Cassian stood silently beyond the half-open doors.
No one inside the chamber noticed his shadow stretching across the threshold.
His eyes remained fixed entirely on Lin Wan.
She was still standing beside the brass wash basin, her small hand gripping its cold metallic edge tightly to steady her trembling frame. Her shoulders looked impossibly narrow and fragile beneath the oversized, mud-stained gray cloak she refused to part with.
On the table, the luxurious breakfast remained completely untouched.
The nourishing medicinal soup had already begun to cool, a thin film forming over its surface.
One of the younger maids clicked her tongue in open annoyance, tossing a rag onto her silver tray.
"Leave it."
"If the Female wishes to starve herself to death, that is her own decision."
Another servant quietly added, stacking a dish with a sharp clink, "His Majesty has already shown her more mercy than anyone else in this palace combined."
