"There!"
With a last sharp tug the seamstress – Daiyu – adjusted the fabric around Shian's waist and stepped back. The day of the wedding had finally arrived and bride and groom were busy getting dressed up and ready.
Shian too had found her way back into the workshop, where Daiyu was helping her into the dress. Indeed, the previously long trail was much shorter but still long enough to cover Shian's rather simple shoes. Until the end she had refused to wear the ones Mai liked so much and she didn't want to buy new ones. No one would look at her feet anyway – or even in her general direction, as far as Shian was concerned.

Mai was there too of course, excited as if it were her own wedding day, waiting in the corner. She wanted to do Shian's hair and there was no escaping her. Hadi had allowed Mai to take the day off, which was something quite unusual. It seemed Shian's former colleagues wanted her to look her best at her first formal gathering.

After looking Shian up and down Daiyu nodded contently and released Shian from the pedestal.
"Here, take a look", she said, guiding her to the floor-length mirror in the corner.

A bit apprehensive Shian stepped closer. The woman in the mirror looked back at her, wide eyes and parted lips. She had her face but she still didn't look like her.
Shian had worked for Koumei a while now and she had worn the nice red dress a few times but more often than not she felt more comfortable in her old, worn out work clothes. To see herself in those fine fabrics felt wrong and unnatural.

Neither Daiyu nor Mai registered her discomfort, they were happily chatting behind her back about how nice she looked. Not wanting to worry her friend Shian put on a smile and turned back around to face them.

"Well Mai, do your worst. I do want to meet up with Lord Koumei before the event starts, for some final advice."
"Oh quit it hun, you will do fine. Just stand around and look fabulous." Daiyu winked at her, before starting to gather her tools and needles and whatnot. It was a relief to Shian that the other woman had dropped the overly formal act.

The remark earned a little giggle from Mai who came over to Shian, shooing her out of the door.
"We're going to use your bathroom, the one in the servants' quarters just has no proper mirror!"
"The mirror by the hospital wing is tiny too", Shian admitted with a sheepish smile. She knew where they could find a large one – Kouha's private bathroom was decked out with a giant framed mirror, big enough to show even Kouen fully. She strongly suspected Kouha would allow her to use it but there was no way she could admit that to Mai – the rumor mill would start working the second she suggested it.

Mai just sighed dramatically.
"We just have to use whatever we can get. You go on ahead, I will grab a few things from my room."
Mai vanished into the next corridor they passed, leaving Shian with a mixture of amusement and anxiety. She really didn't want to make a fuss over something as insignificant as her hair. Carefully gathering the expensive skirt she continued her way, cautious not to trip on it or snag the flimsy fabric on something.

The way to the hospital wing seemed longer than usual and she was sure it was because she felt like walking on eggshells. The dress was worth more than all she earned in her time as a maid.
Finally arrived she stole Liang's chair from his desk and settled into the bathroom, placing the mirror so she could see herself. She still looked uneasy, feeling like a weed trying to disguise itself as a flower.
She wondered what Koumei would think. He had made her compliments before but she had never been able to fully believe his words. Surely he was just trying to make her feel better..?

Before she could go deeper into her mind maze the door flew open, revealing Mai. Her nose barely stuck up above the bag she was carrying and when she saw Shian's skeptical expression she began laughing.

"Everyone piled their stuff together, even Hadi! I'm sure we will get this to work."
"Hadi wears make-up!?"
"Rukh beware, no!" Mai stated dryly, "but she contributed around five pounds of hairpins and clips."
And with that she dumped the entirety of the bag out onto the drawer under the mirror. Pins and brushes and little cans went everywhere, covering the wood and dropping onto Shian's lap. She swallowed. What had she gotten herself into…

Around two hours later Shian was done with everything. She had no idea what Mai was even doing behind her, all she felt was her tugging at her hair or brushing Rukh knows what on her cheeks, all while tirelessly humming to herself. Most of the time she covered the mirror with her body too and Shian had lost all motivation to even care anymore. She just wanted to be done.

"There we go!" Mai finally exclaimed and put down the tin and brush. Looking Shian up and down for a moment she nodded satisfied.
"Okay, now you're allowed to attend the wedding."
"Oh thank you for your permission" Shian groaned. She was a bit cranky after all that sitting around.
"Now don't get sassy with me, young lady!" Mai grinned, unfazed by her friend's mood.
"Here, take a look."

She snatched the mirror off the drawer and held it up so Shian could see her own face. Mai had curled her black hair into a bun at the base of her neck with two long strands framing her face like little waterfalls. The hairpins Hadi had lent her were adorned with tiny peach blossoms which worked together fabulously with her dress.
Mai did a good job, she could not deny it.
A bit apprehensively Shian brushed one of the strands back to take a look at her temple. The scar was still there but the powder hid it quite well.

"Well…" Shian stated, already feeling how Mai swelled up in anticipation, "It's alright I guess."
"Alright!?" Mai sighed, dramatically slumping against the wall. "You're a hopeless cause, Shian, hopeless I say! You look gorgeous and no, I do not want you talking back to me. Get yourself together and then off you go, you wouldn't want to keep your date waiting, would you?"
She grinned a cheeky grin and gathered the various pots and tools off of Shian's lap.

Shian had to smile a bit. She was glad Mai was so supportive.
She got up and brushed a bit of dust and powder off of her dress.
"Thank you, Mai"

Very quickly, almost timidly, she hugged her friend and then took off, rushing out the door, leaving behind an amused Mai to clean the mess.

Outside the room Shian almost collided with Liang. The young doctor was carrying a clipboard and a cup of tea, both of which he almost dropped upon laying eyes on his next-door neighbor.

Examining her for a second he smiled amused as she turned red under his gaze, he didn't even have to say anything.
"Have fun at the party!" he finally said, innocent as can be, and passed her to enter his realm, only to find his chair gone.

Before he could come back to scold her Shian had already made her way towards the exit. It was late noon now and the festivities would begin shortly. Neither her nor Koumei would attend the ceremony itself – only the family of bride and groom were present and the very reluctant high priest.

This gave Koumei and Shian some time to spend together alone, without the pressure of work. Although Shian would have preferred to do so beforehand, there was no way she could be as close to him as she wanted, donned up as she was. And she was sure he was dressed up too – what Mai was for her, Kouha was for Koumei.
At least that's what she hoped, Koumei had the bad habit of forgetting to brush his hair.

A couple of minutes later Shian knocked on Koumei's bedroom door. She couldn't imagine him taking longer than her and sure enough, a faint "Come in" was her answer.
Looking around a last time she scurried in, hurrying to close the door behind her.
Koumei was nowhere to be seen but she figured he was still in the bathroom, the door open from what she could see.
Pulling her dress flat Shian sat down on the bedspread and waited patiently, her eyes wandering around the room. It was a bit more messy than she was used to and she could imagine her former colleagues slacking a bit off on cleaning today. There were other things on their mind with having to organize the wedding event.

Koumei peaked out of the open door, making sure his visitor was indeed Shian and not his brother who came back to haunt him.
He had been standing in front of the sink and had leaned back but as soon as he laid eyes on his beloved it was all over for him. Taking another step back he meant to get a better look but instead he lost footing on the slippery tiles and down he went, hair flying everywhere.

With a weird little squeak Shian jumped up, having just witnessed her boyfriend tumble to the ground like a domino. Hastily she went over to him and kneeled down, a worried expression on her face.
"Are you alright!?"
"I have seen an angel!" Koumei gasped, before sitting up and chuckling to himself. The whole situation was pretty absurd. "Don't worry, I'm fine"

He leaned forward and stole a kiss from the still shocked Shian, causing her to blink in surprise. And then she laughed.
"Hm, I'm not sure I can take you to the wedding looking like that!"

A bit disgruntled Koumei frowned. Kouha had tormented him all morning with brushes and tweezers until he felt like a plucked turkey. It had paid off though, his hair partly up in a bun and partly falling over his shoulders, as straight and neat as never before.
He wore layers upon layers of heavy fabric and all in all he felt very presentable for once.
He huffed and got up, straightening out his clothes and brushing off the dust. Out of the corner of his eye he caught his image in the mirror and suddenly he understood why Shian had been laughing.

Shian hadn't meant to insult her lover but when he had kissed her it seemed that a good portion of her lipstick had gotten on his lips. The bright shade of orangey red that fit her dress so nicely clashed horribly with Koumei's magenta hair and he looked a bit like he just experienced a particularly wild night. Getting up herself she smiled at him through the mirror, still stifling her laughter.
"I'm sorry Mei" she hummed and hugged him from behind, careful not to wipe all the powder and cream from her face on the embroidered fabric of his garment.

Laying his hands over hers he had to grin himself.
"Aw, but why not? You don't think it compliments my hair?"
"No, not at all!" she laughed, letting go of him again so he could wash the color off his lips.

Taking a peak in the mirror herself Shian made sure her own lipstick was still on point and when it passed her check she finally took the time to look at her prince properly.

The dark purple of his robe contrasted his eyes and hair nicely and the golden stitchery looked very royal indeed. Before she could catch herself an enchanted sigh escaped her, making Koumei turn around. The enamored look on her face had him blushing and he gave her a sheepish smile. He wasn't used to people looking at him this way as he regarded himself as below average looking.
"Better now?" he asked, throwing the now red stained cloth into the sink and leaving the bathroom with Shian in tow.

Looking him up and down she nodded.
"I really didn't want to catch any attention but with you by my side everyone's going to be looking!"
Koumei had to laugh. "Shouldn't I be the one saying that?"
He took her hand in his and let her do a little twirl, leaving her giggly and flustered.
"You know, it is rude to look better than the bride on her wedding day" he said, a feigned stern tone in his voice.
"Oh stop it!"

Amused Shian flopped onto the bed again, visibly flattered by her boyfriend's words.
"I don't want to know what the poor woman went through. I am just an unimportant side-character and Mai pestered me for hours just to look like this."
"Mm, it was very successful though." Koumei hummed, his gaze wandering up and down her body, clearly liking what he saw.

His intent stare caused Shian to grow flustered but she pulled herself together and leaned back onto her elbows, giving Koumei her best bedroom eyes and a charming little wink.
"That you think so is all that matters to me."
She crossed one leg over the other, causing the light fabric of her dress to ride up, scandalously exposing her upper thigh.

Discarding his outer garment onto the nearby couch Koumei didn't lose time joining her on the bed, kneeling over her so he could enjoy the view entirely. Both of them had already completely forgotten about the makeup on Shian's face or the fact that both their clothes should remain as free of wrinkles as possible.
Before Koumei could repeat the mistake of getting crimson lipstick all over himself, Mai's magnum opus got saved by someone knocking on the door.

The sound gave them both a boost of adrenaline and within seconds Koumei was standing again, fumbling with his jacket while Shian sat back up, trying to look as inconspicuously as she could.
They exchanged a quick glance and a nod, before Koumei cleared his throat.
"Come in."

The door creaked open and in came Kouha, similarly dressed up as his brother. It was weird to see him in something other than his usual short shorts and skimpy top. The colors he wore matched the ones Koumei was clad in and for just a brief moment Shian felt a little sting, as her orange tint clashed a bit with them.
The feeling was over quickly though as Kouha whirled over to her, grabbed her hands and pulled her up.
"You look gorgeous!" he fawned with such sincerity that it put the blush right back onto Shian's cheeks.
"Thanks" she mumbled, eyes automatically glued to the floor. In her embarrassment she had forgotten that Kouha didn't regard her as a servant anymore.

Without letting go of her he looked over to Koumei, his eyes narrowing a bit. For a moment Shian imaged him being able to see the miniscule traces of red on his brother's lips. She wouldn't put it past him.
"Acceptable." he finally said and released Shian's hands. "The ceremony is over and the guests are settling into the great hall. We better get going."

He swaggered out the door again, leaving Koumei and Shian behind to neaten their clothes one more time before following.
Koumei noticed fast that anxiety had caught up with Shian, now that things got real. Her eyes were fixed on Kouha's back and her fingernails dug deep into the palms of her hands.
She had been a lot calmer the last weeks than she had before but now that she were to attend such an official meeting she felt like she was back at square one.

She could already feel her chest getting tighter and her breath more ragged but before she could give into the negative thoughts she could feel a warm hand closing around her own. Looking besides her she saw Koumei smiling gently, giving her hand a slight squeeze. She knew what he wanted to tell her.
"I'm here for you."

Grateful she relaxed her tense muscles and entwined her fingers with his, the feeling stabilizing her a bit. Thankfully Kouha is walking in front of us, Shian thought.
Of course neither she nor Koumei saw the wide, smug grin on Kouha's face.

Making their way through the palace over to the eastern wing, they started to hear the cheerful chatter of the other attendants. As if following a silent clue Shian and Koumei let go of each other.

Koumei took a deep breath and straightened his back. He couldn't stand those gatherings but he at least was used to it. Give yourself polite but noble, don't make others think you see them as lesser but make clear that you have the upper hand. Kouen and Kouha were naturals but he himself always had to work hard to keep up the act.

Much to Shian's surprise they didn't join the stream of nobles that flowed into the great hall, instead they entered a hallway to the right before they could be seen. There, Koumei stopped, inexplicably looking rather guilty.
While Kouha went on alone, quickly vanishing around a corner, Koumei fumbled with the hem of his sleeves a bit.
"I'm afraid I'll have to leave you here. The royal family will enter through another entrance and no matter how much I'd love to, I can't take you with me."

Like a deer in headlights Shian looked back at him, her newly acquired calmness already fleeting again.
"I…I understand." She put on a barely convincing smile. "See you inside?
Taking her hand in his Koumei nodded, before lifting her fingers to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on them.
"It won't be long."

Then he let go of her and followed his brother deeper into the palace, leaving Shian slightly choked up.
Get a grip, she told herself and turned around. Too late did she realize that she had no idea where she would be seated.

Not wanting to be the last person to enter she gathered her skirt and finally joined the people on their way into the great hall. The amount of colors and perfumes were overwhelming and for a moment Shian just wanted to bail.
Instead she took a deep breath and passed the guards that were standing watchfully by the big open doors.

The inside of the hall was not at all how Shian remembered from her nightly adventure with Koumei. The heavy tables formed a giant "U", leaving the middle barren.
Against her expectations the newlyweds weren't seated at the head of the room, instead they sat to the left, right in the middle. Bride and groom were hard to miss in their bright red gowns, happily talking with their different family members that sat around them.
As far as Shian could tell, they looked quite content.

On the right, behind another row of tables and chairs there was a small pedestal on which the musicians sat, already playing a happy little tune. The music was quiet and got almost drowned out by all the talking but it still helped to create a busy, cheerful atmosphere.

The hall was filled to the brim with people and servants, the latter scurrying around with platters and jugs and plates. Shian caught a glimpse of Nami's fiery red hair and Hadi was there too, overlooking all her underlings.

The other end of the hall, where Shian would have expected the bridal couple, was the only place where there were still empty chairs. And it wasn't hard to guess why.
Smack dab in the middle stood a throne, golden all over and upholstered with very expensive looking red fabric. The backrest consisted of dozens entwined carvings that looked like birds and flowers and vines. It looked stunning but Shian couldn't imagine it to be very comfortable.
There was no doubt who would be sitting in this chair.

To its right there were two empty chairs, way less elaborate than the throne itself but still decorated more than the average seating in the hall.
Next to the empty spaces Shian could recognize Chuu'un, one of the only members of Koumei's household.

Koumei's most prized possession, the black feathered fan, had always been a mystery to her. She knew that it housed a Djinn and she knew about magic and King Vessels on a very elementary level – all those years snooping around in Koumei's books had paid off after all. Unfortunately that was all she knew and in the end she could only say that in all the time she had spent with Koumei, she hadn't seen Chuu'un even once. Maybe it was more of a formal thing. She made a mental note to ask Koumei next time they were alone.

Next to Chuu'un Hakuei and Hakuryuu were seated, and then Judar. He was clad in the traditional robes of the high priest and looked rather disgruntled. It seemed he had been forced to officiate the wedding and he was not happy about it.
The servants in the near vicinity were already armed with wine and peaches and Shian had to suppress a sympathetic smile.

To the left of the giant throne there were nine unoccupied seats and Shian had to do a mental tally of who they could be meant for. The seven princesses, Kouha and Kouen? And Koumei on the other side of his father then.

Her deductions made sense to her but there was still one piece missing. In the end, one seat would remain empty…