Moments later,

Aria

I sat in the morning room, the weak sun filtering through the high, arched windows. My breakfast was a utilitarian affair: thick slices of protein-rich game meat, a handful of bitter berries, and a cup of black, bracing tea. No sugar. No cream. Just fuel.

Ao Xuan stood behind me, a silent, pale shadow. He now looked refined, his long hair braided tightly, but the way his hand hovered near the hilt of the training sword I’d given him told me he was ready for blood.

"Eat," I said, gesturing to the extra plate on the table. "I don’t lead starving soldiers."

He hesitated, then sat, eating...