[center][h2][color=FF0000] Mai Mei of Liang [/color][/h2][/center]

Mai had been up since the crack of dawn, getting ready for one of the most important days of her life. First, she combed her long wavy hair, ensuring that her midnight locks were free of all knots and snares. Sitting in front of her mirror, Mai had stared at herself in silence, thinking about all that her life had been up to that day. In her twenty-one years that she'd been alive, Mai had gone from hiding her identity from everyone to practically flaunting it in front of the most powerful people of Liang, and now the entire world. "Niklas König of Königreich der Welten," she said clumsily out loud. The foreign name sat heavily on her tongue, while her native language flowed fluidly out of her mouth. Mai winced, more aware than ever of her slight accent. She sighed-there was not much that she could do about [i]that[/i] right then.

Mai had mixed feelings about being betrothed to Niklas König. On one hand, she understood the political implications of her marriage; Königreich der Welten would provide her uncle's precarious regime with much-needed advanced technology, especially in terms of military technology. But on the other hand, Mai had never been particularly fond of soldiers. She [i]tsk[/i]ed irritably to herself. Now was certainly not the time to be remembering [i]that[/i] kind of stuff. Mai steeled her resolve and settled into the rhythmic motion of combing her hair. No, she would play her part, as she had always done. There was no need for the royalty of the entire damn world to know about the things that she'd seen and the things that she remembered. [i]Besides, I'll know soon enough what kind of person Prince Niklas König is in a few hours, and I'll be able to see if the reports are actually true,[/i] she reminded herself. 

From what she'd seen and read, Niklas was described as an amiable, likable young man, full of charm and wit. Intelligent, too, with military experience as well. But Mai was not so foolish as to believe everything that people said. Being the crown prince of a kingdom with the world's most advanced military required more than just charisma and intelligence. No, there would be a certain [i]cunning[/i] that only rulers and politicians and generals had within him too. Mai had spent her life around that lot, for goodness's sake. She of all people would know.

After she had combed her hair until it shone, Mai pinned it out of her face while she went to get dressed. She carefully slipped into the crimson [url=http://i.imgur.com/1eRjDnR.jpg] dress [/url] that was hanging in the closet, admiring the way that it accentuated her slender waist and long legs and complemented her dark hair. The dress bared one shoulder and featured delicate embroidery and beadwork on the top half. The skirt fell down to the ground, almost covering Mai's feet. It was simple but elegant, and best of all, the long skirt provided her with plenty of room to conceal whatever she would need under it. 

Mai sat down again at the vanity and prepared to work magic with her hair. With an arsenal of bobby, hair gel, and combs spread out on the vanity in front of her, Mai eventually managed to tease her hair into a half-up, half-down [url=http://hairsend.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/long-straight-hair-half-updo-hairstyles-detailed-and-fancy-style-this-updos-is-using-braid-and-tied-style-for-the-variation-of-this-updos-558918856d4a8.jpg] hairstyle [/url]. Mai curled the ends of the tendrils of hair that hung against her back just so, examining her handiwork in the mirror. Satisfied with her hair, Mai retrieved her wooden jewelry box decorated with intricate carvings of koi fish and lotus flowers and pagodas, opening it and assessing her collection of hairpins, earrings, bracelets, rings, and necklaces with a critical eye. A particular set of [url=http://www.findingscrown.com/2007.12/91869.jpg] hairpins[/url] with bright red glass beads hanging from a butterfly caught her attention, and Mai picked two of them up. She examined the ends, which were wickedly sharp, albeit extremely tiny, blades of sorts. Mai nodded idly to herself-they would do-and arranged them in her hair on the back of her head, crossing them in a manner that reminded Mai of hairstyles that featured two chopsticks in the bun. After ensuring that no parts of the bladed ends were visible, Mai moved on to make-up. 

Mai put away her hair products and shoved her jewelry box to the side for the time being. She went through the motions of rubbing foundation across her skin and applying a slight hint of pale pink blush with a practiced ease, her mind on other things. Mai had pored over the reports of the other royalty that her uncle had provided her and listened intently to what Ming Mei said about each and every person that would be in attendance. Zhou had been there too, but he had seemed rather bored. Mai rolled her eyes when she thought of Zhou; her cousin was much too rash for his own good, but there was something endearing to her about the younger man's rashness. Not that she would ever [i]tell[/i] him that, mind you, and his rashness had gotten him into plenty of trouble in the past. 

Mai allowed herself a small grin. Despite all his glaring flaws, Mai had grown quite fond of Zhou. She finished touching up the light blush and carefully applied eyeliner and a pale red eyeshadow, dusting her eyelids with the soft hue that set off the inky black of her hair. Then came the lipstick, which had always been Mai's favorite part about makeup. She went with her usual deep-red color, smiling at her reflection. Perfect.

"Alright, just a few more things left to do," Mai said out loud to the empty room. She put away her cosmetics and picked up the jewelry box again. Coppery-gold bangles went around her bare right wrist and a delicate gold chain went around her neck. She settled on ruby-red studs for her ears. Mai selected a black [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ea/0a/84/ea0a845ff6a893a2428857a7a618aef4.jpg]fan[/url] with razor-sharp blades on the end hidden by a wide cloth border. Finally, Mai took out two small daggers and concealed them in the bodice of her dress and under her skirt. To top off the entire ensemble, Mai slipped into a pair of spiky black high heels that added a few inches to her height, making her almost freakishly tall. That was alright, though: she could deal with being extremely tall if it meant that she had an extra pair of weapons.

Mai [i]knew[/i] that having weapons on her was not something that she should be doing. But old habits die hard, and you would have to be a fool to go around weaponless in court back in Liang. It wasn't like she was planning on using any of them anyway; they served more as a reassurance than anything else. And if somebody happened to discover them-well, considering where her daggers were [i]placed[/i], they'd have a hard time justifying why they'd been looking there in the first place. 

Mai stepped out of her room, taking a deep breath. Now that she was quite literally dressed to kill, Mai felt a good deal better. Her heels click-clacked against the fine mahogany floor of the hotel room. One of her uncle's advisers-Zheng-rose to meet her. "You look beautiful, as always," he said politely when he laid eyes on her.

"Thank you," Mai replied.

"Are you ready to go?" Zheng asked.

Mai nodded. The pair made their way out of the hotel, where a luxurious car was waiting for them. Mai carefully stepped inside and sat down, Zheng beside her. Before they departed, Mai made sure to bang rudely on Zhou's hotel room door and remind him that he had to be at the palace and couldn't sleep until noon like he usually did. The car began to move through the streets of Aciras, and Mai watched the scenery roll by, thinking about the other people who would be there too, as well as the prince that she was betrothed to. Mai and Zheng said nothing to each other. What needed to be said had already been said many, many times. However, it was not an awkward silence that the two lapsed into, but a companionable one. If Ming Mei was like Mai's father, then Zheng was like her uncle. It was Zheng who had marshaled mass support for her uncle when he was trying to restore the dynastic rule, it was Zheng who had risked everything for them in opposing the socialists, and it was Zheng who her uncle had first contacted when he came out of isolation. Mai glanced at the austere man-with his salt-and-pepper hair, severe expression, and rigid posture, one would never have guessed that he had a warmer side to him. Mai considered it a great honor that she was privy to this warm side.

As they drove through Aciras, Mai mentally went through everything she knew about the other royalty. First and foremost, there would be Niklas; the soldier prince from Königreich der Welten that she was betrothed to. According to the reports she'd received as well as Ming's insightful comments, Niklas was the type that thought honor and honesty and whatnot were important. Mai supposed that she could respect that-though she wasn't particularly [i]honest[/i] herself, somebody who was frank would be a breath of fresh air compared to the stifling atmosphere of Liang court politics, what with its sly half-smiles and subtle insinuations that were the norm. Of course, there [i]was[/i] Zhou, who, in Mai's opinion, was much too honest for his own good.

Mai wasn't so sure about the "soldier-prince" part. She hadn't exactly had a great experience with soldiers or their commanding officers in the past. Zheng must have seen something in Mai's eyes, because he gave her a reassuring look. "You're going to be alright," he said. "Ming never would have betrothed you to somebody that he didn't approve of." Mai nodded, her face expressionless.

Mai's thoughts drifted to the princess Zhou was betrothed to-Isobel Martinez, of the Kingdom of Trèlins. From the reports, Mai knew that Princess Isobel Martinez was blunt and upfront, with a caring nature (or at least, a caring nature in front of the camera) and a feisty side to her. Mai supposed that the homeless shelters and charitable activities were a good sign, even if they were indeed only meant to make her look good to the rest of the world. Mai thought that the pink-haired princess and Zhou would get along splendidly, despite the fact that the pair had the potential to cause more trouble than she cared to think about.

Some of the other royalty that had stood out in the reports included Cara O'Brien of the Celtic Consortium, Liviana Traianus of Lusitania, Elizaveta Romanova of Noslainia, Caterina Versini of Svearike, Edwin Drakewine of the Empire of Britannia, and of course-how could she forget?-Casimir D'strad of Ortha. 

The first two were regarded as highly intelligent-well, no, that was not true. It was widely known that Cara O'Brien would have to be intelligent, with the way that the Celtic Consortium picked its heirs, but as for Liviana Traianus, the report had not said much. She was the tenth child or something like that, and small and sickly at that. However, Mai's uncle had told her that she was definitely the most intelligent out of her siblings. Mai believed that the most intelligent people were the most dangerous.

Elizaveta Romanova was almost like your typical eighteenth-century princess, what with her love of classical music and ballroom dancing and horseback riding. However, there was the fact that her father went mad that set her apart. Mai thought that she was very elegant and had the most gorgeous eyes, although she was wary of her. Revolution hardened monarchs; Mai could speak from first-hand experience on that. 

The only major item of note about Caterina Versini was the murder of her older sister. She almost felt sorry for Caterina. She had big shoes to fill.

The Empire of Britannia was large, powerful, and expansionist. For that reason, and that reason only, Mai was already on guard every time she even thought of Edwin Drakewine. There were reports about a "forbidden love" with a middle-class girl and her subsequent murder as well. [i]Interesting,[/i] Mai thought idly. 

Finally, there was Casimir. Mai's lipstick-coated lips twitched slightly at the sides. Everything about Casimir amused her, from his eyeliner (Mai was sure that he owned more eyeliner than she owned make-up, and that was saying something) and flamboyant wardrobe to his wicked grin and honeyed tongue. She recalled her trip to Ortha with a smile. Her uncle had wanted to negotiate a trade agreement with Ortha after all trade virtually stopped in Liang during the political upheaval that had taken place during the first half of Mai's life. So, Ming, Zhou, Mai, and a score of advisers had traveled to Ortha, and one night, Casimir snuck her and Zhou out of the palace to explore the city. Mai had held some reservations about the idea at first (although Zhou had been all for it), but she'd decided that getting to see more of Ortha could do her some good. 

Their night out had been surprisingly...fun. Mai couldn't remember the last time she'd had [i]fun[/i] before that. She'd felt like a normal teenager sneaking out of the house to go party. They'd wandered through countless flea markets and bazaars, and every time Mai so much as looked in the direction of an item, Casimir had purchased it for her. In fact, she had brought along a few of his gifts with her to Aciras, including the bangles that she was wearing in the present moment. The memories she had of Casimir and Ortha warmed her heart. 

Zheng cleared his throat quietly. "We're here," he said. Mai gave him a small nod as the car pulled up to the steps of the castle. Mai stepped out of the vehicle, with Zheng by her side. She mentally steeled herself for the introductions-Mai knew of Liang's reputation with the other nations-and took a deep breath. [i]Alright, here goes. This can't be worse than court back at home: there is a very slim chance that anybody is plotting to overthrow uncle or somehow take control of the throne here. I can do this. I [/i] will[i] do this. For Liang's sake, I will do this.[/i]

Mai walked up the steps, her heels clicking softly against the ground. She arranged her expression in one of polite curiosity, a faint smile on her lips. When she reached the top, where the princess of Aciras was waiting, along with her parents and Niklas-her betrothed-Mai curtsied in the Western style and smiled sweetly. "Greetings, your majesties, Princess Raven, Prince Niklas," she began, her eyes dancing from one face to the next. "My uncle sends his deepest apologies for not attending, and my cousin, Prince Zhou, will arrive shortly." She paused and gauged their reactions-nobody really seemed to care. Of course, that was expected; Mai had known that the King and Queen of Aciras would have already known that Ming Mei would not be present. 

Three men walked up the steps behind Mai. Two of them were carrying a rather large jade [url=http://www.artnet.com/WebServices/images/ll00236lldo34GFgkNeR3CfDrCWvaHBOcZx2D/chinese-carved-jade-maiden-sculpture-group.jpg ] sculpture[/url], and the third held an oblong box in his hands. Mai gestured to the sculpture. "A token of friendship from Liang to your beautiful kingdom," Mai said as the men laid the sculpture down for the king and queen of Aciras. "It is carved from the finest jade in all of Liang." Princess Raven's most striking feature was her electric blue eyes. Mai thought that she was rather pretty.

Mai turned to the third man and gently took the oblong box from his hands. Inside was an ornamental [url=https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1wwyrKVXXXXbfXXXXq6xXFXXXy.jpg] sword [/url] and its matching scabbard. She faced Niklas and smiled. "And here is a gift for you, Prince Niklas," Mai murmured, looking up at his face from under lowered lashes. She did not fail to make note of the military uniform he was wearing, as well as the men in similar dress that accompanied him. She handed the box with the sword inside to Niklas, her hand lingering on his for just one moment too long before she drew away. Niklas was a bespectacled young man with chocolate-brown hair, and although she had seen him in photographs ages before their first official meeting, it was a strange thing to finally encounter him in person. [i]So this is the man who I am to wed. A prince, a military officer, and the heir to the throne of one of the world's largest military superpowers. I can only hope that he is nothing like the soldiers that I've known in my life.[/i]