Bai Lingling, however, had long since become used to his presence.
By now she could talk, think, complain, plan, and even eat properly with him beside her without feeling that it was strange at all. In fact, whenever he was not near, she found the room a little emptier than before, which was obviously ridiculous and definitely not something she intended to examine too closely.
Little Black kept his eyes closed, but his awareness stretched over the whole courtyard.
He heard the servants moving beyond the side corridor.
He heard the quiet clinking of bowls being washed.
He heard the guards outside speaking in lower voices because they believed their young miss was resting and did not want to disturb her.
He heard Bai Lingling's breathing, the slow movement of her fan, and the slight change in her posture whenever her thoughts turned darker.
He noticed all of it.
And because he noticed all of it, he also noticed the exact moment the gossip outside grew lively.
