"Your Grace," Lady Ge Beining shakily whispered. "Have I offended you so deeply that you must get rid of me?"
The Empress was confused. She turned to Lady Ge Beining with a questioning stare. "You've indeed offended me, but my punishment was not to see you for a while, that is all."
The Empress looked down at the scroll again, wondering what went wrong. The first tray contained paintings of the best Princes that this entire continent had to offer, for example, the Crown Prince of Nanhui.
The Crown Prince of Nanhui was an eligible bachelor who was just three years older than Lady Ge Beining. Though he was ranked above her in status, Lady Ge Beining's years as a lady-in-waiting would count for something.
Because Lady Ge Beining was the closest woman to the Empress out of everyone in this palace, her unofficial rank was equivalent to that of a Princess. After all, she was raised like one, even if the Emperor did not grant her an official title.