'Perhaps the snake was a fitting representative animal for me.' She—Bai Lian— was thinking guiltily. 'A spineless reptile that sheds its skin to escape and survive on its own.'
Before entering this relic, she'd been seen as the weak link. And yet… she had survived. Alone.
Lady Zhao. Fang Lei. The weight of their deaths would follow her home. Assuming she survived. Assuming her own people didn't tear her apart for being the only one to return.
Lady Zhao had been one of the potential heirs to the Eastern throne. The Emperor's favoured daughter from his favourite consort.
Fang Lei had been from a noble line, their family deeply entrenched in military and political influence.
But, Bai Lian?
Her family, while noble, was minor by comparison. High in title, perhaps. But not possessing any real power or influence.
And now she was the only one left.
The weight of what that meant was written all over her face.
