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~Lisa's POV
The palace gates creaked open, and I felt my chest tighten with a rush of emotions I could hardly name. The palanquin swayed gently as the bearers lifted it, their rhythmic steps carrying us away from the suffocating walls I had long thought might swallow me whole. I sat inside, surrounded by soft cushions embroidered with gold threads, but my eyes were fixed on the small window slit, where I could glimpse the world beyond.
The air that filtered in carried with it the faint scent of pine and earth, so different from the heavy perfumes and incense of the palace halls. My hands clenched and unclenched in my lap, nerves pricking at me, but beneath the nervousness was something else: relief. Freedom. A taste of life outside the golden cage.
