CRIMSON LOTUS 🪷 🪷

Crimson Lotus: Episode 4 – Masks

The palace had a way of breathing differently on nights of celebration. The air was perfumed with sandalwood and jasmine, silks whispered against polished floors, and laughter clashed with the clinking of wine cups.

For Elora, however, the banquet was less celebration and more battlefield.

“You look like a sheep being led to slaughter,” Lian whispered, tugging at the sleeves of Elora’s borrowed servant’s robe. “Relax! Just pour wine, keep your head down, and don’t spill anything on royalty.”

“That’s reassuring,” Elora muttered.

“Besides,” Lian added with a wicked grin, “if you do spill on Prince Derrick, maybe he’ll finally admit you’ve bewitched him.”

Elora’s cheeks heated. “Lian”

“Shh, don’t deny it. The way he stares at you? Like you’re an unsolvable riddle he wants to bite in half.”

Elora smacked her with a folded napkin. “I will strangle you with this.”

Lian laughed so hard she nearly dropped her serving tray.

Inside the grand hall, nobles sparkled like jewels, golden headdresses, crimson silks, and peacock-feathered fans. The emperor himself presided at the high dais, while Prince Derrick sat at his right, cloaked in dark robes that made him look more shadow than man.

Elora felt his gaze the moment she entered, though she did not dare look up. Her hands shook slightly as she carried a jug of wine between tables.

“Clumsy girl,” a sharp voice hissed. Lady Mei, a courtier known for her beauty and venom, sneered at Elora as she passed. “Watch where you walk. If a drop stains my silk, you’ll lose more than your position.”

Lian, overhearing, muttered under her breath, “Oh, may the wine gods strike me down if she doesn’t deserve a jug to the face.”

Elora shot her a warning glance, but Lian only grinned sweetly at Lady Mei. “Don’t worry, my lady. Elora has the balance of a mountain goat. Strong legs, steady step, never spills.”

Several servants nearby choked back laughter. Elora pinched Lian’s arm so hard she squeaked.

The music swelled. Dancers in flowing veils spun across the hall, silver bangles flashing. Elora focused on her duties, carefully refilling goblets until she reached Derrick’s table.

She lowered her gaze, bowing as she poured. His voice, low and deliberate, cut through the music.

“You again.”

Her hand stilled. “Your Highness.”

“Tell me,” he murmured so only she could hear, “do you appear everywhere I turn, or is fate playing a game?”

“Neither,” she said quietly, steadying the jug. “I simply obey orders.”

“Hmm.” A faint smile touched his lips. “I wonder.”

Then, with cruel amusement, he added, “Stay. The next dance requires partners.”

Elora’s head jerked up, eyes widening. “Your Highness, I”

“Refusing would be… unwise.”

Before she could protest further, Derrick rose, extending his hand. Gasps rippled through the hall, a prince dancing with a servant? Scandalous.

The music shifted. Elora’s palm rested in Derrick’s, warm and commanding. His other hand guided her waist, pulling her into the rhythm. She tried to keep her breathing calm, but the intensity of his gaze unraveled her composure.

“You hide your fear well,” he murmured.

“Perhaps it isn’t fear,” she countered softly.

His lips curved. “Then what is it?”

“Recklessness,” she whispered, surprising even herself.

For a moment, his steps faltered only slightly, but enough to reveal she had struck a nerve. His grip tightened, and he pulled her closer, their movements dangerously precise.

All around, whispers spread like wildfire.

Lady Mei fanned herself furiously, whispering to another noble, “A prince lowering himself to a servant? Outrageous.”

Meanwhile, Lian, balancing a tray of fruit, whispered loudly enough for half the servants’ line to hear, “If this is lowering himself, I hope I find a prince who falls flat on his knees.”

Servants snorted with laughter until a guard glared at them into silence.

When the dance ended, Derrick released Elora slowly, his hand lingering a moment too long. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes burned with an intensity that made her chest ache.

“Interesting,” he said simply, before returning to his seat.

Elora fled back toward the servant’s line, face flaming.

Lian swooped in immediately. “Interesting? He called you interesting? That’s basically royal language for I’d rather die than admit you make my heart pound like a war drum.”

“Lian!”

“What? I’m only telling the truth!” She winked. “But be careful, Elora. A cat may play with a mouse… but sometimes, the mouse bites back.”

Elora pressed her lips together, heart still racing from the dance. A dangerous thought stirred again not of fear this time, but of what might happen if she let herself fall into the prince’s trap.

And as the banquet continued, she realized Derrick wasn’t the only one watching her. Somewhere in the shadows, other eyes lingered too eyes filled not with curiosity, but with envy and malice.

The palace gleamed like a jewel that night. Lanterns of red silk swayed from carved beams, casting golden light over the hall. The emperor’s musicians plucked zithers and beat drums in perfect rhythm, while courtiers bowed and laughed, every word sharpened like polished jade.

For Elora, carrying a jug of wine that weighed far too much, the grandeur was suffocating.

“You’re sweating,” Lian whispered, nudging her with a tray piled high with steaming dumplings. “Not a good look. Wipe your forehead before the nobles think you’re seasoning their food with fear.”

“Lian,” Elora hissed, “please don’t”

But Lian had already grinned at a passing nobleman and added cheerfully, “Try the dumplings! If you choke, don’t sue us, the emperor is rich enough.”

The nobleman spluttered into his wine. Elora nearly dropped her jug.

The banquet roared on. Servants wove through the hall, filling goblets, while nobles gossiped behind jeweled fans. Elora caught snippets: talk of alliances, border skirmishes, even whispers of betrayal within the palace.

At one table, a pair of ministers argued about taxes. At another, generals boasted of past battles. But every so often, the conversation veered to the high table, to Prince Derrick.

“Dark as a raven, that one,” an elderly noblewoman murmured, not knowing Elora passed behind her. “He smiles at nothing. He’s like a blade that cuts its own wielder.”

Elora’s grip tightened on the jug. She didn’t dare glance at him, though she felt his presence, magnetic and sharp, seated beside the emperor.

Her steps faltered near Lady Mei’s table.

“Careful, girl,” Lady Mei snapped, her eyes glittering with malice. “If you stain me, you’ll regret it.”

Lian appeared instantly, swooping in with a tray. “Oh, don’t worry, my lady. Elora’s hands are as steady as an old monk in prayer. Not even an earthquake could shake her grip.”

Elora whispered furiously, “Stop exaggerating”

But at that exact moment, Lian tripped over her own hem. The tray of dumplings launched into the air like a flock of startled birds.

Gasps rang out. The nobles ducked. One dumpling smacked a general on the forehead with a wet plop. Another landed neatly in Lady Mei’s jeweled hair.

Silence.

Then the general burst into roaring laughter, clutching his stomach. “By the heavens, I’ve faced armies with less ferocity than this!”

Lady Mei, however, went crimson, snatching the dumpling from her hair and glaring daggers at Elora, though everyone had seen whose clumsy feet caused it.

“Apologies, my lady,” Lian squeaked, bowing low. “The dumpling had… ambitions.”

Snickers rippled through the hall.

Elora dragged Lian away before Lady Mei could skin her alive. “Are you trying to get executed?”

“Better than dying of boredom,” Lian whispered, grinning even as Elora smacked her arm.

The music shifted, a haunting melody. Dancers swept the floor, silks shimmering like rivers of fire. Then the herald announced:

“His Highness, Prince Derrick, will now join the dance.”

The hall stilled. All eyes turned. Derrick rose, his presence commanding without a word. He moved down the steps with measured grace, dark robes trailing like shadows.

And then, to the horror of every noble and servant alike, his gaze landed on Elora.

“You,” he said, extending his hand.

Her breath caught. “Your Highness, I”

“Dance,” he commanded softly.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. A prince choosing a servant? Unthinkable. Yet no one dared speak against him.

The dance began. His hand gripped hers, warm and firm. The other slid to her waist, guiding her steps.

“Relax,” Derrick murmured, his breath brushing her ear.

“Easier said than done,” she whispered back.

“Good. Tension sharpens the senses.”

She met his gaze, defiance flickering despite her racing heart. “Perhaps you enjoy watching people squirm.”

He smirked faintly. “Perhaps I enjoy watching you.”

Her breath hitched. She tried to mask it with sarcasm. “Then I pity Your Highness. You must be easily entertained.”

For the first time, his steps faltered, a heartbeat only, but enough. His grip tightened, pulling her closer. The hall blurred, the whispers drowned beneath the pounding of her pulse.

By the time the music ended, Elora’s knees trembled. Derrick released her slowly, deliberately, as though letting go was a decision he considered dangerous.

“Interesting,” he said, voice low.

The word burned more than praise.

He turned away, returning to his seat as though nothing had happened. But the hall buzzed, whispers swelling like a rising tide.

Lady Mei’s fan snapped shut with fury.

The emperor’s expression remained unreadable.

And in the servants’ line, Lian practically danced with excitement.

“Interesting?” she whispered as soon as Elora staggered back. “That’s royal code for: I want to drag you into a dark corridor but I’ll never admit it in front of Father.”

“Lian!”

“What? Everyone saw it! The prince didn’t just dance with you, he devoured you with his eyes. I swear, if this were a play, the audience would be throwing roses at your feet.”

Elora pressed her palms to her flushed cheeks. “Stop talking before I pour soup over your head.”

But as laughter and gossip filled the banquet hall, one truth settled in Elora’s chest like a stone:

She wasn’t just surviving the prince’s attention anymore. She was part of his game.

And in the shadows, not everyone found it amusing.