Kira pulled the loose robes firmly around her body. "I... was changing."
Yu Chen smiled dryly, disbelief flickering in his gaze, though he didn't call her out on the lie. The room was dim, enough to hide the marks blooming across her skin. The prince handed her a letter. "This arrived in the morning. You can continue your journey to Jiang."
"My father sent this?" Kira asked. He wanted her to leave immediately after the engagement. If this letter had arrived two days earlier, she would have felt joy, but now that the inevitable had happened, the jade ring wrapped delicately around her middle finger served as a reminder of the burden she would carry. Still, she would rather leave immediately than spend another moment in this palace. "I'll tell my men. We'll leave tomorrow."
"So eager to run away?"
"I have no reason to stay. You've gotten what you wanted. I hope we can avoid crossing paths in the future."
