I heard the hoofbeats long before I saw the rider.
They were soft at first—steady, well-controlled. Whoever it was knew how to ride and knew how to follow. I didn't look back. Not immediately. I kept my gaze on the road ahead, letting the wind comb through the ends of my braid, letting the rising sun warm the path stretched before me.
Only when the second set of hoofbeats matched pace with my own did I turn.
Shi Yaozu rode beside me, his dark cloak flaring just enough to hint at the weapons hidden beneath. His expression was unreadable, as usual. But his eyes—the ones that used to be cold as steel—carried something else now. Awareness. Amusement.
I arched a brow. "Did he send you?"
"Not in so many words," he replied, his voice silk-wrapped iron. "But the Crown Prince did say… I should stay by your side. No matter what."
A slow smile crept across my face. "So, you're my shadow again."
"If you want to call it that."
