Dawn in the palace191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vmBGmzpNJ
—a held breath before the storm.
The candleflames tremble in the corridors,191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7UIvdXF0l3
as do I.
Chen Qing’er’s warning coils in my gut:191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrddsEKq44
"Does the Crown Prince truly trust you?"
A question that now blooms thorns191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsz0W0B5kD
in every glance he gives me,191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtVQPXDLUGn
every silence between words.
The Summons
Zhang Feng arrives like a shadow,191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2r2tQKmSc
his voice devoid of inflection:191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbECrJPyuc
"His Highness requests you."
I follow, counting my heartbeats—191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OifZPDpxb
each step a precipice.
The Audience
The Prince’s study smells of ink and iron.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdJ6m45PLW
He doesn’t look up from his documents191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqpsowCx9A
when he says:
"You spoke with Chen Qing’er last night."
A statement, not a question.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaO8HPdklb
The blade hidden in the scabbard of courtesy.
I keep my voice steady:191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYL6MB4uvig
"Nothing of consequence passed between us."
His fingers pause on a parchment edge.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xCLWHdjev
"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,191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZNb00P2HM
backlit by a dawn he cannot yet see:
"Chen Qing’er is the true threat now."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsSdXljTJ3
"Are you prepared to face her?"
The unspoken words hang heavier:191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7sspNlJzn
Are you prepared to betray me?
I give the expected answer.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgewf8maCE
He smiles—
—a flash of teeth in the gloom,191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemq9HsBkme
more warning than approval.
"Remember: we play this game together."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukqaINLOwh
His fingers brush his dagger’s hilt.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJ4dk7KmRp
"Cross me, and you’ll wish Chen Qing’er had killed you first."
The Aftermath
Alone again, I press my palm to my chest—191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7bYMaeyQM
feeling the thing that frightens me most:
Not the Prince’s threats.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvey2lXLpa2
Not Chen Qing’er’s schemes.
But the traitorous whisper in my own pulse:191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJJl0C1ApJF
What if I want to choose neither?
