The corridor beyond the hammam was lined with polished teak panels inlaid with silver filigree, depicting sage trees bending beneath desert winds. Torches in polished bronze sconces cast a buttery light, each flame flickering as if reluctant to witness what came next. At the end of this hushed passage stood a grand doorway of carved ebony, its twin leaves etched with the Rathore lion—silent sentinels to the princess's new world.