Spring came earlier to Serene Water Snake Valley than to Tagor.
When the last thin layer of ice had melted, Die pushed open Medusa's door, carrying a bolt of fabric for a wedding dress.
"Sister, you can't say you don't like it this time."
The red silk slipped from her arms like a stream newly awakened by spring, flowing over the edge of the table and lighting up Medusa's eyes.
Medusa sat beneath the window, a slender needle held between her fingers.
She had handed the Snake-People Tribe's harvest ledger to Yue Mei and issued the patrol orders. With a rare moment of leisure, she had not cultivated. Instead, she stared absently at a little sachet on her lap.
The stitches were uneven.
Some were visibly crooked.
Die leaned closer for a look, and her smile slowly faded.
There were two of them.
One was embroidered with a little snake, the other with a shapeless clump of fire.
"Sister..."
Medusa set down the needle and reached out to smooth the creases in the red silk.
"You chose well."
Her voice was steady, as though the two sachets were merely trinkets she had made to pass the time.
Die did not press her.
She crouched down to gather the silk trailing by her sister's feet, then placed a pair of new shoes before the dressing table.
The heels were slender and high, the uppers adorned with dark gold patterns.
"He said he had them made the way you liked. He also said that if they don't fit, he'll take them back to be altered."
Medusa lowered her eyes.
After a moment, she said coolly, "Who said this queen likes such things?"
Die smiled, but this time she did not expose her.
As she left, Die quietly pulled the door shut.
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