Evening had settled gently over the Ning estate.
The training yard behind Jiang Ning was still warm from the day's exertion, the last echoes of clashing steel fading as torches were lit one by one along the inner paths, their light catching on stone still holding onto the warmth of the afternoon. The sky above had deepened into a calm indigo, stars just beginning to pierce through the veil of dusk, faint and scattered like something waiting to be noticed. Somewhere further off, a servant's laughter drifted through an open window and faded again, swallowed by the growing quiet of the estate settling into night.
Jiang slowed his steps as he left the yard.
For once, he didn't head toward his study or the armory. Instead, his path curved inward, away from the bustle of guards and servants, toward a quieter wing of the estate, where the noise of the day gave way to something more hushed, the corridors dim and lined with soft lantern light.
Lina's quarters.
