The night air was cooler in the palace gardens, a welcome reprieve from the heat of clashing tongues and egos within. Lord Caspian exhaled a long, weary sigh as he sank onto a marble bench beneath a weeping willow. The moonlight filtered through its silvery leaves, casting soft shadows on his thoughtful face.
So this was the imperial court. Rumours had not done it justice. Every corner reeked of whispers, rivalry, and veiled ambitions. Where he came from, life had far fewer performances.
"What could possibly cause a sigh so deep from a lord so fine?" a lilting voice teased from behind him.
He turned. A woman stood just beyond the hedge, her figure graceful, her face hidden behind a delicate half-mask adorned with silver trim. Her voice held a musical quality, light yet deliberate.
"Nothing, really," he replied, averting his gaze and folding his hands over his lap.
"Ah, so we're already lying to one another," she said, amusement dancing in her tone. "Tell you what, if I can guess what troubles you, you'll let me sit beside you."
He cast her a sidelong glance, intrigued despite himself. "Can you truly guess what's on a man's mind?"
"I can try," she said with a shrug, confidence glinting beneath her mask.
"Very well. One guess."
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "You're not accustomed to all the palace theatrics. The drama weighs heavier than your boots."
He smirked, the first real smile of the evening. "Was it that obvious?"
"Only to someone who notices what others ignore," she replied, moving to sit beside him without waiting for permission. "I tend to pay attention to things, or people that catch my interest."
"You have a way with words, madam," Lord Caspian said, leaning back as well. "Smooth as silk."
"So I've been told," she murmured, her lips curved in amusement.
"I must confess," he said, tone gentler now, "I am already promised to another. My fiancée awaits me back home."
"Ah, what a pity," she replied with a dramatic sigh, sitting up straighter. "I'm positively heartbroken."
Caspian turned to look at her, brow lifted.
"But," she added, "being spoken for doesn't mean we can't be acquainted. Friendship is not yet forbidden in the empire, is it?"
He gave a short laugh. "Why is it that so many maidens chase after lords, even when clearly turned away?"
She grinned. "And why is it that every lord assumes every woman desires to be in his bed?"
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't you?"
She leaned in, her voice dropping just enough to be teasing. "Not in the slightest. I'm an independent woman, my lord. I have never needed a man to define my worth, or my pleasure."
"You strike me as someone uninterested in marriage altogether."
"You are indeed perceptive," she said, inching just a touch closer. "Since you're engaged, perhaps you might do me a favour."
He raised a brow. "And what might that be?"
She subtly gestured toward a group of women peering from behind a hedge, their attention clearly fixed on him. "Use me as a shield to keep the hungry hawks at bay."
"And what do you gain from such an arrangement?" he asked, amused.
She gave an elegant shrug. "A bit of entertainment. A touch of scandal, perhaps. It wouldn't hurt to stir the pot."
Her lips curled in a smile, eyes gleaming behind the mask. "After all, what is a palace without a little drama?"