The Empress's courtyard was unusually calm that night.
Lantern light spilled softly across the stone path, catching on the leaves of the old pear tree that stood near the center. Its branches swayed gently, shadows brushing the ground like slow breaths. The air smelled faintly of night-blooming flowers and warm tea.
Lian An sat at the small table beneath the tree, her sleeves loose, her posture unguarded in a way she never allowed herself in the court.
Across from her, the Emperor rested his elbow on the table, chin supported by his hand, watching her with a gaze he did not bother to hide.
This wasn't a meeting. It wasn't politics. It wasn't strategy.
Just… time.
Something rare.
"You're quiet," he said at last.
She lifted her cup, took a sip, then glanced at him sideways. "So are you."
He smiled faintly. "That's because I don't want to break this."
