Dawn in the palace33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7QbpiZwZx
—a held breath before the storm.
The candleflames tremble in the corridors,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6xRvq8h1q
as do I.
Chen Qing’er’s warning coils in my gut:33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG83EanzlRE
"Does the Crown Prince truly trust you?"
A question that now blooms thorns33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASFLal3L54
in every glance he gives me,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgofGfOESY
every silence between words.
The Summons
Zhang Feng arrives like a shadow,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjeVkSCmmb
his voice devoid of inflection:33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KjAw7WYYV
"His Highness requests you."
I follow, counting my heartbeats—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gcvTgIXnn
each step a precipice.
The Audience
The Prince’s study smells of ink and iron.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrYUkwRJ1q
He doesn’t look up from his documents33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWO4EoQL3p5
when he says:
"You spoke with Chen Qing’er last night."
A statement, not a question.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeg8ZeyCRaR
The blade hidden in the scabbard of courtesy.
I keep my voice steady:33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXA2Egi3E8
"Nothing of consequence passed between us."
His fingers pause on a parchment edge.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnby6J2E5y
"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,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgYocS4yTA
backlit by a dawn he cannot yet see:
"Chen Qing’er is the true threat now."33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSdL4NQUCo
"Are you prepared to face her?"
The unspoken words hang heavier:33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTIKUXqOwut
Are you prepared to betray me?
I give the expected answer.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZc18i1zaZh
He smiles—
—a flash of teeth in the gloom,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64ICF4d3Ms
more warning than approval.
"Remember: we play this game together."33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fvMe9Pzaz
His fingers brush his dagger’s hilt.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61MHRl5Xr4
"Cross me, and you’ll wish Chen Qing’er had killed you first."
The Aftermath
Alone again, I press my palm to my chest—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlk5OQ2Imu
feeling the thing that frightens me most:
Not the Prince’s threats.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBX3wzDOjs
Not Chen Qing’er’s schemes.
But the traitorous whisper in my own pulse:33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVCAAGIYSO
What if I want to choose neither?
and then Add to home screen.