The Dibao River shimmered beneath the setting sun. At this hour, the floating sunset glow always streamed through the windows, dyeing the inn's hall crimson. Through the lattice windows, the Imperial Capital stood on the horizon like a towering, magnificent shadow, its towers and walls casting long, dark silhouettes in the fading twilight.
After wiping down the last table, Sethi straightened and wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. She looked toward the door in surprise—the light at the entrance had dimmed as several cloaked travelers walked in. Guests. She was mildly astonished to see customers at this time of year. Ever since the war had broken out in Mez, there had been far fewer merchants on the roads, and the inn's business had grown quieter by the day. The owner was even planning to close temporarily.
The first person to enter was a foreigner with long, dark-brown hair, rare within the Empire. He was rather handsome—not love at first sight, perhaps, but his features were neat and refined. His brown eyes held a warm glow that made people feel an instinctive sense of familiarity at first glance.
Behind him came a taller companion who looked even more handsome. He wore a hood, though he removed it as soon as he entered, revealing slightly curly, ear-length hair. He looked around with a profoundly rakish air in his eyes.
Behind them came several girls. Sethi found this extremely strange. Who would travel with so many female attendants at a time like this? She could not help suspecting that they were slave traders. She soon realized she was mistaken, however. These girls were clearly no ordinary people. Several of them had gazes so intimidating that she did not dare meet their eyes. She had only seen such