The inner palace leads to both the king's chambers and the dungeon below, making her journey perilous. Lexzandra's breathes heavily feeling fatigued already, her heels clicking on the polished floor.
She turns around taking a pause if there is anyone following her. The thought is simply making her on the edge that a single sound makes her jump and her heart leap.
As she reaches a fork in the corridor, uncertainty grips her; she's never navigated this path before, except for the secret passage she used yesterday.
Soo-young wishes she had any recollection of Lexzandra's memories that could guide her, but she's left to rely on her gut instinct.
She doesn't have much time so she needs to choose one and walk forward. She just hopes no one catches her– especially Nikolai or the Duke or Emrys and most definitely the Emperor.
Choosing the left path, she ventures forward, her fear mounting as the sounds of the ball fade behind her.