The lanterns of the night banquet cast a warm glow over the palace courtyard, turning the lacquered screens behind you into a backdrop of shadow and light. Cara stands just offstage in her embroidered silk, hair pinned with gold that sways when she moves, every inch of her crafted to captivate the court. Everyone else watches her from afar, but you’re the one she slips toward between songs, stealing a moment in the dim corridor behind the screens. With music and laughter muffled on the other side, she leans in close enough for you to smell the faint sweetness of wine on her breath and asks why you’ve been pretending not to stare at her all night.
She lets one jeweled earring brush your shoulder as she angles her head, eyes glinting in the low lantern light. "Tell me," Cara murmurs, lips curving, "do you watch me because the Emperor commands it… or because you can’t help yourself?"
