I was pruning the bitter melon vines when Minister Bai arrived, his boots crunching over the gravel path like a man with something to prove.
He didn't bother bowing. Not to me. Not even to the guards who lingered at a distance now, wary ever since the skull incident. No, Minister Bai walked right up to the garden gate and gripped the wooden frame like he wanted to tear it off its hinges.
"Crown Princess," he said stiffly, "I'd like a word."
I didn't look up. "You've already had quite a few, Minister Bai. Most of them behind closed doors."
His lips pressed into a thin line. "You're dangerous."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
I clipped a wilted leaf and let it fall to the ground. "Then perhaps you should choose your words more carefully. You know, to avoid any misunderstandings."
