The Azure Dragon by Maya Kayla

Author:Maya, Kayla
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-01-31T00:00:00+00:00

Li Mei

I watched as Li Wei sauntered into the throng of girls that had swarmed him. I remained back at a safe distance, walking over to the snack bar. To my surprise, Da-Xia was there, grabbing a cup of tea, her hands shaking as she brought her cup to her lips.

I walked over, smiling at her. She smiled back but didn’t say anything as she sipped her tea. I reached beside her, grabbing a honey cake. I stuffed it into my mouth with no remorse, swallowing it almost whole.

Da-Xia’s eyes widened upon seeing that, but she said nothing. I grabbed another, tossing it into my mouth before I would say anything to her.

“I’m Li Mei,” I told her, holding out my non-sticky hand.

“Da-Xia,” she said, taking my hand carefully in her own, watching me from the corner of her eye.

I inched closer to her, lowering my voice so only she could hear me. “I’m not like the rest of them. I’m not going to be mean to you just because of this competition.”

Da-Xia’s shoulders relaxed, and she sighed. “It’s good to hear that. I wasn’t sure what to expect coming into this so soon.”

I wanted to ask her what she meant, but she had finished her tea, giving me a bow before she walked away. I watched her go, trying to debate if I should follow her. Da-Xia seemed to be the only one I would like to be friends with thus far. She wasn’t like the other girls, who had already formed their own cliques and established the pecking order. Perhaps it was because I spent most of my time outside with Chang rather than playing mahjong with them and the empress.

I sighed, walking the length of the snack bar. I eventually settled on a plate, grabbing an array of goodies and sitting on the steps that led up to the bar. I ate, watching the girls as they all made fools of themselves. Several flung themselves at the prince, the others lying in wait to catch him alone. More than a few times I saw his attention diverted to me but before he ever made it close to me, he was whisked away by another girl. It was a good thing, because then I could eat my snacks in peace.

“I knew I would find you here.” I could hear the chuckle in Chang’s voice, followed by the rustling of his clothes as he stood behind me. “Food is always where you flock to.”

I tipped my head back to give him a pointed look. I stuffed a cake into my mouth, chewing as loud as I could. He laughed, and I couldn’t help the grin that cracked my lips. I was very glad to see Chang here. All my nerves from earlier fled, now replaced by a sense of calm at his presence.

I gave a half-hearted shrug. “A dragon has to eat.”

“I see you made a new friend.” His eyes slid toward Da-Xia’s, who was standing off to the side, talking with Lei, who seemed like she couldn’t be bothered with the conversation.

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