Rui had barely slept. Morning light filtered through the paper windows, dull and gray, echoing the haze that clouded her mind.
She'd tossed all night on the unfamiliar bed, Jin's face haunting her dreams.
She stared at the ceiling, a hollow ache spreading through her chest.
She hated everything about this realm.
The suffocating walls of the governor's mansion. The scheming siblings with their venomous smiles. The looming threat of marriage to a murderous duke.
"I'd rather face a thousand judgmental monks than spend another day here," she grumbled, dragging herself up.
"Even Elder Sun is more tolerable than these people."
The thought almost made her laugh. Elder Sun, with his stern glares and rigid adherence to temple rules, had seemed so unbearable just days ago.
Now she'd gladly endure his lectures about proper conduct and demonic influences if it meant escaping this madness.
She traced the Wrath mark on her wrist, which was dormant but still visible.
