The courtyard was alive with a riot of colors. Golden afternoon light filtered through the high stone arches, spilling over manicured hedges of deep emerald and walkways lined with crushed white stone. Vines of night-blooming jasmine, still tightly coiled from the morning, clung to the pillars, their sweet, sharp scent hanging thick in the warm air.
In the center of the grounds, a low stone fountain bubbled, the clear water catching the sun like liquid glass as it trickled into a shallow pool. The gentle hum of bumblebees droned beneath the rustle of the rose bushes, their velvet red petals fully unfurled to drink in the heat.
