Empress Llomera

promises

her words were soft yet steady.

and as everyone in the meeting hall brought their surprised gazes to her, they found a soft smile on her plump lips. beautiful yet empty .

"Llomera ?" the old master softly called out . her smile made him uncomfortable.

Llomera did not face him but his family members when she altered softly yet determined " i know the Xiao family does not welcome me , and i put blame on no one, given just as all of you are unable to accept the sudden appearance of a lone girl with no blood ties being brought into the family ,is the same way in which i am unable to look at other people who don't even think favourably of me as replacement for my lost family."in the ancestral hall , now filled with stunned silence , the girl finally gave the master of the residence the attention he had been seeking.

yet this time she did not look him in the eye, instead she lowered her head as she continued , " i have no interest in claiming a title in the residence of the esteemed minister of rights ,nor the inheritance that comes with it. all i dare ask for in a society that wouldn't let me stay in solitude given my age and gender is a place to call home .so i implore old mater Xiao to let me keep my family name, so as to forever remember my roots and honor them."

the family had imagined plenty about what kind of country pumpkin the old master would be bringing in to the residence . but from the moment the girl stepped foot in the residence , non of the embarrassing scenes tactfully thought of happened.

the young girl, to begin with , had too much of a charming figure for thier liking , not to mention that unique hair colour of hers . and now it seemed she was not an air head.

A beauty with brains. the young ladies shared subtle meaningful looks . this was bad.

one of the older ones, taller and fairer as compared to the other two seemed to think otherwise, hiding her expression delicately behind a fan , she allowed a smile to grace her red lips. to her, an orphan wasn't anything to worry about.

Master Xiao , who had been stunned by those words was now felling more sad than angry. Llomera's words were blunt and had it been any self absorbed person been on the receiving end , they would have taken them for an insult . but he was someone saw things as they were .

and the girl spoke nothing but the truth. so he smiled and gently ruffled the girl's silver hair .

Llomera looked back at him , surprised when she found his expression calm. she had been sure the old man would be angry.

his smile seemed only to widen though and his wise brown eyes even held a hint of pride ," wise choice my dear" then removing his hand from her hair ,his said in a louder voice for all to hear " well, it seems we wont be welcoming Llomera de Xiao this mourn , but Llomera Christa , welcome to the family dear'

Llomera allowed herself to smile at the old man. and for a second, he caught a glimpse of the girl behind that soft smile . because this smile was filled with sincerity , it was graceful and carried promises of the future.

*********

"His royal highness looks more dashing than usual this evening" a blonde young man declared , a lazy grin playing on his lips .

" Silence is a virtue you seem to be lacking George " a majestic voice calmly berated , that did nothing to dampen the young blonde's mood though, if anything his grin only grew wider which made the prince to sigh.

"it wouldn't happen to have anything to do with finally getting a glance at the so highly guarded Xiao sisters at the banquet, now would it ?" George continued , it was false of course . prince Xurong was known to be a man of principals, never indulging. George wouldn't be surprised if the man had yet to have his first kiss ,much less taste the sweetness of a woman.

as expected , the prince spared him a glance and nothing else , before boarding the royal carriage . his four companions , George included, each followed it from behind on mixed breed majestic horses. the other three shared looks, they were actually quite curious about these ladies who had never been seen out of the residence. plus the Xiao family was so prominent else his Majesty the emporer wouldn't have had his most beloved prince to make an appearance to give face.

whether the trip would be worth it or not , they would find out soon enough.

********

" red looks really good on sister Tara , it compliments sister's fair skin"

" second sister's words really makes one embarrassed, especially when you look no less than a fairy "

"you really think so sister? "

" why of course , I heard the young master of the Lu family will be present tonight, I bet he won't be able to keep his composure once he gazes at second sister "

the younger girl couldn't help but blush when she heard those words , young master Lu had shown his interest on multiple occasions , she had never responded to him of course , she was lady of noble upbringing , if his interest was genuine , then he would do it in a way that respected etiquette . That was what she told her self, but she couldn't help but be slightly uneasy .

the young ladies praised each other to no end, so much so that an unconcerned girl with silver hair at the end of hall couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Llomera waited until the group where out of sight before proceeding to her destination . The old man's courtyard.

the guards let her in with a greeting and a maid guided her through the multitude of halls . when they finally made it to the Master's resting place ,Llomera was ready to go full emotional blackmail if need be, the few months she had spent in the Xiao residence didn't just give her an insight on world view but also showed her how indulgent the old master was of her.

"come in " a low , slightly husky voice called before Llomera made her way instead the receiving area. a small sweet smile painted her beautiful features once her eyes fell on the brooding figure seated comfortably while reviewing what seemed like official documents .

was he planning on missing the banquet too?, unlikely

"Grandfather" she cold out softly , the old man's eyes moved from the document in his hand to her without moving his head, typical

he took a second to annalise her outfit , his eyes narrowing .

Llomera wasn't about to let him speak first and gain an advantage " I don't plan on going to the banquet " straight to the point .

the old master, intrigued , placed down his documents , intertwined his fingers and gave the girl his full attention.

"and I cant wait to hear your reason as to why little Mera , you know , seeing as this is a very important banquet" was his reply, Mera caught the underline meaning of those words though, 'your reason better be convincing , otherwise...'

and they were ,

her spoiled sisters revile to society, Master's and princes in attendance , fake pleasantries

it all sounded like drama wrapped in silk and gold and Mera , well, she wanted to have no part in it , its not as though they would miss her anyways

so she rounded his polished office table , sat on her old man's exclusive chair with practiced ease and decided to go full Mera mood. she could hear her grandfather let out a tired sigh at her behaviour though he said nothing .

and she gave hime a soft smile in response . like the perfect lady.