Bab 511: I'm not stargazing, I'm simply starwatching

She drew in a breath.

The crisp night air filled her lungs.

It was an odd little thing, but...during her time in Ceiori, she couldn't do this. Couldn't taste the night air like this.

She could have opened the window in her room, she supposed, but it wasn't quite the same thing.

A part of her questioned the wisdom of sitting in the royal gardens, ostensibly outside, in the middle of the night.

But...

The palace gardens were actually quite expansive, they were within the palace walls, and many palace guards patrolled its grounds.

It really wasn't all that much different from sitting inside, as far as danger went.

She tilted her head back and looked up at the sky.

The night was full of stars. Like a painter - no. Like a baker shook out sugar or salt and spread it all across the night.

There were so many stars.

And they seemed to be even more plentiful because she didn't recognize a single constellation.