The cool night air of the capital swept across the marble balustrades, offering a sharp relief after the stifling humidity of the subterranean royal vaults.
Hajin stepped out through the shadowed colonnade of the palace portico, carefully steadying his fractured right arm within its rigid linen sling.
Behind them, the drunken clamor of the court banquet finally began to dissolve into the quiet murmur of departing carriages.
High above the palace battlements, imperial sentries clad in plate armor watched the courtyard below with unblinking vigilance.
Waiting beneath the shadow of the portico pillars stood Didi, her dark cloak drawn tight over her shoulders as she clutched a map cylinder against her chest.
Her eyes swept over the courtyard shadows with practiced tension, locking onto Hajin the instant his feet touched the moonlit flagstones.
