Sudden Change

“Does she interest you, crown prince?” the eunuch asked, feeling a spring of hope in his chest.

“Not at all. She’s still a kid no matter how much they’ve tried to dress her up. Why don’t you just send her back home?” Ren said, half with disgust.

“But…that would be…” the eunuch whispered in shock.

“Better yet…send all of them home…” Ren muttered darkly.

“We absolutely cannot do that, crown prince. You do understand that these women are…” the eunuch said in a panic.

“Political hostages…” Ren finished the sentence for the old man.

The eunuch bowed, unable to come up with a suitable reply to Ren’s words. No matter what the crown prince said, there was no way that offerings to the capital could be returned. It would be utterly disrespectful, and it would be an utter disgrace to the girl in question.

…

The music came to a stop, and I posed for the final ending of the dance. I cannot believe that I live through that. Somehow, I had successfully reached the end of the dance without fal