The corridors felt quieter than they should have, the flicker of lamplight painting the walls in long shadows. My steps were slow—partly from the weariness tugging at me, partly because Mingyu hadn't let go of my hand since we left the hall.
It was strange, walking like this. Not as the Crown Princess being escorted under the weight of a hundred watching eyes, but as a woman being led somewhere by the man who had decided, without asking, that I would not be alone tonight.
I didn't resist.
Yaozu walked on my other side, his presence as steady as the warm press of Mingyu's fingers around mine. I caught the faint sound of my own breath and the soft swish of my robes against the polished floor, but the palace itself seemed to be holding still, as though it knew something was different.
We turned into the wing that led to the Emperor's personal chambers, and the first voice of resistance came before we had even crossed the threshold.
"Your Majesty—!"
