"The Second Prince has returned!"
The shout echoed across the eastern courtyard, and Soyeon's head snapped up so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash.
She had been in the middle of explaining to Prince Zhao Yifeng why the paste she had just prepared smelled vaguely like rotting cabbage (it was fermented mugwort, perfectly normal, thank you very much), when the guard's announcement cut through the afternoon air like a blade.
The both of them had gone back to acting like nothing had happened last night, even though there were a few stares here and there.
"Liang Jian is back?" she breathed.
Yifeng's hand, which had been resting casually on her knee as they sat together in the pavilion, tightened slightly.
"Second Brother returns," he said quietly. Then, louder, forcing brightness into his voice: "Well! We should go greet him, shouldn't we?"
