TWENTY-SEVEN
Every day she spent in the palace, the wider Mai felt the chasm grew between palace life and hers. Here, there were hordes of servants ready to obey her every whim, but at home, she would have served Jing instead. And yet...every day she spent in Yi's company she fell deeper in love with the man.
She longed to tell him the truth, but the illusion that had allowed her to meet him in the first place was now a curse that kept her true identity a secret from the man she wished to hide nothing from. Especially when it became clear that he would be forced to choose a bride at the Emperor's ball. She knew there was little chance of him choosing her over the delicate, beautiful creatures arriving at court every day, but until he rejected her, her silly heart still held out hope tha
