She eased her door open with practiced care, the hinges mercifully silent in the stillness of night. The corridor stretched before her, illuminated only by the occasional guttering lantern casting wavering pools of amber light.
She had barely taken three steps when a figure emerged from the shadows at the corridor's end.
"Miss Yueshuang." The guard's voice was respectful but firm, his hand resting meaningfully on his sword hilt. Behind him, another guard materialized, they had been stationed deliberately, she realized with sinking dread. "I must ask you to return to your chambers. Your lady mother has ordered increased patrols tonight for your protection. It's not safe to be wandering the corridors after what happened."
"I was just..," Yueshuang started, but the guard's expression remained implacable.
