Elizabeth moved with quiet grace, arranging a small tea set on the central table. "We are guests here, but we are also being watched. Show strength, but not arrogance. Let them wonder what you truly are."
I listened to each of them, absorbing their perspectives. This was no longer just my mission. It was ours.
Elizabeth moved with quiet grace, arranging a small tea set on the central table. "We are guests here, but we are also being watched. Show strength, but not arrogance. Let them wonder what you truly are."
I listened to each of them, absorbing their perspectives. This was no longer just my mission. It was ours.
That evening, after a formal welcome banquet where polite words masked careful probing, we returned to our pavilions. The moon hung high, casting silver light through the bamboo leaves.
I found Seraphina on the wooden veranda, staring up at the stars.
"You've been quiet since we arrived," I said, stepping beside her.
