peace. He could shove all the collection notices to the back of the drawer and take refuge in the comforting formality of their lessons.
‘You always do that, my lord.’ Yan Ling smiled at him pleasantly.
‘Do what?’
‘Inspect me as if you’re looking for flaws.’
He was taken aback. He didn’t realise his scrutiny had been noticed. ‘It must be habit from commanding soldiers.’
It was hard not to take her in, now that she had spoken of it. The season had brought a glow to her. She was wearing a light blue dress with half-sleeves today. Her forearms were exposed and he thought about reprimanding her about it, but he stopped himself when he realised there was nothing improper about the style. Only he would be distracted by such an innocent display of pale, smooth skin.
It wasn’t only Yan Ling’s appearance that had changed. She had become more reserved over the last week, less likely to engage him in spontaneous conversation or questions. The change caught him off guard.
‘You’re doing very well,’ he pronounced.
‘A compliment,’ she replied with wonder.
‘In your studies,’ he amended, though not certain why he felt the need to.
She angled her face away so he only caught the trailing end of a smile. ‘I have the best of instructors.’
Her speech was losing the country accent of the provinces. She even moved differently, held her head higher. When she walked into a room, he could no longer see any remnants of the tea girl he’d first met. Occasionally, he would see her doubled over in laughter with Dao or Bai Shen and the sight always sent an inexplicable ache through him. She never laughed that way in his presence.
Yan Ling was exceeding all his expectations—and he hated it.
Yet the more she sensed his displeasure, the harder she tried. He’d stopped criticising her.
‘What is that?’ she asked, looking at the wooden case laid across his desk.
He’d left it unopened after its arrival that morning. He should have stored it away completely.
‘It’s a map.’ He reached down to unfasten the pins that secured the lid. There was no use holding off any longer. ‘This came from the Foreign Ministry.’
He lifted the scroll from its case and Yan Ling came around to help him, taking hold of the wooden dowel at the centre. They pulled the edges of the heavy paper apart until the map spanned the entire surface of the desk.
The curve of her neck hid against the blackness of her hair as it fell over her shoulder. He was stricken with the urge to stroke his fingers over the smooth skin and explore the elusive shape of her; an urge he quickly banished.
‘A gift,’ he said, moving closer as her eyes roamed over the painted mountains and rivers. ‘From the Emperor himself.’
She stared at it in wonder. ‘This is our empire.’
‘And what lies beyond.’
‘Beyond,’ she echoed. Her fingers curled over the edge of his desk.
The borders of the empire to the north were drawn out as a majestic wall, though he knew that the Great Wall of the First Emperor only spanned several stretches of it. Beyond that final boundary lay the neighbouring tribal kingdoms of the north.
He pointed to the city near the western region of the empire and then paused. Yan Ling liked to take a moment to try to absorb new knowledge.
‘This is Changan,’ he continued steadily. ‘Where we are. The character for “peace” is one you should recognise.’ After a moment, he moved upwards to the far north-western corner of the map. ‘This is the land of Khitan.’
She let out a soft breath. ‘It’s so far.’
‘Not so much.’ He measured out the distance with his hand, walking across the map from thumb to little finger several times. ‘I’d estimate a two-month journey, perhaps three. That’s why the caravan is scheduled to leave mid-summer. You’ll be in Khitan before the winter wind sweeps through the plains.’
Yan Ling ran her hand absently along the embellishments along the bottom edge. ‘It’s very beautiful,’ she said, though it wasn’t admiration in her tone.
Indeed, the map could have been displayed as a work of art, but he’d been unable to bring himself to mount it despite the bare section of the wall left by the absence of the cranes. He couldn’t bear the reminder of the vast grassland frontier of Khitan.
The desolation in her voice pierced him, but he had handled it with feigned confidence. Yan Ling had shown nothing but complete dedication and it was his duty to remain unwavering as well.