Jian Rui's presence was unmistakable. He moved with the quiet dominance of someone accustomed to command, tall, broad-shouldered, his storm-gray coat lined with silver thread that shimmered with each stride.
His eyes, sharp and unyielding, swept the palace gates ahead, calculating, dissecting and anticipating his father's next move.
Each step echoed like a drumbeat of authority.
But as he crossed the threshold into the imperial corridor, something shifted. His shoulders relaxed, his gaze softened. The predator became the prince.
Waiting just beyond the threshold stood Chancellor Regal. The older man bowed slightly, his robes flowing like ink, his face a mask of civility stretched over layers of cunning.
His eyes, narrow and gleaming, studied Jian Rui with the precision of a chess master. In his hand, he rolled a string of Celestial beads each carved from stardust crystal, each humming faintly with psychic resonance.
