No matter the words spat at her or the rumours that circulated about her, she knew she was not wrong; she knew this was unjust.
She kept walking.
The bridges passed beneath her feet, though she couldn't quite remember crossing them.The pavilions blurred together.Her vision had narrowed to a tunnel—she could see the path ahead and nothing else.
It was meaningless, all those hours writing; they had set trap after trap, and even after avoiding each one, she still ended up on the losing end.
Power—she needed power, even just to survive this accursed place.
The shrine appeared before her, its weathered stone familiar, almost welcoming.
A figure stood in the entrance.
Borji.
He stepped forward, his expression unreadable."You—"
Azul's legs finally gave out.
She felt herself falling, felt the ground rushing up—
Strong arms caught her.
"You did well, Kihaana," Borji said softly, carrying her.
The word registered dimly through the fog in her mind.
"Is it..."Her tongue felt thick."Is it over?"
"Yes."His voice was oddly gentle."You've endured well.They cannot pursue this matter again lest they wish to appear petty in the eyes of others.The matter is settled."
Azul closed her eyes.
She should've felt humiliated; that's what they wanted, wasn't it?
The last thing she remembered was the distant awareness that she was still alive.
Since they insisted she was in the wrong, then she would prove to them just how terribly wrong she—Azul—could be.
Chapter 5
Theprince'schamberssmelledof bitter herbs and old blood.Somadina sat on the edge of his bed, his fingers tracing the bandages wrapped around his skull.The pain had dulled to a persistent throb, manageable with the right draughts, but the humiliation festered like an open wound.
Six days since that bitch had split his head open.Six days of his mother's incessant weeping, his grandmother scolding, and the palace servants whispering behind his back.Six days of lying in this room, pretending to be weaker than he was, playing the wounded prince for sympathy.
And for what?
He watched as Azul knelt in the courtyard, as her spine remained straight even as the sun beat down mercilessly.He watched her refuse to apologise and refuse to acknowledge what she'd done to him.
His jaw clenched.
She should have been grovelling by now.Any lesser woman would.If she were any weaker, she would've been on her knees in his chambers, begging his forgiveness and offering whatever he wanted to make amends.
Instead, she'd looked at him with those cold, vile eyes and said no.
A knock came from the door.
"Enter," Somadina called, anger simmering beneath the surface.
