A sinister wind whistled through broken walls and shattered tiles as the gates of the Cold Palace creaked open. Dust swirled like frozen strands of time, clinging stubbornly to the heart.
I followed the Crown Prince at a measured pace. Dressed in plain white robes, his steps were leisurely, as if he hadn't come to revisit the past but to watch a play unfold.
"Do you remember this place?" He paused before a crumbling doorway, glancing back at me. "Your mother was confined here for three days and nights."
My heart lurched, but I kept silent, fingers tightening around the hidden token in my sleeve.
The Crown Prince took a step closer, his gaze dropping to my trembling fingertips. Suddenly, his voice softened. "She was once the woman I respected most in this world."
I looked up—and saw an expression I'd never witnessed before.
No mockery. No calculation. Only... a fleeting vulnerability, and regret.
"Then why did you—"
"Because she chose the wrong side." His voice turned quiet. "And because she brought you into this world... destined to be a pawn."
I wanted to ask if he regretted it.
But in the next breath, he turned and pushed open the broken door, stepping into the frigid hall.
I followed, my foot landing on a cracked tile with a sharp snap—like shattering something irreversible.
The Crown Prince traced a faded crimson stain on the peeling wall, murmuring as if to himself, "Here... she once bled."
His voice was barely audible, yet it carved into my bones like a blade.
"Why did you bring me here today?"
He laughed suddenly, turning to face me. In one fluid motion, he cupped my chin—his touch deceptively gentle. "I just wanted to know... if you'd betray me too, when the moment comes."
My breath hitched, but my gaze didn't waver. "If you never trusted me, how could it be called betrayal?"
He stiffened, as if struck. His palm trembled faintly against my skin.
"Then why did you meet with Xiao Jing?" The question came low, simmering with suppressed fury.
I understood then—he'd known everything.
Even that "lost" letter... had likely been bait he'd planted himself.
"You were testing me," I said.
"No." His smile turned cold, though exhaustion flickered in his eyes. "I was forcing myself... to see you clearly."
Silence fell, broken only by the wind howling through broken eaves.
And I realized—he wasn't emotionless.
He'd simply buried everything beneath the armor of power. That impenetrable calm hid a lifetime of misplaced feelings, too dangerous to speak aloud.
Then, abruptly, he pulled me into an embrace.
"Don't make me doubt you again," he whispered against my ear, the words nearly pleading.
My pulse roared.
Was this the lure of power—or his deepest weakness?
I almost returned the embrace. Almost.
But my fingers stilled just shy of the jade pendant at his waist.
It was my mother's lost token.
He'd kept it all these years... and never told me.
The misalignment wasn't in our feelings—it was in trust.
"You never believed in me," I murmured against his chest. "Why hold me now?"
The Crown Prince went rigid. His arms slackened, and when he stepped back, his eyes had turned to ice.
"From this moment... you are no longer my confidante."
He turned away, robes billowing as the wind stole the last remnants of warmth between us.
I stood in the Cold Palace's dying light, watching his retreating figure. But my heart had no room for tears.
Because I knew—
This tangled web of emotions was merely the opening move in a far deadlier game.
ns216.73.216.168da2
and then Add to home screen.