Emperor's Bloom (Yandere!Emperor! x Female!Reader!)

03: The Charming Treasure of Masaoki

                  "[Name], would you like me to arrange for some maids to help you next time instead?" Liqiang proposes, gently decorating your [S/C] neck with an adorned necklace as you looked straight ahead into the mirror at your reflection. You were left with the task of preparing yourself for the day, which Liqiang would have thought would be easy enough for you to do given that he had already set out everything. On the other hand, you quickly realised that you had nearly no clue how to properly put on the attire.

"Perhaps that would be best, yes," You confirm, slightly embarrassed by the fact that it was difficult to dress. The only thing that made it so difficult was the fact that there were so many layers which you had no clue what order to put on, and you also had no idea how to properly do your hair either.

By now, you were looking at yourself finally ready for the day, about half an hour later than expected. Given that Liqiang had to check up on you after you had changed into the proper clothes, he was now decorating you as though you were a doll with several pieces of jewellery.

"My lady, these jewels were imported from abroad. Chunhua picked them out for you especially, she truly wishes to be on good terms with you. From what I've heard, Chunhua is the nicest out of the other two ladies in the harem," Liqiang informs you, now completing your look with a simple hairpin made of gold, shaped to imitate a lotus flower.

Looking at yourself in the mirror, Liqiang had dressed you in a pale, rosy layer underneath a sky blue dress which was tied neatly with the same fabric around your waist, one side overlapping the other, with the length of the dress stopping just above your ankles. On top of that, the look was finished off with a matching, sheer piece of fabric as a loose-fitting jacket, that paired well with the golden edges ornating the outfit, along with the illustration of lotus flowers alike to your hairpin in a crystal lake.

"Is there anybody, in particular, I should watch out for?" You decide to question Liqiang. This was a foreign place after all, and you had to at least try and survive until you could figure out what had brought you here.

"There's one lady in the harem named Jia Huang, who I've heard to be quite... rude - to say the least. She was the first one to join the emperor's harem and seems to pick on any of the newcomers for the first few months. I'm not quite sure if she's changed her ways as of late but she definitely is somebody to watch out for. She has a lot of the higher-ups around her finger as well," Liqiang explains to you, getting up from the floor and taking several steps back in order to give you space to stand up from your seat.

"And why is that?" You curiously reply, hands still neatly folded on your lap as you sat at the low-lying table in your bedroom, right by the rather large window which depicted a rather foggy morning as the garden could barely be seen. It was awfully grey, with only blades of emerald grass amongst hints of rose shrubs visible from your seat. Liqiang reaches for the mirror that he had taken out to put up on the table whilst you got ready, and stores it back in its usual spot at the bottom of the drawer as you get up onto your feet.

"Since she's been here the longest, she has the most connections. Lady Jia also has a habit of charming the men in this palace so that they do what she wants. Of course, her charms have always failed on the emperor. I remember nearly a year ago when they last spent a night together, the emperor kicked her out after just half an hour because she had touched his shoulder," Liqiang responds, a nervous expression on his face. "Anyway, are you ready to meet lady Chunhua?"

"Oh that's right, I'm meant to be meeting with her today to pick my lover. Is that right?" You ask.

"Precisely, my dear lady. However, you're only allowed to select one out of the three she has chosen. I'm sure lady Chunhua will tell you a bit about each but you'll have to make your choice quickly because we took so long to get you ready," Liqiang laughs slightly, hoping to ease the atmosphere and lighten any worry you might have.