"My lord, it's my turn!"
"No it's mine!"
"Get out of the way, I arrived first!"
A short man, holding a scroll, shouted for silence. He was perspiring greatly and muttering what seemed like curses under his moustache.
"Young Master Er Bao is next," he called after checking the scroll. The crowd quieted down as a refined young gentleman stepped out, fanning himself demurely, a smile playing on his face. His hair was done in a half bun, and the crown he used to hold it up looked expensive. He walked up to the sweating short man and called out, in a smooth silky voice.
"Mister Du why, don't you tell your lord to stop for today? You're obviously exhausted,"
Mister Du looked at him with shiny eyes and then turned around to the man lounging on the couch, sipping his tea without a care in the world.
"My.. my.. my lord? Young Master Er Bao said--"
"I'm still telling the fortune of thirty people today," came the lazy drawl. The man's face came into focus. He had bright blue eyes, piercing, an uplifted lip that carried a hint of playfulness, and jade like smooth skin. Master Long Ao Tian! The renowned fortune-teller!
He was the only one in the capital who told fortunes accurately. Mostly though, he told the past, of dishonorable deeds his clients had done, and how they could put it right. The nobles and commoners alike flocked to him, at a fee.
He was rich!
And he was just seventeen.
But he didn't look it. He looked forty.
He was not a 'he'.
A young girl came forward and whispered something into his ear. The girl was well known as well. Xiao Xue Er, Lord Long Ao Tian's maid. She was as pretty as a flower. More people came to Long Ao Tian to glimpse her rather than to know their fortune. But she always covered her face with a white veil.
The maid bowed and retreated after she said her piece. Long Ao Tian stood up in a frenzy.
"I have to leave! My old mother's taken ill! I'll see you all tomorrow!"
"My lord, won't you tell my fortune before you go?" came a snicker from behind. Long Ao Tian turned around, and shot him a ugly glare.
"You idiot! Do you think I don't know that you've come to woo Xue Er? Heh heh, but I don't have your time today! Mister Du, pack up and let's go!" Long Ao Tian grabbed Xue Er's hand and flew onto the carriage waiting outside. Without waiting around for poor Mister Du, he shouted to the carriage driver to move it! The carriage raced pell mell towards the Xiao manor on the outskirts. The clients of Long Ao Tian didn't stop to think how come his old mother was staying at the Xiao manor. They had excellent faith in him.
Well, at least all except Young Master Er Bao.
He gritted his teeth.
"I brought flowers for Miss Xue Er. Now I won't be able to give it to her. That bastard Long Ao Tian! He's cast a spell on her! He doesn't marry her, yet he stops anyone from getting close to her! It's not fair!"
"Hey, Young Master Er Bao, what are you saying?" the others, who had no one to take out their frustration on after Mister Du had barely escaped them with his life intact but his clothes and dignity in shreds, cursing Long Ao Tian at the top of his lungs; turned to Young Master Er Bao.
"You know it's pointless for anyone to get close to Miss Xue Er! Even Master Da Bao, your elder brother, stopped coming after he failed! Do you know how much he offered Lord Long Ao Tian?"
Er Bao scoffed. A glint came into his eyes as he looked in the direction the carriage had gone. In his mind eye a lovely figure of Xiao Xue Er floated tantalizingly, out of his reach.
"Humph! I will never give up! Miss Xue Er and I will be married! And I will get my father to put that old fraud Long Ao Tian in jail!"
.
.
.
Meanwhile in the carriage Long Ao Tian had dashed into, a two young girls sat, the younger one helping the older one to dress up her hair.
"Miss, what are you going to say? Old madam will ask where you had been to," Xue Er said worriedly, looking into her miss' eyes. Blue eyes. Just like Long Ao Tian's. But where had he gone?
The young miss gently patted Xue Er's shoulder and changed the topic.
"I'm not going to be Long Ao Tian for a few days. That brat Er Bao is getting cocky."
What? Freaking what?
Xue Er sighed.
"Miss, just stay at home. It's too dangerous. If Master found out one day--" she shivered. Master. General Xiao Zhen. The current crown prince's right hand man. What shame he would suffer! What punishment he would give young miss!
The young miss didn't seem to be thinking of any of this, though. She was coagulating a strand of pure magic power on her palm.
"Isn't it strange, Xue Er? That I'm the only mage in the whole capital? I've got to use it! To have fun!"
Xue Er looked at her young miss and shook her head. Miss had become like this because there was no one to caution her. Her mother had died when she was very young, and General Xiao had remarried soon after. She behaved well enough when he was present for him to ignore her, and the new madam had her own children to take care of. Therefore, young miss had become wild. Xue Er sighed.
"What's with that expression?"
"What are you going to give to Old madam?" Xue Er asked instead.
"Give?" The young miss scoffed, "is it her birthday? Is she not sick? Do you give gifts to a sick person?"
Xue Er shook her head. Was miss really dumb or she was pretending to be?
"Miss, you can give her a get well gift," Xue Er was a very patient person, though.
Young miss nodded.
"It's alright. I'll give her a get well card from Long Ao Tian. She's one of his fangirls anyway. I'm sure she'll get well immediately,"
"And if she asks where you got it from?"
"I'll say from Long Ao Tian," young miss replied as if ot was the unrefuetable truth.
"And if she asks where you met Long Ao Tian?" Xue Er continued.
"Isn't he always all over the place? Where can't I have met him? Really, Xue Er! You're so naive,"
You're the one that is naive, miss, Xue Er thought.
The carriage clattered to a halt in front of the Xiao manor. Xue Er got out first and helped her young miss out. The two guards at the entrance exchanged glances, then bowed to her as she came up.
"Welcome back, young miss,"
.
.
A maid informed Old madam Xiao that her step- daughter had arrived. Madam Xiao sat up in bed and asked them to send her in. The young miss breezed in, carrying with her the scent of spring and flowers and Long Ao Tian's unique perfume sachet.
"Tao-er," the old madam smiled, already feeling better by seeing her. Unlike most step mother and step daughter relationships, Old madam Xiao and young miss got on wonderfully. It was partly due to the fact that young miss had been to young when her own mother died to remember her, and old madam Xiao had been her father's wife for as long as she could remember.
"I heard you're not feeling fine?" young miss plopped herself onto the stool near the bed without being invited, after she had kowtowed.
"Yes. The other day your step brother took me to the mountains, I slipped and fell," madam Xiao explained, looking fondly at her step daughter, "Tao-er, there's something I want to tell you--"
"No! Don't say anything! You're not going to die!" young miss said in alarm, clasping her hand over old madam's mouth.
Old madam:. .....
What is this child saying??
Laughing, she took young miss' smooth hand off her mouth.
"Silly girl, I wanted to tell you what Madam Jiao told me,"
Young miss turned her nose up. She hated madam Jiao! And her bossy daughter Jiao Zhu! Ever since Jiao Zhu took away the paper kite she made for the crown prince, when they were all children, and presented it as her own, getting about fifty gold ingots in return, they were sworn enemies.
"Forget about madam Jiao, mother! Guess who sent you a get well card?"
Madam Xiao was curious. Could it be her step daughter's mysterious fiance? Sure enough, young miss disappeared from the manor every day, but she never told General Xiao about it. She didn't want poor young miss to loose her freedom.
"Is it your fiance? When is mother going to know him?"
Young miss rolled her eyes.
"What fiance? Cheh. Here it is! Look at the penmanship! Who is it?"
"Long Ao Tian!" old madam Xiao gasped!