence. This could be another thing that made her lose another friend inside the pavilion. But who was she to reject it? "If it pleases you, Your Highness, I shall do it with my best," she answered humbly, trying to ignore the whispers from her colleagues behind.
"You may all now leave to prepare yourself and this place." ordered the Empress Dowager loudly, dismissing all ladies in waitng before getting back to her chamber to get some more rest. Not even turning her head back to see how two hundred ladies n waiting had bowed deeply toward her before.leaving the main hall quietly.
A moment like this was something precious for a girl like Mei Lan. A long time before noon came means she could lock herself inside the Summer Palace's infamous library. Only to seek some options of literature she might like to perform this night. And perhaps, some lonely time before facing the reality of being lonely inside the palace.
The ship finally harbored in the local harbor they believed to be the closest way tovisit the Summer Palace where the Empress Dowager resting at the moment. Lucas didn't believe how the captain actually made it to arrive there safely. Leave alone the fact that their journey had been faster than Christopher's calculation. He looked at his surroundings, a beautiful village with busy people walking in and out to move the ship's cargos. His things had been packed up there and he would like to make sure his things didn't dissapear
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