The Bride
1095 Words
The drum played for the first time, then twice and one last strong eardrum-bursting blast. A well-dressed old man entered the scene: "Welcome! As you can see, we have chosen a few brides to marry the prince, but only one will be selected."
"Father, why do we need to do this now? Do I need to marry someone when I haven't turned 21 yet?" Wen Yuze, the emperor's youngest son, asked anxiously.
The emperor just looked at his son and then to the audience: "The brides will be taken to their rooms and tomorrow morning, we will do a physical test where we will assess the health conditions of their bodies. The healthier ones will continue, and the others will return to their families."
And that's how it happened. Like the others, the next day we were analyzed and only six out of twenty brides returned to their families. With me, there are only 14 brides to be evaluated, and it looks like there will be two brides at the end now. "This Sunday afternoon, we're going to look at the labels on each one. We don't guide them, we will observe. We want to get to know them about how they behave when they find themselves in a situation like this." The emperor clapped his hands twice and the lights came on.
There were several tables with random objects, one different from the other, and whoever got there first would get a great seat. My master taught me everything a lady should do when standing at a table. Now I need to disguise and use this brush to my advantage. In front of me is a piece of paper, a brush and Indian ink diluted in water. I believe they want to examine how talented I am at drawing or writing something. The way I hold the brush, every detail I record on the paper, and how to present what I've done.
"Time up! Now our reviewers will go to comment on your work and also on how we identify the labels for each one."
Now three have gone and there are only eleven brides left, counting me. I don't know if there will be a new level. A man is approaching my table: "What's your name?"
"Yu Wei Yao, nice to meet you."
"What's your job?"
What kind of question is that? I'm a murderer, but I'm not going to answer that.
"Now I'm the bride, but then I'll serve the emperor."
"And what do we have here?"
"A brush, a painting, and a piece of paper with an ideogram of my name on it."
"We look at your posture, and you have a good profile as a lady. Are you a descendant of any royalty?"
Looks like I passed the test.
"I'm just a peasant's daughter." I sat down gently and rested my hands on my knees with respect.
"For a peasant girl, you must have received a good education. I didn't know foreigners could be so calm."
You're kidding me.
"My name is Yu Wei Yao, I'm a peasant girl, and I'm great at cooking, washing, decorating..."
"We get it. Well, sit down with those girls and we'll give you the instructions for the last evaluation soon."
Behind the curtains and away from the audience, the fourth prince heard everything: "How can my father be so cruel even to brides?"
"Hey, little brother. What do you think of brides? Did any of them enchant you?"
"Ha! Very funny of you. But that peasant girl looks interesting."
"Only you can think of people with a profile below ours."
"If she's been selected to participate as the bride, she's not just any peasant."
"She must have lied during the sign-up to get in."
"It could also be, but..."
Of course, I lied about being a peasant, but I don't know if my original family was rich or poor. I can only remember that I was abandoned and raised by my master. Nothing else matters now. And the final selection has arrived. Like I said, it's going to be two brides, but there are six girls. It's too late to give up and accomplish the mission otherwise. It's so stuffy I can't feel my legs.
"Here we have Yu Wei Yao, Bai Daiyu, Qin xin, Yuan Yiqi, Dai Meng, and Zhang Xin."
"Congratulations girls! Now we need to watch the dancing skills of each one and we will give the final answer."
It took two hours before they were all dancing. The music wouldn't stop playing and we didn't have the right to choose a song, only them. I had no dancing skills, but I knew swordsman's moves. Incredibly, no one interrupted me and believed that I had the profile of a dancer.
"Congratulations to all. Unfortunately, only two will assume the position of the bride and soon, who knows, consort."
Now is the moment of truth.
"Bai Daiyu! One step forward, please."
I need to pass. Only one of us will be chosen now.
"Yu..."
"Yuan Yiqi, right?" The semifinalist asked. It's like she reads his mind.
"Yu Wei Yao." I took a step forward and the girl, in this case, Yuan Yiqi looked at me with a mocking face. I'm sure she's jealous of my beauty.
"Congratulations! The others can join their families or enjoy the marriage ceremony."
Bai Daiyu, the daughter of healers became Àn Yuè's assassin by force. Before, she was just an innocent woman who was always chased by homeless people. She joined as Ye Mu's fiancée, and of course, I became the fourth prince's fiancée.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Yu Wei Yao." I greeted the fourth prince, my target.
"Pleasure." Wen Yuze smiled at Yu Wei Yao.
"I'm only nineteen and I'm already getting married." I said laughing nervously.
"My father forced me to find a bride within fifteen days and since there were no results, he invented this wedding ceremony where I must marry whoever he chooses." Wen Yuze commented annoyed. It's like he doesn't like my presence.
"I confess that it never crossed my mind to be selected to be the bride of a prince as young as you." What I really want is to motivate him to move forward and then I know he will be disappointed in having chosen me as his wife.
“The truth is, I never had the chance to meet anyone I admired. She was gracious, she lived in a community nearby and one day, she disappeared."
"What was her name?"
"Lv Yi."
And soon I'll abandon you too.
- Writer
