Dawn in the palace79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SZLUqsnmp
—a held breath before the storm.
The candleflames tremble in the corridors,79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6X4GmuzYyF
as do I.
Chen Qing’er’s warning coils in my gut:79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6O2kfjqHl1
"Does the Crown Prince truly trust you?"
A question that now blooms thorns79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIaMAcx5rz1
in every glance he gives me,79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQr0ovkPjYd
every silence between words.
The Summons
Zhang Feng arrives like a shadow,79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2qC4fIBBK
his voice devoid of inflection:79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6UHFE3zQ4
"His Highness requests you."
I follow, counting my heartbeats—79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKTymiaBW4
each step a precipice.
The Audience
The Prince’s study smells of ink and iron.79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡosaVvHe6PN
He doesn’t look up from his documents79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBVo43WEyx
when he says:
"You spoke with Chen Qing’er last night."
A statement, not a question.79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtn3Rg9gtch
The blade hidden in the scabbard of courtesy.
I keep my voice steady:79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDP26rrBx3
"Nothing of consequence passed between us."
His fingers pause on a parchment edge.79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tqFWMJab8
"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,79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xhyozFg7R
backlit by a dawn he cannot yet see:
"Chen Qing’er is the true threat now."79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfhxlH5YRP
"Are you prepared to face her?"
The unspoken words hang heavier:79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8d1Op7LaE
Are you prepared to betray me?
I give the expected answer.79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfPGs1EKCG
He smiles—
—a flash of teeth in the gloom,79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3h1BaZzrA1
more warning than approval.
"Remember: we play this game together."79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaPfhYtjUx
His fingers brush his dagger’s hilt.79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoidF2zZZ6
"Cross me, and you’ll wish Chen Qing’er had killed you first."
The Aftermath
Alone again, I press my palm to my chest—79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaH4BEOtMs
feeling the thing that frightens me most:
Not the Prince’s threats.79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCkslg4bxw
Not Chen Qing’er’s schemes.
But the traitorous whisper in my own pulse:79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BG2lBTr70
What if I want to choose neither?
