Lina peered through the narrow crack in the door. The corridor beyond was pitch-black, and she couldn't see anyone standing outside. After listening carefully and confirming that there was no obvious movement, she cautiously opened the door a little farther.
Rabi followed close behind her, still trembling as she held the unlit candlestick. "Did you hear something, Your Majesty?" she whispered.
Lina nodded and glanced around, using the pale moonlight filtering through the windows to examine the corridor. Everything appeared normal at first glance, but then she noticed something strange. One of the windows, which she distinctly remembered being closed, now stood open. The curtains fluttered gently whenever the night breeze slipped into the room.
Lina let out a long breath. Perhaps someone had entered through the window, left the message, and departed before she could reach the door. Yet the thought that a stranger could move around the palace so freely was hardly reassuring.
