Chapter 81: Gracious Mother

980 Years Ago.

"Princess, it's time to arise!" A voice frantically called out in the background, anxiously pacing back and forth near the enormous bed in the center of the marvelous tent. She nibbled nervously on her bottom lips, worried about her heavily sleeping Princess.

"Ugh…" Lina groaned at the sound, clutching her head at the horrible headache she had. 

"Princess, you're awake. Finally!" The servant chirped, clapping her hands in joy. A large grin broke out on her face.

Lina was puzzled. She opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. Her vision was blurry and she felt like she had slept an eternity. Tiredly, she rose from the bed and stretched. 

"I had such a weird dream, Miah," Lina said, rubbing her eyes, so they would adjust to their environment. 

Lina glanced around their tent, feeling like this wasn't reality. 

"What kind of dream, Princess?" Miah asked.

Miah quickly brought over the wooden wash bowl. Inside was water scented with lily petal leaves and mint. It was meant to refresh the Princess and leave her face smelling sweetly first thing in the morning.

"Oh…" Lina paused, blinking. "I… I suddenly don't remember, Miah."

It was the truth. Lina initially thought she could remember the dream, but the details were long gone. With a shrug of her shoulders, she dipped the white linen into the basin. 

"Ah, please, Princess, allow me," Miah responded in a soft voice. She took the linen and helped the Princess cleanse her face. 

Usually, servants wouldn't dare talk unless spoken to. Lina, however, was one of the kindest people that Miah had ever served.

The Fourth Princess earned the title Favored Princess, not from just the Emperor himself and her family, but also the maidservants.

Everyone fought to work with her, for she treated people the best. Whether it was giving small gifts in pastries, food dishes, snacks and the occasional jewelry; Princess Lina was a giving tree.

"What day is today?" Lina asked.

Lina's shoulders relaxed with the sweet scent of lilies and mint. She rubbed her dry eyes, even though her mother, the Second Concubine, always said it would ruin her features. 

"Princess, today is the day of the Women's Skill Tournament," Miah diligently replied with a tiny smile, bowing her head. 

Even though the Princess treated Miah kindly, Miah was still mindful of her manners. Or else, she would lose her head. 

"Oh… The dream must've been so drastic, I forgot what day it was," Lina responded, feeling as if she had repressed a memory. 

Shaking her head at the thought, Lina slipped out of bed.

Once Lina did so, Miah clapped her hands. Instantly, more handmaidens entered the large tent. 

Soon, everyone was helping Lina to get dressed. A few combed through her hair with a scented comb, whilst another wrapped her waist in a lovely perfume satchel filled with crushed flowers mixed with powder.

Lina was used to this everyday occurrence. Though, her outfit today would be different. She wore well-fitted clothes instead of her usual dresses. Today's theme was white and lavender.

"This way, Princess," Miah gently said.

Miah guided the Princess, helping her to the seat in front of the vanity. The tent was so large that there was a chest for items, a bookshelf, tables, and chairs.

Maidservants slipped on shoes for the Princess, whilst others fixed her hair into a high bun wrapped with ribbons and secured with a priceless hairpin. There were strings of hanging pearls. All the Princess had to do was move her head and the hairpin would sway like dew on flower petals.

"All set, Princess," Miah stated, stepping back to allow the Princess to admire the work in the yellow mirror.

Lina didn't even have to look to know her handmaidens had done a wonderful job. They always did. She rewarded them with a satisfied nod and smile.

"Thank you, everything looks lovely as always," Lina calmly said.

Lina stood up to admire her outfit. Nothing was flowy or out of place, or else she could be exposed to her opponent. Though, no one dared to hurt the Princess.

"The veil?" Lina asked.

Miah quickly presented the thin muslin material with two hands. She helped hook the white veil onto the Princess' nose, covering the lower half of her face, revealing nothing but her sharp gaze. 

Miah secured the veil with a pure white ribbon that was easy to remove later. 

"There you go, Princess," Miah admired, clasping her hands together.

Lina nodded in approval. To hide every young woman's identity to prevent favoritism or biases, every participant had to wear a veil on their face. Or else, no one would dare to raise their weapons in the tournament.

Imagine striking a Princess in front of a crowd, whilst knowing who she was? No one would dare to.

"Now, let's greet my mother," Lina stated, receiving the sword from a handmaiden. She hooked it onto her waist. 

Soon, everyone was out of the tent. The entrance flapped behind them, the air festive and noisy. 

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There were different colored tents sprawled throughout the entire tournament; some large, some small, some fancy, some mediocre. But the royal family's tents were on a different platform, the highest of them all.

"This way, Princess," Miah directed a path behind all of the tents, so no one would be able to recognize the Princess by her outfit.

Lina glanced around and calculated that there were more guards than there was yesterday. They seemed more diligent too. Their hands tightly grasped their swords. Everyone was looking around, alert and vigilant.

"Did something happen?" Lina asked, gesturing to the stationed guards patrolling around. 

There were even more soldiers lined around the royal tents and the aristocratic ones. Lina recognized a few of them weren't the royal guards, but the soldiers of other families.

"Rumor has it, Princess," Miah said, lowering her voice and glancing around. 

Every handmaiden was five steps behind the Princess, but Miah was a special one. She was only two steps behind.

"A group of dangerous bandits snuck into the grounds. The guards are on high alert, Princess," Miah whispered. 

Lina slowly nodded her head. She observed the men who walked around proudly with nothing to hide. There were some familiar faces, but the majority of them were strangers.

Lina wished she could be of help. She didn't like to idly sit around and wait for things to get done.

"Atlan is in charge of the search, Princess," Miah added, lowering her gaze when they reached the Second Concubine's tent. Inside, there was chitter-chatter.

"Atlan?" Lina eagerly asked, her eyes lighting up. 

Lina was glad he had the responsibility, as it'd boost his reputation if the bandits were caught.

"Yes, Princess," Miah stated, dropping her chin to the ground. In private, they could talk like friends, but in public, everyone had to behave according to the hierarchy.

Lina made eye contact with the handmaidens stationed outside. At the sight of her, one of the maidens quickly went into the tent to bring the news of Lina's arrival. 

A moment later, the maiden came out, bowed deeply, and tucked her hands in front of her stomach.

"Princess, the Second Concubine awaits your presence," the maiden said.

Lina brushed past the maidservant. A few others held open the tent flaps, allowing her a glimpse of the smaller tent. Her expression hardened in realization that her mother wasn't treated as well as the First Concubine and Empress.

"Mother," Lina greeted, noticing her mother was still bedridden. 

Sweat clung onto the Second Concubine's forehead, her eyes painfully squeezed shut. 

"Y-Your Grace," Lina stammered out, quickly realizing the Empress was also here. 

Lina lowered herself into a curtsy, and stiffened at the sharp gaze of the Empress.

"Rise," the Empress said.

The Empress didn't bother casting the Fourth Princess a glance. In her eyes, Lina was a white lotus. All she knew was pleasing the Emperor. The Empress believed Lina's gentle heart was fake.

"Insolent!" The Empress' handmaiden scolded the Fourth Princess. "You are to greet the Empress first, she is the mother of our nation. What gives you, the Fourth Princess, the right to offend our great Empress?!"

Lina's breath was caught in her throat. She felt her mother straining to open her eyes to peer at her. She swallowed hard.

"You still won't speak?" The head handmaiden demanded, her lips tugging into a deep frown. 

Just because the Emperor favored her, this brat must've thought she could've gotten away with everything.

"Hurry and kneel!" The head handmaiden squabbled, pointing a manicured finger to the ground. 

Emotions stirred from within Lina. No one told her the Empress was inside. She felt like this was a setup. The Second Concubine's maidservants were gathered here, including Lina's. To be scolded in front of so many people was embarrassing.

"What? You still won't kneel?" The head handmaiden asked in a harsh tone. She spoke for the Empress and was haughty by nature. 

The Empress was the gracious mother of Teran. She was meant to be the gentle moon, who never raised her voice or hand. She was bound by her duties. But her servants weren't bound by anything.

"Guards!" The head handmaiden commanded.

Immediately, the Empress' soldiers came forward, ready to obey like well-trained dogs.

"The Fourth Princess has shown the utmost disrespect towards the Empress. Force her to bend the knee this instant," the head handmaiden stated, shooting her hands towards Lina's direction.

"You'd cause a scene in front of the royal doctor and my sickly mother?" Lina finally spoke up, raising her head with a soft frown.

"It is you who caused a scene by slandering the Empress with your lack of manners! No wonder your mother is sick, she has such an unfilial daughter," the head handmaiden harshly scolded. 

Lina raised a brow. There were permanent frown lines on the servant's face as if she never smiled before.

Lina couldn't understand the thoughts going through this woman's head. Once her people caught wind of this, the Empress would not be punished. The head handmaiden, though, would lose a tongue or hand.

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