The military procession finally reached the outer gates of the palace. The palanquin was set down, and the Captain dismounted, entrusting the horse to a soldier, while the rest of the company stepped aside.
“My Lady, it is my honor and pleasure to inform you that we have arrived,” he said softly, his voice filtering through the curtains.
After a few moments, the curtains were slowly drawn aside, revealing the young woman, her gaze fixed upon the ground. The Captain extended his hand and bowed deeply.
“Allow me to assist you,” he said simply.
Trembling, she took his hand and placed one foot after the other on the ground. The journey had been long, and her limbs ached from inactivity. The Captain’s firm yet gentle grip steadied her within seconds.
“This way, please,” he continued, gesturing toward the moon bridge beyond the gates.
He let her lead and followed at a short distance, the remainder of the company remaining at the palace gates.
They passed over a pond where koi swam gracefully, bordered by a lush lawn and trees ablaze with red foliage. Cerena observed every detail carefully, etching each into her memory, fearing she might never see their shimmering colors again.
They walked in silence, their pace measured. Though she moved slowly, he did not rush her.
At the entrance stood two imposing guardian lion statues and two guards, who bowed and allowed them to pass.
They entered a long, straight corridor. The echo of their footsteps reverberated against the walls, the flickering chandeliers casting dim light upon the vaulted ceiling, supported by massive red-painted wooden pillars. The floor gleamed with marble and jade.
The corridor led to a vast square hall, opening onto several adjoining chambers. The Captain halted and exchanged a few words with a guard, words she could not hear. The guard then departed.
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Confused, Cerena glanced anxiously at the Captain. The warm, attentive man who had accompanied her for a month seemed to have vanished, replaced by a soldier formal, cold, and distant, whose presence no longer reassured her.
The change in his demeanor was unmistakable. Was it because they were now in the palace? Or because the Emperor could appear at any moment? Would she once again be left entirely alone and isolated, as she had been in the past?
The thought chilled her to the bone. Breath short and chest tightening, she cast nervous glances about, imagining at any moment the man she feared most appearing.
Minutes stretched into eternity. Panic rising, she took a step back, then another, hoping it might still be possible to turn back.
But she met resistance. The Captain, eyes fixed straight ahead, positioned himself behind her, blocking her path.
“I am sorry, My Lady, but I cannot allow you to leave,” he murmured, never meeting her gaze.
Cerena shuddered, shaking her head as she tried to speak, but no words left her lips.
He continued,
“I ask you to be patient. It will not be long now.”
She cast him a pleading look, but he ignored it entirely.
???
A door opened, and Cerena jumped. The guard who had left earlier had returned, nodding to the Captain, who gestured for her to proceed. They crossed the hall toward the door.
Cerena had spent two years within the palace, yet she knew almost nothing of it. She had never been permitted to leave her room, nor to explore, and had discovered the dungeons only at her own expense. She did not know the Emperor’s routine or the location of his apartments, having caught only a brief glimpse of the place upon her first arrival. She would have been utterly incapable of finding her way through that labyrinth of corridors alone.
Yet deep down, she knew. Something told her he was waiting, just beyond that door.
Cold sweat beaded along her neck, and a shiver ran down her spine. Her hands trembled uncontrollably. As they approached the door, waves of heat and vertigo gripped her, as though the pressure bearing down on her were tangible.
It was too late: retreat was now impossible.
