Chapter 4 · free to read
Two names crossed out. A third handed to me. I had thought the Steward my accomplice. I was only ever his brush stroke.
The hand above Consort Bai's was not a noble's. It was the man who kept the keys to every door in the palace.
Two monsters, and each held the other's throat. And between them, forgotten, a sparrow with quick hands.
The ledger was the only leash in the room. So I took it.
Artwork and narration generated with AI.