Dawn in the palace221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcy44CMs5d
—a held breath before the storm.
The candleflames tremble in the corridors,221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2P4J8trj40
as do I.
Chen Qing’er’s warning coils in my gut:221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQUnnSVZfc
"Does the Crown Prince truly trust you?"
A question that now blooms thorns221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOahBwt3mw1
in every glance he gives me,221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBifeOB59I
every silence between words.
The Summons
Zhang Feng arrives like a shadow,221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUGcRsLYkO
his voice devoid of inflection:221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsWXreQkfo
"His Highness requests you."
I follow, counting my heartbeats—221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADAOaWQ0ZU
each step a precipice.
The Audience
The Prince’s study smells of ink and iron.221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1RwCBoK5G
He doesn’t look up from his documents221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKezrVJcBfE
when he says:
"You spoke with Chen Qing’er last night."
A statement, not a question.221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiH62e2RvFz
The blade hidden in the scabbard of courtesy.
I keep my voice steady:221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3IPQGCbbT
"Nothing of consequence passed between us."
His fingers pause on a parchment edge.221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0Pq2Jviqi
"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,221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVN3b58YE4
backlit by a dawn he cannot yet see:
"Chen Qing’er is the true threat now."221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4rbUx5xdX
"Are you prepared to face her?"
The unspoken words hang heavier:221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0D33VDEpnt
Are you prepared to betray me?
I give the expected answer.221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrdUinYWlB
He smiles—
—a flash of teeth in the gloom,221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyR080BAH70
more warning than approval.
"Remember: we play this game together."221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUnLf0wz7f
His fingers brush his dagger’s hilt.221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLSPpPyXAw
"Cross me, and you’ll wish Chen Qing’er had killed you first."
The Aftermath
Alone again, I press my palm to my chest—221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOnwVqAZci
feeling the thing that frightens me most:
Not the Prince’s threats.221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtD4Iimkxwa
Not Chen Qing’er’s schemes.
But the traitorous whisper in my own pulse:221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQkjpAIUVM
What if I want to choose neither?
