The Imperial Gardens were, objectively, stunning.
But after spending two days trapped inside the East Palace, the perfectly trimmed bonsai trees and rake-patterned gravel just felt like a very expensive prison yard.
I sat on the smooth wooden edge of the veranda, letting my legs dangle over the massive koi pond. I had ditched the heavy formal layers of my Crown Princess attire for a simpler, dark purple silk robe. It was still too fancy for my taste, but at least I could breathe.
"The orange one is definitely the boss," Rin announced.
My little sister was lying flat on her stomach on the wooden deck, her face inches from the water. She tossed a small crumb of a steamed bun into the pond. Instantly, a massive, aggressively fat orange koi fish swatted three smaller fish out of the way with its tail and swallowed the crumb whole.
"Look at him," Rin whispered in awe. "He has zero manners. He is a warlord of the pond."
"He is a glutton," Yuki corrected from above.
