Nikator left almost immediately when Vita came to the palace. The week following his departure, and I soon learned the Vita was even more silent than Atreus and she rarely spoke at all, and when she did, it was methodological, as if it was preplanned and detached from her. It was unsettling and no matter how much I tried to get close to her, she was inexpressive with my attempts and she made it clear that our relationship was only guard and lady.

When a month had passed since Nikator had left, I grew more and more bored at the palace. Jia came to visit me but she could only visit a few times and only for a limited time period, since she was a mother and had to take care of Kang. Vita proved to be a gloomy companion and Bolin and Hai were too busy with the war to deal with me and my loneliness.

"Vita, is Meilin really strong?" I asked her cautiously as we both sat silently in my room. Jia had come to see me earlier and we had talked about our siblings and our lives growing up, which had filled me with longing to see my own family. My thoughts had circulated back to Meilin and I couldn't stop thinking of my betrothed. It had roughly been six weeks since I had last seen him and I couldn't remove the image of him sleeping on my lap from my mind.

"Master Drakkon is the strongest man I know," she said simply.

"He is strong indeed. Very formidable and he has this aura around him as if he can take down anything. He's also very confident."

She watched me for a moment before curtly nodding.

"He's also very scary," I whispered. "He's so tall and his eyes are so dark. Sometimes I feel as though his very presence is enough to crush me. I'm terrified of him and who he is. He truly isn't a good person, but there's also a part of me that . . . that wants to figure him out." I sighed. "I want our marriage to work out and it's hard, but I think I should follow Atreus's advice. He told me that I need to understand Meilin more so that I can come to accept him."

As usual, she didn't say anything.

"I have loved before, and it was nothing like this," I mused. "Before, my concept of marriage was to have children and support my husband in any way possible. Now, it's complexly different. I have to learn to love all over again, since Meilin and I share no previous bond. Also, being the empress ties in with this marriage."

I sighed loudly and leaned back against the couch, tilting my head up to stare at the plain ceiling.

"My problem is that I need to learn to accept Meilin and his behavior." I rubbed the side of my head. "He's nasty and mean at times—not at me, though—but other times I've seen kindness and uncharacteristic moves that make me wonder if he truly is bad," I continued. "I think he's a complex person and it's hard for me to accept all of him. I'm trying and hopefully I'll be able to accept every aspect of him."

I didn't speak for a moment, instead opting to let the silence swathe me. Although Vita didn't speak much, it was soothing to talk to her about anything since she listened. It was frustrating at times when she would just sit and stare, but it was still relaxing to know that she was listening. It was much better than being completely alone.

Right as I was thinking that, there was a knock on my door. Vita instantly shot upright and touched the hilt of her dagger. Making her way to the door, she flung it open. A soldier stood there with a folded piece of paper in his hands.

"What is it?" Vita asked him.

He blinked at her. "U-Um, there is a letter for Lady Daiyu. It is from His Majesty."

Vita took the letter from his hand and shooed him away, slamming the door shut before strutting over to me. She presented the letter to me and sat back down on her spot, her gaze sweeping throughout the room cautiously.

I opened the letter and stared at it, looking at the neat writing and the black inky movement of each character. I pressed my hand against the paper, feeling it with my hand and smiling at the thought of Meilin sitting down and writing it to me. I ran my fingers towards the edge of the paper, where there was a smidgen of dirt. He was at war, so it was only obvious that he wasn't in the cleanest of places.

Did he write this in a cold, cramped place with the northern chill shaking his body? Did he write -this after a battle, worn out and victorious? Or was this written before a battle, confidence and restlessness seeping into him?

Most importantly, how was he doing?

"Vita, can you please read this to me?" I said once I was done imagining and thinking of Meilin. "I don't know how to read."

She took the letter from my hand. "This is from Master Drakkon," she said as she skimmed over it. "That is for sure. It is his handwriting. Are you sure you wish for me to read it to you?"

"Yes."

She cleared her throat. "'To my beautiful wife-to-be, Daiyu. War is messy and the details aren't too important for you, since I know that you would rather not hear of it. I'm planning on finishing this ridiculous war as soon as possible. My plans are to not drag this for more than four months. I wish to finish at three months, but I've come to realize that wishing doesn't make anything happen, and that actions are what move plans forward. Unfortunately, wishing is all I can do at the moment since I've met a few setbacks.

"'Anyhow, war aside, I want you to know that we will wed soon after this war is over. You may pick out dresses or whatever you wish at the palace. You are the Empress-to-be and I know that's a hard title for you to grasp, but know that you are able to receive whatever you wish. Knowing you, you will be reasonable, so I urge you not to spend an incredible amount.'"

She stopped and handed the letter back to me. I blinked and couldn't believe that it was so short and straight to the point. Although, knowing Meilin, it wasn't as if he was going to write a letter full of emotion and love.

"Thank you," I said. I stared at the letter a bit longer and touched the edge of it before meeting Vita's gaze once more. "Vita, can you write a letter for me to send to Meilin?"

A few moment later, Vita had called a few servants to bring paper and ink. Once she settled down in front of a desk, she waited for me.

"Alright," I said. "'Your Majesty, I hope you're doing well at the battle field and I honestly hope you're eating, sleeping, and taking care of your health. I am doing fine at the palace, but, unfortunately, I'm very bored here." I paused and tapped my chin. "'Vita is here to keep me company, though, so I'm not too bored. I'm glad to have her companionship and she's actually writing this letter for me right now, since I cannot read or write.'"

I watched as Vita dipped the brush into the ink bottle and wrote swiftly on the paper. When she stopped and turned back to me, I bit my bottom lip and tried to think of what else to say to him, my cheeks burning up at the thought of him reading this.

"'You're right, I do not want to know many details about war. War is a horrid thing and although it's necessary in many scenarios, I hate to think of it. Maybe that makes me a weak person, or a foolish person, but I'm not capable to stomaching the concept of war. I don't like the idea of people dying, but that's life and I suppose I'm a foolish woman for thinking like that. Foolish and selfish, since there are so many men out there—you included—who are fighting to protect me and this empire.

"'I suppose I'm rambling quite a bit in this letter, aren't I? I've never actually written a letter to anyone before. I've never had the need to, I suppose.'" I stopped and frowned, not sure what else to write in the letter. I was rambling and sounding stupid, and the thought of Meilin actually reading this had me embarrassed beyond belief.

"Maybe we shouldn't give this to him," I suddenly said to Vita, touching her shoulder uncertainly. "I sound . . . stupid."

"I think it's fine," she said.

"R-Really?"

"Yes." She readied the brush. "What else should I write?"

"Oh, um, ok." I licked my lips and ran a hand over my hanfu. "'I hope you are doing well during this war and I sincerely hope that you, Bohai, Fang, Atreus, Nikator, and the rest of the Peccata make it out completely unharmed and safe. Also, before I forget, you still haven't showed me your true strength like you said you would, and you never told me the story of that dragon dagger of yours. Though, those two things can wait, since there are more pressing matters to attend to.

"'I've been adjusting to the palace life and there are many tensions with the enemy soldiers and spies over here. Though, General Hai and Commander Bolin are doing an excellent job here, as is Vita. You have nothing to worry about here, since I am completely safe, as is everyone else here.

"'Lastly, please relay my affections towards Nikator, Atreus, and Yat-sen. Those three boys truly bring joy to my heart and they remind me of my younger brothers. Also, send my regards to Commander Bohai and General Fang. Yours truly, Yin Daiyu.'"

When she finished writing the last bits of the letter, she placed the brush down and waited for the ink to dry before folding the thin paper and rising from her seat.

"Is that all?" she asked.

"Yes, I think that's all."