I didn't leave a note.
I didn't pack extra robes or silk shoes or talismans for luck. I didn't wait for the palace astrologer to say whether the winds favored travel. I woke before dawn, dressed in my usual green, wrapped my hair in a tight braid, and tucked a dagger into my sleeve. I even made sure to tie the green ribbon around my neck…
By the time the sun had begun to crawl over the walls of the Eastern Courtyard, I was already at the stables, checking the stirrups on a stallion that didn't belong to the Crown Prince. The guards watched me from a distance, but no one approached. They never did. Not since the wedding.
The leather straps were fraying. I made a mental note to replace them on the way out.
"You're not seriously riding out alone, are you?" Zhu Mingyu's voice cut across the quiet, sharp as broken porcelain.
I didn't turn, I didn't bother to look at him.
