Dawn in the palace226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xfYHZS3PP
—a held breath before the storm.
The candleflames tremble in the corridors,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqY4ilMJKM3
as do I.
Chen Qing’er’s warning coils in my gut:226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWHS7ZJ7ia
"Does the Crown Prince truly trust you?"
A question that now blooms thorns226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPrfiCiM8H
in every glance he gives me,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMGhzdRWcf
every silence between words.
The Summons
Zhang Feng arrives like a shadow,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29l4tGUVPh
his voice devoid of inflection:226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0FDoi3Pax
"His Highness requests you."
I follow, counting my heartbeats—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IiaSr3tWV
each step a precipice.
The Audience
The Prince’s study smells of ink and iron.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhdRO0wUC7
He doesn’t look up from his documents226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZAJ64FpJj
when he says:
"You spoke with Chen Qing’er last night."
A statement, not a question.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3SswxJwBs4
The blade hidden in the scabbard of courtesy.
I keep my voice steady:226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqlUXDWHYR
"Nothing of consequence passed between us."
His fingers pause on a parchment edge.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsi9sVD1on
"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,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj89FXnv9KD
backlit by a dawn he cannot yet see:
"Chen Qing’er is the true threat now."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qFG1UwdWR
"Are you prepared to face her?"
The unspoken words hang heavier:226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2GXpndiWk
Are you prepared to betray me?
I give the expected answer.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21ZnCOe87v
He smiles—
—a flash of teeth in the gloom,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9j00DArST
more warning than approval.
"Remember: we play this game together."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mVETkTiSI
His fingers brush his dagger’s hilt.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UoGFxkDp6
"Cross me, and you’ll wish Chen Qing’er had killed you first."
The Aftermath
Alone again, I press my palm to my chest—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnr28txSMf
feeling the thing that frightens me most:
Not the Prince’s threats.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9spf7UuIXv
Not Chen Qing’er’s schemes.
But the traitorous whisper in my own pulse:226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SaowLmSWs
What if I want to choose neither?
and then Add to home screen.