The scene shifted to a brightly lit room inside one of the palace quarters. This particular space served as the visiting area of the quarter, refined and elegant in design.
At the center stood a polished table, and seated opposite each other were two figures deeply engaged in a game of chess. The board between them was laid out perfectly, black and white pieces arranged in disciplined order, and two pairs of hands moved in turn, each shifting a piece with calculated intent.
One pair of hands was fair—so pale that one would think their owner never stepped beneath the sun. The fingers were slender and delicate, graceful in every movement. The other pair was unmistakably masculine: tanned, muscular, and bearing the faint signs of combat and training, veins subtly visible beneath the skin.
The fair hand moved first, sliding a white chess piece forward with practiced precision. In a single, elegant motion, she placed the black king in danger.
