[Suggested song for this chapter – Lux Aeterna by Clint Mansell]
The Emperor finally finished kissing Delphi, kissing her lightly on the tip of the nose.
She held back on the desire to bite him.
As soon as he had left the cell, she slumped to the table, resting her head on her hands.
"Have you finished your breakfast, Miss Chastain?" asked one of the female guards nastily.
"No!" she said, raising her head.
She was determined to be in the best possible shape she could be for this evening's 'festivities'.
Someone apparently remembered that she liked cherry jam. Again, she wondered if this was Chief Consort Tang's doing and was some kind of message to her.
She unscrewed the lid of the jar and looked underneath it, not really expecting anything.
She tried not to show any expression on her face as she spotted a tiny piece of paper taped to the underside of the lid, almost invisible, white-on-white.