Dawn in the palace37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyI8rWgtTH
—a held breath before the storm.
The candleflames tremble in the corridors,37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvRqGp2Jrq
as do I.
Chen Qing’er’s warning coils in my gut:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZNEKmGqI3
"Does the Crown Prince truly trust you?"
A question that now blooms thorns37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQM08QkDoTP
in every glance he gives me,37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWSmRpINRM
every silence between words.
The Summons
Zhang Feng arrives like a shadow,37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VdgIuBXGn
his voice devoid of inflection:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5yvLmz53W
"His Highness requests you."
I follow, counting my heartbeats—37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjq3bBvQes
each step a precipice.
The Audience
The Prince’s study smells of ink and iron.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHUN8YVmR3
He doesn’t look up from his documents37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiuvr1wLF7
when he says:
"You spoke with Chen Qing’er last night."
A statement, not a question.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHuWFXOMU4
The blade hidden in the scabbard of courtesy.
I keep my voice steady:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYXbMRhyVz
"Nothing of consequence passed between us."
His fingers pause on a parchment edge.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVyhiQEO2kN
"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,37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1jscLsyDX
backlit by a dawn he cannot yet see:
"Chen Qing’er is the true threat now."37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvKHxpmXSA
"Are you prepared to face her?"
The unspoken words hang heavier:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9az66taSme
Are you prepared to betray me?
I give the expected answer.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiCUQAjxAq
He smiles—
—a flash of teeth in the gloom,37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZfdU9qV05
more warning than approval.
"Remember: we play this game together."37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjlbUDINcd
His fingers brush his dagger’s hilt.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnzMaNN1Qt
"Cross me, and you’ll wish Chen Qing’er had killed you first."
The Aftermath
Alone again, I press my palm to my chest—37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAUfWYnzHB
feeling the thing that frightens me most:
Not the Prince’s threats.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtmCSBaEnK
Not Chen Qing’er’s schemes.
But the traitorous whisper in my own pulse:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKH9sYTSjV3
What if I want to choose neither?
and then Add to home screen.