The Lin Clan estate sat halfway up Scarlet Peak's lower slope, its walls of dark red stone warmed constantly by the mountain's latent heat. Within those walls, carefully arranged courtyards, modest pavilions, and carefully tended gardens spoke of a family that once had greater ambitions but had long since settled into the habit of survival.
In the inner courtyard, under the shade of an old fire-pine tree, Lin Mei sat quietly, a book open on her lap.
She was dressed in a simple yet elegant white dress with faint red embroidery at the edges, her long black hair tied into a soft bun with a single crimson hairpin. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, with a faint natural warmth that made her seem like a gentle flame wrapped in silk.
