Morning air met them just beyond the threshold of his courtyard.
It carried the faint chill that lingered between the peaks, the smell of damp stone and pine woven into the breeze. Lin Tian felt it brush across his face, cool and sharp, and only then realized how warm the room behind him had been.
Warm with her presence.
Bai Xueya walked at his side.
Their sleeves brushed once, the lightest touch of fabric against fabric. It shouldn't have meant anything. It felt like too much.
Servants were already moving through the Lin Clan compound. A pair of them rounded the path ahead, arms full of folded robes. The first girl's eyes widened when she recognized Xueya's profile. Her gaze darted to Lin Tian, then to the open doorway behind them—his doorway.
Her foot caught the edge of a stone. A stack of robes swayed.
Lin Tian's body moved before thought. He stepped forward and steadied her elbow lightly.
"Be careful," he said.
