As they neared the grand doors of the Official Court, Ling Yu slowed her steps.
The doors loomed high, carved with dragons entwined among clouds, their eyes set with jade that seemed to glimmer with life. From within came the murmur of voices, ministers, scholars, generals, and nobles all gathered, waiting for the Emperor's court to begin.
Ling Yu exhaled softly, her eyes sharpening.
It wasn't the first time she had walked this path. In her last life, she had entered these doors countless times, sometimes as a pawn, sometimes as a scapegoat, and eventually, as an abandoned outcast. But this time…
She wasn't here to be used or discarded. Rather, she returned with her own purpose.
Aide Huang kept glancing back at Ling Yu as various thoughts crossed his mind.
'The princess didn't even ask for His Majesty's well-being... sigh, only if it weren't for that curse, His Majesty wouldn't have abandoned her, and they wouldn't have met like this under such circumstances, either...'
