A few days later, Yuelan woke up to two spots on her head itching and feeling a bit sore. Even though Camphor was very careful when brushing and styling Yuelan’s hair, it still caused her some discomfort and Yuelan sent Laurel to get Seiryuu for her.

The ancient dragon arrived a few minutes later and carefully looked Yuelan over before putting his hands on her head. They glowed softly for a moment and when he pulled them away, Yuelan was feeling better. “Let me know if you need me to do that for you again. Once the horns are done growing it won’t hurt or itch anymore.”

“Thank you, grandfather.” Yuelan smiled in relief as she looked up at him. “It feels much better now. How long will it take for them to finish growing?”

Seiryuu shrugged. “A few days to a couple of weeks.”

Yuelan winced. A couple of weeks sounded like much too long to deal with the discomfort.

The voice of a young boy called from outside. “Your Holiness, there’s a messenger from the palace here to speak with you!”

“Invite them into the main hall and I’ll be there soon,” Yuelan called back. She turned back to her maids and Seiryuu after the boy acknowledged her instructions. “Has anyone seen Byakko today?”

I’m right outside. I got hungry while you were sleeping and went hunting. The white tiger sounded a bit bored and sleepy.

“Never mind. He said he’s outside.” The corner of Yuelan’s mouth twitched in amusement and she looked over at Camphor, Willow, and Laurel. “Any adjustments you want to make?”

“No, Miss. You look beautiful.” The three maids smiled and followed Yuelan out of her courtyard along with Seiryuu. Byakko joined them as they headed for the main hall.

The visitor turned out to be Guangfeng and Yuelan smiled as he walked over to her and hugged her. “Father Emperor needed someone to come and give you the schedule for the festival in two days,” he explained. “I volunteered, since I wanted to see you anyway.”

“You’ve been busy. I’m glad you managed to make time.” Yuelan hugged him back and rested her head on his chest.

“The messenger you sent said you want some coral accessories? When do you want them by?” Guangfeng kept his arms around her and studied the top of her head.

Yuelan grimaced and looked up at his face. “I’m growing horns, so as soon as possible. Hanju and Xiuya said they think coral accessories might help hide the horns.”

“Horns?” Guangfeng blinked. “Why are you growing horns?”

Seiryuu chuckled. “Because, Your Highness, Yuelan’s dragon blood is awakening. Her magic will also grow stronger once the physical changes are finished. Her eyes and hair might change color as well.”

Yuelan’s expression turned nervous as she looked up at Guangfeng and she nibbled on her bottom lip.

Guangfeng smiled and gently removed her lip from between her teeth. “It doesn’t matter what you look like, Yuelan. It won’t change how I feel about you.”

She relaxed and hugged him. “Good.”

“Does it hurt?” Guangfeng’s hand hovered above her head and he looked concerned.

“Grandfather did something to make it so it doesn’t, but yes. Growing horns hurts.”

Guangfeng moved his hand to stroke her cheek instead of patting her head. “Let me know if there is anything else that I can do. I’ll have the crafters make your new accessories as soon as possible.”

Seiryuu studied Guangfeng and Yuelan and looked over at Byakko, who was curled up nearby with his eyes closed. The tiger opened one eye to look back at Seiryuu and something seemed to pass between the two. The azure dragon nodded and turned around. “There are a few things I need to prepare for the festival. Yuelan can fill me in on the schedule later.” He headed out of the main hall.

The dragon’s words reminded Guangfeng of his original purpose in coming and the prince smiled at Yuelan. “Are you ready to go over the schedule? You’ll be quite busy that day.”

Yuelan nodded. “I expected as much. The whole purpose of this festival is so my grandfather can intimidate everyone into behaving all at once.”

Guangfeng chuckled. “More or less. We asked Yun Cai to deliver invitations to the nearby kingdoms, since he and his companion can get that done much more quickly than normal messengers. The delegates should arrive today and tomorrow, but you won’t need to greet them. They’ll greet you after the ‘bonding ceremony’ that Lord Seiryuu mentioned. That will take place at noon and you’ll be presented to the people as soon as it’s over. While the people celebrate, you’ll go into the palace and all the officials, delegates, and the royal family members will greet you and present gifts.”

“Will I have any time to enjoy the festival myself? Or will it be a long day of public appearances?” Yuelan looked up at Guangfeng with a pleading look.

“I’ll see what I can arrange.” He smiled and pressed his thumb to her lips. “You like festivals?”

Yuelan nodded. “I haven’t been to one since my mother died, but yes.”

“In that case, even if you can’t make it out to enjoy this one, I’ll take you to the next one and you can play as much as you like then.”

Yuelan hugged Guangfeng tight. “Thank you!”

“It’s what I should do. The most important job I have is making you happy, after all.” He smiled and booped her nose.

Yuelan lifted a hand to rub it and glared at him. “Don’t do that. I hate it when people touch my nose!”