The night air hung heavy over the Valerian Estate, thick with the scent of red candles and the unspoken weight of destiny. From somewhere beyond the high stone walls, the rhythmic, hollow thud of bamboo clappers echoed through the silence. "The first watch has passed... stay alert to the dry winds, guard against the embers..."
Inside the bridal chamber, the atmosphere was a jarring contrast of crimson and shadow. Since Elena had been taken in as a secondary wife, the windows were not adorned with the traditional "Double Happiness" paper cuttings reserved for legal spouses. Yet, every single object in the room had been meticulously replaced with a shade of deep scarlet or veiled in silk of the same blood-red hue. In the world of the nobility, the process of taking a concubine might be sim
