Dawn in the palace45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QiQBLn478
—a held breath before the storm.
The candleflames tremble in the corridors,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTyXBMeLOB
as do I.
Chen Qing’er’s warning coils in my gut:45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqtKcYMFFU
"Does the Crown Prince truly trust you?"
A question that now blooms thorns45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0QQwhHNrb
in every glance he gives me,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIS2kkAyb88
every silence between words.
The Summons
Zhang Feng arrives like a shadow,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg34PeGU1Dr
his voice devoid of inflection:45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPQDSKqpff
"His Highness requests you."
I follow, counting my heartbeats—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOQrXyeuHG
each step a precipice.
The Audience
The Prince’s study smells of ink and iron.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3vbo7HM3v
He doesn’t look up from his documents45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7G4CQyuzi
when he says:
"You spoke with Chen Qing’er last night."
A statement, not a question.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1585UytwF
The blade hidden in the scabbard of courtesy.
I keep my voice steady:45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6KRI4c8hA
"Nothing of consequence passed between us."
His fingers pause on a parchment edge.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtej4qMa0S
"I hear you’ve grown… close to certain officials."
Another knife, poised at my throat.
I parry: "All for the sake of reform."
The Warning
He rises, silhouetted against the window,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPdYFzImyF
backlit by a dawn he cannot yet see:
"Chen Qing’er is the true threat now."45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTfGTkh02w
"Are you prepared to face her?"
The unspoken words hang heavier:45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwi15jffP5
Are you prepared to betray me?
I give the expected answer.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4Kt9FYpZf
He smiles—
—a flash of teeth in the gloom,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqAKk9KFCY
more warning than approval.
"Remember: we play this game together."45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dQG9dc7Zb
His fingers brush his dagger’s hilt.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlEHFHkXl4
"Cross me, and you’ll wish Chen Qing’er had killed you first."
The Aftermath
Alone again, I press my palm to my chest—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodobLJR2yZ
feeling the thing that frightens me most:
Not the Prince’s threats.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMX4auNLKVs
Not Chen Qing’er’s schemes.
But the traitorous whisper in my own pulse:45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3s9wQK6Spg
What if I want to choose neither?
and then Add to home screen.