Prince Kang closed the door to his private study with careful, unhurried precision, the way he did everything, and allowed himself, finally, the small luxury of a genuine smile.
The failed attempt in the training yard still stung, of course. He had planned that shot for weeks, studying Jian's morning routine through eyes that had watched him grow from an infant into the composed, capable Crown Prince he'd become, and losing the opportunity to a companion's improbable reflexes felt, in its own way, a fitting insult from a universe that had spent decades denying Kang everything he'd once believed himself owed.
